Marlit Annalena Lindner

How Representational Pictures Enhance Students’ Performance and Test-Taking Pleasure in Low-Stakes Assessment

Pictures are often used in standardized educational large-scale assessment (LSA), but their impact on test parameters has received little attention up until now. Even less is known about pictures’ affective effects on students in testing (i.e., test-taking pleasure and motivation). However, such knowledge is crucial for a focused application of multiple representations in LSA. Therefore, this study investigated how adding representational pictures (RPs) to text-based item stems affects (1) item difficulty and (2) students’ test-taking pleasure. An experimental study with N = 305 schoolchildren was conducted, using 48 manipulated parallel science items (text-only vs. text-picture) in a rotated multimatrix design to realize within-subject measures. Students’ general cognitive abilities, reading abilities, and background variables were assessed to consider potential interactions between RPs’ effects and students’ performance. Students also rated their item-solving pleasure for each item. Results from item-response theory (IRT) model comparisons showed that RPs only reduced item difficulty when pictures visualized information mandatory for solving the task, while RPs substantially enhanced students’ test-taking pleasure even when they visualized optional context information. Overall, our findings suggest that RPs have a positive cognitive and affective influence on students’ performance in LSA (i.e., multimedia effect in testing) and should be considered more frequently.

Test-takers eye movements

The study focuses on integration aids (i.e., signals) and their effect on how students process different types of graphical representations (representational pictures vs. organizational pictures vs. diagrams) in standardized multiple-choice items assessing science achievement. Based on text-picture integration theories each type of pictorial representation hold different cognitive requirements concerning integration processes of two representations. Further, depending on type of representation not every picture is needed to answer an item correctly.Students from fifth sixth grade (N=60) work through 12 multiple choice items while their eye movements were recorded. Results showed that students achieved higher test scores when items were presented in an integrated format than in a non-integrated format, however, this was only true for diagrams. Eye movement data revealed that students looked longer on the graphical representations in items presented in the integrated format condition compared to the non-integrated format condition. Furthermore, relations between looking at the diagrams and achievement in the integrated format emerged. Eye-tracking data revealed differential pattern depending on item format.Students fixated longer on graphical representations in an integrated format.Fixation time on diagrams is related to achievement.

Exploring preschool teachers’ science-specific knowledge

Abstract Preschool teachers’ domain-specific professional knowledge is assumed to play an important role in the quality of early childhood education and thus in young children’s learning in different areas. Due to a lack of adequate instruments little is known about preschool teachers’ science-specific knowledge. In order to develop such a test instrument, we reviewed the literature on preschool teachers’ professional knowledge. On the basis of our literature review, we conceptualized preschool teachers’ science-specific content knowledge (concepts and inquiry) and pedagogical content knowledge. Drawing on this conceptualization, we developed a first version of a paper-and-pencil test focusing on physical and chemical contents, which was administered to a sample of N = 318 German preschool teachers. The test showed acceptable-to-satisfactory reliability. In addition, we present indicators for the validity of our test instrument. Results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that preschool teachers’ science-specific content knowledge of concepts, content knowledge about inquiry, and pedagogical content knowledge were empirically separable, but with high latent correlations. Further development of standardized instruments is a prerequisite to generate more knowledge regarding preschool teachers’ science-specific knowledge, for instance concerning effects on instructional quality and effects of professional development programs for preschool teachers.