Volume 10, Issue 1 (Spring 2008)                   Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2008, 10(1): 1-10 | Back to browse issues page

XML Persian Abstract Print


Abstract:   (2431 Views)
Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Dyscalculia Diagnostic Test for third grade primary school children of Isfahan, Iran. 
Method: In this survey the content of primary third grade math book was analyzed. Keripendorf's coefficient was calculated based on consistency of content analysis to be 0.91. In the next step, based on the obtained categories and the behavioral objectives of each category and considering Bloom's Cognitive Theory and the size of each category in the math book of third grade, several questions were designed and implemented in a pilot study. Thereafter, the final form was administered to 300 students (155 boys and 145 girls) who were selected in the academic year 85-86 using multi-level cluster sampling from five educational areas of Isfahan. Item and test parameters were assessed based on Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). 
Results: The results showed that the test had desirable validity and reliability (a=0.92 and test-retest coefficient=0.87) and the specificity and sensitivity of the test were assessed to be 98 and 96 percent respectively. Discrimination Parameter a(g) and difficulty b(g) based on item - response theory also showed that all questions had desirable discriminatory power (over 0.5), and acceptable difficulty and had complete fitness with the two factor model (p>0.05). The graph of the awareness function of the test also indicated that its most appropriate application is in math ability levels of R= -0.6 to R= +0.6.
Conclusion: This test has appropriate psychometric properties for the diagnosis of third grade schoolchildren with dyscalculia.
Full-Text [PDF 859 kb]   (3439 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2007/10/11 | Accepted: 2007/12/23 | Published: 2008/03/20

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.