Research Article
Year 2026,
Issue: Advanced Online Publication
,
170
-
192
Abstract
This study aims to develop a valid and reliable achievement test for astronomy topics incorporated into the 5th and 6th-grade science curriculum, specifically aligned with the Türkiye Century Education Model. Adopting a quantitative research design, the study utilized a relational survey model. Data were collected during the 2025–2026 academic year from a sample of 422 middle school students across three different districts in Türkiye. To ensure content validity, a specification table was developed and validated through expert review. Subsequently, item difficulty indices, upper-lower group mean comparisons, and item–total correlation analyses were performed. The internal consistency of the test, as measured by the KR-20 coefficient, was .859. Corrected item–total correlations ranged from .274 to .480, demonstrating that the items possess a satisfactory level of discriminative power. The finalized Astronomy Achievement Test (AAT), comprising 28 items, stands as a valid and reliable assessment tool that addresses a significant gap in the national science education literature and provides a contemporary framework for astronomy education.
Ethical Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with ethical research principles. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Hacettepe University, Graduate School of Educational Sciences (Decision Date: 11 June 2025; Document No.: E-51944218-050-00004300024). Additionally, research implementation permission was granted by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) (Application No.: MEB.TT.2025.028318.01). The study was conducted between 12 August 2025 and 12 August 2026 in designated public middle schools in Sakarya Province, Türkiye. All procedures involving human participants were carried out in compliance with institutional and national research standards.
Supporting Institution
None.
Project Number
None.
Thanks
The authors thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Behzat Bektaşlı for academic guidance.
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There are 57 citations in total.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Scale Development |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Project Number | None. |
| Submission Date | February 17, 2026 |
| Acceptance Date | April 9, 2026 |
| Early Pub Date | April 14, 2026 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1891150 |
| IZ | https://izlik.org/JA68SS78YP |
| Published in Issue | Year 2026 Issue: Advanced Online Publication |
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