Journal article
Erkenntnismethoden in der Biologie – Entwicklung und Evaluation eines Kompetenzmodells
Publication Details
Authors: | Wellnitz, N.; Mayer, J. |
Publication year: | 2013 |
Journal: | Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften |
Pages range : | 315-345 |
Journal acronym: | ZfDN |
Volume number: | 19 |
Abstract
In order to create an environment that supports students’ understanding of different inquiry methods, it is important to analyse how methodological competence can be described, differentiated and assessed. This article presents a competence model for observing, comparing and experimenting. Each method is divided into the process-related skills question, hypothesis, research design and data analysis. To specify different requirements, each particular facet of inquiry method and process skill is graduated hierarchically in five competence levels. This structure was used to develop an instrument based on 132 multiple choice, short and open-ended items. To evaluate the quality of the test, data of 986 students participating in the German project “Evaluation of the National Educational Standards for Natural Sciences at the Lower Secondary Level” were analysed. The findings provide evidence for the correlation between content-related task characteristics and task difficulty.
In order to create an environment that supports students’ understanding of different inquiry methods, it is important to analyse how methodological competence can be described, differentiated and assessed. This article presents a competence model for observing, comparing and experimenting. Each method is divided into the process-related skills question, hypothesis, research design and data analysis. To specify different requirements, each particular facet of inquiry method and process skill is graduated hierarchically in five competence levels. This structure was used to develop an instrument based on 132 multiple choice, short and open-ended items. To evaluate the quality of the test, data of 986 students participating in the German project “Evaluation of the National Educational Standards for Natural Sciences at the Lower Secondary Level” were analysed. The findings provide evidence for the correlation between content-related task characteristics and task difficulty.
