The Impact of Mathematical Proficiency on the Number-Space Association

in PLoS ONE (2014)

A specific instance of the association between numerical and spatial representations is the SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect. The SNARC effect describes the finding that ... [more ▼]

A specific instance of the association between numerical and spatial representations is the SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect. The SNARC effect describes the finding that during binary classification of numbers participants are faster to respond to small/large numbers with the left/right hand respectively. Even though it has been frequently replicated, important inter-individual variability has also been reported. Mathematical proficiency is an obvious candidate source for inter-individual variability in numerical judgments, but studies investigating its influence on the SNARC effect remain scarce. The present experiment included a total of 95 University students, divided into three groups differing significantly in their mathematical proficiency levels. Using group analyses, it appeared that the three groups differed significantly in the strength of their number-space associations in a parity judgment task. This result was further confirmed on an individual level, with higher levels in arithmetic leading to relatively weaker SNARC effects. To explain this negative relationship we propose accounts based on differences in access to qualitatively different numerical representations and also consider more domain general factors, with a focus on inhibition capacities. [less ▲]

Istzustand und Ausbau der Épreuves Standardisées (ÉpStan)

Presentation (2014, January)

Differential relations between facets of complex problem solving and students’ immigration background

in Journal of Educational Psychology (2014), Advance online publication

Whereas the assessment of complex problem solving (CPS) has received increasing attention in the context of international large-scale assessments, its fairness in regard to students’ cultural background ... [more ▼]

Whereas the assessment of complex problem solving (CPS) has received increasing attention in the context of international large-scale assessments, its fairness in regard to students’ cultural background has gone largely unexplored. On the basis of a student sample of ninth-graders (N = 299), including a representative number of immigrant students (N = 127), the present study evaluated (1) whether CPS can be assessed fairly among students with or without immigration background and (2) whether achievement differences between these groups exist. Results showed that fair assessment of CPS is possible using the Genetics Lab, a computer-based microworld that incorporates game-like characteristics and multilingual-friendly features. Immigrant students were generally outperformed by their non-immigrant peers, but performance differences can largely be explained by differential enrollment in lower academic tracks. Interestingly, CPS scales were less affected by students’ educational background than a traditional paper-pencil-based reasoning scale. Moreover, a fine-grained analysis of different facets of CPS showed that irrespective of the academic track, immigrant students demonstrated a more efficient task exploration behavior than their native peers (d = .26). In sum, this might point to the potential of computer-based assessment of CPS to identify otherwise hidden cognitive potential in immigrant students. [less ▲]

Computer-assisted testing

in Mayer, L. (Ed.) Oxford Bibliographies in Education (2014)

"My questionnaire is too long!" The assessments of motivational-affective constructs with three-item and single-item measures

in Contemporary Educational Psychology (2014), 39(3), 188-205

Predictive validity of tracking decisions: Application of a new validation criterion.

in Spiliopoulou, Myra; Schmidt-Thieme, Lars; Janning, Ruth (Eds.) Studies in classification, data analysis, and knowledge organisation: Data Analysis, Machine Learning and Knowledge Discovery. (2014)

Concept maps: A useful and usable tool for computer-based knowledge assessment? A literature review with a focus on usability

in Computers and Education (2014), 78

The concept map is now widely accepted as an instrument for the assessment of conceptual knowledge and is increasingly being embedded into technology-based environments. Usability addresses how ... [more ▼]

The concept map is now widely accepted as an instrument for the assessment of conceptual knowledge and is increasingly being embedded into technology-based environments. Usability addresses how appropriate (for a particular use) or how user-friendly a computer-based assessment instrument is. As we know from human-computer interaction research, if the interface is not user-friendly, a computer-based assessment can result in decreased test performance and reduced validity. This means that the usability of the interface affects the assessment in such a way that if the test is not user-friendly, then the test taker will not be able to fully demonstrate his/her level of proficiency and will instead be scored according to his/her information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills. The guidelines of the International Test Commission (2006) require usability testing for such instruments and suggest that design standards be implemented. However, we do not know whether computer-conducted concept map assessments fulfill these standards. The present paper addresses this aspect. We conducted a systematic research review to examine whether and how researchers have studied and considered usability when conducting computer-based concept map assessments. Only 24 out of 119 journal articles that assessed computer-based concept maps discussed the usability issue in some way. Nevertheless, our review brings to light the idea that the impact of usability on computer-based concept map assessments is an issue that has received insufficient attention. In addition, usability ensures a suitable interaction between test taker and test device; thus, the training effort required for test use can be reduced if a test's usability is straight forward. Our literature review, however, illustrates that the interplay between usability and test use training has mostly been neglected in current studies. [less ▲]

Do test takers with different language backgrounds take the same C-test? The effect of native language on the validity of C-tests.

in Grotjahn, Rüdiger (Ed.) Der C-Test: Aktuelle Tendenzen/The C-Test: current trends. (2014)

Kompetenzmessung im Bildungsbereich

in Steffgen, Georges; Michaux, Gilles; Ferring, Dieter (Eds.) Psychologie in Luxemburg - Ein Handbuch (2014)

Computer-based assessment of cross-curricular skills and processes. Special section.

in Journal of Educational Psychology (2014)