Concept Inventory Research Articles

A Simple Method for Predicting a Molecule's Biological Properties From Its Polarity

The distinction between very polar and less polar substances is a foundation of biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology; it surfaces in multiple concept inventories and elaborations of biological core concepts. However, in our experience, most biology courses do not explicitly teach students how to assess the polarity of any given molecule, thus limiting students&rsquo; ability to predict related biological properties such as the molecule&rsquo;s solubility in bodily fluids, its rate of diffusion through cell membranes, the location of its receptors (at the cell surface or inside the cell), its rate of filtration by the kidneys, and the extent of its persistence in the blood. Here we present a quantitative yet student-friendly method for determining a molecule&rsquo;s polarity according to the prevalence of polar functional groups. The method calculates a molecule&rsquo;s &ldquo;C/fun&rdquo; ratio&mdash;the number of carbon atoms per polar functional group&mdash;which correlates closely with the logP value, a widely used indicator of polarity. In addition, the lesson incorporates the Test Question Templates (TQT) framework to provide transparent guidance to both instructors and students on formative and summative assessments of understanding. Our lesson stresses the connections between polarity and the above-mentioned biological properties to help students appreciate the biological utility of understanding polarity. Given its central position in biochemistry and cell biology, polarity might be considered a Threshold Concept, <em>i.e.,</em> one that is troublesome (hard to understand), transformative (affecting scientific identity), integrative (connecting other concepts), and irreversible (hard to forget once mastered). <em>Primary Image:</em>&nbsp;&ldquo;The Curse of Chemistry.&rdquo; This image whimsically represents two&nbsp;biology students&rsquo; varying experience with, knowledge of, and attitudes toward chemistry.

The degree of Newton's thinking in future students

This paper presents the results of a six-year project, where one of the goals was to observe the conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics with which students enrol in undergraduate studies where they study physics courses from the very beginning. As an example of such study programs, the research included 977 undergraduate freshman students of university studies: Pharmacy (N = 152); Chemistry and Chemical Technology (N=563); Food technology (N=123) and professional study of Material Protection and Recovery (N=139). The measuring instrument used to assess the student's level of knowledge of Newtonian mechanics is the Force Concept Inventory (FCI test). In all teaching programs of the observed undergraduate studies, physics courses are core courses and therefore require significant students' engagement and knowledge in order to be mastered successfully. Results show that enrolled students arrive to these studies with extremely poor knowledge of Newtonian mechanics. Among the undergraduate students of Pharmacy, 9.9% of students are at the level of Newtonian thinking; in the undergraduate study of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, 0.9%; in the undergraduate study of Food Technology, 4%; while in the undergraduate professional study of Material Protection and Recovery, there are no enrolled students who have adopted Newtonian mechanics. These results point to significant problems in high school physics teaching, as well as to problems in the quality mastery of physics course material at the observed studies.

The use of a meiosis concept inventory to identify alternative conceptions among Biological Science first-year students and prospective teachers

Resumo A meiose é considerada um tópico persistentemente difícil para estudantes de diferentes níveis de ensino, sendo objeto de muitos relatos de entendimentos incorretos e concepções alternativas. Este é o primeiro trabalho a utilizar um Inventário de Conceitos de Meiose com estudantes de Biologia brasileiros para analisar a compreensão de conceitos genéticos elementares associados à meiose entre calouros e licenciandos veteranos. O desempenho geral no inventário foi semelhante para ambos os grupos, variando de baixo a médio. Observou-se que os estudantes compartilham concepções alternativas, especialmente sobre a disposição dos alelos gênicos nos cromossomos, estrutura dos cromossomos, ploidia celular, replicação do DNA e produtos da meiose. Entrevistas cognitivas com estudantes selecionados possibilitaram analisar como estes construíram suas respostas e explicações. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de se enfatizar os conceitos discutidos neste trabalho no ensino de genética e citologia, bem como desenvolver novas estratégias de ensino.

The Flight Physics Concept Inventory: Reliably Evaluating Aerodynamic Lift, Drag and Associated (Naïve) Concepts of Flight in Class and In-Game

The Flight Physics Concept Inventory: Reliably Evaluating Aerodynamic Lift, Drag and Associated (Naïve) Concepts of Flight in Class and In-Game

Development of a Circular Motion Concept Inventory for Use in Ugandan Science Education

Development of a Circular Motion Concept Inventory for Use in Ugandan Science Education

Ranging across Tavistock approaches to consulting with teams and organisations: a history, an inventory of key concepts, and links to key organisations

This article has been written to describe the history and range of Tavistock approaches to consulting with teams and organisations that have been key influences in my own experiences and consultancy practice over many decades. My hope is that it will provide some background for newcomers to our field as well as being a summary and literature review for others who are more experienced seeking some overview of our field.

Development and validation of the ray optics in converging lenses concept inventory

Development and validation of the ray optics in converging lenses concept inventory

Assessing Engineering Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Introductory Quantum Optics

Quantum technologies have outgrown mere fundamental research in laboratories over recent years, and will facilitate more and more potentially disruptive applications in a wide range of fields in the future. In foresight, qualification opportunities need to be implemented in order to train qualified specialists, referred to as the future quantum workforce, in various fields. Universities world-wide have launched qualification programmes for engineers focusing on quantum optics and photonics. In many of these programmes, students attend courses on quantum physics contextualized via quantum optics experiments with heralded photons, because: (1) their experimental and physical foundations may be directly leveraged to teaching a number of quantum technology applications, and (2) physics education research has provided empirical evidence, according to which such quantum optics-based approaches are conducive to learning about quantum concepts. While many teachers are confident about the effectiveness of their concepts, there is little empirical evidence due to the lack of content-area-specific research tools. We present a 16-item concept inventory to assess students’ conceptual understanding of quantum optics concepts in the context of experiments with heralded photons adopted from a test instrument published in the literature. We have administered this Quantum Optics Concept Inventory as a post-test to N=216 students after instruction on quantum optics as part of an undergraduate engineering course. We evaluated the instruments’ psychometric quality, both in terms of classical test theory, and using a Rasch scaling approach. The Quantum Optics Concept Inventory enables a reliable measure (α=0.74), and the data gathered show a good fit to the Rasch model. The students’ scores suggest that fundamental quantum effects pose striking learning hurdles to the engineering students. In contrast, most of the students are able to cope with the experimental and technical foundations of quantum optics experiments with heralded photons and their underlying principles, such as the coincidence technique used for the preparation of single-photon states. These findings are in accordance with prior research, and hence, the Quantum Optics Concept Inventory may serve as a fruitful starting point for future empirical research with regard to the education of the future quantum workforce.

Essential genomic knowledge in graduate nursing practice.

Genetics-informed nursing is essential to personalized health care. Advanced practice nurses will increasingly encounter genomic information in clinical care and are expected to have competency. To examine genomic competency of advanced practice nursing students and faculty in a graduate nursing school. A convenience sample of graduate nursing faculty and students were electronically sent a survey assessing genomic knowledge. In total, 13.98% of faculty (33/236) and 9.87% of students (82/831) completed a demographic questionnaire, perceived genomic competency items, and Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory (GNCI). The GNCI is a 31-question multiple choice questionnaire assessing 18 genomic concepts in four categories (Human Genome Basics, Mutations, Inheritance Patterns, and Genomic Health care). Percentage of correct items was calculated for faculty and students, as were correlations between demographics, perceived genomic competency, and GNCI scores. Students' GNCI overall scores were higher than faculty, 54.8% (interquartile range [IQR] 38-72%) vs 48.4% (IQR 32-68%). Both groups demonstrated the lowest scores in Genomic Basics (students 41.7% [IQR 25-67%] and faculty 33.3% [IQR 16-50%]). Students' and faculty's perceived genomic competency correlated with GNCI scores ( r = 0.49, p < .001 and r = 0.70, p < .001, respectively). Age ( r = -0.40, p < .001), entering nursing school after 2010 ( r = 0.47, p < .001), and previous genomics course ( r = 0.52, p < .001) were significantly correlated with GNCI total score for students, but not faculty. This study indicates that faculty and students in a graduate nursing school perceive and demonstrate low genomic knowledge, particularly in basic genomics. Further exploration into innovative methods to provide basic genomic education is needed. To provide access and equity for personalized genomic-based health care, we must prepare genomics-informed nurses.

Exploring Learning Difficulties in Abstract Algebra: The Case of Group Theory

In an earlier contribution to Education Sciences we presented a new concept inventory to assess students’ conceptual understanding of introductory group theory—the CI2GT. This concept inventory is now leveraged in a pretest-post-test design with N=143 pre-service teachers to enrich this body of work with quantitative results. On the one hand, our findings indicate three recurring learning difficulties which will be discussed in detail. On the other hand, we provide a summative evaluation of the Hildesheim Teaching Concept and discuss students’ learning gain in different sub-domains of group theory. Together, the results allow for an empirical perspective on educational aspects of group theory and thus bridge the gap between qualitative and quantitative research in this field which constitutes a desideratum to date.

Defining core conceptual knowledge: Why pharmacy education needs a new, evidence-based approach

IntroductionNo pharmacy program, however well-resourced, has sufficient time or resources to teach students all current, practice-relevant knowledge. And while the volume of potential pharmacy education curriculum content increases exponentially each year, available time for direct instruction continues to decline. Given these constraints, pharmacy curricula must focus on promoting deep learning of the most critical, fundamental, broadly applicable, and lasting knowledge. Yet, in terms of didactic knowledge, pharmacy education currently has no agreed upon, evidence-based criteria for determining which foundational concepts are most important to teach nor any research-based assessment tools to demonstrate how well students have learned those core concepts. PerspectiveThis lack of consensus regarding core conceptual knowledge makes disparities in learning outcomes both more likely to occur and less likely to be detected or addressed. Over the past 30 years, several scientific disciplines undergirding pharmacy have developed research-based lists of core concepts and related concept inventories, demonstrating their transformative educational potential. Core concepts are big, fundamental ideas that experts agree are critical for all students in their discipline to learn, remember, understand, and apply. Concept inventories are research-based, psychometrically validated, multiple-choice tests designed to uncover learners' prior knowledge and potential misconceptions and determine their depth of understanding of disciplinary core concepts. ImplicationsThis commentary proposes adapting and applying this evidence-based core concepts approach to enhance pharmacy education's overall effectiveness and efficiency and outlines an ongoing, multinational research initiative to identify and define essential pharmacy concepts to be taught, learned, and assessed.

An analysis of preservice Chemistry teachers’ misconceptions of reduction-oxidation reaction concepts

This article describes a study of 149 of preservice chemistry teachers’ misconceptions of concepts related to an reduction-oxidation reaction. A mixed-method approach was used to obtain data through the ROXCI (Redox Concept Inventory) instrument and interviews. Results indicated that the highest misconceptions were for item number 10 (4.03% or only 6 of 149 students answered correctly) and the lowest misconception occurred on item number 1 (94.63% or 141 of 149 students answered correctly). These results were supported by the analysis of the interviews where the respondents produced misconceptions when explaining the process of electron transfer in redox reactions. The highest percentage of consistent answers in the six ROXCI categories was obtained in the surface feature concept category (6.71% or 10 out of 149 respondents consistently answered correctly). This shows that preservice chemistry teachers are not able to connect the three levels of chemical representation, macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic in studying chemistry, especially for the redox concept. Analysis of the relationships between misconceptions and average student confidence shows that every distractor chosen by the respondents at every level was followed by a degree of confidence of between 50%-70%, indicating that misconceptions became stronger because the preservice chemistry teachers did not realize that a concept believed to be true is wrong.

Linguistic Validation of Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory to Finnish Applying Mandysova's Decision Tree Algorithm.

Background and Purpose: Currently, there is no available Finnish version of the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory tool (GNCI). This study tested the validity, reliability, and clinical usability of a Finnish translation. Methods: A decision tree algorithm was used to guide the translation, as per International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research guidelines. Item-Content Validity Index (I-CVI), modified kappa (k*) statistics, and Cronbach's alpha were calculated. Results: The I-CVI and k* values were "good" to "excellent" (I-CVI = 0.63-1.00, k* = 0.52-1.00), and Cronbach's alpha value was "good" (α = 0.816; 95% confidence interval: 0.567-0.956). Conclusion: The Mandysova's decision tree algorithm provided clear and rigorous direction for the translation and validity of the Finnish GNCI.

Comparing Engineering Student and Practitioner Performance on the Strength of Materials Concept Inventory: Results and Implications

Comparing Engineering Student and Practitioner Performance on the Strength of Materials Concept Inventory: Results and Implications

Championing the Involvement of Practitioners in the Biochemistry Educational Research Process: A Phenomenological View of the Early Stages of Collaborative Action Research

The disparity between post-secondary STEM instruction and the practices suggested in education and cognitive research is not a novel issue. Despite evidence-based practices being available to practitioners, traditional lecture-based instruction continues to dominate higher STEM education. In this study, we discussed practitioner involvement in biochemistry education research as a potential means to address the gap between research and practice. We used phenomenology as a lens through which to view faculty experiences of participating in a team-based curricular redesign. We administered a concept inventory to examine undergraduate students’ understanding of key concepts and to identify misconceptions. We captured faculty perspectives and reflections on student data through semi-structured interviews, finding that faculty dissatisfaction with traditional practices were rooted in experiences from early on in their teaching careers. Their students demonstrated a lack of conceptual understanding, similar to findings of other studies in undergraduate biochemistry, and key misconceptions the student population held were identified. When examining students’ conceptual understanding data, the faculty gained new insights into where students struggle in the course that they would not have gained without participation in this project. This reinforced their desire to implement curricular change. These findings add to the available data on students’ conceptual understanding in biochemistry and suggest that shared assessments like concept inventories can unify instructors as they engage in team-based curricular reform.

Assessing Learners’ Conceptual Understanding of Introductory Group Theory Using the CI2GT: Development and Analysis of a Concept Inventory

Prior research has shown how incorporating group theory into upper secondary school or undergraduate mathematics education may positively impact learners’ conceptual understanding of mathematics in general and algebraic concepts in particular. Despite a recently increasing number of empirical research into student learning of introductory group theory, the development of a concept inventory that allows for the valid assessment of a respective conceptual understanding constitutes a desideratum to date. In this article, we contribute to closing this gap: We present the development and evaluation of the Concept Inventory of Introductory Group Theory—the CI2GT. Its development is based on a modern mathematics education research perspective regarding students‘ conceptual mathematics understanding. For the evaluation of the CI2GT, we follow a contemporary conception of validity: We report on results from two consecutive studies to empirically justify that our concept inventory allows for a valid test score interpretation. On the one hand, we present N=9 experts‘ opinions on various aspects of our concept inventory. On the other hand, we administered the CI2GT to N=143 pre-service primary school teachers as a post-test after a two weeks course into introductory group theory. The data allow for a psychometric characterization of the instrument, both from classical and probabilistic test theory perspectives. It is shown that the CI2GT has good to excellent psychometric properties, and the data show a good fit to the Rasch model. This establishes a valuable new concept inventory for assessing students’ conceptual understanding of introductory group theory and, thus, may serve as a fruitful starting point for future research into student learning of abstract algebra.

A Gender-based Investigation of Indian Senior Secondary Students’ Misconceptions about Plant Reproduction through Concept Inventory

The central objective of this study was to unveil the misconceptions and their sources through the responses of Indian senior secondary (n=102; 54 boys and 48 girls) students about plant reproduction. A concept inventory with correct and incorrect statements was designed to elicit the misconceptions among class XII students. A semi-structured interview of selected students followed this exercise to report the sources of misconceptions from students’ perspectives. Descriptive statistics like mean and percentages determined the extent of misconceptions through frequencies of incorrect responses–overall, 40.392% of students bore misconceptions in this sub-concept with statements like “no difference between vegetative propagation and vegetative reproduction” getting a higher frequency of incorrect responses. Gender-based differences were investigated through inferential statistics like Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests, more misconceptions were observed in boys than girls in plant reproduction. Qualitative analysis of the interview responses revealed the ambiguities in everyday classroom transactions and textbook explanations as to the major sources behind misconceptions. The study concluded with suggestive measures–and possible pedagogical tools–to help teachers identify and eradicate student misconceptions.

Conceptual understanding of force concepts in the Ugandan context: A thread assessing performance and misconceptions

The force concept inventory (FCI) is a set of multiple-choice items that has been administered and analyzed in a number of regions across the world. The purpose of this study is to evaluate students’ comprehension of force concepts, using a thread that examines and analyzes the most common force concept misunderstandings among students. The FCI is distributed to 1,440 senior four students from various Ugandan schools. The ITEMAN software is used to assess students’ performance. Then a few FCI items are examined to acquire a better grasp of the students’ misunderstandings. Using the Gnuplot software, we displayed the students’ total scores versus their percentage scores for each FCI alternative choice, which provides greater visual confirmation of the findings than statistical analysis. The findings show that misunderstandings dispersed in accordance with students’ performance. The distractors are the most appealing of the analyzed FCI items, with the highest percentages of students picking each alternate option. Imitating that students enter physics classes preconceived about their prior knowledge, viewpoints, ideas, and values. As a result, this study underlines to Ugandan physics teachers that students have misconceptions. Physics teachers and students should interact in an active learning environment using conceptual change methods to correct misconceptions.

Level of Conceptual Understanding Among Secondary Students on Topic of Forces and Motion Using Half-Length Force Concept Inventory (HFCI)

This study aimed to identify the level of understanding of secondary school students on the topic of forces and motion as a whole as well as based on different genders. A total of 73 students from one of International School was selected as respondent. This survey study used the Half-Length Force Concept Inventory (HFCI) model. Data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Statistics version 26. The study found that the level of understanding of secondary school students on forces and motion topic was at low level. The misconception found in the aspect of force motion related to Newtonian concept of force. There was a significant difference in term of level of conceptual level of understanding in forces and motion topic between male and female students (M = 43.88, p =.001) which is less than .05. Results showed that the students having low level of conceptual understanding in forces and motion topic. This also will give some insights to teacher at secondary level towards identifying weakness among students on topic of forces and motion as well as improving method of approach in teaching and learning to students.

An observational protocol to measure learning in a problem-based learning vibrations course

We have incorporated problem-based learning into several courses in an undergraduate engineering curriculum, including dynamics and vibrations. Students' prior knowledge (both formal and informal) were assessed through concept inventories to determine what prior knowledge supported or impeded the acquisition of new content in these courses. A point-and-click classroom observation tool was developed and refined over the span of two consecutive academic semesters to capture the students' interactions as they engaged in authentic learning activities in engineering. We identified patterns of discourse and interactions among the students and instructor, and, in vibrations, we identified a gap in the curriculum from the pre-requisite course, differential equations. The concept inventories and revised observational protocol that we have developed will enable instructors to assess the quality of the prior knowledge that students bring into a course and to analyze the manner in which students and instructor engage around the course content. We are developing bridge curriculum to improve transference of the theoretical knowledge in differential equations and the applied skills in vibration. This project spans across the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes observations on the interventions (successful and unsuccessful) where we attempted to continue student learning through a disrupted environment.