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This article addresses a fundamental question in the study of socio-emotional skills, personality traits, and related constructs: "To score or not to score?" When researchers use test scores or scale scores (i.e., fallible point estimates of a skill or trait) as predictors in multiple regression, measurement error in these scores tends to attenuate regression coefficients for the skill and inflate those of the covariates. Unlike for cognitive assessments, it is not fully established how severe this bias can be in socio-emotional skill assessments, that is, how well test scores recover the true regression coefficients - compared with methods designed to account for measurement error: structural equation modeling (SEM) and plausible values (PV). The different types of scores considered in this study are standardized mean scores (SMS), regression factor scores (RFS), empirical Bayes modal (EBM) score, weighted maximum likelihood estimates (WLE), and expected a posteriori (EAP) estimates. We present a simulation study in which we compared these approaches under conditions typical of socio-emotional skill and personality assessments. We examined the performance of five types of test scores, PV, and SEM with regard to two outcomes: (1) percent bias in regression coefficient of the skill in predicting an outcome; and (2) percent bias in the regression coefficient of a covariate. We varied the number of items, factor loadings/item discriminations, sample size, and relative strength of the relationship of the skill with the outcome. Results revealed that whereas different types of test scores were highly correlated with each other, the ensuing bias in regression coefficients varied considerably. The magnitude of bias was highest for WLE with short scales of low reliability. Bias when using SMS or WLE test scores was sometimes large enough to lead to erroneous research conclusions with potentially adverse implications for policy and practice (up to 55% for the regression coefficient of the skill and 20% for that of the covariate). EAP, EBM, and RFS performed better, producing only small bias in some conditions. Additional analyses showed that the performance of test scores also depended on whether standardized or unstandardized scores were used. Only PV and SEM performed well in all scenarios and emerged as the clearly superior options. We recommend that researchers use SEM, and preferably PV, in studies on the (incremental) predictive power of socio-emotional skills.

Cultural capital is frequently measured via the number of books in a respondent's household. Despite this measure's widespread use, its quality remains largely unclear. To remedy this, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the measurement properties of two items measuring past and present objectified cultural capital via the number of books in the household of the respondent's family of origin and the respondent's current household, respectively. For this purpose, we used data (N = 3260) from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012 survey in Germany and the 2015 wave of a follow-up study (PIAAC-L). We analyzed the two items' distributions (total sample and separately by age-group), test-retest reliability over 3 years (for past cultural capital only), and their convergent and divergent validity (i.e., correlations with socioeconomic status, literacy and numeracy skills, and cultural and literary activities). Our analyses (1) reveal that past and present objectified cultural capital are substantially but not perfectly related (ρ = .52), which may reflect intergenerational transmission; (2) demonstrate that the item measuring past objectified cultural capital shows high test-retest reliability over three years (ρ = .74); and (3) attest to both the convergent and divergent reliability of both items, as indicated by systematic yet only small to medium-sized correlations with socioeconomic status, literacy and numeracy skills, and cultural and literary activities. At the same time, our analyses (4) underscore that cultural capital is not a uniform construct, highlighting that the number of books captures a specific aspect of the concept (i.e., objectified cultural capital). Our findings can serve as a benchmark for future research on cultural capital.

Can participation in job-related training contribute to the formation and maintenance of adults' literacy skills? Although evidence suggests that participation in training is related to higher literacy skills, it remains unclear whether this association reflects a causal effect of training participation on literacy (training effects), results from the self-selection of more high-skilled individuals into training (selection effects), or is due to other sources of endogeneity (e.g., omitted variable bias). To unravel these possibilities, we used data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and its German follow-up, PIAAC-Longitudinal (PIAAC-L). As these unique data offer repeated measures of literacy skills, spaced three years apart, in a large and representative sample, they allowed us to disentangle training effects from selection effects and to account for potential endogeneity. Analyses revealed that, even after taking account of formal education and a host of job characteristics, individuals with higher literacy skills were more likely to participate in training. By contrast, no evidence for effects of training on literacy skills emerged in any of our models, which comprised lagged-dependent, fixed effects, and instrumental-variable models. These findings suggest that, rather than job-related training contributing to literacy development, individuals with higher literacy skills are more likely to participate in training.

The five-dimensional curiosity-scale revised (5DCR) by Kashdan et al. (Citation2020) is the most comprehensive curiosity inventory available to date. 5DCR measures six facets of curiosity with four items each. Here, we present a German-language adaptation of the 5DCR and comprehensively validate this adaptation in a diverse sample of adults from Germany (N = 486). Moreover, we provide new evidence on the original English-language 5DCR in a parallel sample from the UK (N = 483). In both countries, we investigate the six facets' reliability, factorial validity, and convergent and discriminant validity with a large set of individual-differences constructs. In addition, we analyze the measurement invariance of the curiosity facets across the UK and Germany and across socio-demographic subgroups defined by age, sex, and education. Findings demonstrate that the new German-language adaptation of 5DCR and its English-language source version show psychometric properties similar to the original studies by Kashdan et al. (Citation2020) in the United States. All six curiosity facets reach at least partial scalar invariance across cultures, sex, education, and mostly also across age groups. The findings support the six-faceted theory of curiosity and show that 5DCR allows for a valid assessment of curiosity across cultures.

Fluid intelligence and conscientiousness are important predictors of students' academic performance and competence gains. Although their individual contributions have been widely acknowledged, less is known about their potential interplay. Do students profit disproportionately from being both smart and conscientious? We addressed this question using longitudinal data from two large student samples of the German National Educational Panel Study. In the first sample, we analyzed reading and mathematics competencies of 3778 fourth graders (Mage = 9.29, 51% female) and gains therein until grade 7. In the second sample, we analyzed the same competencies in 4942 seventh graders (Mage = 12.49, 49% female) and gains therein until grade 9. The results of (moderated) latent change score models supported fluid intelligence as the most consistent predictor of competence levels and gains, whereas conscientiousness predicted initial competence levels in mathematics and reading as well as gains in mathematics (but not reading) only in the older sample. There was no evidence for interaction effects between fluid intelligence and conscientiousness. We found only one statistically significant synergistic interaction in the older sample for gains in reading competence, which disappeared when including covariates. Although our findings point to largely independent effects of fluid intelligence and conscientiousness on competence gains, we delineate avenues for future research to illuminate their potential interplay.

The assessment of the Big Five personality domains is standard practice in most large-scale social surveys nowadays. The instrument most widely used for this purpose is the BFI-10, an ultra-short measure assessing each Big Five domain with two items. Recent studies have identified issues with the structural properties of the BFI-10, especially its factorial validity. To investigate whether these issues arise from the instrument itself or biases due to translation or sampling, we examined the extent to which the structural properties of the BFI-10 in terms of descriptive statistics, intercorrelations, reliability, and factorial validity vary when keeping the target population and language constant. Results revealed that, across 16 independent samples (total N ~ 60,000) from eight large-scale surveys representative of the adult population in Germany, the structural properties of the BFI-10 were (a) largely consistent and (b) mostly adequate. Most importantly, in nearly all samples, patterns of loading were congruent with an idealized Big Five structure, thereby supporting factorial validity. These results demonstrate that the structural properties of the BFI-10 are highly stable and replicable in large-scale samples. Especially given its brevity, the BFI-10 can thus be regarded as adequate for use in large-scale survey settings.

Acquiescence ("yea-saying") presents a major challenge in personality assessment via questionnaire. Cognitive load when responding to items seems to be related to a greater tendency to acquiesce. The aim of this study was to experimentally investigate whether reducing the complexity of personality items through simplified item wording and response scales with fewer options reduces acquiesce. Based on a heterogeneous sample of almost 6000 respondents, we probed acquiescent responding on the 60-item Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2) in a 2 × 2 design, comparing (a) the original items and simplified versions and (b) the original 5-point and a 4-point response scale without a midpoint. Results show that the response scale format did not affect acquiescent responding. Contrariwise, item simplification reduced the variance attributable to acquiescence in the total sample. Moderation analysis revealed stronger effects for lower-educated respondents.

Previous research suggests that girls have higher occupational aspirations than boys before entering the labor market. We investigate whether this gender gap in occupational aspirations generalizes to secondary school students in Germany and illuminate the possible mechanisms behind these purported gender differences. For this purpose, we used a large and representative sample of ninth graders (N = 10,743) from the German National Educational Panel Study. Adolescents' occupational aspirations were coded on the International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status (ISEI) according to the socioeconomic status of the aspired occupation. Results showed that girls' occupational aspirations were 6.5 ISEI points higher than boys' (Cohen's d = .36). Mediation analyses further revealed that gender differences in vocational interest could explain one-half of the gender gap in occupational aspirations. This suggests that girls' higher occupational aspirations reflect their specific vocational interests rather than a general striving for higher status and prestige compared to boys.

The Big Five personality traits are established predictors of school grades. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet well understood. Effects of personality on grades might arise because behavioral tendencies facilitate learning and increase subject-specific competencies. Alternatively, personality effects on grades might be independent of cognitive competencies and reflect otherwise valued behaviors or teachers' grading practices. In the current study, we drew on large-scale data of 7th and 9th graders in Germany to explore the extent to which personality predicted grades even after accounting for competencies. Controlling for competencies and other key covariates, we cross-sectionally and longitudinally examined personality-grade associations across different school subjects, grade levels, and school types. Results indicate that the predictive power of personality is largely independent of subject-specific and general cognitive competencies. The largest effects emerged for conscientiousness. For openness, associations with grades partly overlapped with competencies, suggesting that openness may operate by fostering competencies. Overall, our results suggest that the associations between personality and grades unfold mostly independently of course mastery. This finding underlines the socioemotional value of personality in the classroom and encourages a more fine-grained view of the interplay between personality, competencies, classroom behavior, and grades.

We develop an integrative conceptual framework that seeks to explain individual differences in the ability to use information and communication technologies (ICT skills). Building on practice engagement theory, this framework views the continued usage of digital technologies at work and in everyday life (ICT use) as the key prerequisite for the acquisition of ICT skills. At the same time, the framework highlights that ICT use is itself contingent upon individual and contextual preconditions. We apply this framework to data from two recent German large-scale studies (N = 2,495 and N = 2,786, respectively) that offer objective measures of adults' ICT skills. Findings support our framework's view of ICT use as a key prerequisite for ICT skills. Moreover, they demonstrate that literacy skills have strong associations with ICT skills, largely by virtue of their indirect associations through ICT use. By comparison, regional digital cultures (as proxied by internet domain registration rates) evince only limited explanatory power for individual differences in ICT skills.

It is well-established that human capital contributes to unequal levels of earnings mobility. Individuals with higher levels of human capital, typically measured through education, earn more on average and are privy to greater levels of upward change over time. Nevertheless, other factors may have an incremental effect over education, namely cognitive ability and the skill demands of employment. To deepen insight into whether these aspects contribute to earnings mobility over a four-year period, the present study examines positional change in Canada and Germany—two contexts typified as examples of liberal and coordinated market economies. A series of descriptive indices and relative change models assess how different measures of human capital are associated with earnings mobility. The results indicate that, while individuals with higher cognitive skills experience greater earnings stability and upward mobility in both countries, there is only an incremental effect of skills on mobility in Germany once we account for educational credentials. The results also provide evidence on the role of skill demands for earnings mobility; in both countries, advanced skills at work are associated with greater short-term mobility, even while controlling for cognitive ability and other factors. Together the results showcase how longitudinal data containing detailed measures of human capital allow for deeper insight into what facilitates earnings mobility.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted people's daily routines and infused their lives with considerable insecurity and uncertainty. However, individuals' responses to the pandemic vary widely. The present study investigates the role of personality traits for key aspects of people's responses to the COVID-19 crisis. In a prospective design using a large-scale panel study (N = 2217) that represents the heterogeneity of the adult population in Germany, we examined whether Big Five domains and facets measured prior to the pandemic predicted individuals' responses to the pandemic in terms of: (a) perceptions of infection risks; (b) behavioral changes to prevent infection; (c) beliefs in the effectiveness of policy measures to combat the further spread of coronavirus; and (d) trust in relevant policymakers and institutions regarding the handling of coronavirus. Results revealed that personality explained only a small portion (between 0.6% and 3.8%) of the variance in the four outcomes. Nonetheless, several Big Five domains and facets had at least small-to-moderate, and theoretically plausible, associations with the outcomes. Overall, Agreeableness and its Trust facet showed the most robust associations with the four outcomes. Most trait-outcome associations were also robust to controlling for three possible confounders (sex, age, and risk-group membership).

Practice Engagement Theory (PET) posits that individuals' literacy proficiencies develop as a by-product of their engagement in everyday reading and writing practices and, reciprocally, that literacy proficiencies affect levels of engagement in reading and writing practices. This suggests that literacy training which increases engagement in meaningful practices might generate proficiency growth. Research has shown that this approach does indeed seem to be effective in improving (adult) learners' literacy proficiency. A number of cross-sectional comparisons of participants' and non-participants' performance in various training activities, as well as quantitative modelling of adults' proficiency growth in longitudinal studies have confirmed the theoretical assumptions of PET. The authors of this article describe the first application of PET to literacy and numeracy development in a longitudinal study of a nationally representative adult population. Their investigation followed a sample of adults initially interviewed and assessed in the German component of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), adding longitudinal data from three additional waves of the national extension study (PIAAC-L), which included repeated assessments of literacy and numeracy proficiency over a period of three years. The authors' quantitative modelling of the growth of literacy and numeracy proficiency over time provides strong support for PET. Their comparisons of how various practice engagement indexes predict growth of literacy and numeracy proficiencies indicate that reading engagement is the strongest predictor of literacy growth and maths engagement is the strongest predictor of numeracy growth. The authors conclude their article by considering their findings' implications for sustainable development, lifelong learning policy and future research into the development of adult literacy and numeracy proficiency.

We develop an integrative conceptual framework that seeks to explain individual differences in digital skills. Building on practice engagement theory, this framework views the continued usage of digital technologies at work and in everyday life (ICT use) as the key prerequisite for the acquisition of digital skills. At the same time, the framework highlights that ICT use is itself contingent upon individual and contextual preconditions, most notably literacy skills. We apply this framework to data from two recent German large-scale studies (total N 5,281) that offer objective measures of adults' digital skills. Findings support our framework's view of ICT use as a key prerequisite for digital skills. Moreover, they demonstrate that literacy skills have strong associations with digital skills, largely by virtue of their indirect associations through ICT use. By comparison, regional digital cultures evince only limited explanatory power for individual differences in digital skills.