PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

This article examines the usage of Rasch Wright map in evaluating students' conceptual understanding of electricity. A questionnaire, Parallel Circuit Conceptual Understanding Test (PCCUT), was developed for this purpose. The 34 items PCCUT was administered to 102 local engineering, university students. The item reliability is very good at +0.97. Findings showed the students experienced difficulties in diagnosing current, voltage and resistance when presented with a circuit involving the removal of a resistance or the addition of a battery. Additionally, they had problems in identifying parallel circuits in a combined arrangement. On the other hand, majority of them had no difficulty in recognising individual series and parallel circuit as well as circuit connections. Thus, it can be said that the Wright map was very useful in assessing the students' conceptual understanding of electricity.