Measuring personality traits in the classroom.

In this article, a personality model for the description of children’s classroom behaviour is the main focus of interest. It is questioned whether the Five-Factor Personality Model can be used as an organizational structure for the description of personality characteristics in the field of educational practice. Two groups of Dutch school children (N 1296 and N 367), 4–12 years old, were rated by their teachers on scales of the School Behaviour Checklist–Revised (SCHOBL-R1). Analysis of the scales produced four meaningful and identical components in both samples: Extraversion, Attitude towards School Work, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability. The factorial structure of the scales remained stable over age as well as sex. Boys and girls were rated by their teachers as having dierent attitudes towards school work, and as diering on emotional stability and agreeableness. The items of the school behaviour checklist were then analysed in the context of other personality scales, leading to the conclusion that the four scales of the SCHOBL-R can be interpreted in terms of four of the five personality dimensions of the Five-Factor Model. The strong relationship between the contents o

Does cultural background influence the intellectual performance of children from immigrant groups?

This paper addresses both the construct validity and the criterion-related validity of the "Revisie Amsterdamse Kinder Intelligentie Test" (RAKIT), which is a cognitive ability test developed for primary school children. The present study compared immigrant primary school children (N = 559) and Dutch children (N = 604). The mean scores of Surinamese/Netherlands Antillean, Moroccan, and Turkish children differed from each other and were lower than those of the Dutch children. Comparison of the test dimensions showed that group differences with respect to the construct validity were small. We found some item bias, but the combined effects on the sum score were not large. The estimate of general intelligence (g) as computed with the RAKIT showed strong predictive validity for most school subjects and standardized achievement tests. Although some criteria revealed significant prediction bias, the effects were very small. Most of the analyses we performed on differences in test scores and differences in criterion scores supported Spearman's hypothesis that g is the predominant factor determining the size of the differences between two groups. The conclusion that the RAKIT can be used for the assessment of groups from various backgrounds seems warranted

Zicht op potentieel. Over dynamisch testen, variabiliteit in oplossingsgedrag en leerpotentieel van kinderen

Developmental pathways of social-emotional and cognitive functioning - ou

Dynamic testing of gifted and average-ability children's analogy problem solving: Does executive functioning play a role?

Article / Letter to editorInstituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologi

Dynamic testing of gifted and average-ability children's analogy problem solving: Does executive functioning play a role?

Article / Letter to editorInstituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologi

Dynamic testing of gifted and average-ability children's analogy problem solving: Does executive functioning play a role?

status: publishe

Dynamic testing of gifted and average-ability children's analogy problem solving: Does executive functioning play a role?

Article / Letter to editorInstituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologie;Instituut Psychologi

Dynamic assessment : a case of unfulfilled potential?

This paper updates a review of dynamic assessment in education by the first author, published in this journal in 2003. It notes that the original review failed to examine the important conceptual distinction between dynamic testing (DT) and dynamic assessment (DA). While both approaches seek to link assessment and intervention, the former is of particular interest for academic researchers in psychology, whose focus is upon the study of reasoning and problem-solving. In contrast, those working in the area of dynamic assessment, often having a practitioner orientation, tend to be particularly concerned to explore the ways by which assessment data can inform educational practice. It is argued that while some authors have considered the potential value of DA in assisting classification, or in predicting future performance, the primary contribution of this approach would seem to be in guiding intervention. Underpinning this is the view that DA can shed light on the operation of underlying cognitive processes that are impairing learning. However, recent research has demonstrated that the belief that deficient cognitive/executive functions could be identified and ameliorated, and subsequently result in academic progress, has not been supported. Where gains in such processes/functions have sometimes been found in laboratory training studies, these have tended not to transfer meaningfully to classroom contexts. The review concludes by pointing out that DA continues to be supported primarily on the basis of case studies and notes that the 2003 call for research that systematically examines the relationship between assessment and intervention has yet to be realised

Dynamic testing of children’s series completion ability: Cognitive flexibility as a predictor of performance

Pathways through Adolescenc