race

Chapter 9: Dynamic Assessment in South Africa

AUTHOR/S: Z. Amod & J. Seabi

ABSTRACT: This chapter outlines current developments in Dynamic Assessment (DA), an interactive assessment procedure that uses deliberate and planned mediational teaching and assesses of the impact of that teaching on subsequent performance. The objective of the chapter is to critically review the major criticisms of the traditional “static“ testing approach, discuss the theoretical basis of the DA approach and its relevance within the South African context, present current empirical research on the Dynamic Assessment of children, and suggest some directions for future research. The DA approach has been motivated by the inadequacy of traditional “static” tests to provide accurate information about the individual’s ability. Given that the history of “static” testing in South Africa closely resembles the racial policies of apartheid, which attempted to preserve and perpetuate social structures (Benjamin & Lomosfky, 2002), and that many of such tests have been standardized on middle class children, concerns regarding the relevance of traditional testing have been raised.  DA is presented in this chapter as an alternative approach that minimizes discriminatory approaches to the assessment of culturally different populations and facilitates a strong link between assessment and intervention.  DA is aimed at changing and modifying the individual’s cognitive structures within the assessment process. The theoretical foundations of DA are derived primarily from Vygostky’s socio-cultural theory, specifically the zone of proximal development, and Feuerstein’s Mediated Learning Experience theory. DA has been applied with different educational and clinical groups of children and adolescents both abroad and in South Africa and has been found to be more accurate in reflecting children’s learning potential. Although the DA approach has a great appeal to many professional psychologists and educators, it has not yet become a central part of prevailing practice. Major critiques leveled against the DA approach are discussed.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 8: The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) in a South African context

AUTHOR/S:  Z. Amod

ABSTRACT: Limitations of current intelligence tests, the search for more equitable assessment procedures and the need to link assessment with intervention have led to the exploration of alternative forms of cognitive assessment.  Information processing models of assessment embodied in the work of Luria, Kaufman and Das, for instance, are in the forefront of the latest developments in cognitive psychology.  In this chapter the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) developed by Das and Naglieri (Das, Naglieri & Kirby, 1994) is discussed both theoretically and in relation to research conducted mainly abroad but also in South Africa. This novel assessment approach is based on the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive (PASS) model of cognitive functioning. There is empirical support for the PASS theory and the CAS (Naglieri, 1999; Van Luit, Kroesbergen and Naglieri, 2005) and extensive research has been conducted to establish the relationship between certain cognitive processes of the PASS model and specific academic skills (Kirby and Das, 1990; Hold, 2000; Lerew, 2003; Germain, 2004). The usefulness and application of the CAS instrument in South Africa has been indicated by several studies (Chow and Skuy, 1999; Churches, Skuy & Das; Fairon, 2006; Floquet, 2008; Hofmeyer 2000; Naidoo, 2001; Reid, Kok & van der Merwe, 2000). The PASS Remedial Programme (Das et al, 1994) has been developed to provide a link between cognitive processing strategies and academic content. It is proposed in this chapter that the PASS model as operationalized by the CAS is a valuable alternative or at least adjunct to traditional intelligence tests. Further research needs to be conducted which combines the Information Processing model with Dynamic Assessment, to facilitate a link between assessment and intervention.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 7: The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) in South Africa

AUTHOR/S:  K. Greenop, J. Fry, D. de Sousa

ABSTRACT: The K-ABC was published in 1983 (revised and re-standardised, K-ABC ll, in 2004) as a measure of cognitive ability in children aged 2-12:6 years. The revised edition appropriately extends the age band to 18:11 years and modifies, subtracts and adds subtests. The K-ABC measures fluid and crystallised abilities, short and long term memory and visual processing and aligns with the Cattell-Horn-Carroll hierarchically organized model. The battery is based on Luria’s model of mental processing and has correlated significantly with scholastic achievement. Of greatest relevance is that the K-ABC was designed to have a reduced language and cultural load and the second edition has altered two sub-scales that were shown to load differently for diverse cultures.  The degree to which the K-ABC is able to offer a reduced cultural load test is debatable. Cross-cultural research, in Zaire and South Africa predominantly, has demonstrated that the K-ABC has value in cross-cultural settings but with specific caveats. Importantly the Sequential and Simultaneous processing scale offer more value that the Mental Processing Composite which has a knowledge basis that is culturally specific. The few studies have been conducted on the K-ABC in South Africa, have demonstrated its assessment value in a diagnostic, remedial and dynamic assessment framework, especially in comparison to alternate intelligence tests. However, caution is raised due to the absence of a strong South African normative basis.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 21: The Millon Inventories in South Africa

AUTHORS: R. Patel, S. Laher

ABSTRACT: The Millon family of instruments consists of the MCMI-III, MIPS, MAHI,MBHI. This chapter will provide a brief history into their development touching on Millon’s theory of abnormal and normal personality development. Following this a brief description of each instrument will be provided. Since the MCMI-III is the most commonly used instrument both internationally and locally, this will receive more coverage in the chapter. Research on the MCMI-III in SA will be presented. Finally the MIPS was studied in the SA context and SA norms were developed for the instrument. These will also be included in the chapter.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 18: The NEO-PI-R in South Africa

AUTHOR: S. Laher

ABSTRACT: The NEO-PI-R is a widely used test both in assessment and research locally and internationally. Aside from being used in research and practice to assess personality, it is also amongst the most commonly used instruments to operationalise the FFM of personality. Thus this chapter intends providing a brief history of the development of the NEO-PI-R, followed by a brief description of the NEO-PI-R domain and facet scales. Following this research using the NEO-PI-R in the South African context will be presented. Finally the chapter will conclude with some discussion on the use of the NEO-PI-R in the SA context.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 6: Assessing young children in South Africa

AUTHORS: Z. Amod, D. Heafield

ABSTRACT: This chapter explores the complexities, purpose and relevance of school-readiness assessment within the South African context as well as the existing research in this field.  The concept of school-readiness assessment is a contentious issue in this country. This is firstly due to the historical misuse of assessment instruments for the purpose of exclusionary practices and the perpetuation of an inequitable education system.  Secondly children in this country exist within extremely diverse socio-cultural and economic structures and this contributes towards significant emotional and developmental differences between young children. A linear, maturational model of school-readiness assessment (as espoused by Kagan, 1992, 1994 and Damarest, Reisner, Humphrey & Stein, 1993) therefore seems immensely inadequate, and denying a child the right to begin school at the appropriate age based on this model could be considered both discriminatory and unfair. It is partly for this reason that the government has imposed an informal moratorium on school readiness assessment within government schools. The objective of this chapter is therefore to propose a more holistic and eco-systemic view of school readiness assessment, based on a critique (which includes strengths and limitations) of existing approaches.  The move towards an inclusive education and training system which has been outlined in Education White Paper 6 (2001) places the responsibility on schools, and the education system as a whole, to provide adequate support structures to accommodate a diverse range of children with a variety of barriers to learning. The emphasis on learners being ready for school has therefore shifted to schools being ready for all learners.   This interactional / bi-directional concept of school readiness is supported in the literature (Meisels, 1996) and in a recent South African study (Goldblatt, 2004).  Although there is still a place for the assessment of individual learners to determine the types of support structures that may be needed,  government expenditure on education is more suitably spent on upgrading facilities, reducing class sizes and improving teacher training. This will provide all learners with a better chance of reaching their full potential.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 5: Assessing school readiness in children using the JSAIS

AUTHORS: L. Theron

ABSTRACT: Drawing on personal professional experience as a practicing educational psychologist from 2000-present (which includes weekly use of the JSAIS as part of a school readiness assessment for a private boys school), I provide a brief introduction to the JSAIS. The introduction summarizes the structure, broad aims and general modus operandi of the JSAIS. I emphasize that the JSAIS should be used to provide a profile of weaknesses and strengths that will allow intervention towards optimal school readiness. The focus of the chapter, however, is a critical examination of the JSAIS in our multicultural, 21st century South African context with its multiple challenges and chronic violence. As part of this critique, I look at items which favour acculturated knowledge and have the potential to trigger previous traumas in order to guide students towards fairer assessment practices. I also provide extensive guidelines, based on my extensive observation and reflection, on using the JSAIS diagnostically with regard to emotional readiness for school, concentration difficulties, language barriers and motor difficulties. In essence, the chapter encourages students not to limit the JSAIS to a measure of intelligence, but to use it as a tool to comment qualitatively (rather than just quantitatively) on children’s readiness for formal learning.

Read this Chapter

Chapter 3: WISC-IV test performance in a South African context: A collation of cross-cultural norms

AUTHOR/S: A. Edwards

ABSTRACT: This objective of this paper is to present a brief review of cross-cultural research in respect of the WISC-IV, followed by documentation of cross-cultural normative indications in respect of this test within the South African arena. Combined research data are presented in respect of Grade 7 white English, black Xhosa, white Afrikaans and coloured Afrikaans speaking children tested with the WISC-IV (van der Merwe, 2008; van Tonder 2007). In all studies there was additional stratification within language/ ethnic groups for quality of education, viz. relatively advantaged education within the historically white private and/or former Model C educational institutions, versus relatively disadvantaged education within the formerly designated black and coloured township educational institutions. In robust fashion, this outcome in respect of the WISC-IV serves to confirm the indications from earlier WAIS-III cross-cultural research for Grade 12s and Graduates (Shuttleworth-Edwards et al., 2004), of significant lowering of IQ test performance of around 20 IQ points in association with relatively disadvantaged education.  Whereas language and ethnic variables reveal subtle effects on IQ test performance, quality of education has the most significant effect.

Read this Chapter