PACS number(s): 01.40.Fk AbstractItem Response Theory (IRT) is a popular assessment method used in education measurement, which builds on an assumption of a probability framework connecting students' innate ability and their actual performances on test items. The model transforms students' raw test scores through a nonlinear regression process into a scaled proficiency rating, which can be used to compare results obtained with different test questions. IRT also provides a theoretical approach to address ceiling effect and guessing. We applied IRT to analyze the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The data was collected from 2802 students taking intro level mechanics courses at The Ohio State University. The data was analyzed with a 3-parameter item response model for multiple choice questions. We describe the procedures of the analysis and discuss the results and the interpretations. The analysis outcomes are compiled to provide a detailed IRT measurement metric of the FCI, which can be easily referenced and used by teachers and researchers for a range of assessment applications.

We report on a multi-year, multi-institution study to investigate student reasoning about energy in the context of quantum tunnelling. We use ungraded surveys, graded examination questions, individual clinical interviews, and multiple-choice exams to build a picture of the types of responses that students typically give. We find that two descriptions of tunnelling through a square barrier are particularly common. Students often state that tunnelling particles lose energy while tunnelling. When sketching wave functions, students also show a shift in the axis of oscillation, as if the height of the axis of oscillation indicated the energy of the particle.We find inconsistencies between students' conceptual, mathematical, and graphical models of quantum tunnelling. As part of a curriculum in quantum physics, we have developed instructional materials designed to help students develop a more robust and less inconsistent picture of tunnelling, and present data suggesting that we have succeeded in doing so.

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Testing the development of student conceptual and visualization understanding in quantum mechanics through the undergraduate career Am.Super classical quantum mechanics: The best interpretation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics Am.Abstract. We have investigated student difficulties in understanding and interpreting probability and its relevant technical terms as it relates to quantum measurement. These terms include expectation value, probability density, and uncertainty. From this research, it is evident that students have difficulties in understanding these terms and often fail to differentiate among similar but different concepts. In addition, students' difficulties with the concepts of probability often interfere with their understanding and application of the Uncertainty Principle.