This artcle reports the development and validaton study of tests to assess achievements at three levels of knowledge structure, following the model proposed by Sugrue to measure problem-solving skills. The literature has reported this proposal as a model consistent with the theoretcal constructs underlying problem-based learning (PBL) methodology. | Journal of Technology and Science Education ASSESSMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT IN PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS IN A GENERAL CHEMISTRY COURSE Patricia Morales Bueno Department of Science, Pontfcia Universidad Católica del Perú PUCP Perú pmorale@ Abstract This artcle reports the development and validaton study of tests to assess achievements at three levels of knowledge structure, following the model proposed by Sugrue to measure problem-solving skills. The literature has reported this proposal as a model consistent with the theoretcal constructs underlying problem-based learning (PBL) methodology. The tests were constructed for a General Chemistry course in a curriculum of engineering, which implements PBL methodology at a Peruvian university. The content validaton of the tests was performed, as well as a pilot implementaton with Peruvian students of frst year engineering. The results obtained in omissions percentage, difculty degree, items response patern and the point biserial coefcient (rpb), let us to conclude that these are appropriate tools for assessing these skills, mainly for the purpose of contributng to process facilitaton as well as to future research in this line. Keywords – Problem-solving skills, Academic achievement, Problem-based learning, Higher educaton. ---------- 1 INTRODUCTION Despite the variety of approaches to problem-based learning, in terms of its defniton and diferent modalites of implementaton (Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche & Gijbels, 2003; De Graaf & Kolmos, 2003), there is no doubt that there is a consensus to point out that from the cognitve dimension, one of the main objectves in this educatonal proposal is the development of problem solving skills both for the acquisiton of knowledge, as for its applicaton (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). Although there is a large volume of research on PBL, there is no consensus on what achievements or what measurement methods should be used to evaluate their efects, and this situaton leads to the need to .
