On validating the diagnosis of intellectual learning ability

This study investigates whether learning tests are able to assess the chang e potential of intellectual ability better than traditional intelligence ap proaches. The learning test approach is compared to competing diagnostic ap proaches (traditional status diagnostics, diagnostics of domain-specific pr ior-knowledge). Further, it is shown that learning tests make a substantial contribution to a long-term prediction of school learning performance. The article reports two validation studies with 166 pupils of the 7th grade (c oncurrent validation) and 130 pupils of the 8th grade level (prognostic val idation). Learning performances in computer-assisted, standardized and curr icular-related tutorials were used as external validity criteria. The resul ts show that learning tests are able to predict future learning performance . It can be shown that learning tests explain criterion variance independen tly from measures of prior-knowledge and of intelligence status (measured b y traditional intelligence tests). Learning tests provide additional inform ation to diagnostician which cannot be supplied by conventional status-orie nted procedures.