Apisit Tongchai. Development of a conceptual survey in mechanical waves. Doctoral Degree(Science and Technology Education). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2009.
Development of a conceptual survey in mechanical waves
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable multiple-choice
conceptual survey in mechanical waves at the introductory level of physics. The
survey development procedures were divided into three main phases. The first phase
involved defining the content area using surveying curriculums and physics textbooks
to determine the main concepts generally taught in classrooms. The second phase
involved surveying students conceptions of mechanical waves in order to generate the
survey questions in the multiple-choice format. The third phase involved testing and
evaluating the survey questions. Some of the survey questions were adapted from an
existing open-ended survey called the Waves Diagnostic Test and from some
prominent textbooks. The survey consists of four subtopics: propagation,
superposition, reflection, and standing waves. The development methods included
open-ended questions and interviews involving 299 Thai students and 88 Australian
students. Validity checks, including consultation with experts, were carried out. The
final version, called the Mechanical Waves Conceptual Survey (MWCS), was
administered to 632 Australian students from high school to second-year university,
and 270 Thai high school students. The standard statistical analyses used in evaluating
the reliability of the survey included: difficulty index, discrimination index, point
biserial coefficient, Cronbachs alpha reliability, and Furgusons delta. The results of
statistical analyses show that the survey is considerably reliable and valid. In addition,
the survey was able to reveal students understanding of the concepts, as shown by the
patterns of their responses