DEVELOPMENT OF AN ONLINE THREE-TIER DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO ASSESS PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION

TitleDEVELOPMENT OF AN ONLINE THREE-TIER DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO ASSESS PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsSaat, RM, Fadzil, HM, Aziz, NAA, Haron, K, Rashid, KA, Shamsuar, NR
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume15
Issue4
Start Page532–546
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedAugust/2016
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1648-3898
Other NumbersICID: 1217829
Keywordsbiology alternative conception, online diagnostic tool, three-tier diagnostic test
Abstract

This research reports the development of an online three-tier diagnostic instrument for pre-university students related to cellular respiration. To date, only few studies have been conducted to identify students’ alternative conception in the topic of cellular respiration. One of the contributing factors is due to lack of instrument developed to measure these alternative conceptions. Three-tier tests are used as assessment tools for lecturers to determine students’ alternative conceptions related to cellular respiration and their knowledge and understanding about the concepts. The research incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods. The instrument was developed in five phases: (1) construction of items, (2) pilot study, (3) validation of instrument, (4) transforming the instrument into an online assessment tool, and (5) the administration of the Online Diagnostic Tool (ODiT). The Cellular Respiration ODiT consists of three tiers: answer and reasoning tiers to measure “content knowledge” and “explanatory knowledge” respectively, and a third tier that measures the level of confidence of pre-university students. Analysis of the students’ responses demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity of the instrument. The research also shows that both students and lecturers benefit when online diagnostic tests are implemented appropriately.

URLhttp://oaji.net/articles/2016/987-1482424242.pdf
DOI10.33225/jbse/16.15.532
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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