Development and revision of the nonverbal ability test for identifying gifted programs in Türkiye(BNV-II).

Abstract

The present study aims to develop the Bildiren Nonverbal Ability Test, Second Version (BNV-II), intended for the identification of gifted children at the primary school level. The first version of the test was originally created as a paper-and-pencil assessment. However, to reduce the risk of individuals becoming overly familiar with the test items due to repeated annual administration without modifications, the BNV-II was revised into a digital format for tablet use, incorporating updated items. In the initial phase of the study, the test was constructed in two forms, A and B, and administered to a pilot sample of 1,360 children aged 6-10 years old, drawn from various locations across Türkiye. The final version of the test was determined through an item difficulty, item discrimination, and item-total score correlation analysis. A norming study was subsequently conducted, involving a total of 6,567 children in Türkiye. The sample for Form A comprised 1,560 females (48%) and 1,659 males (52%), while Form B included 1,628 females (49%) and 1,720 males (51%). Reliability was assessed using test-retest, split-half, KR-20, and KR-21 methods, with standard error, standard deviation, and reliability coefficients calculated. Content, construct, and criterion-related validity were evaluated. The KR-20 reliability coefficient was 0.92 for both forms, and test-retest reliability was 0.91. Parallel-form reliability was 0.86, while correlations between BNV-II total scores and those of NNAT-I, TONI-3, and RSPM were 0.85, 0.86, and 0.77, respectively. These results confirm the BNV-II as a reliable and valid tool for identifying gifted children in Türkiye.