Lassen sich naturwissenschaftliche Lernstände im Grundschulalter mit schriftlichen Aufgaben valide erfassen

In science instruction, diagnosing students concepts in the sense of a formative assessment constitutes a necessary prerequisite for an adequate promotion of conceptual development. While qualitative interviews aiming at surveying conceptual learning levels in natural science among elementary school students are well established, hardly any studies exist that examine in how far the more economic, closed written answer formats allow for a valid diagnosis of individual concepts. Based on a survey carried out in two classes of third-grade elementary school students (Age: M = 9.26 years, SD = 0.42) with regard to the two science units “Floating and Sinking” (N = 41) and “Evaporation and Condensation” (N = 32), the present contribution shows that there is a substantial correlation between oral interviews and written test results and that, therefore, – given certain preconditions – it can be assumed that written tests, too, allow for a valid recording of children’s learning levels. Anschrift der Autorinnen Dipl. Psych. Judith Pollmeier, Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat, Seminar fur Didaktik des Sachunterrichts, Leonardo Campus 11, 48149 Munster, Deutschland E-Mail: j.pollmeier@uni-muenster.de Prof. Dr. Ilonca Hardy, Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt, Fachbereich Erziehungswissenschaften, Institut fur Padagogik der Elementarund Primarstufe, Senckenberganlage 15, 60054 Frankfurt a.M., Deutschland E-Mail: hardy@em.uni-frankfurt.de Prof. Dr. Susanne Koerber, Institut fur Psychologie, Abteilung Fruhe Bildung, Padagogische Hochschule Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Deutschland E-Mail: Susanne.koerber@ph-freiburg.de Prof. Dr. Kornelia Moller, Seminar fur Didaktik des Sachunterrichts, Westfalische WilhelmsUniversitat Munster, Leonardo Campus 11, 48149 Munster, Deutschland E-Mail: sachunterricht@uni-muenster.de