A Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Pre-Service Teachers’ Misconceptions about Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain
Date
2012-06-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Science Education
Abstract
This study describes the development and validation of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test,
the atmosphere-related environmental problems diagnostic test (AREPDiT), to reveal common
misconceptions of global warming (GW), greenhouse effect (GE), ozone layer depletion (OLD),
and acid rain (AR). The development of a two-tier diagnostic test procedure as described by
Treagust constitutes the framework for this study. To differentiate a lack of knowledge from a
misconception, a certainty response index is added as a third tier to each item. Based on
propositional knowledge statements, related literature, and the identified misconceptions
gathered initially from 157 pre-service teachers, the AREPDiT was constructed and administered
to 256 pre-service teachers. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the pre-service teachers’
scores was estimated to be 0.74. Content and face validations were established by senior experts.
A moderate positive correlation between the participants’ both-tiers scores and their certainty
scores indicated evidence for construct validity. Therefore, the AREPDiT is a reliable and valid
instrument not only to identify pre-service teachers’ misconceptions about GW, GE, OLD, and
AR but also to differentiate these misconceptions from lack of knowledge. The results also reveal
that a majority of the respondents demonstrated limited understandings about atmosphere related environmental problems and held six common misconceptions. Future studies could test the AREPDiT as a tool for assessing the misconceptions held by pre-service teachers from different
programs as well as in-service teachers and high school students.
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