ERIC Number: EJ1083154
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
Measuring Primary Students' Graph Interpretation Skills via a Performance Assessment: A Case Study in Instrument Development
Peterman, Karen; Cranston, Kayla A.; Pryor, Marie; Kermish-Allen, Ruth
International Journal of Science Education, v37 n17 p2787-2808 2015
This case study was conducted within the context of a place-based education project that was implemented with primary school students in the USA. The authors and participating teachers created a performance assessment of standards-aligned tasks to examine 6-10-year-old students' graph interpretation skills as part of an exploratory research project. Fifty-five students participated in a performance assessment interview at the beginning and end of a place-based investigation. Two forms of the assessment were created and counterbalanced within class at pre and post. "In situ" scoring was conducted such that responses were scored as correct versus incorrect during the assessment's administration. Criterion validity analysis demonstrated an age-level progression in student scores. Tests of discriminant validity showed that the instrument detected variability in interpretation skills across each of three graph types (line, bar, dot plot). Convergent validity was established by correlating "in situ" scores with those from the Graph Interpretation Scoring Rubric. Students' proficiency with interpreting different types of graphs matched expectations based on age and the standards-based progression of graphs across primary school grades. The assessment tasks were also effective at detecting pre--post gains in students' interpretation of line graphs and dot plots after the place-based project. The results of the case study are discussed in relation to the common challenges associated with performance assessment. Implications are presented in relation to the need for authentic and performance-based instructional and assessment tasks to respond to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Descriptors: Case Studies, Place Based Education, Elementary School Students, Elementary School Teachers, Performance Based Assessment, Graphs, Mathematics Skills, Interviews, Pretests Posttests, Age Differences, Scores, Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Weather, Common Core State Standards, Student Projects, Coding
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maine
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1217247; DRL1451315