Construction and Testing of a Set of Basic Physic Concept Question at University Level

Abstract

This research report describes the development and testing of a set of conceptual-type questions, i.e. a set of multiple choice objective questions which can be used for assessing students’ understanding of several topics in mechanics during physics introductory lecture sessions. To validate the questions, several criteria were set: the questions (i) focus on one physics concept only, (ii) are qualitative in nature, i.e. students do not have to use mathematical equations to answer them, (iii) are able to elicit misconceptions and have enough choice of answers, and (iv) use clear language. 55 open-ended questions that were shortlisted after undergoing expert validation process were administered to 68 physics students to obtain distractors in addition to several that were gleaned from the literature. After being converted in the form of multiple-choice questions, they were then administered once again to 33 final year physics students. The questions that have been validated form a set of conceptual questions that can readily be used by physics lecturers to assess students’ understanding in addition to eliciting students misconceptions during lecture.