Development and validation of the Conceptual Survey on Wave Optics

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Karolina Matejak Cvenić
• Author: Maja Planinić
• Author: Ana Sušac
• Author: Lana Ivanjek
• Author: Katarina Jeličić
• Author: Martin Hopf
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Physics)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Physics

Abstract (english)

A new diagnostic instrument, the Conceptual Survey on Wave Optics (CSWO), was developed and validated on 224 high school students (aged 18–19 years) in Croatia. The process of test construction, which included the testing of 61 items on the total of 712 students is presented. The final version of the test consists of 26 multiple-choice items which cover basic conceptual aspects of interference, diffraction, and polarization of light at the high school level. The construction of the test and the evaluation of its functioning and validity were conducted using the Rasch model. The test construct was based on the increasing levels of cognitive complexity in accordance with the Webb’s depth of knowledge model. The theoretical construct was empirically confirmed, and it suggests that the explanations of wave optics phenomena and their application to real-life situations are the most difficult aspects of high school students’ understanding of wave optics. The results of the Rasch analysis suggest that the CSWO is a reliable diagnostic instrument suitable for administration as a post-test to high school students after instruction on wave optics and possibly also for university level students in some introductory physics courses.

• Keywords (english): Rasch model; wave optics; student conceptual understanding; physics education
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review - international
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Physical Review Physics Education Research
• Numbering: vol. 18, no. 1, 010103
• e-ISSN: 2469-9896
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010103
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:088263
• Publication: 2022
• Project: Number: IP-2018-01-9085; Title (croatian): Utjecaj uključivanja istraživačkih učeničkih pokusa u srednjoškolsku nastavu fizike na razvoj znanstvenog zaključivanja i konceptualnog razumijevanja; Title (english): Effect of the inclusion of students' investigative experiments in secondary school physics teaching on the development of scientific reasoning and conceptual understanding; Acronym: INVESTIGATE; Leader: Maja Planinić; Jurisdiction: Croatia; Funding stream: Research Projects
• Document URL: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010103
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Public note: Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Received 11 June 2021; accepted 18 November 2021; published 10 January 2022.
• Created on: 2024-09-09 21:59:22