Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate senior high school students’ understanding of electrostatics

This study developed and validated an instrument to investigate senior school students’ understanding of electrostatics provide a cognitive diagnostic assessment their strengths weaknesses on the related concepts (e.g., electric charge). The included 20 four-tier multiple-choice items development process is organized around two activities: its validation. step defined secondary designed using misconceptions them. In validation step, was applied 1850 high students from nine schools in provinces China, collected data were analyzed CDM package R language. ensures that reports represent conceptual reliably validly by selecting best model, analyzing item quality, overall test reliability, instrument’s structure. can percentage population who possess certain combinations concepts, possessing individual fine-grained size concept proficiency information, which be integrated as one completed report issue students, teachers, parents demonstrate status electrostatics. addition, construct induced results also aggregated classroom, for instruction planning or low-stakes decision making, infer learning sequence.16 MoreReceived 26 January 2022Revised 27 June 2022Accepted 14 December 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.010114Published American Physical Society under terms Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution this work must maintain attribution author(s) published article’s title, journal citation, DOI.Published SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAssessmentConcepts & principlesProfessional TopicsK-12 studentsPhysics Education Research