Sometimes more is too much: A rejoinder to the commentaries on Greiff et al. (2015)

in Journal of Intelligence (2017), 5

Effects of correct answer position on multiple-choice item difficulty in educational settings

Scientific Conference (2016, July)

Teaching Complex Problem Solving Through Digital Game Design

Scientific Conference (2016, April)

Problem solving is one of the most essential skills for individuals to be successful at their daily lives and careers. When problems become complex, solving them involves identifying relationships among a ... [more ▼]

Problem solving is one of the most essential skills for individuals to be successful at their daily lives and careers. When problems become complex, solving them involves identifying relationships among a multitude of interrelated variables, to achieve multiple different possible solutions. Teaching Complex Problem Solving (CPS) skills in formal education contexts is challenging. In this research, we examined if through an innovative game-design course middle school students improved in their CPS skills. Our results showed that students showed significant improvements in their CPS skills, especially in terms of system exploration, t(10) = 2.787, p = .019; system knowledge, t(10) = 2.437, p = .35; system application, t(10) = 2.472, p = .033. In addition, there was a statistically significant change in students’ interest for CPS after attending the GDL program, t(6) = 3.890, p = .008. We discuss implications regarding use of game-design tasks as contexts to teach CPS skills in formal and informal educational contexts. [less ▲]

Self-assessment of academic competencies via a computer based tool in Luxembourg primary school

Poster (2015, August)

Can Computer-Based Assessment of Complex Problem Solving Reveal Otherwise Hidden Cognitive Potential of Multilingual, Immigrant Students?

Scientific Conference (2015, March)

Sometimes less is more. Comparing the validity of complex problem solving measures.

in Intelligence (2015), 50

Unterschiede zwischen Schulformen

in Martin, Romain; Ugen, Sonja; Fischbach, Antoine (Eds.) Épreuves Standardisées: Bildungsmonitoring für Luxemburg. Nationaler Bericht 2011 bis 2013 (2015)

Reading in German versus reading in French: Are there different attributes that determine the difficulty of reading comprehension items in both languages?

Poster (2014, August 26)

The current study aims at identifying those cognitive and linguistic attributes that best describe and explain reading test performance in two languages, and of individuals with different language ... [more ▼]

The current study aims at identifying those cognitive and linguistic attributes that best describe and explain reading test performance in two languages, and of individuals with different language backgrounds. German and French language teachers from Luxembourg secondary schools were asked to rate a number of either German or French reading tasks with regard to a list of cognitive and linguistic attributes. The teachers’ item attribute ratings were then linked to the empirical data collected in a large-scale study among Luxembourg 9th graders. Based on the initial item-attribute assignments, ideal item-response patterns could be presumed and compared to real examinees’ response patterns by using a linear logistic test modeling approach. The results from the different modeling steps show (a) whether the theoretical assumptions underlying the difficulty in reading comprehension items hold, (b) whether they hold for both German and French, and (c) whether they hold for participants with different language backgrounds. [less ▲]

Do cognitive processes involved in solving reading comprehension items differ in students with differing language background?

Scientific Conference (2014, July)

One major global challenge of educational assessment that has to be addressed on a local level is the increasing number of students with immigration background usually speaking a different language at ... [more ▼]

One major global challenge of educational assessment that has to be addressed on a local level is the increasing number of students with immigration background usually speaking a different language at home compared to their native peers (OECD, 2012). Especially in large-scale contexts, however, individual and tailored testing responding to their specific (language) needs is not possible. Although DIF-analyses are common practice in current large-scale assessments, they only indicate whether and to what extent an item is biased but provide no information on which cognitive processes might cause that bias – crucial information when evaluating school systems. The current study goes beyond traditional DIF-analyses by using the IRT based linear logistic test model (LLTM; Fischer, 1973) that allows for modeling cognitive demands and therefore processes involved in each item. Specifically, we draw on a sample of more than 5000 Luxembourgish 3rd graders and analyze whether cognitive and linguistic item attributes (e.g., kind of inference that is needed to solve the item, textual coherence; Sonnleitner, 2008) of a large-scale reading comprehension test do possess different difficulty for students with varying language background. We do this by determining a cognitive model including such attributes that adequately describe item difficulty parameters in native students. Subsequently, we will cross validate this model in several sub-samples with varying language background. Results not only show if cognitive and linguistic item attributes do differ with regard to difficulty in the different samples but also if some cognitive processes do compensate each other in certain samples. It will be discussed how these results can be used to complement common DIF-analyses and to obtain more fine-grained information on students’ performance differences in reading comprehension. [less ▲]

Assessing Mathematical Competencies within the Luxembourgish School Monitoring Program: Covering the range from 1st to 9th grade.

Scientific Conference (2014, April)

As a direct reaction to alarmingly poor student performance in PISA, like many other European countries Luxembourg started to establish a very ambitious school monitoring program: the Épreuves ... [more ▼]

As a direct reaction to alarmingly poor student performance in PISA, like many other European countries Luxembourg started to establish a very ambitious school monitoring program: the Épreuves Standardisées (ÉpStan). One of the core competencies that are measured is, of course, mathematical achievement. Beginning with grade 1 and continued in grade 3 and grade 9, students’ proficiency in several mathematical sub-competencies is assessed. Students have to demonstrate their mathematical problem solving skills in theoretical as well as applied contexts. This design not only allows for tracking individual students’ development of mathematical abilities but also allows for a better understanding of factors that influence this process ̶ a rich and valuable source for the determination of risk factors and the implementation of individual support programs. However, due to the early beginning of this comprehensive program and the heterogeneity of Luxembourg’s students in terms of cultural background and spoken language, several challenges arise, especially for test development. We will present and discuss the theoretical framework of mathematical competencies that is assessed within the ÉpStan and we will show how we are currently using possibilities of computer-based assessment and test design in order to respond to these challenges. [less ▲]