Article: Students’ Energy Understanding across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

Contexts
Journal: Research in Science Education

Online Resource 2: Model fit indices for the 1d and 3d models, based on WLSMV

estimation

Table 1 below shows WLSMV estimator based fit criteria for grades 6, 8 and 10 respective

the 1d model (cross-disciplinary energy understanding) and the 3d model (different sets

of energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts).

Both the 1d and 3d models from WLSMV estimation showed generally good fit values at

the different grade levels. In grade 6, minor misfits were observed for both models (X2-

tests, CFI, TLI). While in grade 8, the models generally fitted well, the 1d model was

preferable to the 3d model as the latter produced a non-resolvable error warning due to

a non-positive definite covariance matrix. This was caused by a high correlation between

the latent variables for energy understanding in physics and chemistry. In grade 10, both

models showed equally good fit criteria.

 Article: Students’ Energy Understanding across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
Contexts
Journal: Research in Science Education
Table 1 Fit indices from WLSMV estimation for the 1d and 3d models of energy understanding

p X2 CFI TLI RMSEA WRMR

Grade Model N Parameters X² M Df
> .05 > 0.95 > 0.95 < 0.06 < 1.0

6 1d 255 54 57.30 40 .04 0.90 0.89 0.04 0.78

3d 255 51 52.30 38 .05 0.89 0.88 0.04 0.76

8 1d 268 54 46.80 41 .25 0.99 0.99 0.02 0.62

3d * 268 56 42.58 39 .32 0.99 0.99 0.02 0.60

10 1d 229 54 51.69 40 .10 0.99 0.99 0.04 0.63

3d 229 57 46.99 38 .15 0.99 0.99 0.03 0.61

Note: Italic and grey values are critical with respect to cutoff criteria suggested by Hu and Bentler (1999) and Yu (2002).

* Estimation error due to a non-positive definite covariance matrix caused by a correlation estimate between the latent

constructs for physics and chemistry > 1.0.