Are They All Created Equal? A Comparison of Different Concept Inventory Development Methodologies

The creation of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was a seminal moment for Physics Education Research. Based on the development of the FCI, many more concept inventories have been developed. The problem with the development of all of these concept inventories is there does not seem to be a concise methodology for developing these inventories, nor is there a concise definition of what these inventories measure. By comparing the development methodologies of many common Physics and Astronomy Concept Inventories we can draw inferences about different types of concept inventories, as well as different valid conclusions that can be drawn from the administration of these inventories. Inventories compared include: Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT), Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA), Conceptual Survey in Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), Diagnostic Exam Electricity and Magnetism (DEEM), Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concept Test (DIRECT), Energy and Motion Conceptual Survey (EMCS), Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE), Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI), Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics (TUG‐K) and Wave Concept Inventory (WCI).