Assessment of problem solving

in Griffin, P.; McGaw, B.; Care, E. (Eds.) Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills (in press)

Social and dimensional comparison effects in general and domain‐specific test anxiety: A nested factor modeling approach

in Current Psychology (2023)

A machine learning approach to predict self‑protecting behaviors during the early wave of the COVID‑19 pandemic

in Scientific Reports (2023), 13

Using a unique harmonized real‐time data set from the COME‑HERE longitudinal survey that covers five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden) and applying a non‑parametric machine ... [more ▼]

Using a unique harmonized real‐time data set from the COME‑HERE longitudinal survey that covers five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden) and applying a non‑parametric machine learning model, this paper identifies the main individual and macro‑level predictors of self‑protecting behaviors against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) during the first wave of the pandemic. Exploiting the interpretability of a Random Forest algorithm via Shapely values, we find that a higher regional incidence of COVID‑19 triggers higher levels of self‑protective behavior, as does a stricter government policy response. The level of individual knowledge about the pandemic, confidence in institutions, and population density also ranks high among the factors that predict self‑protecting behaviors. We also identify a steep socioeconomic gradient with lower levels of self‑protecting behaviors being associated with lower income and poor housing conditions. Among socio‑demographic factors, gender, marital status, age, and region of residence are the main determinants of self‑protective measures. [less ▲]

ICT skills in the deployment of 21st century skills: A (cognitive) developmental perspective through early childhood.

in Applied Sciences (2023), 13(7), 4615

ICT technologies are an integral part of today’s digitized society. Therefore, it is important that children acquire ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education to prepare them for later life ... [more ▼]

ICT technologies are an integral part of today’s digitized society. Therefore, it is important that children acquire ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education to prepare them for later life. Drawing on the literature, seven 21st century skills can profit from the addition of ICT skills, i.e., technical, information, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative, and problem-solving skills. While many efforts have been made to integrate ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education into primary and secondary school curricula, the implementation of these skills in early childhood education and care remains a challenge due to developmental concerns. This paper aims to uncover developmental antecedents for ICT 21st century skills in early childhood, mainly addressing children’s cognitive development, and propose ways to implement these skills in child-friendly ways. Drawing on the literature on developmental psychology, seven cognitive developmental antecedents were identified: inductive, deductive, abductive, causal, and scientific reasoning, executive functions, and computational thinking. Moreover, five additional develop-mental antecedents were identified: fine motor skills, language development, self-regulation, social-emotional development, and creativity. On the backdrop of these antecedents, ways of implementing ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education in early childhood classrooms are proposed that include digital games and learning apps, collaborative play or problem-solving activities with toy robots. [less ▲]

Aiding Reflective Navigation in a Dynamic Information Landscape: A Challenge for Educational Psychology

in Frontiers in Psychology (2022)

Open access to information is now a universal phenomenon thanks to rapid technological developments across the globe. This open and universal access to information is a key value of democratic societies ... [more ▼]

Open access to information is now a universal phenomenon thanks to rapid technological developments across the globe. This open and universal access to information is a key value of democratic societies because, in principle, it supports well-informed decision-making on individual, local, and global matters. In practice, however, without appropriate readiness for navigation in a dynamic information landscape, such access to information can become a threat to public health, safety, and economy, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown. In the past, this readiness was often conceptualized in terms of adequate literacy levels, but the contemporarily observed highest-ever literacy levels have not immunized our societies against the risks of misinformation. Therefore, in this Perspective, we argue that democratisation of access to information endows citizens with new responsibilities, and second, these responsibilities demand readiness that cannot be reduced to mere literacy levels. In fact, this readiness builds on individual adequate literacy skills, but also requires rational thinking and awareness of own information processing. We gather evidence from developmental, educational, and cognitive psychology to show how these aspects of readiness could be improved through education interventions, and how they may be related to healthy work-home balance and self-efficacy. All these components of education are critical to responsible global citizenship and will determine the future direction of our societies. [less ▲]

Student profiles of self-concept and interest in four domains: A latent transition analysis

in Learning and Individual Differences (2022), 95(5), 102-139

Dimensional comparisons lead to contrast effects between academic self-concepts, implying that students view themselves as a math-type or a verbal-type. This study examined the short-term stability of ... [more ▼]

Dimensional comparisons lead to contrast effects between academic self-concepts, implying that students view themselves as a math-type or a verbal-type. This study examined the short-term stability of these types and their generalizability to academic interest. N = 382 students completed questionnaires on self-concept and interest in math, physics, German, and English at two measurement waves over five weeks. Latent transition analyses were conducted with self-concepts and interests as indicators, revealing four profiles for both constructs. For self-concept a math + high profile, verbal + high profile, verbal + low profile and generally-moderate profile were found. For interest a math profile, verbal profile, generally-high profile, and generally-low profile were found. These profiles indicated that the formation of domain-specific self-concept and interest differs between groups of students. The profiles were stable across measurement waves. Relations to school grades and gender matched theoretical assumptions. [less ▲]

Uncovering everyday dynamics in students’ perceptions of instructional quality with experience sampling

in Learning and Instruction (2022), 81

Students’ Personality and State Academic Self-Concept: Predicting Differences in Mean Level and Within-Person Variability in Everyday School Life

in Journal of Educational Psychology (2022), 114(6), 13941411

A positive academic self-concept (ASC) relates to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student characteristics relate to the formation of ASC is therefore crucial. To examine the ... [more ▼]

A positive academic self-concept (ASC) relates to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student characteristics relate to the formation of ASC is therefore crucial. To examine the importance of personality for ASC, we investigated the relation between Big Five traits and mean level as well as within-person variability in state general-school ASC for the first time using intensive longitudinal data. The sample comprised N = 291 German ninth and 10th graders who completed a 3-week e-diary after filling in a 60-item Big Five questionnaire assessing extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, negative emotionality, and open-mindedness as well as their respective subfacets (15 subfacets overall). To assess state ASC, students completed three items after each lesson in four different subjects (resulting in Mlessons = 21.32). We ran six mixed-effects location scale models: one with all broad Big Five domains and five (one for each Big Five domain) with the subfacets as predictors of state ASC. Higher scores in the domains and in at least one subfacet of open-mindedness, conscientiousness, and extraversion but lower scores in negative emotionality were related to higher mean levels of state ASC. Higher scores in depression (subfacet of negative emotionality) were related to greater within-person variability in state ASC. These findings suggest that Big Five traits are predictors of mean level and within-person variability in students’ state ASC, thus contributing to a more complete map of the formation of students’ ASC and the role of personality therein. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [less ▲]

The fight against infectious diseases. The essential role of higher-order thinking and problem solving

in Journal of Intelligence (2022), (10), 14

How we explore, interpret, and solve complex problems: A cross-national study of problem-solving processes

in Heliyon (2022), (8), 08775