Abstracts - Earli

mathematical abilities over time. Each provides unique empirical evidence which informsteaching, learning and assessment in primary and secondary school settings across five countries.Linking indicators of cognitive development: Across tests, across stages, across countriesTrevor Bond, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong KongIn order to provide an empirical account of aspects of cognitive development across the schoolyears, data from over 400 children collected through five independently conceived and conductedinvestigations using six different tasks across five schools in two countries were subjected tosimultaneous Rasch calibration. International research on the relationship between cognitivedevelopment and school achievement have revealed high inter-correlations at all school levels. Inspite of their origins in Piaget’s qualitative, structuralist account of development, both class-tasks,and multiple choice tests of cognitive development show excellent psychometric properties. Theanalysis took advantage of the robust nature of Rasch estimation procedures in the face of missingdata, to analyse a data set where links across tests were dependent on common persons taking bothtests and the links across persons were dependent on their taking common tests. Moreover,dichotomous data from a multiple choice test and polytomous data from a Piagetian interviewcould be analysed in one run. Data from 88 items showed remarkable fit statistics, supporting theclaim that all tests measured a single underlying construct of cognitive development. Theimplications from this research for classroom testing, readiness for learning and other research intoeducational achievement are discussed.Constructing complex problem solving competency scales by IRT models using data of differentage groupsGyöngyvér Molnár, University of Szeged Department of Education, HungaryBenő Csapó, University of Szeged Department of Education, HungaryThis paper presents the results of a study aiming at assessing the development of students’complex problem solving (CPS) competencies and comparing the achievements in general real-lifeand school-context specific problems. A test battery consisting of overlapping tasks was developedand administered to ten age groups from grade 3 to grade 11 in Hungarian schools. To establish adevelopmentally valid scale, the achievements of all cohorts were transferred to the same scale bythe means of Item Response Theory (IRT). Mathematics and science tests assessing the sameknowledge base that was expected to be applied in the CPS tasks, but in a pure disciplinary form,were also administered. The results show slow development between grades 4 and 6 and a morerapid period between grades 6 and 9. Comparing the results of the disciplinary and CPS testshighlights the content-bound nature of students’ knowledge and the difficulties of transfer.Achievement differences decrease within gender sub-samples and increase between the genders byage. Comparing the mean achievements in every grade with the PISA problem-solving scale, onlya small number of the 9-17 year-old population, the 11th graders in grammar schools, reach thereflective, communicative problem solving level on the problem solving scale speciallyconstructed for 15 year-olds. The difference in achievements within the same age group is higherthan the mean achievement difference between different age groups. That is, there exist severalyears of developmental differences among the students of the same age groups.– 405 –