AN EXPLORATORY STUDY EXAMINING CULTURALLY VALID ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN AN EDUCATION SETTING. Can Mainstream Psychological Assessment Tools be Used to Assess Non Mainstream Students at the Murri School?

Katherine Williams (). AN EXPLORATORY STUDY EXAMINING CULTURALLY VALID ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN AN EDUCATION SETTING. Can Mainstream Psychological Assessment Tools be Used to Assess Non Mainstream Students at the Murri School? Professional Doctorate, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Katherine Williams
Thesis Title AN EXPLORATORY STUDY EXAMINING CULTURALLY VALID ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN AN EDUCATION SETTING. Can Mainstream Psychological Assessment Tools be Used to Assess Non Mainstream Students at the Murri School?
School, Centre or Institute School of Psychology, University of Queensland
Institution The University of Queensland
Thesis type Professional Doctorate
Supervisor Dr Paul Harnett
Total pages 124
Total black and white pages 124
Language eng
Subjects 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Abstract/Summary Can Mainstream Assessment Tools be Used to Assess Murri kids? 1 Abstract Currently there exists a large body of evidence that suggests that standardised psychological cognitive and emotional assessment tools are inappropriate to use in certain populations such as non western populations including Indigenous people. Within Australia there is limited research investigating this issue. Currently Indigenous Australians are either assessed using the same measures and procedures used with mainstream populations, or not assessed at all on the grounds that mainstream assessments procedures are culturally inappropriate. The focus of the current research project is Indigenous education. Within the education system Indigenous children are assessed using standardised intelligence assessment tools to determine current cognitive functioning. The current research investigates how school attainment measures correlate with adaptive functioning and measures of psychological (behavioural. social and emotional) functioning. It was predicted that attainment would be influenced by both cognitive and psychological factors. A sample of 19 Aboriginal students from the Murri School in Brisbane were administered an assessment battery (WISC-IV, CBCL, WASC-Y and Vineland II) in order to determine their current cognitive and psychological functioning. The association between these measures and academic attainment was investigated. Results found that there was considerable variability within the indices that made up the FSIQ and a large percentage of the sample achieved FSIQs that could not be interpreted. There was no association between psychological and cognitive functioning. There was no clear relationship between cognitive or psychological functioning and academic attainment. Closing the gap in educational outcomes between Indigenous and non Indigenous students must address the reasons Indigenous students are not achieving in the classroom. It was concluded that the use of mainstream assessment measures will fail to identify these factors. Assessment procedures should be revised and more culturally appropriate measures developed.
Keyword Indigenous
Psychological Assessment
Education

 
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Created: Tue, 19 Jun 2012, 15:21:12 EST by Katherine Williams on behalf of Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences