Exploring Exploration: Inquiries into Exploration Behavior in Complex Problem Solving Assessment

Complex Problem Solving (CPS) is a prominent representative of transversal, domain-general skills, empirically connected to a broad range of outcomes and recently included in large-scale assessments such as PISA 2012. Advancements in the assessment of CPS are now calling for a) broader assessment vehicles allowing the whole breadth of the concept to unfold and b) additional efforts with regard to the exploitation of log-file data available. Our Paper explores the consequences of heterogeneous tasks with regard to the applicability of an established measure of strategic behavior (VOTAT) featured currently in assessment instruments. We present a modified conception of this strategy suitable for a broader range of tasks and test its utility on an empirical basis. Additional value is investigated along the line of theory driven educational data mining of process data.