ERIC Number: EJ1256667
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
Evaluating the Leuven Research Skills Test for 11th and 12th Grade
Maddens, Louise; Depaepe, Fien; Janssen, Rianne; Raes, Annelies; Elen, Jan
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v38 n4 p445-459 Jul 2020
According to (inter)national policy and curriculum documents, the acquisition of research skills is an important objective of secondary education. However, the conceptualization and hence the operationalization of this concept seems ambiguous. Furthermore, no test exists to assess students' proficiency in (a broad range of) research skills in a 11th- and 12th-grade behavioral sciences classroom context. This article first elaborates on what constitutes research skills in this educational context. Second, the development and testing process of the Leuven Research Skills Test (LRST) is described. Third, the psychometric properties and the dimensional structure of the LRST are presented, based on a large-scale sample (n = 405) of Belgian students in 11th and 12th grade. The results revealed that (a) the LRST is an internal consistent instrument and that (b) a hierarchical model with eight subordinate factors and one single uniting upper level factor appears to be the best fit to the data (in comparison with a unidimensional model and an eight-factor multidimensional model). It is argued that the LRST can be used to assess (individual differences in) overall research skills proficiency and to investigate the effect of particular interventions to foster research skills in future studies.
Descriptors: Grade 11, Grade 12, High School Students, Student Evaluation, Test Construction, Psychometrics, Foreign Countries, Individual Differences, Science Process Skills, Behavioral Sciences, Test Validity, Test Reliability
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11; High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A