Comparative Study Of Assessment Modes Of Middle-School Students' Scientific Inquiry Abilities

The physics course reqOuires a inquiry-based teaching mode in present China, stressing the assessment of process and method, while all kinds of physical tests still assess middle-school students' scientific inquire abilities by paper-and-pencil test. In the international scientific education, observation on the spot is considered to be the most effective way of assessment, but its high cost stops its expanding. At the same time, the lower cost worksheet which is considered to be effective is widely used as a way of assessment. The most low cost paper-and-pencil test is widely used too in spite of the fact that some scholars consider it ineffective. This paper focuses on the efficiency of both worksheet and paper-and-pencil test, that is, the alternation degree of worksheet and paper-and-pencil test with spot observation, and the alternation degree of paper-and-pencil test with worksheet. The research can not only develop the studies done by other nations, but also provide a research basis of inquiry abilities assessing system.Based on PTA, the research tries to build a assessing system of worksheet and spot observation, and a paper-and-pencil test is made of inquiry test questions from different test papers all over China—worksheet and spot observation containing 3 inquiry tasks each, paper-and-pencil test containing 14 questions. The 3 assessment modes are separately tested by 62 students from grade three in middle school. By comparing the result of worksheet and paper-and-pencil test with the result of spot observation, it can be studied that the alternation degree of the whole worksheet and the whole paper-and-pencil test with the whole spot observation, the alternation degree of the inquiry tasks and inquiry factors in worksheet with the whole spot observation, and the alternation degree of inquiry factors in paper-and-pencil test with the whole spot observation. By comparing the result of paper-and-pencil test with worksheet, it can be studied that the alternation degree of the whole paper-and-pencil test with the whole worksheet, as well as the alternation degree of the inquiry factors in paper-and-pencil test with the whole worksheet.It is proved that for assessment of multi-factor scientific inquiry abilities, the worksheet including 3 inquiry tasks can alternate spot observation with 3 inquiry tasks. In spot observation, judges can observe the details such as the way of using tools, and their assessment of scientific inquiry abilities is more accurate and reliable. On the contrary, because those details cannot be seen on worksheet and other reasons like the bad literary expression, the assessment would be less accurate. However, based on real inquiry, both worksheet and spot observation belong to performance assessment, and need students do it themselves. The real inquiry is like a production system, the failure or low quality of one step may lead to the failure or quality of the following one. What are mentioned above make it possible for worksheet to alternate spot observation.It is found that for assessment of multi-factor scientific inquiry abilities, one inquiry task in worksheet can alternate the whole spot observation with 3 inquiry tasks. Despite the variety of inquiry tasks, which lead a student do some inquiry task well and others badly, the 3 inquiry tasks of both spot observation and worksheet are multi-factor scientific inquiries. Each of the 3 tasks in worksheet and spot observation includes the key inquiry factors, and a single task in worksheet can represent the whole worksheet it belongs to, so a single task in worksheet can alternate the whole spot observation.It is noticed that for assessment of multi-factor scientific inquiry abilities, the aggregate of doing experiment factors or summarizing conclusion factors of the 3 inquiry tasks in worksheet can alternate the whole spot observation. The doing experiment factors or the summarizing conclusion factors are proved to be the key inquiry factors. Anyhow, because the inquiry factors relate to certain context, a single doing experiment factor or summarizing conclusion factor cannot alternate the original worksheet, not to say the spot observation. When the aggregate of doing experiment factors or summarizing conclusion factors in worksheet can alternate the whole worksheet they belong to, so can alternate the whole spot observation. This does not mean that other inquiry factors can be omitted. As a matter of fact, together with the doing experiment factors and the summarizing conclusion factors, other inquiry factors consist a productive system, and the difference is that they contribute less to the whole inquiry ability.It is shown that for assessment of multi-factor scientific inquiry abilityies, the whole paper-and-pencil test with 14 questions cannot alternate the whole spot observation with 3 inquiry tasks. In spot observation, inquiry tasks are real and the inquiry factors are relevant to each other. Thus, different consequences reflect the different inquiry behavior of students. In paper-and-pencil test, one question tests one inquiry factor. Those questions are irrelevant to each other, and the students' answers will not have ripple effect. Moreover, paper-and-pencil test and spot observation contains different inquiry factors—paper-and-pencil test including rising questions, making hypothesis, planning, summarizing, and assessing, excluding the key doing experiment factor; spot observation including the process of doing experiment, summarizing and assessing. Both paper-and-pencil test and spot observation include summary, but the former is based on the idealized data which has clear relationship with each other and the latter is based on the real data of one's own experiment. As a result, the former is more easy, and the latter is less easily able to come to a right conclusion.It is proved that certain inquiry factor or the aggregate in paper-and-pencil test cannot alternate the whole spot observation with 3 inquiry tasks. The questions in paper-and-pencil test are irrelevant, so other factors and the aggregate, except the aggregate of assessing factors, can hardly alternate the paper-and-pencil test itself. Moreover, as paper-and-pencil test cannot alternate the whole spot observation, these factors and the aggregate cannot alternate the whole spot observation too. However, assessing factors in paper-and-pencil test relate to more aspects as plan, error analysis, and advertisement, and the aggregate of assessing factors can alternate the whole paper-and-pencil test which can closely alternate the whole spot observation. As a result, the aggregate of assessing factors in paper-and-pencil test is closely alternative to the whole spot observation.It is found that paper-and-pencil test with 14 questions can alternate the whole worksheet with 3 inquiry tasks. Despite the differences, paper-and-pencil test and worksheet are similar in the following aspects: students' response to multiple questions and essay questions in paper-and-pencil test is close to their constructive response to worksheet; the inquiry factors like rising questions, making hypothesis, planning, summarizing, and assessing are included in both paper-and-pencil test and worksheet. Because of the similarities, the whole paper-and-pencil test can alternate the whole worksheet.Certain inquiry factor and the aggregate in paper-and-pencil test cannot alternate the whole worksheet with 3 inquiry tasks. Though the whole paper-and-pencil test can alternate the whole worksheet, other inquiry factors and the aggregate in paper-and-pencil test, except the aggregate of assessing factors, cannot alternate the whole paper-and-pencil test itself. Thus, these inquiry factors and aggregate cannot alternate the whole worksheet. Although the aggregate of assessing factors in paper-and-pencil test can alternate the whole paper-and-pencil test which can alternate the whole worksheet, the degression of accuracy makes it impossible to alternate worksheet.