K-ABC content bias: Comparisons between Mexican American and White children

Content (item) bias on the Mental Processing Scales and the Achievement Scale of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) was investigated with 100 Mexican American and 100 White fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls. All children were English-speaking and from similar socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. An item-group (partial correlation) method that controlled for age, sex, and ability was used to examine bias. On the Mental Processing Scales, 17 (14%) of 120 items were found to be biased—the strong majority against the Mexican American children. On the Achievement Scale, it was observed that 58 (63%) of 92 K-ABC items were biased—all against the Mexican American sample. This latter finding is discussed in the context of possible differences in learning opportunities (language based, SES based, and school segregation) experienced by the two ethnic groups.     

The relationship between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III scales and subtests with gifted children

Each year thousands of children are evaluated or reevaluated utilizing the current edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale to determine their eligibility for gifted programs. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (1991) is new enough that only limited research is available on how it compares to the previously used Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (1974). The purpose of this study was to determine the comparability between the previously dominant intelligence scale, the WISC-R, and the revised WISC-III with gifted children. The results of this study indicate that the latest revision (WISC-III) and the earlier version (WISC-R) produce remarkably similar scale and subtest scores when administered under clinical conditions to gifted children. All 51 children determined eligible through the administration of one of these two Wechsler tests would have been eligible for services had the other test been administered. The Verbal and Performance scale IQ scores were within two points of each other across the two test administrations, while only a one-point difference existed between the Full Scale IQ scores. The Arithmetic, Comprehension, and Object Assembly subtest scores were in high agreement across the two administrations (p<.01). The level of agreement between some subtests across the two administrations suggests that clinical judgment is just as important as scores in considering who is eligible for gifted programs.     

Teaching Instructional Design: An Apprenticeship Model

Several cognitive psychologists have written about the importance of placing instruction within “authentic” contexts that mirror real-life situations. They argue that knowledge learned in academic settings does not necessarily transfer to non-academic settings. Whether preparing performance technologists or instructional designers, educators must strive to create meaningful problem-solving contexts that enable students to define, and subsequently solve, real-world problems. In an attempt to address this issue we have modified the way we teach instructional design. This paper discusses a cognitive apprenticeship approach to teaching design, which incorporates elements of modeling, coaching, reflection, articulation, and exploration. We describe how these features are embedded within three phases (orientation, situated training/learning, and exploration) of an introductory instructional design course designed to move our novice designers along a continuum of expertise as they develop and refine their own professional design skills. Although the apprenticeship model described here specifically addresses concerns within the context of preparing instructional designers, we believe that this model can be adapted to address similar issues in the education of performance technologists.     

The assessment of at-risk infants and toddlers with the Bayley Mental Scale and the Battelle Developmental Inventory: Beyond the data

The purpose of this study was to compare the usefulness of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID)-Mental Scales and the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) in assessing the abilities of infants and toddlers from teen-parent families. The 34 children lived with their mothers, who ranged in age from 15 to 21. The results of the study indicate that these two developmental instruments cannot be used interchangeably and that one needs to look beyond the psychometric data in order to understand the results of infant and toddler assessment. The correlation between the BSID-Mental Development Index (MDI) and BDI Total score was −.03.