Toward a valid instrument for measuring physics quantitative literacy
Abstract
We have developed the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) as a tool to measure students' quantitative literacy in the context of introductory physics topics. We present the results from various quantitative analyses used to establish the validity of both the individual items and the PIQL as a whole. We show how examining the results from classical test theory analyses, factor analysis, and item response curves informed decisions regarding the inclusion, removal, or modification of items. We also discuss how the choice to include multiple-choice/multiple-response items has informed both our choices for analyses and the interpretations of their results. We are confident that the most recent version of the PIQL is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students' physics quantitative literacy in calculus-based introductory physics courses at our primary research site. More data are needed to establish its validity for use at other institutions and in other courses.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2007.08586,
title = {Toward a valid instrument for measuring physics quantitative literacy},
author = {Trevor I. Smith and Philip Eaton and Suzanne White Brahmia and Alexis Olsho and Andrew Boudreaux and Charlotte Zimmerman},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.08586},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
accepted for publication: 2020 Physics Education Research Conference