Using electronic technology in the dynamic testing of young primary school children: predicting school achievement

Abstract

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. 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.

A Narrative Review of the Sociotechnical Landscape and Potential of Computer-Assisted Dynamic Assessment for Children with Communication Support Needs

“…Hence, we see Zhang et al develop a successful computer-based graduated prompting assessment with a dynamic graphic interface to "foster perceptual intuition" [70]; Passig et al experiment with a 3D immersive virtual reality environment and the MLE to test young children's analogical reasoning (and describe creating an ""intellectual partnership" between computer, mediator and child) [20]; Touw et al leverage the portability of a tablet computer to administer DA (a "dynamic series completion test") in the classroom with primary school age learners [80]; and researchers such as Verhaegh et al and Resing et al establishing evidence of the advantages of electronic tangibles-tangible user interfaces (TUIs) that rely on sensor-equipped physical objects to capture and digitise user activity at high granularity-over screen-based computer-assisted DA, in tandem with automated (computerised) mediation [21,84].…”

“…Engagement: Amplifies stimulation through the addition of multimodal feedback mechanisms. This trait also multiplies the adaptive potential of any test battery system, essential for meeting the needs of a diverse demographic of users [95] Scalability: Potential of automation to mitigate the barriers of time and labour that traditional DA administration requires [80] Data curation: Diversity of sensors and wireless connectivity offers the opportunity to gather and analyse previously unavailable mass data (e.g., tracking of object movement, orientation, proximity, 3D space, response latencies, etc. ), thereby gaining/synthesising insights for DA report [9] MLE: Computer mediation/electronic scaffolding may offer efficiency/standardisation gains [84,106] Personalisation: Adaptive control and feedback mechanisms, e.g., eye gaze, offer wider opportunities of access and usability [124] Signalling: Perception through physical embodiment reduces necessity of screen time in any computer-assisted test battery system [116] Flexible: In theory, almost any physical object-including familiar objects belonging to the testee-can become a part of a computerised TUI by temporarily attaching modestly priced sensor technologies such as RFID tags [116] Richer interactions: Although touchscreens have been shown to be intuitive for young users, tangible manipulation has additional benefits such as haptic feedback [91] [11] Synthetic TagTiles…”

“…Capture and synthesis of high volumes of complex data [8,16]. • Demands of multiple assessment interventions [80].…”

Patrony: A mobile application for pattern recognition learning

“…The application has gamification aspects, such as points, difficulty level, progression levels, and stars. In pattern recognition and seriation, (Touw et al 2019) investigated the effects of a computerized serial completion test which was implemented using a dynamic test approach and its relationship with school performance. The results proved that teaching with graduated prompts is efficient in improving the probability that children can solve series completion problems with precision.…”

Implementación Del Aprendizaje Basado en Productos Como Propuesta Metodológica De Aprendizaje Activo en La Educación Superior

“…En la actualidad, profesores ocupan frecuentemente tecnología interactiva para desarrollar sus clases, utilizando videos, tabletas, teléfonos inteligentes, entre otros. Por otra parte, ha surgido interés en el mundo sobre modelos educativos centrados en las necesidades individuales de los estudiantes, (Touw et al, 2019) como es el caso de la Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María en Chile.…”