Test system for school and educational counseling

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The test system for school and educational counseling (PSB) is a multi-dimensional and school-related intelligence test . The test was developed by Wolfgang Horn as an economic variant of the performance test system, mainly for decisions on the way to school, but also for career advice ; it is one of the most frequently used intelligence tests in the German language area. For the German-speaking area, two age-specific variants of the PSB, the PSB-R 4-6 for grades 4 to 6 and the PSB-R 6-13 for grades 6-13 , have been developed by Lukesch, Mayrhofer & Kormann (2002, 2003 ) developed.

Theoretical background

The PSB was developed on the basis of Thurstone's primary factor model of intelligence. This diagnostic has ten subtests, which can be roughly assigned to Thurstone's primary factors.

Primary factor Sub-tests in the PSB
Understanding of language 1, 2
inferential thinking 3, 4
Fluency 5
Field dependency 6, 8
Space concept 7th
Speed ​​of perception 10
Handling numbers 9

Since for intelligence tests for various reasons (e.g. Flynn effect , time-specific use of intellectual competencies) an update of the norms is required ideally every ten years, a working group at the University of Regensburg under the direction of Helmut Lukesch has been involved since 2000 a revision of the PSB from 1969 started. Two age-specific variants of the PSB ( PSB-R 4-6 for grades 4 to 6 and PSB-R 6-13 for grades 6-13 ) and real parallel forms for each age group were developed due to the extremely different frequency of solutions to the test items . The content of the subtests and the composition of the subtests have also been modified. New items were generated for individual subtests (subtest 1 + 2), individual subtests differentiated (instead of PSB 3 and 4, in which regularities were specified for figural rows, rows of numbers and letters, three separate subtests were designed to record material-specific reasoning skills ) or modified (subtest 9 and 10), in addition, subtests from the LPS were adopted (subtest 7) ​​and various subtests were completely redesigned (e.g. subtest 8 "Finding similarities"). In the revised form of the PSB, school-related areas of knowledge are also covered.

Test setup

In order to avoid errors in the processing of tasks, test booklets were developed instead of the originally very compact test sheet, in which the tasks for each subtest are on one page. The revised procedure consists of the following ten subtests (the number of test items is given in brackets):

  • (1) General knowledge: A nature / people (20), B geography (20), C culture / art / music (20), D language / media (20)
  • (2) Number series (15)
  • (3) Letters (15)
  • (4) Figure rows (15)
  • (5) Fluency (3 + 1)
  • (6) Classification (40)
  • (7) Room concept (40)
  • (8) Find common ground (25)
  • (9) addition of numbers (25)
  • (10) Comparison of numbers (45)

Each sub-test begins with relatively simple tasks and increases in task difficulty. The actual test time is 43 minutes and 20 seconds, plus the time for the instruction for each subtest. The PSB can be carried out as an individual or group test; there are two real parallel forms (A and B).

evaluation

The evaluation is carried out using templates. The determined raw value sums can be converted into standard or percentile ranking values ​​using norm tables. The standard tables have been developed specifically for each year and school type. Due to only marginal differences, gender-specific standardization was dispensed with. In addition to an intelligence profile, an overall test value in the sense of an IQ can also be calculated.

Quality criteria

objectivity

  • The implementation objectivity is ensured by a standardized implementation procedure and the use of uniform test materials and precise time specifications.
  • The objectivity of the evaluation is given by the use of templates. Reading errors should be avoided by a trained diagnostician.
  • The objectivity of interpretation results from the standard tables.

Reliability

For all partial samples and the two test forms, the essential item and test criteria have been calculated with satisfactory values.

  • The reliability values ​​(Cronbach alpha) for the subtests of the PSB-R 4-6 are between .72 and .94. The profile reliabilities are between .71 (test form A) and .75 (for test form B).
  • For the PSB-R 6-13R, the subtest-specific reliability values ​​(Cronbach alpha) vary between .55 and .94. The profile reliability for test form A is .65 and for test form B at .69.
  • All of these coefficients are well above the limit of .50 given by Lienert and Raatz (1994), so the performance profile from the PSB can be easily interpreted diagnostically.

validity

  • Factor analyzes with the PSB - R 4-6 revealed a factor of knowledge and linguistic ability (V: verbal comprehension) as well as a factor of reasoning (R: inductive reasoning). The third aspect contained in the PSB-R, the factor of perception speed and concentration (F3), is probably of great importance as a general prerequisite for cognitive and school performance in a school-based intelligence test. On the other hand, an independent dimension of the spatial imagination , which was originally aimed at by the subtests of spatial imagination and the ability to structure (S: space factor), could not be proven.
  • Factor analyzes with the PSB - R 6-13 resulted in a verbal factor (= V) with the subtests 1, 5 and 7, a reasoning factor (= R) with the subtests 2, 3, 4 and 6 and a concentration factor (= K) with the Sub-tests 8 and 9. This means that three different diagnostic values ​​can be taken from the test: (1) the overall performance indicator can be the total value (IQ), (2) below this is the level of the three factor scales and (3) the the most basic level is that of the nine subtests.
  • The school-type-specific test results can serve as empirical evidence of validity. An age-specific increase in benefits is also proven. There are also correlations with school grades in the subjects German, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology and history, social studies and geography. The results from PSB-R 4-6 show clear differences according to the recommendation to transfer to a secondary school.
  • For the PSB-R 4-6 and PSB-R 6-13, correlations with the results of other intelligence tests ( Culture Fair Intelligence Test , Cognitive Ability Test KFT 4) and concentration tests were calculated, which provide information on the convergent and divergent validity of the procedures .

Secondary quality criteria

Norms

  • The PSB-R 4-6 was calibrated on approx. 1600 schoolchildren from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Further data was collected for “schools of a special kind” and “schools for individual language support”, which are available as reference values ​​but were not included in the calibration sample.
  • The PSB-R 6-13 was calibrated on a total of approx. 8,000 students. The school level-related calibration samples comprised between approx. 500 and 1031 people, depending on the test form and school level, the school-type and school level-related calibration samples are correspondingly smaller (between 90 and 500 people). In addition, normal values ​​for adults are shown.

Test fairness, comparability

  • Standard value corrections for forms A and B of PSB-R 4-6 are available for the test evaluation for pupils whose mother tongue is not German.
  • Since the PSB is a language-related intelligence test, this can lead to underestimation of the intellectual abilities of people e.g. B. with a reading and spelling disorder ( dyslexia ). With such persons, an intelligence diagnosis with the PSB should therefore be avoided and a language-free procedure (e.g. the CFT 20) should be used.

Economy

The PSB can be seen as an economical alternative to the LPS with an implementation time of almost 45 minutes. It can be used to estimate general cognitive performance as well as profile diagnosis of various cognitive abilities.

literature

  • Wolfgang Horn : Testing system for school and educational counseling (PSB). Hogrefe , Göttingen 1969.
  • Wolfgang Horn, Helmut Lukesch , Susanne Mayrhofer, Adam Kormann: Test system for school and educational counseling for 6th to 13th grades. Revised version (PSB-R 6-13). Hogrefe, Göttingen 2003.
  • Wolfgang Horn, Helmut Lukesch, Susanne Mayrhofer, Adam Kormann: Test system for school and educational counseling for 4th to 6th grades. Revised version (PSB-R 4-6). Hogrefe, Göttingen 2002.
  • Gustav A. Lienert , Ulrich Raatz: Test setup and test analysis. 5th edition. Beltz-PVU, Weinheim 1994, ISBN 3-621-27120-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schorr, A. (1995). Status and perspectives of diagnostic procedures in practice. Results of a representative survey of West German psychologists. Diagnostica, 41 (1), 3-20.
  2. ↑ Huldi, M. in cooperation with the Commission diagnosis of SCC (1991). PSB horn. Swiss calibration 90/91. Standards for the 8th and 9th grade. Adult norms. Analyzes. Zurich: Series of publications by the Swiss Association for Careers Advice (SVB).
  3. ↑ Amelang, M. & Bartussek, D. (1997). Differential Psychology and Personality Research (4th edition). Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.

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