Title: Unpacking inquiry skills from content knowledge in geoscience: a research and development study with implications for assessment design

Authors: Janice D. Gobert, Amy R. Pallant, Jillian T.M. Daniels

Addresses: Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies, Atwater-Kent Laboratories, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA. ' The Concord Consortium, 25 Love Lane, Concord, MA 01742, USA. ' Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 3806 Geology Building Box 951567, 595 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA

Abstract: Recently there has been expressed need for authentic inquiry assessments that can differentiate students| content knowledge from their inquiry skills. Additionally there has been expressed need for such assessments particularly in the geosciences, given the nature of the visualisations, the datasets and the form of communication (i.e., topographical maps, cross-sectional drawings, etc.) used. In response to these calls, we first designed a supplemental instructional and assessment module for honing middle school students| content knowledge and inquiry skills in the domain of geosciences, namely, plate boundaries. Secondly, we evaluated, using our assessment tasks, six classes of middle school students| content knowledge and inquiry skills in this domain. Thirdly, we used factor analysis to empirically demonstrate that content knowledge and inquiry skills can be assessed as separate forms of knowledge. Five factors were empirically demonstrated: some of these represent content knowledge exclusively, some of these represent inquiry skills exclusively, and some of these include both content and inquiry within the same strand. Results are discussed with regard to instructional implications and assessment design.

Keywords: inquiry assessment; performance assessment; inquiry skills; content knowledge; geosciences; assessment design; differentiation; visualisations; datasets; communication forms; topographical maps; cross-sectional drawings; supplemental modules; instructional modules; assessment modules; middle school students; secondary education; instructional implications; Boston; Massachusetts; USA; United States; learning technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2010.037309

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2010 Vol.5 No.3, pp.310 - 334

Published online: 02 Dec 2010 *

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