scholarly journals Development of a Meiosis Concept Inventory

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Kalas ◽  
Angie O’Neill ◽  
Carol Pollock ◽  
Gülnur Birol
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Fundamental Concept ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Student Progress ◽  
Class Testing ◽  
Student Misconceptions ◽  
Question Development

We have designed, developed, and validated a 17-question Meiosis Concept Inventory (Meiosis CI) to diagnose student misconceptions on meiosis, which is a fundamental concept in genetics. We targeted large introductory biology and genetics courses and used published methodology for question development, which included the validation of questions by student interviews (n = 28), in-class testing of the questions by students (n = 193), and expert (n = 8) consensus on the correct answers. Our item analysis showed that the questions’ difficulty and discrimination indices were in agreement with published recommended standards and discriminated effectively between high- and low-scoring students. We foresee other institutions using the Meiosis CI as both a diagnostic tool and an instrument to assess teaching effectiveness and student progress, and invite instructors to visit http://q4b.biology.ubc.ca for more information.

scholarly journals Development of aLacOperon Concept Inventory (LOCI)

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. ar24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Stefanski ◽  
Grant E. Gardner ◽  
Rebecca L. Seipelt-Thiemann
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Instructional Methods ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Lac Operon ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Class Testing

Concept inventories (CIs) are valuable tools for educators that assess student achievement and identify misconceptions held by students. Results of student responses can be used to adjust or develop new instructional methods for a given topic. The regulation of gene expression in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes is an important concept in genetics and one that is particularly challenging for undergraduate students. As part of a larger study examining instructional methods related to gene regulation, the authors developed a 12-item CI assessing student knowledge of the lac operon. Using an established protocol, the authors wrote open-ended questions and conducted in-class testing with undergraduate microbiology and genetics students to discover common errors made by students about the lac operon and to determine aspects of item validity. Using these results, we constructed a 12-item multiple-choice lac operon CI called the Lac Operon Concept Inventory (LOCI), The LOCI was reviewed by two experts in the field for content validity. The LOCI underwent item analysis and was assessed for reliability with a sample of undergraduate genetics students (n = 115). The data obtained were found to be valid and reliable (coefficient alpha = 0.994) with adequate discriminatory power and item difficulty.

scholarly journals Identifying Informatively Easy and Informatively Hard Concepts

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
R. Paul Wiegand ◽  
Anthony Bucci ◽  
Amruth N. Kumar ◽  
Jennifer Albert ◽  
Alessio Gaspar
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measures ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Pareto Dominance ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Coevolutionary Computation ◽  
Introductory Computer Programming ◽  
Student Problem ◽  
Online Software

In this article, we leverage ideas from the theory of coevolutionary computation to analyze interactions of students with problems. We introduce the idea of informatively easy or hard concepts. Our approach is different from more traditional analyses of problem difficulty such as item analysis in the sense that we consider Pareto dominance relationships within the multidimensional structure of student–problem performance data rather than average performance measures. This method allows us to uncover not just the problems on which students are struggling but also the variety of difficulties different students face. Our approach is to apply methods from the Dimension Extraction Coevolutionary Algorithm to analyze problem-solving logs of students generated when they use an online software tutoring suite for introductory computer programming called problets . The results of our analysis not only have implications for how to scale up and improve adaptive tutoring software but also have the promise of contributing to the identification of common misconceptions held by students and thus, eventually, to the construction of a concept inventory for introductory programming.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of the Homeostasis Concept Inventory

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny L. McFarland ◽  
Rebecca M. Price ◽  
Mary Pat Wenderoth ◽  
Patrícia Martinková ◽  
William Cliff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Differential Item Analysis ◽  
Concept Framework ◽  
Better Than

We present the Homeostasis Concept Inventory (HCI), a 20-item multiple-choice instrument that assesses how well undergraduates understand this critical physiological concept. We used an iterative process to develop a set of questions based on elements in the Homeostasis Concept Framework. This process involved faculty experts and undergraduate students from associate’s colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, regional and research-intensive universities, and professional schools. Statistical results provided strong evidence for the validity and reliability of the HCI. We found that graduate students performed better than undergraduates, biology majors performed better than nonmajors, and students performed better after receiving instruction about homeostasis. We used differential item analysis to assess whether students from different genders, races/ethnicities, and English language status performed differently on individual items of the HCI. We found no evidence of differential item functioning, suggesting that the items do not incorporate cultural or gender biases that would impact students’ performance on the test. Instructors can use the HCI to guide their teaching and student learning of homeostasis, a core concept of physiology.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Chemistry Concept Inventory for general chemistry students at Finnish university

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-148
Author(s):  
Tiina Kiviniemi ◽  
Piia Nuora
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Chemical Concept ◽  
The University ◽  
University Setting

A chemistry concept inventory (Chemical Concept Inventory 3.0/CCI 3.0), previously developed for use in Norwegian universities, was tested and evaluated for use in a Finnish university setting. The test, designed to evaluate student knowledge and learning of chemistry concepts, was administered as both pre- and posttest in first year general chemistry courses at the University of Jyväskylä. The results were evaluated using different statistical tests, focusing both on individual item analysis and the entire test. Some individual questions were found to be not discriminating or reliable enough or too difficult, yet the results, as a whole, indicate that the concept inventory is a reliable and discriminating tool that can be used in the Finnish university context.

scholarly journals The Influences of Teacher Delivery and Student Progress on Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Napoles ◽  
Rebecca B. MacLeod
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Teacher Knowledge ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Student Progress ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Applied Lessons ◽  
Moderate Positive Correlation

The purpose of this study was to examine how teacher delivery and student progress influenced preservice teachers’ perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness. Experienced teachers ( n = 6) were videotaped teaching mini applied lessons under four conditions: (a) high teacher delivery and more student progress, (b) high teacher delivery and less student progress, (c) low teacher delivery and more student progress, and (d) low teacher delivery and less student progress. Preservice teachers ( n = 75) viewed these teaching excerpts and rated each for teacher delivery, student progress, student musicianship, teacher knowledge of subject matter, and overall teaching effectiveness. Participants rated teachers with high delivery as more effective than teachers with low delivery, irrespective of student progress. There was a moderate positive correlation ( r = .53) between perceptions of teacher delivery and student progress. Results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that teacher delivery was the best predictor of perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness, followed closely by student progress.

scholarly journals Identifying and Remediating Student Misconceptions in Introductory Biology via Writing-to-Learn Assignments and Peer Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. ar28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey S. Halim ◽  
Solaire A. Finkenstaedt-Quinn ◽  
Laura J. Olsen ◽  
Anne Ruggles Gere ◽  
Ginger V. Shultz
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Writing To Learn ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Student Misconceptions ◽  
Students First ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
And Function

Student misconceptions are an obstacle in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses and unless remediated may continue causing difficulties in learning as students advance in their studies. Writing-to-learn assignments (WTL) are characterized by their ability to promote in-depth conceptual learning by allowing students to explore their understanding of a topic. This study sought to determine whether and what types of misconceptions are elicited by WTL assignments and how the process of peer review and revision leads to remediation or propagation of misconceptions. We examined four WTL assignments in an introductory biology course in which students first wrote about content by applying it to a realistic scenario, then participated in a peer-review process before revising their work. Misconceptions were identified in all four assignments, with the greatest number pertaining to protein structure and function. Additionally, in certain contexts, students used scientific terminology incorrectly. Analysis of the drafts and peer-review comments generated six profiles by which misconceptions were addressed through the peer-review process. The prevalent mode of remediation arose through directed peer-review comments followed by correction during revision. It was also observed that additional misconceptions were elicited as students revised their writing in response to general peer-review suggestions.

scholarly journals Concept Inventory Development Reveals Common Student Misconceptions about Microbiology †

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy G. Briggs ◽  
Lee E. Hughes ◽  
Robert E. Brennan ◽  
John Buchner ◽  
Rachel E. A. Horak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Student Misconceptions ◽  
Inventory Development

scholarly journals Development of an inventory for Alternative Conceptions among students in chemistry

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per-Odd Eggen ◽  
Jonas Persson ◽  
Elisabeth Egholm Jacobsen ◽  
Bjørn Hafskjold
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Alternative Conceptions ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Present Context

A Chemistry concept inventory has been developed for assessing students learning and identifying the alternative conceptions that students may have in general chemistry. The conceptions in question are assumed to be mainly learned in school and to a less degree in student’s daily life. The inventory therefore aims at functioning as a tool for adjusting teaching practices in chemistry. The concept inventory presented here is mainly aimed at assessing students learning during general chemistry courses. The inventory has been administered and evaluated using statistical tests, focusing on both item analysis and on the entire test. The results indicate that the concept inventory is a reliable and discriminating tool in the present context.

scholarly journals Supplemental Instruction in Introductory Biology I: Enhancing the Performance and Retention of Underrepresented Minority Students

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth A. Rath ◽  
Alan R. Peterfreund ◽  
Samuel P. Xenos ◽  
Frank Bayliss ◽  
Nancy Carnal
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Supplemental Instruction ◽  
State University ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Student Misconceptions ◽  
Biology I ◽  
Laboratory Component ◽  
Course Material

Supplemental instruction classes have been shown in many studies to enhance performance in the supported courses and even to improve graduation rates. Generally, there has been little evidence of a differential impact on students from different ethnic/racial backgrounds. At San Francisco State University, however, supplemental instruction in the Introductory Biology I class is associated with even more dramatic gains among students from underrepresented minority populations than the gains found among their peers. These gains do not seem to be the product of better students availing themselves of supplemental instruction or other outside factors. The Introductory Biology I class consists of a team-taught lecture component, taught in a large lecture classroom, and a laboratory component where students participate in smaller lab sections. Students are expected to master an understanding of basic concepts, content, and vocabulary in biology as well as gain laboratory investigation skills and experience applying scientific methodology. In this context, supplemental instruction classes are cooperative learning environments where students participate in learning activities that complement the course material, focusing on student misconceptions and difficulties, construction of a scaffolded knowledge base, applications involving problem solving, and articulation of constructs with peers.

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