Developing a Four-Tier Concept Test on the Topic of Matter for Middle School Students

Abstract

In this study, a four-tier concept test was developed to determine the conceptual understanding and misconceptions of 8th-grade middle school students regarding the topic of matter. The Matter Concept Test (MCT) was prepared with 16 items, each consisting of four steps, and applied to 175 eighth-grade students studying in Eskişehir. SPSS, Excel, and Factor statistical programs were used to analyze the data. According to the results of the exploratory factor analysis, the test's KMO value was found to be .652, exhibiting a four-factor structure with eigenvalues above one and explaining 42.4% of the total variance. All factor loadings were above .30, supporting the construct validity of the items. In the reliability analysis, the KR-20 coefficient for the scientific knowledge score was 0.816, and the KR-20 coefficient for the misconception score was 0.743. Both values being above .70 indicate that the test is reliable. Furthermore, the false positive average was calculated to be 5.2%, and the false negative average was calculated to be 3.7%. Both ratios being below the 10% threshold specified in the literature support the validity of the test. When the item difficulty and discrimination indices were examined, it was seen that the test consisted of items of medium difficulty and high discrimination. The findings showed that students had clear misconceptions about pure matters, atoms, mixtures and the separation of mixtures. This finding supports that the developed test can identify conceptual errors across multiple dimensions, including content knowledge, reasoning and confidence levels. In conclusion, the developed four-tier concept test was evaluated as a measurement tool that reliably and validly reveals both students' scientific knowledge and their misconceptions.