Applying Cognitive Diagnosis Model to Assess Middle School Students' Scientific Explanations

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Seven
  In Roundtable Session: Models, Strategies, and Interactions in Science Teaching and Learning (Table 7)

Abstract

The importance of scientific explanations has been widely recognized around the world. This study applied the cognitive diagnostic modeling (CDM) approach to examine students’ cognitive patterns of constructing scientific explanations. We localized three assessment tasks and developed five cognitive attributes accordingly. Responses from 244 Grade 9 students from two middle schools were collected, scored, and analyzed. The results indicate that the developed five cognitive attributes are reliable and valid for identifying student cognitive challenges in constructing scientific explanations. Moreover, most students tended to master the proficiency of constructing scientific explanations: making correct claims, finding sufficient evidence based on the patterns of data, and providing reasoning process with scientific principles.

Authors

• Yu Zhang, Northeast Normal University
  Presenting Author

• Tingting Li, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Peng He, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author