Domain knowledge is theoretically a formative construct formed by distinct, not necessarily associated, aspects¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q1
Currency · no dated study recorded · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Theoretical conceptualizations of domain knowledge treat it as formed from distinct aspects that define the construct, so the manifest observations chosen form the latent construct. → formative-dk-1

Evidence¶

Stadler 2021¶

Stadler, Matthias, Michael Sailer, and Frank Fischer. 2021. “Knowledge as a formative construct: a good alpha is not always better.” New Ideas in Psychology 60: 100832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2020.100832.

q1 · i? · theoretical · r3

This is the article's own theoretical argument, a definitional/conceptual claim with no empirical data. It cites biology knowledge defined as five distinct disciplines, noting that teaching genetics "would increase his or her latent domain knowledge about biology but would not necessarily increase the student's knowledge about ecology."

"Theoretically, domain knowledge is often conceived as a construct formed by several aspects that do not necessarily have to be associated with each other."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A high Cronbach's alpha across items measuring distinct knowledge aspects indicates the test is not working as intended — related
• Reflective modeling of formative knowledge constructs risks misrepresenting domain knowledge as a general factor such as intelligence — related
• Research practice misaligns with theory: domain knowledge is usually assessed with reflective models without argument for that choice — related
• Instruments show conceptual inconsistency: the same terms label different competence aspects, and disciplinary origin does not significantly correlate with definition or terminology choice — related
• A low alpha does not necessarily indicate high content validity, because reliability and validity can both be high — related
• Cronbach's alpha does not generally indicate the reliability of knowledge tests because knowledge is a heterogeneous construct — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)