Developing an Achievement Test for Astronomy Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an Astronomy Achievement Test (AAT) to test students’ achievement on basic astronomy concepts and to find out their alternative concepts. In addition, another goal of the study is to fill the gap in the literature of this field. During the development process of the test, studies on basic astronomy concepts were reviewed and after the test items were formed, experts’ reviews were examined and the necessary corrections were made. Pretest and pilot studies were conducted with 293 7th graders during the 2013-2014 Academic Year. The test, which was administered in its last form as a result of the analyses conducted, has 32 multiple questions with 4 choices. The test’s KR-20 reliability coefficient in this study was calculated as 0,87. The statistical analyses, which were conducted, show that the AAT is a reliable and valid test.