Test-Taking Motivation in Education Students: Task Battery Order Affected Within-Test-Taker Effort and Importance

Comparing Test-Taking Effort Between Paper-Based and Computer-Based Tests

The article compares the trajectories of students' self-reported test-taking effort during a 120 minutes low-stakes large-scale assessment of English comprehension between a paper-and-pencil (PPA) and a computer-based assessment (CBA). Test-taking effort was measured four times during the test. Using a within-subject design, each of the N = 2,676 German ninth-grade students completed half of the test in PPA and half in CBA mode, where the sequence of modes was balanced between students. Overall, students' test-taking effort decreased considerably during the course of the test. On average, effort was lower in CBA than in PPA. While on average, effort was lower in CBA than in PPA, the decline did not vary between both modes during the test. That is, students' self-reported effort was higher if the items were easier (compared to students' abilities). The consequences of these results concerning the further development of CBA tests and large-scale assessments in general are discussed.

Disentangling Different Aspects of Change in Tests with the D-Diffusion Model

Diffusion-based item response theory models are measurement models that link parameters of the diffusion model (drift rate, boundary separation) to latent traits of test takers. Similar to standard latent trait models, they assume the invariance of the test takers' latent traits during a test. Previous research, however, suggests that traits change as test takers learn or decrease their effort. In this paper, we combine the diffusion-based item response theory model with a latent growth curve model. In the model, the latent traits of each test taker are allowed to change during the test until a stable level is reached. As different change processes are assumed for different traits, different aspects of change can be separated. We discuss different versions of the model that make different assumptions about the form (linear versus quadratic) and rate (fixed versus individual-specific) of change. In order to fit the model to data, we propose a Bayes estimator. Parameter recovery is investigated in a simulation study. The study suggests that parameter recovery is good under certain conditions. We illustrate the application of the model to data measuring visuo-spatial perspective-taking.

Perspective-taking and belief in a just world matter: Adolescents’ role experiences in bullying processes

Bullying is a serious problem around the world, especially among adolescents. Evidence exists that low levels of social perspective-taking as well as belief in a just world played an important role in bullying. Both dispositions function as psychological resources that may help students behave appropriately in social life. Previous research identified distinct bullying roles such as perpetrator, victim, assistant, reinforcer, defender, and bystander experiences. Although this participant-role approach has been extensively investigated in the last years, a simultaneous examination of students’ perspective-taking and belief in a just world in relation to their experiences in these roles is still missing. This study’s objective was to examine a differential approach of school students’ visuospatial and dispositional social perspective-taking, emotional concern, and personal belief in a just world in relation to their experiences in bullying roles. We tested these relations in a sample of n = 1309 adolescents (50.6% female, Mage = 13.73, SDage = 0.85) from 38 schools in Germany. The results from a latent structural-equation model suggested that experiences as a perpetrator, assistant, reinforcer but also as defender related to low visuospatial social perspective-taking. Emotional concern was positively related to defender experiences. Personal belief in a just world was negatively associated with experiences as a perpetrator and a victim. The results underline the importance of disentangling concurrent contributions of perspective-taking and belief in a just world related to the bullying roles. We conclude that adolescents’ visuospatial social perspective taking seems to be a further mental resource against antisocial behavior in bullying.