Education Sciences, Vol. 15, Pages 1668: Advancing Formative Assessment: Using Natural Language Processing Within a Sociocultural Context to Measure Multilingual Student Science Word Knowledge

Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci15121668

Authors:
Holland P. Kowalkowski
Jose Palma
Cinthia B. Herrera
Doris Luft Baker
Zhongdi Wu
Eric C. Larson

This study investigates how natural language processing (NLP) can support the assessment and learning of science vocabulary among multilingual and multicultural learners, drawing on data from two federally funded studies in the United States. Students define and use target vocabulary in a sentence, with responses transcribed and scored using NLP tools. Employing a mixed-methods design and guided by established socioecological theoretical frameworks, we examine how students’ sociocultural contexts and background knowledge influence their understanding of science word knowledge and applicability. Our findings highlight both the potential and challenges of using AI tools in equitable and culturally responsive ways, offering insights to improve NPL-based assessment tools that support literacy teaching and learning in diverse student populations.

Source link

Holland P. Kowalkowski www.mdpi.com