Psychological Testing and Assessment of Adolescents Paper
Introduction
Intelligence testing is important for learning. Educators and psychologists administer intelligence tests to better understand how well students can be expected to perform and to assess their learning needs (Benson, 2003). Intelligence tests measure human cognitive diversity. In most cases, educators use intelligence tests to evaluate exceptional learners, particularly in instances of learning disabilities, mental retardation, and intellectual giftedness. The purpose of this paper is discussing the benefits of intelligence testing in educational settings.
Significance of Intellectual Tests
In educational settings, IQ tests provide educators with a wide array of cognitive knowledge and skills useful in comparing a student’s performance against other students with the same demographic attributes (Ronald, 2017). By comparing a student, educators get a better idea about the learner’s ability to compete on academic activities. In specific scenarios, for example under suspected intellectual disability, understanding the cognitive ability of a student compared to the other students helps educators come up with an educational plan that encourage academic growth on the student but does not defeat and discourage.
Also, intelligence tests provide educators with valuable insights. According to (Elliott, 2003), exceptional learners create instructional problems in learning. IQ tests, combined with close observation and interpretation, provide valuable insights into the child’s strengths and weaknesses pattern, allowing the educator a greater understanding of what makes the pupil tick. As per (Benson, 2003), this indicates that educators and parents can conduct a substantive job of suing the valuable information to issue specialized instruction to the child in the case of a disability. Similarly, understanding the child’s rate of academic giftedness enables educators develop instruction than fans the giftedness flames.
In addition, intelligence tests help in preventing cases of stereotypes. According to (Ronald, 2017), the right IQ test helps dispel the existing stereotypes that people have on intellectual disability for children born with limited mobility. By selecting the best intelligence test, educators remove the learning disability stereotype for minority cultures or children. In educational settings, intelligence tests are the primary tool that educators and psychologists use in identifying learners with learning disabilities and mental retardation. Achievement tests are properly done using IQ tests (Roth, et al., 2015). Conversely, intelligence tests make it easy for educators and psychologists to measure academic ability and problem solving skills among children by measuring their achievement levels.
Attributes of Intelligence Tests
Intelligent tests have various characteristics, and these attributes include validity, reliability, norms, standardization, standardization samples, and percentile scores. Other attributes include language and normative culture (Ronald, 2017). IQ tests are standardized, and this attribute requires that educators apply uniform procedures in the administration and scoring of the tests. Norms give information over how an individual’s test score compares to another test taker’s scores. According to (Ronald, 2017), normative cultural experiences, values, and norms affect other factors like motivation, attitude on exams, competitiveness, rate of comfort in the tests, relationship with test administrator, and problem solving skills. Here, cultural stereotypes have to be tested for they affect peoples’ motivation to do well on tests.
Percentile scores show the percentage of students who achieved the same scores or less than a certain score (Elliott, 2003). Norms and percentage scores are applied concurrently. In educational settings, educators derive norms by administering a test to a standardization sample. A standardization sample comprises of a big number of people representing the whole population taking the test. Also, intelligence tests should have good reliability, the ability to give similar results when administered at different periods but on the same group of individuals (Ronald, 2017). Last is the validity attribute, intelligence tests must be able to measure what educators intent to measure on students. Here, language skills have to be tested.
Example suiting Administration of Intellectual Test
A good example when it would be appropriate to administer IQ test is when a child is not performing well while other children are performing well in the same educational setting (Ronald, 2017). In such a case, any educator would suspect that the learner is unusually or abnormally gifted. Administering a standardized test would suit in this case, for the educators would effectively assess and diagnose the children’s cognitive level or failure. By giving each child the same test, this would provide valuable insight to the educator as to why the child’s score is poor compared to the other students. Any other reasons such as culture, stereotypes, social, or emotional factors why the child is poorly performing also need to be diagnosed.
Conclusion
Adolescent psychological testing and assessment is vital especially in educational settings. Intellectual tests provide educators and psychologists with valuable insights, valid and reliable information, and ways of preventing stereotypes when it comes to children’s cognitive levels and abilities. Therefore, IQ tests are good and should be administered across all educational settings to facilitate proper class learning.
References
Benson, E. (2003). Intelligent intelligence testing: Psychologists are broadening the concept of intelligence and how to test it. Monitor on Pyschology, 34(2), 48.
Elliott, J. (2003). Dynamic assessment in educational settings: Realising potential. Educational Review, 55(1), 15-32.
Ronald, J. C. (2017). Pyschological Testing and Assessment (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Roth, B., Becker, N., Romeyke, S., Schafer, S., Domnick, F., & Spinath, F. M. (2015). Intelligence and school grades: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 53, 118-137.