Journal of School and Educational Psychology

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Greek version of PALS scale (Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale) and measurement across genders and grades. The sample of the current research (N=2049) included secondary junior (N1=1342) and senior school (N2=703) students. They responded to self-report questionnaires measuring achievement goal orientations (mastery goals, performance approach goals, and performance avoidance goals), Exploratory and confirmatory procedures were applied to the above scales, demonstrating and supporting the underlying dimensionality. For achievement goal orientations the fit measure were: χ²=577,312, df =101, p<0.001; CFI =0.996; TLI = 0.960; RMSEA =0.050; 90% CI of RMSEA = (0.046; 0.054); SRMR=0.049; NFI=0.960; GFI=0.988. Reliability measures using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega were all satisfactory ranged between 0.575 and 0.824. The research discovered that the three aspects of individual goal orientations—specifically mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance—displayed adequate internal consistency within themselves and also measurement invariance was demonstrated across genders and grade levels, ensuring that these important concepts are perceived similarly across different genders and grade categories. The results showed that the Greek version of PALS possesses satisfactory psychometric properties boosting the credibility of the instrument for use in both psychological and educational research.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dynamic reading and writing test in typically developing children and children diagnosed with dyslexia. In addition, this study analysed the patterns of relations between the dynamic reading and writing test with conventional tests of reading, writing and intelligence. A pre-test-training-post-test design was employed with a control condition (n = 37) receiving training after the post-test and an experimental condition (n = 43) receiving training after the pre-test. During training, children engaged in dynamic reading and writing tasks under the guidance of an adult. The training process involved visual materials and verbal explanations to enhance learning and comprehension. Generally, both typically developing children and children diagnosed with dyslexia showed equal levels of improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. Specifically, the experimental group demonstrated a training effect in the Prosodic Awareness subtest. Moreover, the dynamic reading and writing measures were associated with the conventional reading and spelling measures and intelligence. Implications for education and clinical dyslexia interventions are discussed.