Equivalence of Computer- and Paper-Based Administrations of the SCHNAPP Spelling Test in German for Six-Year-Old Children

Abstract: The SCHNAPP Spelling Test is a novel screening instrument to identify at-risk children with poor spelling abilities in German at the beginning of primary school. Although originally developed as a computerized test to be administered on tablets, in school settings paper-pencil methods are often still preferred. Therefore, the present study on N = 390 children from first grades in Austrian primary schools examined the equivalence of computer and paper-pencil versions of the test. After demonstrating unidimensional measurement models in both assessment conditions, analyses of differential response functioning on the item and test level found no substantial testing mode effects. These results indicate that the SCHNAPP Spelling Test can be comparably used as a computer- or paper-based instrument in school assessments.