Chemistry Instructors’ Interpretations of Assessment Instrument Data for Instructional Action

Assessment instruments enable instructors to collect valid and reliable data about students’ content knowledge and support data-informed pedagogical decisions. Despite the widespread development of assessment instruments in chemistry education research, instructors’ use of these data is often constrained by limited time, interpretive support, and integration into instructional practice. This study investigates how instructors engage with assessment instrument data to interpret student thinking, draw conclusions, and propose instructional actions. Semistructured interviews were conducted during which chemistry instructors interacted with visualizations of their students’ responses, including representations of both correct and alternate conceptions. Instructors’ conclusions and proposed actions were analyzed through the lens of Data-Driven Inquiry to characterize patterns in how assessment data are interpreted and used. This work identifies common trends and challenges in instructors’ sensemaking of assessment instrument data and highlights opportunities for targeted supports. Of note, deficit framing of conclusions from assessment was found to be closely linked to proposal of ambiguous instructional actions, indicating that interpretive stance matters more than the specific conceptual issue identified within assessment data. Future work will focus on designing and evaluating supports that bridge the researcher-practitioner gap by facilitating instructors’ integration of research-based assessments and data-informed instructional practices.