Using And Developing Measurement Instruments In Science Education

This book meets a demand in the science education community for a comprehensive and introductory measurement book in science education. It describes measurement instruments reported in refereed science education research journals, and introduces the Rasch modeling approach to developing measurement instruments in common science assessment domains, i.e. conceptual understanding, affective variables, science inquiry, learning progression, and learning environments. This book can help readers develop a sound understanding of measurement theories and approaches, particularly Rasch modeling, to using and developing measurement instruments for science education research. This book is for anyone who is interested in knowing what measurement instruments are available and how to develop measurement instruments for science education research. For example, this book can be a textbook for a graduate course in science education research methods; it helps graduate students develop competence in using and developing standardized measurement instruments for science education research. Science education researchers, both beginning and experienced, may use this book as a reference for locating available and developing new measurement instruments when conducting a research study.

A volume in Science & Engineering Education Sources Series Editor Calvin S. Kalman, Concordia University This book meets a demand in the science education community for a comprehensive and introductory measurement book in science education. It describes measurement instruments reported in refereed science education research journals, and introduces the Rasch modeling approach to developing measurement instruments in common science assessment domains, i.e. conceptual understanding, affective variables, science inquiry, learning progression, and learning environments. This book can help readers develop a sound understanding of measurement theories and approaches, particularly Rasch modeling, to using and developing measurement instruments for science education research. This book is for anyone who is interested in knowing what measurement instruments are available and how to develop measurement instruments for science education research. For example, this book can be a textbook for a graduate course in science education research methods; it helps graduate students develop competence in using and developing standardized measurement instruments for science education research. For use as a textbook there are summaries and exercises at the end of each chapter. Science education researchers, both beginning and experienced, may use this book as a reference for locating available and developing new measurement instruments when conducting a research study.

A volume in Science & Engineering Education Sources Series Editor Calvin S. Kalman, Concordia University This book meets a demand in the science education community for a comprehensive and introductory measurement book in science education. It describes measurement instruments reported in refereed science education research journals, and introduces the Rasch modeling approach to developing measurement instruments in common science assessment domains, i.e. conceptual understanding, affective variables, science inquiry, learning progression, and learning environments. This book can help readers develop a sound understanding of measurement theories and approaches, particularly Rasch modeling, to using and developing measurement instruments for science education research. This book is for anyone who is interested in knowing what measurement instruments are available and how to develop measurement instruments for science education research. For example, this book can be a textbook for a graduate course in science education research methods; it helps graduate students develop competence in using and developing standardized measurement instruments for science education research. For use as a textbook there are summaries and exercises at the end of each chapter. Science education researchers, both beginning and experienced, may use this book as a reference for locating available and developing new measurement instruments when conducting a research study.

This open access book proposes a conceptual framework for understanding measurement across a broad range of scientific fields and areas of application, such as physics, engineering, education, and psychology. It addresses contemporary issues and controversies within measurement in light of the framework, including operationalism, definitional uncertainty, and the relations between measurement and computation, and describes how the framework, operating as a shared concept system, supports understanding measurement’s work in different domains, using examples in the physical and human sciences. This revised and expanded second edition features a new analysis of the analogies and the differences between the error/uncertainty-related approach adopted in physical measurement and the validity-related approach adopted in psychosocial measurement. In addition, it provides a better analysis and presentation of measurement scales, in particular about their relations with quantity units, and introduces the measurand identification/definition as a part of the "Hexagon Framework" along with new examples from the physical and psychosocial sciences. Researchers and academics across a wide range of disciplines including biological, physical, social, and behavioral scientists, as well as specialists in measurement and philosophy appreciate the work’s fresh and provocative approach to the field at a time when sound measurements of complex scientific systems are increasingly essential to solving critical global problems.

"Measurements in Evaluating Science Education is a comprehensive, intuitive guide to many of the key instruments created to assess science education environments, learning, and instruction. Nearly 70 different surveys, tests, scales, and other metrics are organized according to the qualities the measures attempt to gauge, such as attitudes toward science, beliefs and misconceptions, self-efficacy, and content knowledge. Summaries of each instrument, usage information, developmental history and validation, and reported psychometric properties make this an essential reference for anyone interested in understanding science education assessment"--

Featuring six chapters of digestible research points and practical classroom examples, Scientific Teaching encourages educators to approach teaching in a way that captures the spirit and rigor of scientific research, helping to transform how students learn science.

Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to scienceâ€"whether using knowledge or creating itâ€"necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy. Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societiesâ€"and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting. Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research.

There has been longstanding interest in affective characteristics in both educational and corporate environments. While each domain has produced its own set of theorists and researchers, the work of some, such as Bandura, has found a place in the literature of both areas. In each of these settings, theorists and researchers have agreed on the causal connections between such constructs as self-efficacy and perceived satisfaction and success, whether that success is measured by academic achievement or corporate quality and performance resulting in profitability. Along with this interest, comes the need for the development of valid and reliable instruments to assess affective characteristics. It is clear that no matter whether your interest lies in the relationship between self-efficacy and academic success or employee satisfaction and corporate success, it is essential that the instruments used be carefully designed and tested to assure that they are measuring what they are intended to measure in a consistent manner. This work offers the theoretical perspective, modern psychometric techniques, real examples, and data needed to enable the instrument developer to produce such valid and reliable instruments.