After determining the science content domain of the student assessment, student misconceptions were identified for each of the sub-ideas listed in the content clarifications. Identifying student misconceptions about the targeted concepts provided a window into students’ thinking about the content and generated distractors for the multiple-choice items.
Student misconceptions were identified in two ways: (1) through a literature review of student misconceptions, and (2) through open-ended tasks and interviews about the specific science content. Although there is a substantial amount of literature on student misconceptions for some science content areas, including Force & Motion, there was a relatively small research base for Flow of Matter & Energy in Living Systems, and Plate Tectonics.
We were able to utilize the rich research base on learning in Force & Motion. Identifying student thinking related to this content area required an extensive literature search, but no original research was needed. An extensive list of student pre-conceptions and misconceptions was gleaned from the literature, and then each area of difficulty was associated with one or more of the sub-ideas in the content clarification for Force & Motion.
We administered open-ended tasks through interviews with students about the ideas in Flow of Matter & Energy in Living Systems and Plate Tectonics. A sample item is shown below.
Just as you have grown throughout your life, a tiny acorn grows into a small seedling, and then into a large oak tree. Where does the material that makes up the tree come from?
Student interview responses included:
Weight from water the plant absorbed by its roots; and stored light energy.
The plant that produced the seed gave it nutrients to grow. As it grows, the roots go into the ground to get its own nutrients.
The nutrients go through the roots, then go into making the tree.
It just grows and develops layers of wood. It uses nutrients absorbed through the roots to make new wood.
ATLAST researchers identified the following misconception based on these responses:
Plants make food from water and air, but it is not transformed into the plant’s body. For example, the mass of a tree comes from water and soil (ignoring contribution of carbon dioxide).
More information about eliciting student thinking can be found in the Eliciting Student Thinking Training.