Multidimensionality of children’s foundational skills: an IRT-based validation of the NEPSY factorial structure
Creators: name: Vista, Alvin
name: Kim, Helyn
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
Science Policy

description: Measurement tools for children’s foundational skills provide important insights towards the developmental mechanisms of these domains. This study examines the structure of sensorimotor, visuospatial processing (VP), executive function (EF) skills and their interrelationship. The NEPSY is a widely-used neuropsychological instrument, but while validated at the domain-level through classical test theory approaches, no studies have conducted in-depth item-level analyses on its structural and psychometric properties. This study examined whether the designed structure of NEPSY is empirically supported by fitting unidimensional and multidimensional Item Response Theory models to item response data of early elementary students in the United States. A confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted to examine the factorial structure of the data. Results provide empirical support to the factorial structure of NEPSY, both at the domain level and within the VP sub-domain. The results show that VP and EF are separate constructs and subtests within the VP domain can further be modelled as interrelated but distinct factors – non-motor and motor-based processing. Our specific results support the theoretical stance that VP consists of multiple component skills that are distinct because they require different neurological processes. This multidimensional NEPSY model shares some structural commonalities with the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model. <b>What is known about this topic</b>:
The literature has established the importance of sensorimotor, visuospatial, and executive function (EF) skills for children’s school readiness and later success.It is important that these skills are measured and that measurement tools are validated.Previous studies have conducted validation of a major measurement cognitive development tool, the NEPSY, but using approaches based on classical test theory (CTT) at the domain-level only. The literature has established the importance of sensorimotor, visuospatial, and executive function (EF) skills for children’s school readiness and later success. It is important that these skills are measured and that measurement tools are validated. Previous studies have conducted validation of a major measurement cognitive development tool, the NEPSY, but using approaches based on classical test theory (CTT) at the domain-level only. <b>What this topic adds</b>:
The present study provides an empirical validation of the multidimensionality of foundational skills, specifically the structure of sensorimotor, visuospatial, and EF skills and their interrelationship.The results of this study show that NEPSY shares some structural commonality to the CHC model, strengthening the empirical support of that structure of cognitive ability.Results from this study also support the theoretical stance that visuospatial processing consists of multiple component skills that are distinct because they require different neurological processes and have different levels of processing complexity. The present study provides an empirical validation of the multidimensionality of foundational skills, specifically the structure of sensorimotor, visuospatial, and EF skills and their interrelationship. The results of this study show that NEPSY shares some structural commonality to the CHC model, strengthening the empirical support of that structure of cognitive ability. Results from this study also support the theoretical stance that visuospatial processing consists of multiple component skills that are distinct because they require different neurological processes and have different levels of processing complexity.