This study describes an online method of measuring individual students’ collaborative problem-solving abilities using four interactive mathematics-based tasks, with students working in pairs. Process stream data were captured from 3,000 students who completed the tasks in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Singapore, and Finland. The data were transformed into indicators of collaborative problem-solving ability and were analyzed using item response modeling. The assessments employed in this study can be used as a teaching tool for introduction to algebraic concepts and as a measurement instrument for collaborative problem-solving ability. The paper describes the construction, calibration, and reliability of the tasks and considers validation issues, such as fairness between assessments for both partners and avoidance of cultural biases. Investigations into the dependencies between student scores provide evidence for convergent and discriminant validity.
Students who can regulate their own learning are proposed to gain the most out of education, yet research into the impact of self-regulated learning skills on performance shows mixed results. This study supports the link between self-regulated learning and performance, while providing evidence of grade- or age-related differences. Australian students from Grades 5 to 8 completed mathematics or reading comprehension assessments and self-regulated learning questionnaires, with each response ranked on a hierarchy of quality. All assessments were psychometrically analysed and validated. In each cohort and overall, higher performing students reported higher levels of self-regulated learning. Still, age-related differences outweighed performance differences, resulting in significantly lower reported usage of self-regulated learning skills in Grade 7 students compared to those in Grades 5, 6 and 8. These findings suggest that either age or school organisational differences mediate students’ self-regulated learning, counteracting ability-related associations.
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