TY - JOUR A1 - Endlich, Darius A1 - Richter, Tobias A1 - Marx, Peter A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang A1 - Moll, Kristina A1 - Witzel, Björn A1 - Schulte-Körne, Gerd T1 - Spelling Error Detection : A Valid and Economical Task for Assessing Spelling Skills in Elementary-School Children JF - Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie N2 - The ability to spell words correctly is a key competence for educational and professional achievement. Economical procedures are essential to identifying children with spelling problems as early as possible. Given the strong evidence showing that reading and spelling are based on the same orthographic knowledge, error-detection tasks (EDTs) could be considered such an economical procedure. Although EDTs are widely used in English-speaking countries, the few studies in German-speaking countries investigated only pupils in secondary school. The present study investigated N = 1,513 children in elementary school. We predicted spelling competencies (measured by dictation or gap-fill dictation) based on an EDT via linear regression. Error-detection abilities significantly predicted spelling competencies (R² between .509 and .679), indicating a strong connection. Predictive values in identifying children with poor spelling abilities with an EDT proved to be sufficient. Error detection for the assessment of spelling skills is therefore a valid instrument for transparent languages as well. N2 - Rechtschreibung zählt zu den Schlüsselkompetenzen für schulischen und beruflichen Erfolg. Um Kinder mit Rechtschreibproblemen adäquat zu unterstützen, ist eine frühe, möglichst niederschwellige Diagnostik essenziell. Aufgaben, in denen Rechtschreibfehler in präsentierten Texten zu identifizieren sind, könnten derartige ökonomische Verfahren darstellen. Obgleich Fehleridentifikationstests im angloamerikanischen Sprachraum weit verbreitet sind, haben sich die wenigen Studien im deutschsprachigen Raum bisher ausschließlich mit Kindern der Sekundarstufe beschäftigt. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersuchte in vier unabhängigen Studien N = 1.513 Grundschulkinder. Mittels linearer Regressionen wurden Rechtschreibkompetenzen (erhoben durch Fließ- und Lückendiktate) durch Leistungen in Fehleridentifikationstests vorhergesagt. Leistungen im Fehleridentifikationstest sagten Rechtschreibkompetenzen in allen Studien signifikant voraus (R² zwischen .509 und .679), was eine starke Assoziation der beiden Maße belegt. Prädiktive Werte zur Identifikation von Kindern mit schwachen Rechtschreibleistungen durch den Fehleridentifikationstest waren gut. Fehleridentifikation als Maß für Rechtschreibkompetenzen ist damit ein valides Instrument nicht nur für den angloamerikanischen Sprachraum, sondern auch für transparente Sprachen. T2 - Fehleridentifikation: Ein valides und ökonomisches Verfahren zur Erfassung von Rechtschreibkompetenzen in der Grundschule KW - spelling KW - dictation KW - error detection KW - developmental dyslexia KW - diagnosis KW - Rechtschreibung KW - Diktat KW - Fehleridentifikation KW - Lese-Rechtschreibstörung KW - Diagnose Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-244665 SN - 0049-8637 SN - 2190-6262 VL - 52 IS - 1-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gary, Sebastian A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang A1 - Lenhard, Alexandra T1 - Modelling norm scores with the cNORM package in R JF - Psych N2 - In this article, we explain and demonstrate how to model norm scores with the cNORM package in R. This package is designed specifically to determine norm scores when the latent ability to be measured covaries with age or other explanatory variables such as grade level. The mathematical method used in this package draws on polynomial regression to model a three-dimensional hyperplane that smoothly and continuously captures the relation between raw scores, norm scores and the explanatory variable. By doing so, it overcomes the typical problems of classical norming methods, such as overly large age intervals, missing norm scores, large amounts of sampling error in the subsamples or huge requirements with regard to the sample size. After a brief introduction to the mathematics of the model, we describe the individual methods of the package. We close the article with a practical example using data from a real reading comprehension test. KW - regression-based norming KW - continuous norming KW - inferential norming KW - data smoothing KW - curve fitting KW - percentile estimation Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284143 SN - 2624-8611 VL - 3 IS - 3 SP - 501 EP - 521 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seeger, Jennifer A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang A1 - Wisniewski, Katrin T1 - Metakognitives Strategiewissen in sprachbezogenen Situationen : Interne Struktur und Validität des ScenEx JF - Diagnostica N2 - Studieren stellt hohe Anforderungen an selbstregulatorische Fähigkeiten und eigenverantwortlichen Umgang mit schwierigen Situationen. Aus den zusätzlichen sprachlichen Barrieren für ausländische Studierende erwachsen spezifische selbstregulatorische Aufgaben, wie der Umgang mit Verständnisproblemen in Vorlesungen. Da hierfür bisher kaum geeignete Erhebungsinstrumente existieren, versucht ScenEx diese Lücke zu schließen. Der Test erfasst das metakognitive Strategiewissen in sprachlich herausfordernden Situationen im Studienalltag. Anhand einer Stichprobe von 290 ausländischen Studierenden im ersten Fachsemester wird die psychometrische Qualität und interne Struktur des Instruments überprüft. ScenEx zeigt eine zufriedenstellende interne Konsistenz und gute Itemfit-Kennwerte, erwartungskonform liegen lokale stochastische Abhängigkeiten der Aufgaben innerhalb der Szenarien vor. Eine konfirmatorische Faktorenanalyse bestätigt die Grobstruktur der Szenarien und des Gesamtscores des Tests. Das Verfahren ist für die weitere Entwicklung der Sprachkompetenz über die anfängliche Sprachfähigkeit hinaus prädiktiv. ScenEx erweist sich insgesamt als ein reliables und valides Instrument zur Erfassung des Strategiewissens in schwierigen Situationen im Studium. N2 - Studying at a university requires a high degree of self-reliance. Self-regulatory skills and the ability to independently handle difficult situations are important for successfully completing a degree. In addition, foreign students are faced with language-based challenges demanding specific self-regulatory skills, such as dealing with comprehension problems in lectures. To date, assessing these skills has been difficult because of a lack of suitable instruments. The ScenEx Questionnaire purports to close this gap by measuring metacognitive strategic knowledge in everyday study situations by posing language-based challenges, presented as scenarios. Using a sample of 290 foreign students in their first semester, we assessed the psychometric quality of ScenEx. ScenEx shows a satisfactory internal consistency and good item fit. A confirmatory factor analysis confirms the structure of the scenarios and the overall score of the test. The procedure predicts the further development of language competence beyond the initial stage. ScenEx is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing strategic knowledge regarding linguistically difficult situations at the university. T2 - Metacognitive Strategic Knowledge in Language-Related Situations KW - Selbstregulation KW - Strategiewissen KW - Bildungsausländer KW - Studienerfolg KW - Deutsch als Fremdsprache KW - self-regulation KW - strategic knowledge KW - foreign students KW - academic success Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-242375 SN - 0012-1924 SN - 2190-622X VL - 67 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kirschmann, Nicole A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang A1 - Suggate, Sebastian T1 - Influences from working memory, word and sentence reading on passage comprehension and teacher ratings JF - Journal of Research in Reading N2 - Reading fluency is a major determinant of reading comprehension but depends on moderating factors such as auditory working memory (AWM), word recognition and sentence reading skills. We investigated how word and sentence reading skills relate to reading comprehension differentially across the first 6 years of schooling and tested which reading variable best predicted teacher judgements. We conducted our research in a rather transparent language, namely, German, drawing on two different data sets. The first was derived from the normative sample of a reading comprehension test (ELFE-II), including 2056 first to sixth graders with readings tests at the word, sentence and text level. The second sample included 114 students from second to fourth grade. The latter completed a series of tests that measured word and sentence reading fluency, pseudoword reading, AWM, reading comprehension, self-concept and teacher ratings. We analysed the data via hierarchical regression analyses to predict reading comprehension and teacher judgements. The impact of reading fluency was strongest in second and third grade, afterwards superseded by sentence comprehension. AWM significantly contributed to reading comprehension independently of reading fluency, whereas basic decoding skills disappeared after considering fluency. Students' AWM and reading comprehension predicted teacher judgements on reading fluency. Reading comprehension judgements depended both on the students' self-concept and reading comprehension. Our results underline that the role of word reading accuracy for reading comprehension quickly diminishes during elementary school and that teachers base their assessments mainly on the current reading comprehension skill. KW - word recognition KW - reading skills KW - reading comprehension KW - teacher assessments KW - passage comprehension Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258043 VL - 44 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lenhard, Alexandra A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang A1 - Gary, Sebastian T1 - Continuous norming of psychometric tests: A simulation study of parametric and semi-parametric approaches JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Continuous norming methods have seldom been subjected to scientific review. In this simulation study, we compared parametric with semi-parametric continuous norming methods in psychometric tests by constructing a fictitious population model within which a latent ability increases with age across seven age groups. We drew samples of different sizes (n = 50, 75, 100, 150, 250, 500 and 1,000 per age group) and simulated the results of an easy, medium, and difficult test scale based on Item Response Theory (IRT). We subjected the resulting data to different continuous norming methods and compared the data fit under the different test conditions with a representative cross-validation dataset of n = 10,000 per age group. The most significant differences were found in suboptimal (i.e., too easy or too difficult) test scales and in ability levels that were far from the population mean. We discuss the results with regard to the selection of the appropriate modeling techniques in psychometric test construction, the required sample sizes, and the requirement to report appropriate quantitative and qualitative test quality criteria for continuous norming methods in test manuals. KW - statistical models KW - simulation and modeling KW - psychometrics KW - age groups KW - skewness KW - normal distribution KW - polynomials KW - statistical distributions Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200480 VL - 14 IS - 9 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Lenhard, Wolfgang T1 - Bridging the Gap to Natural Language: A Review on Intelligent Tutoring Systems based on Latent Semantic Analysis N2 - One of the major drawbacks in the implementation of intelligent tutoring systems is the limited capacity to process natural language and to automatically deal with unexpected or unknown vocabulary. Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) is a statistical technique of automatic language processing, which can attenuate the “language barrier” between humans and tutoring systems. LSA-based intelligent tutoring systems address the goals of modelling human tutoring dialogues (AutoTutor), enhancing text comprehension and summarisation skills (State-The-Essence, Summary Street®, conText, Apex), training of comprehension strategies (iStart, a French system in development) and improving story and essay writing (Write To Learn, Select-a-Kibitzer, StoryStation). The systems are reviewed concerning their efficacy in modelling skilled human tutors and regarding their effects on the learner. KW - Intelligentes Tutorsystem KW - Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit KW - Sprachverarbeitung KW - Automatische Sprachanalyse KW - intelligente tutorielle Systeme KW - Latente Semantische Analyse KW - Schreibfertigkeiten KW - intelligent tutoring systems KW - latent semantic analysis KW - writing-skills Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-27980 ER -