Development and validation of a multiple-choice test instrument for 9th grade students’ conceptualisation of energy change

Abstract Science educators worldwide emphasise the need for students to conceptualise the energy change, recognising its relevance in both teaching and everyday life. However, previous studies have shown that students face difficulties with conceptualising energy change (e.g. through transfer and/or transformation) due to interdisciplinary fragmentation. To address student conceptualisation through disciplinary boundaries, a multiple-choice item test was developed across four science disciplines (chemistry, biology, physics, and earth science), framed through the lens of physical and chemical changes. The developed Energy Change Test (ECT) is grounded on a) the Estonian national science curriculum for grades 7–9, and b) the TIMSS framework. Results from the 28-item ECT ( N = 432, 9th graders), analysed using Item Response Theory, indicate a student reliability of 0.75 and an item reliability of 0.98. The findings provide new insights for curriculum developers, educators, chemistry and other science teachers, demonstrating how single items or item sets from the ECT can serve as initial tools for fostering institutional collaboration among science teachers to overcome conceptual challenges associated with energy change.