Journal of Intelligence

Early identification of cognitive precursors to literacy and numeracy is essential for promoting school readiness and preventing later learning difficulties. Digital assessment tools using touchscreen technology offer advantages of engagement, standardization, and efficiency. This study reports preliminary findings on the Digital Assessment for Preschoolers—Tool (DAP-T), a touchscreen-based battery for preschool children. A sample of 105 children (M = 61.43 months, SD = 10.38; age range = 38–72) completed eight tasks assessing visuomotor integration, literacy (letter knowledge, phonological awareness, notational awareness, Rapid Automatized Naming), and numeracy (non-symbolic quantity comparison, quantity recognition, counting, cardinality). A subsample (n = 47–61, depending on the measure) also completed the paper-based criterion tasks used for concurrent validity analyses. Item difficulty and discrimination, internal consistency (McDonald’s ω), concurrent validity, and factorial structure (SEM) were assessed. Results showed medium-to-low difficulty, age-related performance increases, and good discrimination in most tasks. Reliability was high (ω = 0.713–0.966), and correlations with criterion measures ranged from ρ = 0.52 to 0.95. The DAP-T showed promising psychometric properties as a rapid, standardized tool to detect early difficulties and guide targeted interventions.

Teacher certification is strongly correlated with student development. Many studies have documented the effect of teacher certification on student achievement. However, there are inconsistent conclusions about this issue. Moreover, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which teacher certification promotes student achievement. To fill these gaps, this paper examines the effect of teacher certification on student achievement and the underlying mechanisms. We analyzed the data from the TALIS 2018 Türkiye teacher data and the PISA 2018 Türkiye student data using path analysis and PROCESS Model 6. It was found that the rise in entry requirements for teacher certification was positively associated with teachers’ sense of efficacy and pedagogical innovation in the Turkish context. It was also indicated that teacher certification was positively associated with student achievement through the serial mediation of teachers’ sense of efficacy and pedagogical innovation. The practical and theoretical implications of this paper were discussed.

Parental overprotection before adulthood can have enduring consequences for offspring, yet the mechanisms underlying its association with adult physical health are not fully understood. This study proposes trait emotional intelligence (trait-EI) as a pivotal mediating factor in this relationship. A sample of 459 university students (mean age = 22.42 years, SD = 1.43; 50.3% female, 49.7% male) completed measures assessing their recalled parental overprotection, trait-EI and physical health. Results from regression and mediation analyses revealed that parental overprotection was significantly negatively associated with both overall trait-EI and physical health. Critically, trait-EI was found to be a significant mediator, indicating that overprotective parenting impedes the development of trait-EI, which in turn translates into poorer health outcomes. Further analysis of the facets of trait-EI demonstrated that the intrapersonal and stress management dimensions were unique contributors to physical health, whereas interpersonal and adaptability skills were not. What’s more, a moderated mediation analysis showed that gender significantly moderated the pathway from parental overprotection to trait-EI, with the negative effect of overprotection on trait-EI being substantially stronger for male than for female offspring. These findings underscore the role of trait-EI as a central psychological mechanism translating early parenting experiences into long-term physical health and point to the need for gender-sensitive approaches in preventive health interventions.