PhysPort Assessments: Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Sciences

Assessments »Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Sciences

Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Sciences (EBAPS)

Developed by Andrew Elby, John Frederiksen, Christina Schwarz, and Barbara White

Purpose	To probe the epistemological stances of students in introductory physics, chemistry and physical science.
Format	Pre/post, Multiple-choice, Agree/disagree
Duration	15-22 min
Focus	Beliefs / Attitudes (epistemological beliefs, structure of knowledge, nature of knowing and learning, real-life applicability, evolving knowledge, source of ability to learn)
Level	Intro college, High school

Download

Sample questions from the EBAPS:

DIRECTIONS: For each of the following items, please read the statement, and indicate (on the scantron answer sheet) the answer that describes how strongly you agree or disagree.

A: Strongly disagree B: Somewhat disagree C: Neutral D: Somewhat agree E: Strongly agree

Tamara just read something in her science textbook that seems to disagree with her own experiences. But to learn science well, Tamara shouldn't think about her own experiences; she should just focus on what the book says.

DIRECTIONS: In each of the following items, you will read a short discussion between two students who disagree about some issue. Then you'll indicate whether you agree with one student or the other

Brandon: A good science textbook should show how the material in one chapter relates to the material in other chapters. It shouldn't treat each topic as a separate "unit," because they're not really separate.

Jamal: But most of the time, each chapter is about a different topic, and those different topics don't always have much to do with each other. The textbook should keep everything separate, instead of blending it all together.

With whom do you agree? Read all the choices before circling one.

(a) I agree almost entirely with Brandon.
(b) Although I agree more with Brandon, I think Jamal makes some good points.
(c) I agree (or disagree) equally with Jamal and Brandon.
(d) Although I agree more with Jamal, I think Brandon makes some good points.
(e) I agree almost entirely with Jamal.

Typical Results
Typical scores on the EBAPS for different teaching methods from Marx et al. 2004. Traditional courses had little or no research-based pedagogy. Class time is largely filled with lectures and demonstrations; slides and videos; and laboratories that follow prescribed instructions, some of which are computer-based. Traditional classes had some group work. Transitional courses had approximately half of the classroom time devoted to research-based activities. These activities come in several forms including exploratory laboratories, activities modeled after Interactive Lecture Demonstrations, and group worksheets designed to reinforce relevant physical concepts and build numeracy. The other half of the time is lecture-based. Learning-centered courses incorporated research- based curricular materials of the kind discussed above in every class meeting, and lecture time is minimized. Each course had traditionally-graded assignments,including several homework sets, quizzes, tests, projects, and a final exam. None of the graded assignments were intended to foster or reinforce students’ epistemologies. Typical results for high school students from Elby 2001:

Related Expert Recommendations

+1 more...

Supporting physics teaching with research-based resources

Examples

Resources

Research

Research Validation Summary

Based on Research Into:

Studied Using:

Research Conducted:

References

Translations

Scoring

Versions

Related Expert Recommendations