Advancing Assessment of Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning

dc.creator	Donna L. Sundre
dc.creator	Amy D. Thelk
dc.date	2010-07-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-08-12T11:17:01Z
dc.date.available	2015-08-12T11:17:01Z
dc.identifier	1936-4660
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/a19985967199458e879db44fa12cb97c
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/26028
dc.description	Advancing Assessment of Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning is a four-year NSF Project (DUE-0618599) in part designed to evaluate the generalizability of quantitative (QR) and scientific reasoning (SR) assessment instruments created at James Madison University to four other four-year institutions with very distinct missions and student demographics. This article describes the methods, results, and findings we obtained in our studies. More specifically, we describe how to conduct content-alignment exercises in which faculty members map each item from a prospective test to the student learning objectives taught at the institution. Our results indicated that 92-100% of the QR and SR items were successfully mapped to each of the partner institutions’ learning objectives. We also guided the partner institutions on assessing the balance of test items across the intended student learning objectives to assure greater content validity and coverage. The reliability (internal consistency) results from the partner institutions for the learning objectives and major subtests are strikingly similar across very different student populations. We interpret lower reliabilities from one institution to be the result of test administration and student motivation factors, the latter being a serious threat to the health and vigor of any assessment program. Validity study results at the partner institutions add to the evidence of construct validity of the QR and SR instruments. While our studies focus on QR and SR instruments, the methods will apply to other instruments and other institutions as they attempt to answer important questions about student learning outcomes.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of South Florida Libraries
dc.relation	http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.3.2.2
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1936-4660
dc.rights	CC BY-NC
dc.source	Numeracy, Vol 3, Iss 2, p 2 (2010)
dc.subject	quantitative reasoning
dc.subject	scientific reasoning
dc.subject	assessment
dc.subject	collegiate
dc.subject	instrument development
dc.subject	measurement
dc.subject	reliability
dc.subject	validity
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Mathematics
dc.subject	QA1-939
dc.subject	Science
dc.subject	Q
dc.subject	DOAJ:Mathematics
dc.subject	DOAJ:Mathematics and Statistics
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Mathematics
dc.subject	QA1-939
dc.subject	Science
dc.subject	Q
dc.subject	DOAJ:Mathematics
dc.subject	DOAJ:Mathematics and Statistics
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Mathematics
dc.subject	QA1-939
dc.subject	Science
dc.subject	Q
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Mathematics
dc.subject	QA1-939
dc.subject	Science
dc.subject	Q
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Mathematics
dc.subject	QA1-939
dc.subject	Science
dc.subject	Q
dc.title	Advancing Assessment of Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning
dc.type	article