NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1161118
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1380-3611
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Measuring Scientific Reasoning--A Review of Test Instruments
Opitz, Ansgar; Heene, Moritz; Fischer, Frank
Educational Research and Evaluation, v23 n3-4 p78-101 2017
Education systems increasingly emphasize the importance of scientific reasoning skills such as "generating hypotheses" and "evaluating evidence." Despite this importance, we do not know which tests of scientific reasoning exist, which skills they emphasize, how they conceptualize scientific reasoning, and how well they are evaluated. Therefore, this article reviews 38 scientific reasoning tests. They used to primarily consist of multiple-choice questions, but since then have become more diverse, even including tests that automatically analyse virtual experiments. Furthermore, this review revealed that the tests focus on the skills of "generating hypotheses," "generating evidence," "evaluating evidence," and "drawing conclusions." Additionally, conceptualizations of scientific reasoning have moved towards a domain-specific set of different but coordinated skills over the years. Finally, concluding from gaps in test evaluation, a future focus should be on testing theoretical assumptions, comparing different scientific reasoning tests, and how relevant test results are in predicting criterion variables like academic performance.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A