KNOWLEDGE ELICITATION TOOLS FOR EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION

RECENT SURVEYS SUGGEST THAT STUDENTS HAVE TROUBLE APPLYING MATHEMATICAL AND SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES TO PRACTICAL PROBLEMS. WHAT APPEAR TO BE LACKING ARE A CAUSAL UNDERSTAND OF THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES BEHIND THESE PROCEDURES AND LINKAGES BETWEEN ABSTRACT FORMULAS AND CONCRETE EVERYDAY KNOWLEDGE. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES ARE NEEDED THAT EMPHASIZE HOW KNOWLEDGE IS ORGANIZED BY STUDENTS AS WELL AS WHAT THEY KNOW. WE ARGUE THAT THIS REQUIRES NEW EVALUATIONAL TECHNIQUES THAT GO BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL "PERCENT CORRECT" MEASURES TYPICALLY USED IN SCHOOLS. WE WILL ADAPT KNOWLEDGE ELICITATION TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN USED TO UNDERSTAND HOW EXPERTS SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS TO THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW EXPERTS SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS CAN DRIVE INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS TO BUILD BETTER PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS IN STUDENTS AND THAT THE KNOWLEDGE ELICITATION TOOLS USED TO EVALUATE EXPERT KNOWLEDGE CAN BE USED TO EVALUATE THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS STUDENTS ARE DEVELOPING. IN PHASE I, WE WILL DEVELOP BOTH PAPER AND PENCIL AND A COMPUTERIZED PROOF-OF-CONCEPT KNOWLEDGE ELICITATION TOOLS APPLICABLE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS STUDENTS. THESE TOOLS WILL BE FURTHER DEVELOPED AND TESTED IN PHASE II.