Nastava i Vaspitanje (Jan 2017)

A study of the measurement characteristics of Lawson's test and its relationship to socio-demographic variables and physics grades

  • Radulović Branka N.,
  • Stojanović Maja M.

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 66, no. 3
pp. 497 – 514

Abstract

Read online

The aim of the study presented in this paper was to test the measurement characteristics of Lawson's test of Scientific Reasoning (LTSR) and to examine the relationship between scientific reasoning levels on the one hand, and socio-demographic variables and students' physics grades on the other. Scientific reasoning is defined as a set of skills necessary for the successful application of the scientific method, which includes problem analysis, formulation and testing of hypotheses, manipulation of variables, and the monitoring and evaluation of results. The test comprises 13 questions aimed at testing scientific reasoning and 11 questions requiring students to provide reasons for their answers. An empirical analysis of the test was conducted on a sample of 547 high school students in Novi Sad and Bačka Palanka. The obtained values of indicators of reliability and representativeness suggest that the test has satisfactory psychometric properties and can therefore be used in further research.

Keywords