Development and initial validation of a performance-based scientific reasoning test for children

Abstract

Scientific reasoning encompasses the cognitive skills used when conducting a deliberate scientific investigation. As there are not that many instruments available for assessing scientific reasoning in children, a new performance-based test was developed that taps children’s command of five key scientific reasoning processes (predicting, experimenting, interpreting, evaluating data, and drawing conclusions). Results of this first validation study with 170 children age 7–10 showed that the test has good item characteristics and acceptable reliability. Initial validity evidence indicated that children’s test scores were unaffected by gender and prior domain knowledge and largely independent of language and math abilities.