Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T21:21:31.906Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 3 - Psychological Testing and Inclusive Schooling

Issues and Prospects in Central Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2022

Sumaya Laher
Affiliation:
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Get access

Summary

This chapter sets out to provide a comparative perspective on seemingly incompatible global agendas and efforts to include all children in the general school system, thus reducing exclusion. With an examination of the international testing culture and the politics of inclusion currently permeating national school reforms, this chapter intends to raise a critical and constructive discussion of these movements, which appear to support one another, yet simultaneously offer profound contradictions. The chapter will include a brief history of psychological testing in Central Africa and identify types of psychological tests in use in Central Africa as well as the issues and problems that arise when making use of such psychological tests at both national and local levels. It will shed light on new possibilities for educational improvements in global and local contexts.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahsan, S. & Smith, W. C. (2016). Facilitating student learning: A comparison of classroom and accountability assessment. In Smith, W. C. (ed.), The global testing culture: Shaping educational policy, perceptions, and practice (pp. 131152). Oxford: Symposium Books.Google Scholar
Black, P. & William, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in education: Principles, policy and practice, 5(1), 774.Google Scholar
Crooks, T. J. (2002). Educational assessment in New Zealand schools. Assessment in education: Principles policy & practice, 9(2), 237253.Google Scholar
Greenfield, P. M. (1997). You cannot take it with you: Why ability assessments don’t cross cultures. American Psychologist, 52(10), 11151124.Google Scholar
Holding, P. A., Taylor, H. G., Kazungu, S. D., Mkala, T., Gona, J., Mwamuye, B., Mbonani, L., & Stevenson, J. (2004). Assessing cognitive outcomes in a rural African population: Development of a neuropsychological battery in Kilifi District, Kenya. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 10(2), 246260.Google Scholar
Ikpaya, B. O. (2001). Exceptional children and youth introduction to special education. Calabar: Clear Lines Publications.Google Scholar
Jatau, M. N., Uzo, C. C., & Lere, M. M. (2002). Elements of special education for prospective teachers. Jos: Deka Publications.Google Scholar
Kanjee, A. (2003). Using assessment resource banks to improve the teaching and learning process, in improving the quality of primary education: Good practices and emerging models of district development (pp. 5971). Pretoria: District development support program/Research Triangle Institute.Google Scholar
Kathuria, R., & Serpell, R. (1998). Standardization of the Panga Munthu Test-A nonverbal cognitive test developed in Zambia. Journal of Negro Education, 67(3), 228241.Google Scholar
Kellaghan, T. & Greaney, V. (2005). Monitoring performance: Assessments and examinations. In Verspoor, A. M. (ed.), The challenge of learning: Improving the quality of basic education in Sub-Saharan Africa (pp. 271292). Paris: Association for the Development of Education in Africa.Google Scholar
Lerner, G. (1993). The creation of feminist consciousness: From the middle ages to eighteen-seventy. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Machona, P. E. & Kapambwe, W. (2003). Enhancing teacher capacities and capabilities in learner assessment: The implementation of the Grade 4 basic Competence Testing Programme, Paper presented at the sub-regional conference on assessment: Learner assessment for improved educational quality. Livingstone, Zambia, June 30 to July 2.Google Scholar
Malda, M. & Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2005). Assessing cognition in nutrition intervention trials across cultures. In Vorster, H. H., Blaauw, R., Dhansay, M. A., Kuzwayo, P. M. N., Moeng, T. L., & Wentzel-Viljoen, E. (eds.), Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (p. 5). Durban: Karger.Google Scholar
Melem, L. F. (2016). Development and validation of a diagnostic test for the identification of children with functional cognitive learning disabilities. African Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4), 7385.Google Scholar
Mpofu, E. (2002). Indigenization of the psychology of human intelligence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture (Unit 4). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/.Google Scholar
Mpofu, E. & Nyanungo, K. R. L. (1998). Educational and psychological testing in Zimbabwean schools: Past, present and future. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 14(1), 7190.Google Scholar
Mulenga, K., Ahonen, T., & Aro, M. (2001). Performance of Zambian children on the NEPSY: A pilot study. Developmental Neuropsychology, 20(1), 375384.Google Scholar
Nell, V. (1997). Science and politics meet at last: The insurance industry and neuropsychological norms. South African Journal of Psychology, 27(1), 4349.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (2009). Conceptualizing developmental assessment within Africa’s cultural settings. In Grigorenko, E. L. (ed.), Multicultural psychoeducational assessment (pp. 95131). London: Springer.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. & Dawes, A. (1998). Developmental psychology as political psychology in sub-Saharan Africa: The challenge of Africanisation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 47(1), 7387.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (1992). Human development in cultural context: A Third World perspective. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (1993). Psychology in sub-Saharan Africa. Psychology and Developing Societies, 5(2), 171184.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (1995). Factors influencing the development of psychology in sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Psychology, 30(6), 729739.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (2006a). Origins and development of indigenous psychologies in Cameroon. In Allwood, C. M. & Berry, J. W. (eds.), Origins and development of indigenous psychologies: An international analysis. International Journal of Psychology, 41(4), 258259.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (2006b). Human ontogenesis: An indigenous African view on development and intelligence. International Journal of Psychology, 41(4), 293297.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (2007). Origins and development of scientific psychology in Afrique Noire. In Stevens, M. J. & Wedding, D. (eds.), under the supervision of Adair, John G.. Psychology: IUPsyS global resource (2007 edition). London: Psychology Press. www.psypress.com/iupsys/contents.asp.Google Scholar
Olabisi, A. P. (2005). Therapies for children with problems, a handbook for pre-primary and lower primary schools, Vol. 1. Jos: Centre for Learning Disabilities and Audiology.Google Scholar
Owusu-Bempah, J. & Howitt, D. (1995). How Eurocentric psychology damages Africa. The Psychologist: Bulletin of the British Psychological Society (October): 462–465.Google Scholar
Peltzer, K., & Bless, C. (1989). History and present status of professional psychology in Zambia. Psychology and Developing Societies, 1(1), 5164.Google Scholar
Serpell, R. (1993). The significance of schooling: Life-journeys into an African society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sigman, M., Neumann, C., Carter, E., Cattle, D. J., D’Souza, S., & Bwibo, N. (1988). Home interactions and the development of Embu toddlers in Kenya. Child Development, 59, 12511261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokopo, Z. N. (2004). The interactional effects of different assessment policies on the assessment practices of Grade 9 teachers (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa).Google Scholar
Sonke, C. J., Poortinga, Y. P., & De Kuijer, J. H. J. (1999). Cultural differences on cognitive task performance: The influence of task familiarity. In Lonner, W. J., Dinnel, D. L., Forgas, D. K., & Hayes, S. A. (eds.), Merging past, present, and future in cross-cultural psychology (pp. 146158). Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger.Google Scholar
Sternberg, R. J., Grigorenko, E. L., Ngorosho, D., Tantufuye, E., Mbise, A., Nokes, C., Jukes, M., & Bundy, D. A. (2002). Assessing intellectual potential in rural Tanzanian school children. Intelligence, 30(2), 141162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tchombe, T. M. (2011) Cultural strategies for cognitive enrichment in learning among the Bamiléké of West Region of Cameroon. In Nsamenang, A. B. & Tchombe, M. T. (eds.), Handbook of African educational theories and practices: A generative teacher education curriculum (pp. 205216). Bamenda: HDRC.Google Scholar
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education. Paris: UNESCO.Google Scholar
Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2002). Cross-cultural assessment: Value for money. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51(4), 545566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Tanzer, N. K. (2004). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Journal of Applied Psychology, 54(2), 119135.Google Scholar
Vogt, D. S., King, D. W., & King, L. A. (2004). Focus groups in psychological assessment: Enhancing content validity by consulting members of the target population. Psychological Assessment, 16(1), 231234.Google Scholar
Wasterman, D. (2001). The place and function of vernacular in African education. The International Review of Missions 1925. 14. Cited in Kishani, B. T. On the interface of philosophy and language in Africa: Some practical and theoretical considerations. African Studies Review, 44, 2745.Google Scholar
Weisner, C. Bradley, & Kilbride, C. P. (eds.). (1997). African families and the crisis of social change. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.Google Scholar
Wiig, E. H. & Secord, W. A. (1999). Diagnostic speech and language profiler. Experimental Edition. Arlington, TX: Schema Press.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×