Developing Dispersion and Polarization Conceptual Inventory (DiPolCI) to Identify Students’ Mental Model

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

Identifying a student’s mental model supports clearer understanding of physics concepts. Dispersion and polarization are sub-concepts of high-school light-wave study, yet students often develop misconceptions. This research develops the dispersion and polarization conceptual inventory (DiPolCI) using Rasch analysis, following the ADDIE (analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, evaluating) framework. Results indicate DiPolCI is valid and reliable for identifying students’ mental models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

1. Introduction

Prior knowledge and misconceptions

Mental models as representations

Wave nature of light: dispersion and polarization

Developing Dispersion and Polarization Conceptual Inventory (DiPolCI) to Identify Students’ Mental Model Fini Alfionita Umar1*, Achmad Samsudin2, Hasan Özgür Kapıcı3, Taufik Ramlan Ramalis2, Adam Hadiana Aminudin4, Shobrina Nurul Mufida 5, Jajang Kunaedi2, Itsna Rona Wahyu Astuti2, Fanny Herliyana Dewi2 1Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Institut Kesehatan dan Teknologi Graha Medika, Kotamobagu, Indonesia 2Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia 3Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkiye 4Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Universitas Kebangsaan Republik Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia 5Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Institut Agama Islam Al-Fatimah, Bojonoegoro, Indonesia *Corresponding author: [finialfionitaumar@iktgm.ac.id](finialfionitaumar@iktgm.ac.id) ABSTRACT Identifying a student's mental model is important for understanding scientific concepts. Dispersion and polarization are the sub concept of physics that studied in high school on light waves concept. This study aimed to develop dispersion and polarization conceptual inventory (DIPOLCI) to identify students’ model mental using Rasch analysis. The research method utilized analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating (ADDIE) method. The participants involved 34 students (26 female and 8 male) from senior high school in Patokbeusi, West Java, Indonesia and their average 17-18 ages old. DIPOLCI consists of 7 items in the form of one tier and then developed to be four tiers test. DIPOLCI examined through Rasch analysis based on fit statistics, Cronbach Alpha, item reliability and person reliability, and students’ mental model. The results show that DIPOLCI were valid and reliable to identify students’ mental model. Students’ mental model are mostly in the synthetic (SY) and scientific (SC) mental models were also analyzed in this research. It can be concluded the developed of DIPOLCI was able to analyze students’ mental model. Developing this test instrument allows teachers to pinpoint students' comprehension of fundamental light wave concepts, uncover misconceptions, and evaluate the efficacy of teaching methods. Keywords Students’ Mental model, Dispersion, Polarization, Four tier, Conceptual inventory, Rasch analysis 1. INTRODUCTION Student prior knowledge includes not only formal knowledge acquired at school, but also social and observed information (Fratiwi, et al. 2019; Urey, 2019) . Prior knowledge represents an important part of learning information. Students prior knowledge, which contradicts scientific concepts (known as misconceptions or alternative conceptions), is a major problem in learning (Fratiwi, et al. 2019; Samsudin, Fratiwi, & Wibowo, 2017; Buber, 2017) . Students need to understand the scientific conception as this is the most basic part of learning physics (Putranta & Pahar, 2019) . One of the things related to the formation of a student's conception is the mental model. Mental models are personal models built by individuals to represent parts of the world and can be represented through actions, speeches, writing, and drawing (Moutinho, Moura, & Vasconcelos, 2016) . These models are considered representations of the outside world developed by the human mind and are therefore important for understanding the knowledge-building process (Moutinho, Moura, & Vasconcelos, 2016) . Mental models help students distinguish and understand concepts and identify misconceptions (Fratiwi et al., 2019; Stains & Sevian, 2015) . Misconceptions or alternative concepts are Received: 29 April 2024 identified through the student's mental model. It is important to identify the student's mental model to understand the knowledge of scientific concepts. Many students struggle to understand physics conce

FAQs

What is DiPolCI designed to identify?

DiPolCI is developed to identify students’ mental models related to dispersion and polarization concepts in physics light-wave topics.

Which method is used to validate DiPolCI?

DiPolCI validation is performed using Rasch analysis, including fit statistics, Cronbach Alpha, item reliability, and person reliability.

How is the inventory structured in its development?

DiPolCI initially consists of 7 items in a one-tier format and is further developed into a four-tier test version.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya