The relationship of voluntary work, school climates, and family values to public interest as a life goal of adolescents is presented for a sample of 5,579 12-18 year olds in three stable andfour transitional democracies. InJive of the seven countries, females were more likely than males to be engaged in voluntary work, and in all seven countries girls were more likely than boys to report that theirfamilies encouraged an ethic of social responsibility, Regardless of gender or country, adolescents were more likely to considerpublic interest an important life goal when theirfamilies emphasized an ethic of social responsibility. In addition, engagement in

Innovative assessments of cross-curricular competencies such as complex problem solving (CPS) have currently received considerable attention in large-scale educational studies. This study investigated the nature of CPS by applying a state-of-the-art approach to assess CPS in high school. We analyzed whether two processes derived from cognitive psychology, knowledge acquisition and knowledge application, could be measured equally well across grades and how these processes differed between grades. Further, relations between CPS, general mental ability (g), academic achievement, and parental education were explored. Hungarian high school students in Grades 5 to 11 (N = 855) completed MicroDYN, which is a computer-based CPS test, and the Culture Fair Test 20-R as a measure of g. Results based on structural equation models showed that empirical modeling of CPS was in line with theories from cognitive psychology such that the two dimensions identified above were found in all grades, and that there was some development of CPS in school, although the Grade 9 students deviated from the general pattern of development. Finally, path analysis showed that CPS was a relevant predictor of academic achievement over and above g. Overall, results of the current study provide support for an understanding of CPS as a cross-curricular skill that is accessible through computer-based assessment and that yields substantial relations to school performance. Thus, the increasing attention CPS has currently received on an international level seems warranted given its high relevance for educational psychologists.

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This paper links two research paradigms, one that studies attributes and mechanism s of inductive reasoning and one that tries to make school learning more meaningful and knowledge better understood and more easily applied, by examining how inductive reasoning develops during a signi cant age range of schooling and how it relates to certain other cognitive functions. Six tests of inductive reasoning (number analogies, verbal analogies, number series, verbal series, coding, exclusion) were devised and administered to 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students (N . 2000). Data were also collected on students' school achievement, and a test of applied science knowledge was administered to the two oldest samples. The comparison of age groups indicated that the fastest development of inductive reasoning took place between the 5th and 9th grades; a major development was detected before the 5th grade, and only modest changes were found after the 9th grade. Regression analysis models indicated that inductive reasoning accounted for around twice as large a proportion of the results of the test that measured the applied science knowledge in everyday situations as did school knowledge (represented by school grades).

This study explores the potential of using online tests for the assessment of school readiness and for monitoring early reasoning. Four tests of a face-to-face-administered school readiness test battery (speech sound discrimination, relational reasoning, counting and basic numeracy, and deductive reasoning) and a paper-and-pencil inductive reasoning test were transferred to an online platform and administered at the beginning of school to samples of first-grade children (the sample sizes were between 364 and 435). Results of the original and the computerized tests were analyzed to explore (a) whether the new scales were identical to the original ones; (b) how the change of media influenced the reliability of the tests; and (c) whether the migration into a new medium affected gender differences. Analyses indicated that measurement invariance held in a strict sense in the case of the inductive reasoning test (the migration did not change the general look of the test or the item types) and only partially for the speech sound discrimination test (neither the item type nor the scoring principle was changed). Measurement invariance did not hold for the 3 remaining tests. In 3 tests-speech sound discrimination, relational reasoning, and deductive reasoning-the online versions demonstrated improved reliability. Only certain items of the numeracy test could be assessed on computer, and the reliability of the shortened test decreased. No differences were found between the 2 versions of the inductive reasoning test. Gender differences were explored for the speech sound discrimination test, and latent analyses indicated that measurement invariance did not hold. Girls' performance was somewhat better, similarly to former face-to-face assessments, where girls performed slightly better than boys. These results encourage further research on the extension of computer-based assessment to early childhood education.A large number of studies have highlighted the importance of smooth preschool-to-school transition and the successful first years of schooling from different perspectives. Research has paid increasing attention to identifying the conditions of a successful start in school ing. Among these efforts, creating instruments for assessing school readiness and monitoring development at the beginning of schooling play an important role. A broad range of instruments, including observation protocols, tests, and test batteries, are available, which can be used to assess different aspects of general cognitive development as well as specific precursors of skills learners are expected to master at school. However, many instruments that have been proven valid and reliable under research or pilot conditions turn out to be too complicated to use regularly in schools. Sometimes they are not sufficiently precise if not used under standardized conditions or if not administered by specially trained teachers. In many cases, the time and human resources required to administer and score the tests pre vent their frequent use. Technology-based asse...