NATIONAL LEVEL TEST IN SCIENCE IN LATVIA FOR ASSESSING HOW STUDENTS EXPLAIN PHENOMENA SCIENTIFICALLY
NATIONAL LEVEL TEST IN SCIENCE IN LATVIA FOR ASSESSING HOW STUDENTS EXPLAIN PHENOMENA SCIENTIFICALLY

Author(s): Pavels Pestovs, Dace Namsone
Subject(s): Education, School education
Published by: Scientia Socialis, UAB
Keywords: explaining phenomena scientifically; natural phenomena in science; skill assessment;
Summary/Abstract: For successful curriculum implementation in the framework of the project “Competency-based Education Curriculum Development and Implementation” funded from the European Social Fund (ESF), it is essential to develop validated and reliable national level tests with an objective to monitor students’ progress. The purpose of the research is to analyse students’ current situation in explaining natural phenomena scientifically in order to give a clear insight into the assessment process of students’ skills. At a first glance, a substantial amount (more than 50 %) of 15-16 years old students are capable of explaining natural phenomena in science, however, detailed analysis reveals two problems: both deep and surface student explanations are scored in the same way in test and item assessing criteria are not allowing teachers to assess student skills at different cognitive levels.

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