Given the importance of fostering students' interest as a goal of physics education in meeting international science standards, empirical support for the theoretical description of the interest construct is essential. Empirical studies require the use of psychometrically sound measurement instruments. This study developed an instrument to measure…

Computational thinking (CT) has been recognized as an essential part of every child's education (Wing, 2006) and Bebras contest items have been frequently used to measure CT. Think alouds has emerged as a prominent method for identifying thought processes and correcting problems with assessments. As little research has examined validity evidence…

Rater cognition or "think-aloud" studies have historically been used to enhance rater accuracy and consistency in writing and language assessments. As assessments are developed for new, complex constructs from the "Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)," the present study illustrates the utility of extending…

Undergraduate biology students' molecular-level understanding of stochastic (also referred to as random or noisy) processes found in biological systems is often limited to those examples discussed in class. Therefore, students frequently display little ability to accurately transfer their knowledge to other contexts. Furthermore, elaborate tools…

This case study describes how our research team conducted the qualitative think-aloud approach (or cognitive pretesting) to obtaining cognitive validity evidence for a biology inference-making and reasoning measure for undergraduate students. The main goal of our work was to gather high-quality student think-aloud data of reasoning while they were…

Using a multiphase approach, the purpose of the present study was to develop a psychometrically sound questionnaire to measure protégés' perceptions of peer athlete mentoring functions. Phase 1 consisted of three stages: (a) item development, (b) assessment of content validity via think-aloud interviews with peer mentored athletes, and (c)…

Teaching performance can be assessed validly only if the assessment involves an appropriate, authentic representation of real-life teaching practices. Different skills interact in coordinating teachers' actions in different classroom situations. Based on the evidence-centered design model, we developed a technology-based assessment framework that…

This study connects descriptions of effective teaching with descriptions of teacher development to advance an initial understanding of how effective teaching may develop. The study's main premise is that descriptions of effective teaching develop cumulatively where more basic teaching strategies and behaviors are required before teachers may…

Two studies were conducted to examine and compare the construct validity of scores on the Junior Metacognition Awareness Inventory (JMAI) and problem-solving interview protocols. Participants consisted of 183 middle and high school students attending a university summer program for academically talented youth. Study 1 results indicated that JMAI…