Web-Based Diagnostic Tests: Introducing Isomorphic Items to Assess Students’ Misconceptions and Error Patterns
Web-Based Diagnostic Tests: Introducing Isomorphic Items to Assess Students’ Misconceptions and Error Patterns

Summary/Abstract: The misconceptions and error patterns of students are crucial to assess in order to support effective physics learning. However, exploring students’ misconceptions and error patterns is not easy. A web-based diagnostic test is an alternative approach to help the teacher in obtaining such information and giving quick feedback to students. In this article, we report the development of a new model of the web-based diagnostic test. The model uses isomorphic multiple-choice items, in which each learning indicator consists of three multiple-choice items with distracters that are based on students’ misconceptions or error patterns. The model provides feedback to students and teachers based on the consistency of the students’ answers. According to experts’ reviews, the model is valid and worth using. The preliminary field test of the model of the web-based diagnostic test has been used with some physics students. The web-based diagnostic test could be a new alternative for physics teachers and researchers to identify students’ misconceptions and error patterns.

• Details
• Contents