The Aurora-a Battery as an assessment of triarchic intellectual abilities in upper primary grades

Abstract

The theory of triarchic intelligence posits that, in addition to the widely acknowledged analytical reasoning abilities, creative and practical abilities should be included in the assessments of intellectual capacities and identification of gifted students. To find support for such an approach, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Aurora-a Assessment Battery of triarchic abilities in the upper primary grades. To assess the dimensional structure of the Aurora-a Assessment Battery, we analyzed subtest scores of 499 elementary school children. Correlational and factor analyses showed a poor fit between Aurora-a subtest scores and the triarchic theory of intelligence, indicating deficiencies in either the triarchic theory or the design of the Aurora-a Battery. Researchers should sustain their current efforts to evaluate the validity of various theories of intelligence and to develop theory-based assessment instruments.