Sura Wuttiprom. Development and use of a conceptual survey in introductory quantum physics. Master's Degree(Science and Technology Education ). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2008.
Development and use of a conceptual survey in introductory quantum physics
Abstract:
Conceptual surveys have become increasingly popular at many levels to probe
various aspects of science education research such as measuring student understanding
of basic concepts and assessing the effectiveness of pedagogical material. The aim of
this study was to develop a valid and reliable multiple-choice conceptual survey to
investigate students understanding of introductory quantum physics concepts. The
development of the conceptual survey started with examining course syllabuses to
establish content coverage, consulting with experts to extract fundamental content
areas, and trialling open-ended questions to determine how the selected content areas
align with students difficulties. The questions were generated and trialled with
different groups of students. Each version of the survey was critiqued by a group of
discipline and teaching experts to establish its validity. The survey was administered
to 312 students at the University of Sydney and 812 students at Mahidol University.
Using the data from these samples, five statistical tests (item difficulty index, item
discrimination index, item point biserial coefficient, KR-21 reliability test, and
Fergusons delta) were performed to evaluate the tests reliability and discriminatory
power. The result indicated that this survey is a reliable test. This study also provided
data from which preliminary findings were drawn on students understandings of
introductory quantum physics concepts. The main point is that questions which require
an understanding of the standard interpretations of quantum physics are more
challenging for students than those grouped as non-interpretive. The division of
conceptual questions into interpretive and non-interpretive needs further exploration.