ERIC Number: EJ1007938
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
Complex Problem Solving in Educational Contexts--Something beyond "g": Concept, Assessment, Measurement Invariance, and Construct Validity
Greiff, Samuel; Wustenberg, Sascha; Molnar, Gyongyver; Fischer, Andreas; Funke, Joachim; Csapo, Beno
Journal of Educational Psychology, v105 n2 p364-379 May 2013
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. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures and 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Problem Solving, Difficulty Level, Elementary Secondary Education, Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Psychology, Theories, Competence, Interdisciplinary Approach, Computer Assisted Testing, Intelligence, Construct Validity, Path Analysis, Academic Achievement, Parent Background, Educational Attainment, Structural Equation Models
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hungary
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A