Mapping the Characteristics of Contexts in Science Items: The Case of Forces and Motion Items

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Division D Section 1 Poster Session 2

Abstract

About 70% and 73% of the released NAEP and TIMSS science items for 8th grade, respectively, use context (Wang & Li, 2014). Unfortunately, contextualized items are constructed based mainly on either conventional wisdom or on writing rules summarized from non-contextualized items (Haladyna, 1997). This paper provides information about the characteristics found in science items focusing on the topic forces and motion from different sources (e.g., NAEP, PISA, TIMSS, state assessments, and published papers). The proposed paper has three main purposes: (1) provide a framework that can be used to analyze contexts; (2) map the characteristics of the contexts on released items from diverse sources, and (3) provide the impact of this characteristics on students’ performance, when information is available.

Authors

• Maria Araceli Ruiz-Primo, Stanford University

• Min Li, University of Washington

• Jim Minstrell, FACET Innovations

• Dongsheng Dong, University of Washington - Seattle

• Klint Kanopka, Stanford University

• Philip Hernandez, Stanford University