Using the Rasch model to analyze the test of understanding of vectors

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Ana Sušac; MBZ: 236434
• Author: Maja Planinić; MBZ: 184526
• Author: Damjan Klemenčić
• Author: Željka Milin Šipuš; MBZ: 129806
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Physics)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Physics
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Mathematics

Abstract (english)

The test of understanding of vectors (TUV) is a multiple-choice test that was recently developed to assess student understanding of vector concepts required in introductory physics courses at the university level. In this study, the TUV was administered to 889 first-year students at the University of Zagreb. The Rasch model was used to evaluate the functioning of the TUV, and to determine the difficulty scale of vector concepts evaluated by this assessment instrument. The results of the Rasch analysis showed a good functioning of test items. However, the TUV was not well targeted to our sample of first-year engineering and science students in introductory physics courses. About half of the students had abilities outside the range of item difficulties, indicating that the TUV would benefit from including more difficult items that would help to better estimate the abilities of these students. Further analysis of the data from subpopulations in our sample showed that the TUV can be well targeted for certain student populations. Students’ scores suggest that the most difficult vector concept tested by the TUV is the unit vector, followed by the cross product, subtraction of vectors, dot product, and direction of a vector.

• Keywords (english): Rasch model; reliability; test construction; Test of Understanding of Vectors (TUV); conceptual understanding; student difficulties
• 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. 14, no. 2, 023101
• p-ISSN: 2469-9896
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.023101
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:478516
• Publication: 2018
• Document URL: https://journals.aps.org/prper/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.023101
• 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. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Received 23 September 2018; published 6 December 2018. Published by the American Physical Society.
• Created on: 2020-03-01 18:40:54