‘Knowledge and interaction with the physical and natural world’ competence: Analysis of the diagnostic assessment tests Andalusia

Abstract

This article is part of an investigation focusing on educational assessment competence Learn how to learn. One purpose of the study was to analyze the potential of external evaluations and diagnostic to estimate the degree of acquisition of basic skills by students. As part of our project, we have established three committees of researchers to address the analysis of the Diagnostic Evaluation tests of Andalusia, just as they did with the evidence from PISA. This article lists the most important findings of the research on testing in the specific area of science, defined as 'Competence in knowledge and interaction with the physical and natural world'. Drawing on six matrix scientific capabilities (reproduction, application, reflection, transfer, heuristic and argument), we conclude that these tests mainly require low complexity scientific capabilities, with little presence of higher-order skills in them. It specifies the methodology, based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the tests, distinguishing the different capacities involved and the difficulty level in which they appear. We offer the most outstanding results of the stage both Primary and Secondary in relation to skills assessment, we submit for discussion in the last section of the article. As a final discussion section, we make an assessment of the gap between the overall competence concept proposed in the report DeSeCo (OECD), the conceptual framework itself Diagnostic Evaluation tests of Andalusia, and it really seems to assess the evidence in light of the results obtained.