Reliability and validity of the Group Embedded Figures Test for a grade school sample.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Assessing cognitive abilities like field dependence-independence is crucial in educational psychology.
• The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) is a common tool for measuring this construct.
• Understanding the psychometric properties of the GEFT in specific age groups is essential for its accurate application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) in a sample of sixth-grade students.
• To examine the test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the GEFT.
• To investigate the construct and concurrent validity of the GEFT, exploring potential sex differences.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 22 sixth-grade students (9 boys, 13 girls) participated in the study.
• The GEFT was administered, followed by screening on the Portable Rod-and-Frame Test (PRFT) after 50 weeks.
• Retesting on the GEFT occurred two weeks after the PRFT screening to assess reliability and validity.

Main Results:

• Long-term stability coefficients for the GEFT were .80 for boys and .71 for girls.
• Internal consistency coefficients ranged from .83 to .98 across both sexes.
• Construct and concurrent validity coefficients were -.60 for boys and .00 for girls, with no typical sex differences in field dependence-independence.

Conclusions:

• The Group Embedded Figures Test demonstrates good long-term stability and internal consistency in sixth-grade students.
• The validity coefficients suggest a need for further investigation into the GEFT's construct and concurrent validity in this population.
• The study did not find expected sex differences in field dependence-independence, possibly due to small sample sizes.