Estimation of the Predictive Validity of the HART by Means of a Dynamic Test of Geography

Abstract

In this study, a dynamic measure of school success was used to validate the Hessels Analogical Reasoning Test (HART), a standardized test of children’s learning potential. It is argued that dynamic tests are superior to standard intelligence tests with regard to ecological, construct, and predictive validity. In this context, it is argued that the usual measures of school success, such as tests for reading and mathematics, are not suited for the estimation of the predictive validity of a dynamic measure of general learning capacity (intelligence), especially for children with learning difficulties or mental deficiency. Therefore, the HART was validated with a dynamic measure of school learning. Three versions of a Geography Learning Test were developed for three different age groups. All versions consist of training followed by a test. The results show that: (a) young children need to be familiarized with a test to be able to respond to the items in the way that is expected; (b) the HART posttest measure is a better predictor of learning than the static pretest; and (c) dynamic measures of learning are preferred to static measures.