Table 2 Learning outcomes assessed with the SIT-PE test

Orientation

Students understand scientific text and create a simple scientific text.

Students identify a problem in a situation and formulate it clearly.

Students read a text and answer questions (analytical skill, basic, or medium level) or create a sentence (analytical skill, high level).

Students read a text and formulate a problem that is described there (analytical skill, high level).

Conceptualization

Students formulate research questions and hypotheses.

Students are provided with a problem description and have to formulate or select from a list a research question or hypothesis that contains all elements of a correct question or hypothesis (planning skill, medium or high level).

Investigation

Students design an experiment for collecting data, select appropriate tools and materials, and conduct the experiment.

Students read a research question or hypothesis and list all tools and materials needed in an experiment for answering the question or testing the hypothesis (planning skill, basic or medium level); or plan a sequence of activities needed in this experiment (planning skill, high level); or conduct the experiment using web-based simulations and analyze the collected data (analytical skill, basic or medium level).

Conclusion

Students use or create models in explaining phenomena, processes, or systems.

Students solve science-related problems occurring in everyday life and make decision based on scientific knowledge, skills, and values.

Students analyze and interpret scientific information and subsequentially draw conclusions and make decisions.

Students select an appropriate model or figure (analytical skill, medium level); or improve a partly prepared model or figure (analytical skill, high level).

Students synthesize different textual and visual information with data and make decisions based on more than one type of arguments. (interpretation skill, high level)

Students describe data in a table or figure (analytical skill, basic level) and draw conclusions based on these (analytical skill, medium or high level).

Discussion

Students explain and analyze objects, phenomena, and processes, and the cause-effect relationships between them.

Students correctly use scientific concepts, symbols, and units.

Students combine information that is presented in the task with their own knowledge (interpretation skill, high level).

Students fill in a blank in a text with an appropriate scientific concept (science knowledge, basic, medium or high level).