The study investigated the value of process data obtained from a group-administered computerized dynamic test of analogical reasoning, consisting of a pretest-training-posttest design. We sought to... Show moreThe study investigated the value of process data obtained from a group-administered computerized dynamic test of analogical reasoning, consisting of a pretest-training-posttest design. We sought to evaluate the effects of training on processes and performance, and the relationships between process measures and performance on the dynamic test. Participants were N = 86 primary school children (Mage = 8.11 years, SD = 0.63). The test consisted of constructed-response geometrical analogy items, requiring several actions to construct an answer. Process data enabled scoring of the total time, the time taken for initial planning of the task, the time taken for checking the answer that was provided, and variation in solving time. Training led to improved performance compared to repeated practice, but this improvement was not reflected in task-solving processes. Almost all process measures were related to performance, but the effects of training or repeated practice on this relationship differed widely between measures. In conclusion, the findings seemed to indicate that investigating process indicators within computerized dynamic testing of analogical reasoning ability provided information about children’s learning processes, but that not all processes were affected in the same way by training. Show less
This study investigated potential differences in the processes of solving analogies between gifted and average-ability children (aged 9-10 years old) in a dynamic testing setting. Utilizing a pre... Show moreThis study investigated potential differences in the processes of solving analogies between gifted and average-ability children (aged 9-10 years old) in a dynamic testing setting. Utilizing a pre-test-training-post-test control group design, participants were split in four subgroups: gifted dynamic testing (n = 24), gifted control (n = 26), average-ability dynamic testing (n = 48), and average-ability control (n = 52). Irrespective of ability group, dynamic testing resulted in a larger number of accurately applied transformations, changes in the proportion of preparation time utilized, and more advanced usage of solution categories. Differences were found between and within the groups of gifted and average-ability children in relation to the different process variables examined. Show less
The present study investigated the usefulness of a pre-programmed, teleoperated, socially assistive peer robot in dynamictesting of complex problem solving utilising the Tower of Hanoi.The robot,... Show moreThe present study investigated the usefulness of a pre-programmed, teleoperated, socially assistive peer robot in dynamictesting of complex problem solving utilising the Tower of Hanoi.The robot, in a ‘Wizard of Oz’ setting, provided instructions andprompts during dynamic testing to children when they had tosolve 3 D Tower of Hanoi puzzles. Participants were 37 secondgrade 8-year-old children, of whom half received graduatedprompts training between pre-test and post-test, delivered by therobot, and half did not. It was found that children’s progressionin task accuracy varied considerably, depending on whether ornot children were trained in solving Tower puzzles. Trained children showed greater progression in the number of Tower problems that they could solve accurately, made considerably fewersteps, although the Tower puzzles increased quickly in difficultylevel. The mean completion time of trained children decreased ata slower rate than that of the untrained children, but both groupsof children took considerably more time to think and plan aheadbefore they started the solving process. Only moderate relationswith planning behaviour were found. In general, the studyrevealed that computerised dynamic testing with a robot asassistant has much potential in unveiling children’s potential forlearning and their ways of tackling complex problems. The advantages and challenges of using a robot in educational assessmentwere discussed. Show less
Resing, W.C.M.; Bakker, M.; Elliott, J.G.; Vogelaar, B. 2019
This study examined whether computerized dynamic testing by utilizing a robot would lead to different patterns in children's (aged 6-9 years) potential for learning and strategy use when solving... Show moreThis study examined whether computerized dynamic testing by utilizing a robot would lead to different patterns in children's (aged 6-9 years) potential for learning and strategy use when solving series-completion tasks. The robot, in a "Wizard of Oz" setting, provided instructions and prompts during dynamic testing. It was found that a dynamic training resulted in greater accuracy and more correctly placed pieces at the post-test than repeated testing only. Moreover, children who were dynamically trained appeared to use more heuristic strategies at the post-test than their peers who were not trained. In general, observations showed that children were excited to work with the robot. All in all, the study revealed that computerized dynamic testing by means of a robot has much potential in tapping into children's potential for learning and strategy use. The implications of using a robot in educational assessment were stressed further in the discussion. Show less
This study investigated the potential of dynamic testing of geometric analogical reasoning in differentiating between the potential for learning of gifted and average-ability children (aged 9-10... Show moreThis study investigated the potential of dynamic testing of geometric analogical reasoning in differentiating between the potential for learning of gifted and average-ability children (aged 9-10 years old). In doing so, it was analysed whether planning, a higher-order executive function, was related to outcomes of the dynamic test, and to instructional needs during training. Employing a pretest-training-post-test control group design, participants were split into four subgroups: gifted dynamic testing (n = 24), gifted control (n = 26), average-ability dynamic testing (n = 48) and average-ability control (n = 50). The results revealed that children who were dynamically tested progressed more in accuracy from pre-test to post-test than their peers who received practice opportunities only. Gifted children outperformed their average-ability peers in accuracy, but showed similar levels of improvement after training or practice only. Moreover, gifted children showed they needed fewer prompts during training than their average-ability peers. Planning was found to be related only to pre-test accuracy, and the number of prompts needed at the first training session, but not to post-test accuracy or the number of prompts needed at the second training session. In the discussion, educational implications of the findings were discussed. Show less
Touw, K.W.J.; Vogelaar, B.; Bakker, M.; Resing, W.C.M. 2019
This study aimed to combine the use of electronic technology and dynamic testing to overcome the limitations of conventional static testing, and adapt more closely to children's individual needs.... Show moreThis study aimed to combine the use of electronic technology and dynamic testing to overcome the limitations of conventional static testing, and adapt more closely to children's individual needs. We investigated the effects of a newly developed computerized series completion test using a dynamic testing approach and its relation to school achievement. The study utilized a pre-test-training post-test control-group design in which 164 children from grade 2 participated. To evaluate the additional effects of dynamic testing beyond the effects of (repeated) static testing of inductive reasoning on a tablet, half of the children were trained using a graduated prompts method, while the other half of the children only practiced solving the series completion task-items. The results showed that training with graduated prompts is effective in increasing the likelihood that children can solve series completion problems accurately. Furthermore, the number of prompts children needed during training, significantly predicted the performances of children on mathematics and technical reading tests. Teacher's judgments regarding their pupils' overall school performance and potential for learning, however, did not correlate significantly with the dynamic post-test score of the series completion test, which seemed to indicate that dynamic testing provides teachers with new information about the learning progress of individuals. Show less
Background The need to focus more on children's abilities to change requires new assessment technologies in education. Process-oriented assessment can be useful in this regard. Dynamic testing has... Show moreBackground The need to focus more on children's abilities to change requires new assessment technologies in education. Process-oriented assessment can be useful in this regard. Dynamic testing has the potential to provide in-depth information about children's learning processes and cognitive abilities.Aim This study implemented a process-oriented dynamic testing procedure to obtain information regarding children's changes in series-completion skills in a computerised test setting. We studied whether children who received a graduated prompts training would show more progression in series-completion than children who received no training, and whether trained children would use more advanced explanations of their solutions than their untrained peers.Sample Participants were 164 second-grade children with a mean age of 7;11 years. Children were split into an unguided practice or a dynamic testing condition.Methods The study employed a pre-test-training-post-test design. Half of the children were trained in series-completion, and the other half did not receive any feedback on their problem solving. Using item response theory analysis, we inspected the progression paths of the children in the two conditions.Results and conclusions Children who received training showed more progression in their series-completion skills than the children who received no training. In addition, the trained children explained their solutions in a more advanced manner, when compared with the non-trained control group. This information is valuable for educational practice as it provides a better understanding of how learning occurs and which factors contribute to cognitive changes. Show less
Task solving processes and changes in these processes have long been expected to provide valuable information about children's performance in school. This article used electronic tangibles ... Show moreTask solving processes and changes in these processes have long been expected to provide valuable information about children's performance in school. This article used electronic tangibles (concrete materials that can be physically manipulated) and a dynamic testing format (pretest, training, and posttest) to investigate children's task solving processes and changes in these processes as a result of training. We also evaluated the value of process information for the prediction of school results. Participants were N = 253 children with a mean age of 7.8 years. Half of them received a graduated prompts training; the other half received repeated practice only. Three process measures were used: grouping behaviour, verbalized strategies, and completion time. Different measures showed different effects of training, with verbalized strategies showing the largest difference on the posttest between trained and untrained children. Although process measures were related to performance on our dynamic task and to math and reading performance in school, the amount of help provided during training provided the most predictive value to school results. We concluded that children's task solving processes provide valuable information, but the interpretation requires more research. Show less
The aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent children’s potential for learning is related to their level of cognitive flexibility. Potential for learning was measured through a... Show moreThe aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent children’s potential for learning is related to their level of cognitive flexibility. Potential for learning was measured through a dynamic testing procedure that aimed to measure how much a child can profit from a training procedure integrated into the testing process, including the amount and type of feedback the children required during this training procedure. The study followed a pre-test–training–post-test control group design. Participants were 153 6–7-year-old children. Half of this group of children were provided with a standardised graduated prompts procedure. The other half of the participants performed a non-inductive cognitive task. Children’s cognitive flexibility was measured through a card sorting test and a test of verbal fluency. Results show that cognitive flexibility was positively related to children’s performance, but only for children in the practice-only condition who received no training. These outcomes suggest that dynamic testing, and more in particular, the graduated prompting procedure, supports children’s cognitive flexibility, thereby giving children with weaker flexibility the opportunity to show more of their cognitive potential as measured through inductive reasoning. Show less
This study examined differences in transfer of analogical reasoning after analogy-problem solving between 40 gifted and 95 average-ability children (aged 9–10 years old), utilising dynamic testing... Show moreThis study examined differences in transfer of analogical reasoning after analogy-problem solving between 40 gifted and 95 average-ability children (aged 9–10 years old), utilising dynamic testing principles. This approach was used in order to examine potential differences between gifted and average-ability children in relation to progression after training, and with regard to the question whether training children in analogy problem-solving elicits transfer of analogical reasoning skills to an analogy construction-task. Children were allocated to one of two experimental conditions: either children received unguided practice in analogy problem-solving, or they were provided with this in addition to training incorporating graduated prompting techniques. The results showed that gifted and average-ability children who were trained made more progress in analogy problem-solving than their peers who received unguided practice experiences only. Gifted and average-ability children were found to show similar progression in analogy problem-solving, and gifted children did not appear to have an advantage in the analogy-construction transfer task. The dynamic training seemed to bring about no additional improvement on the transfer task over that of unguided practice experiences only. Show less
Vogelaar, B.; Resing, W.C.M.; Stad, F.E.; Verdel, R. 2018
Giftedness is often assessed by means of conventional (shortened) intelligence tests. These tests, however, are assumed to not always provide a picture of children’s potential for learning,... Show moreGiftedness is often assessed by means of conventional (shortened) intelligence tests. These tests, however, are assumed to not always provide a picture of children’s potential for learning, especially with regard to special populations. In the current dissertation, therefore, dynamic testing was utilized in order to investigate potential differences between gifted and average-ability children. Dynamic testing refers to a testing method in which training and feedback are integrated into the testing process. The main aims of this dissertation were to investigate potential differences between gifted and average-ability children with regard to their progression in analogy problem-solving, instructional needs during training, transfer of analogy problem-solving skills to analogy construction, as well as the roles that metacognition, cognitive flexibility and test anxiety potentially play in analogy problem-solving. The results showed that, in general, vis-à-vis their average-ability peers, gifted children showed higher initial scores on the tests, but showed similar progression after practice or training, equivalent instructional needs, and equivalent transfer success and effectiveness. Test anxiety and metacognition were, further, found to play a role in progression in analogy problem-solving, specifically with regard to training benefits. Lower scores of metacognition, and higher test anxiety scores were related to higher progression after training. Show less
Vogelaar, B.; Bakker, M.; Hoogeveen, L.; Resing, W.C.M. 2017
