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Validity Evidence to Support the Revision of a Licensure Assessment for Environmental Education Teachers: A Job-Analytic Approach

Author(s):
Swiggett, Wanda D.; DiCrecchio, Nicole
Publication Year:
2011
Report Number:
RM-11-18
Source:
ETS Research Memorandum
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
36
Subject/Key Words:
Job Analysis, Licensure, Certification, Environmental Education, Validity

Abstract

A job analysis was conducted to define knowledge important for entry-level environmental education teachers. The results will be used to guide the development of new test content specifications for the Praxis Series Environmental Education assessment. A draft domain was constructed from professional organization standards, various state standards, textbooks, and existing test specifications. A national advisory committee (NAC) of environmental education teachers and college faculty reviewed and modified the draft domain to reflect the knowledge they believed was important for safe and effective practice and needed at time of entry into the profession. The revised domain consisted of 80 statements clustered within six major categories: (a) Nature of Environmental Science Education: Inquiry, Methodology, and Techniques; (b) Principles of Ecology; (c) Life Sciences as Relevant to Environmental Science Education; (d) Earth and Physical Sciences as Relevant to Environmental Science Education; (e) Humans and the Environment; and (f) Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Environmental Decisions and Ecosystems. Survey responses of 251 environmental education teachers and faculty provided independent evidence of the importance of the domain. Respondents judged each knowledge statement on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely important). A total of 76 knowledge statements had mean ratings above 3.50 in the aggregate sample and for subgroups containing more than 30 respondents. The results indicate that these 76 statements may be considered appropriate for guiding the development of new test content specifications for the Praxis Environmental Education assessment.

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