Assessment of children's intellectual abilities: standardization of the "Test of intellectual abilities for first graders" methodology

Context and relevance. Intellectual abilities are a significant indicator of children's readiness for learning and a predictor of academic success, which underscores the importance of their assessment before and at the beginning of school education. The concepts of general intelligence and various aspects of intellectual abilities that determine it—important for successful learning at school—formed the basis of the proposed methodology for assessing intellectual abilities. Objective. To standardize the methodology for assessing the intellectual abilities of children aged 5–6 to 8–9 years, using the "Test of intellectual abilities of first graders" (TISP). Hypothesis. The TISP methodology can be used as a valid tool for express assessment of the intellectual abilities of children entering the first grade of school and first graders. Methods and materials. The study involved 1491 senior preschool and primary school children (first graders) from kindergartens and schools living in different regions of the Russian Federation and Moscow (M = 7,3, SD = 0,9, 51,8% girls). General intellectual abilities were assessed using the "Test of intellectual abilities of first graders" (TISP). Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices were used to determine the criterion and differential validity of TISP. Results. The results confirmed the five-factor structure and internal consistency of the test, as well as its criterion and differential validity in two groups of children – senior preschool and primary school age (first graders). Conclusions. The study has shown that the TISP method can be recommended for express diagnostics of general mental development and development of intellectual abilities according to several indicators measured using a test in children of preparatory groups of kindergartens and first graders in order to determine the intellectual readiness for school education and design the optimal educational trajectory of students.

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