Description

The Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI-8) is an assessment instrument designed to examine students’ understanding of the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. It focuses on how learners perceive the aims, methods, evidence, data, and practices involved in scientific investigation.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the VASI-8 is to assess students’ conceptions of how scientific investigations are conducted and how scientific knowledge is developed. The instrument helps identify the extent to which students’ views are aligned with contemporary understandings of scientific inquiry and scientific practice.

Structure of the Instrument

The VASI-8 consists of eight open-ended questions addressing key dimensions of scientific inquiry. Participants are asked to provide written responses and are encouraged to justify their answers.

The questions explore issues such as the existence of multiple approaches to scientific investigation, the distinction between data and evidence, the role of creativity, the possibility of revising scientific explanations, the social dimension of science, and the relationship between theory and research methods.

Data Analysis and Use

Responses are analyzed using predefined qualitative coding criteria that determine the extent to which students express scientifically accepted views of scientific inquiry.

Qualitative analysis may be complemented by quantitative presentation of the results, such as percentages of students whose responses are aligned or not aligned with accepted scientific perspectives for each dimension.

The instrument can be used both for descriptive research and for evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at improving students’ understanding of scientific inquiry.

Validity

The conceptual validity of the VASI-8 is supported by its theoretical development and its connection with previous research on the Nature of Science (NOS) and scientific inquiry. Its content was developed through multiple stages and reflects dimensions considered central to understanding scientific investigation and scientific practices.

Reliability

The reliability of the assessment process is strengthened through clearly defined coding criteria and structured protocols for evaluating open-ended responses. Inter-rater reliability is an important component of the assessment process, helping ensure consistency between different evaluators when classifying participants’ responses.

Applications

The VASI-8 has been used in national and international educational research to investigate students’ understanding of scientific inquiry and to assess the impact of instructional interventions. It can be applied across different educational levels and cultural contexts, provided that appropriate linguistic and methodological adaptation procedures are followed.

Reference

Lederman, N. G., Lederman, J. S., Bartos, S. A., Bartels, S. L., Meyer, A. A., & Schwartz, R. S. (2014). Meaningful assessment of learners’ understandings about scientific inquiry—The Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaire. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(1), 65–83.