Chemical Education Measurement and Evaluation

Author: Liu Zhixin / et al.
Editor-in-Chief: Liu Zhixin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-03-01
Features:
Editor's Note: Preface to the Series Since the first batch of Mathematical Learning Theory was published in March 1991, this series has now been in circulation for six years. If we count back to the early 1980s when the compilation of the series on teaching theory began, it has spanned nine years. Today, the teaching theory series for five major subjects—Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Chinese, and Foreign Languages—has been fully developed, with six books per subject, totaling 30 volumes, named Modern Educational Theory Book Series for Disciplines. With tens of millions of words, it has not only formed the theoretical foundation for basic disciplines but also established a core publishing project and a distinctive educational theory publishing feature for our press.
It has taken nearly a decade to construct a comprehensive educational theory series with Chinese characteristics. The twists and turns, joys and sorrows along the way are beyond words. However, reflecting on the achievements of teaching reform and serving educational reform is an undeniable responsibility. From the perspective of building the publishing identity and culture of our press, it holds profound significance and great value. In the new historical period of reform and opening up, what can sustain a publishing house? What can it compete with? What can drive its development? What can it offer to the people? The answers can be many, and strategies can be numerous. But fundamentally, there are at least two essential pillars: one is the core project, and the other is renowned premium products. The core project represents the strategic layout of a publishing house, while premium products embody its soul and life. The perfect integration of the two constitutes the quality, credibility, reputation, and cultural refinement of the press. It is the foundation of its existence, the means of competition, the driving force for sustainable development, the core of cultural accumulation, and the fundamental guarantee of offering outstanding culture to the people.
Guided by such understanding and pursuit, we have published this series. Of course, we also have several other series. We look forward to the readers' judgment, embrace the market's scrutiny, and eagerly seek the support of the educational and theoretical communities. We will continue to strive with unwavering dedication, doing everything possible to contribute more premium products to education, the nation, and the future.
Guangxi Education Publishing House
Book Description
This book comprehensively introduces the fundamental theories, methods, and techniques of chemical education measurement and evaluation, closely integrating general educational measurement and evaluation theory, methods, and the characteristics of the chemistry discipline. With a focus on chemical teaching measurement and evaluation, it discusses important research topics in chemical education measurement and evaluation, as well as research findings and development trends. In terms of writing, it emphasizes theoretical exploration while remaining close to practice, enhancing practicality to provide readers with valuable information for conducting chemical education measurement and evaluation activities and related research.
Excerpt: Section 1: The Significance of Modern Educational Measurement and Evaluation
1. Introduction to the Origin and Development of Educational Measurement and Evaluation
1.1 The Origin of Educational Measurement and Evaluation
The emergence of educational measurement and evaluation is closely linked to the development of activities aimed at assessing students' learning ability and academic achievements. Its history is long and profound. As early as the Western Zhou period in China, preliminary school education systems were established, and educational assessment began. By 606 AD, the Sui Dynasty in China introduced the imperial examination system. Foreign scholars also regard the imperial examinations of ancient China as the earliest of educational assessment. However, due to various reasons, research on educational measurement and evaluation in China has not developed significantly in this century, whereas in the West, particularly in the United States, it has rapidly advanced since the latter half of the 19th century.
Before the mid-19th century, school examinations generally lacked standards and the necessary objectivity, with the primary method being oral testing of students one by one. As the number of students increased, this method became increasingly impractical. In 1845, Boston's Latin School in the United States was the first to introduce written examinations. However, the issue of objective standards for evaluating student performance remained unresolved at that time. In 1864, British teacher George Fisher collected numerous samples of student performance and compiled a Collection of Scales as a standard for measuring student achievements. In 1897, Dr. J.M. Rice of the United States published the results of spelling tests administered to 16,000 students across 20 schools. In 1905, the first intelligence test scale—the French Binet-Simon Scale—was published. In 1916, Stanford University psychology professor L.M. Terman released a more refined intelligence test scale, the Stanford Scale, introducing the concept of IQ for the first time, which provided a more scientific method for intelligence measurement and marked the stage of psychological testing as reaching a relatively mature phase.
In 1904, American psychologist E.L. Thorndike published Introduction to Psychometrics and Social Measurement, introducing statistical methods and the principles of test construction. In 1909, Thorndike also developed standardized measurement tools for calligraphy, spelling, composition, and drawing tests, marking the beginning of the scientific development of educational measurement. Therefore, Thorndike is known as the pioneer of educational measurement. After 1918, the application of educational measurement expanded from primary schools to secondary and higher education institutions, and many universities began to offer courses in educational measurement. By the late 1920s of this century, educational measurement had reached its zenith, achieving significant progress in quantifying, objectifying, and standardizing the assessment of learning ability and educational achievements.
As the movement of educational measurement developed, its weaknesses also became evident. Since the tests were all designed around textbooks, their content focused solely on memorizing textbook knowledge, failing to include assessments of students' social attitudes, interests, and emotions, and thus could not reflect students' comprehensive development or actual needs. This quickly led to dissatisfaction and criticism. In 1929, the United States experienced a severe economic crisis, and the social impact of education attracted more attention, directly promoting the development of educational evaluation activities based on the social value of education. From 1934 to 1942, R.W. Tyler, a professor at Ohio State University, conducted an eight-year study on curriculum and evaluation, funded by the Carnegie Foundation. This renowned "Eight-Year Study" in the history of educational evaluation involved sharp criticism of existing curriculum and test designs. Based on this, Tyler proposed a set of curriculum and test development principles centered on educational objectives, aiming to reflect social demands and student needs in curricula and tests. To distinguish this concept from early measurement, Tyler and his colleagues formally introduced the term "educational evaluation," defining it as "in essence, a process of measuring to what extent curricula and teaching programs achieve educational objectives." In other words, evaluation was seen as an activity to measure the extent to which educational activities reached their goals, with measurement as its means. Evaluation activities based on Tyler's theory could provide information on the extent to which objectives were met, help identify problems, and improve educational work. Thus, this theory gained widespread popularity.