ERIC Number: EJ948643
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-8322
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Cross-Cultural, Comparative Study of the American, Spanish, and Mexican Versions of the WISC-IV
Sanchez-Escobedo, Pedro; Hollingworth, Liz; Fina, Anthony D.
TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v45 n4 p781-792 Dec 2011
The question regarding the appropriateness of the use of tests of intelligence and cognitive abilities developed in the United States to assess people from other countries was renewed in the debate between Suen and Greenspan (2008) and Sanchez-Escobedo and Hollingworth (2009). This controversy arose from challenges in the translation, adaptation, and norm development of an intelligence test (in this case, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition) for use with the Mexican population. Suen and Greenspan argued against the use of Mexican norms in high-stakes decision cases regarding Mexicans. In this article, the authors attempt to advance and extend the scrutiny of intelligence tests in bilingual or Spanish-speaking populations by examining differences in three versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV): (1) the tests and norms created for use with English-speaking American children; (2) Spanish-speaking children in American schools; and (3) Spanish-speaking children in Mexico. This is an exploration of the challenges and demands for adapting tests beyond mere language translation, and the effects of using norms developed in different cultural contexts to evaluate test takers. (Contains 2 figures, 2 footnotes, and 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Children, Intelligence Tests, Measures (Individuals), Cognitive Ability, Cultural Relevance, Evaluation Methods, Test Reliability, Global Approach, Spanish Speaking, Test Norms, Comparative Analysis, Translation, Spanish, English, Native Speakers, English (Second Language), Cultural Context
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. 1925 Ballenger Avenue Suite 550, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 888-547-3369; Tel: 703-836-0774; Fax: 703-836-7864; Fax: 703-836-6447; e-mail: info@tesol.org; Web site: http://www.tesol.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico; United States
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A