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Pre-course Results from the Astronomy Diagnostic Test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Beth Hufnagel ,
Timothy Slater ,
Grace Deming ,
Jeff Adams ,
Rebecca L. Adrian ,
Christine Brick  and
Michael Zeilik
Beth Hufnagel
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421, USA; [email protected] Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Present address: Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21012-1895, USA
Timothy Slater
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3840, USA
Grace Deming
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421, USA; [email protected]
Jeff Adams
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3840, USA
Rebecca L. Adrian
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0111, USA
Christine Brick
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3840, USA
Michael Zeilik
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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Abstract

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We present selected results from the January 1999 semester pre-course administration of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT), a research-based, multiple-choice instrument that assesses student knowledge and understanding about selected concepts in astronomy. The ADT is valid for undergraduate non-science majors taking an introductory astronomy course. This paper briefly summarises the development and validation processes, which included pre-course administration to 1557 students in 22 classes attending 17 various post-secondary institutions across the USA in the January 1999 semester. Two interesting results of the ADT's pre-course administration are (1) the average class score of the ADT is about the same (32%) regardless of type of post-secondary institution or class size and (2) there is a significant gender difference, with women scoring an average of 28% and men 38%, with the standard errors both less than 1%. The current version of the ADT (Version 2 dated 21 June 1999) and a comparative by-class database is available to astronomy instructors at the (USA) Association of Astronomy Educators' and the National Institute for Science Education's (NISE) WebPages.

Keywords

astronomy education
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 2000 , pp. 152 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2000

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