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Physical Review Physics Education Research
Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school
written by Pierre Chastenay and Martin Riopel
Available Languages: English, French
This article presents the Moon Phases Concept Inventory (MCPI), a pre-test and post-test assessment instrument for middle school students. It is intended to target students in the age bracket 10-14, which would include Grades 5-8. The MCPI-MS evaluates student understanding of the mechanism of lunar phases, eclipses, appearance of the moon to an Earth observer during different phases, the moon's orbit around Earth, scale of the moon compared to the Sun, and the moon's position in the sky (from reference frame of Earth). The MPCI-MS was tested with 296 students from Grades 5-7. The researchers' findings upon statistical analysis were that the final version of MPCI-MS is a reliable and valid instrument that can discriminate between novice and more sophisticated understandings. The MPCI is written at a Grade 5 Lexile, but is appropriate for use up to Grade 8. It contains 19 multiple choice questions and takes 20-25 minutes for student completion.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 16, Issue 2, Pages 020107
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Astronomy
- Astronomy Education
- Fundamentals
= Eclipses
= Lunar Phases
- Solar System
= The Moon
Classical Mechanics
- Gravity
= Orbits
Education Foundations
- Assessment
= Conceptual Assessment
= Instruments
- Cognition
= Cognition Development
- Research Design & Methodology
= Validity
- Sample Population
= Age
- Student Characteristics
= Ability
- Middle School
- Assessment Material
= Test
- Reference Material
= Research study
Appropriate Courses Categories Ratings
- Physical Science
- Assessment
- New teachers
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Formats:
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Access Rights:
Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Rights Holder:
American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107
Keywords:
MPCI, MPCI-MS, Middle school astronomy, diagnostic assessment, middle school concept inventory, middle school diagnostic test, moon phases concept inventory, phases of the moon
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created May 12, 2021 by Bruce Mason
Record Updated:
February 8, 2022 by Caroline Hall
Last Update
when Cataloged:
July 29, 2020
Other Collections:

Next Generation Science Standards

Disciplinary Core Ideas (K-12)

Earth and the Solar System (ESS1.B)
  • The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year. (5)
  • The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them. (6-8)
  • This model of the solar system can explain eclipses of the sun and the moon. Earth's spin axis is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. (6-8)
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AIP Format
P. Chastenay and M. Riopel, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16 (2), 020107 (2020), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107).
AJP/PRST-PER
P. Chastenay and M. Riopel, Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16 (2), 020107 (2020), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107>.
APA Format
Chastenay, P., & Riopel, M. (2020, July 29). Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 16(2), 020107. Retrieved September 12, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107
Chicago Format
Chastenay, Pierre, and Martin Riopel. "Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16, no. 2, (July 29, 2020): 020107, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107 (accessed 12 September 2024).
MLA Format
Chastenay, Pierre, and Martin Riopel. "Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16.2 (2020): 020107. 12 Sep. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Pierre Chastenay and Martin Riopel", Title = {Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {16}, Number = {2}, Pages = {020107}, Month = {July}, Year = {2020} }
Refer Export Format

%A Pierre Chastenay %A Martin Riopel %T Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 16 %N 2 %D July 29, 2020 %P 020107 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Chastenay, Pierre %A Riopel, Martin %D July 29, 2020 %T Development and validation of the moon phases concept inventory for middle school %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 16 %N 2 %P 020107 %8 July 29, 2020 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020107


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