Faculty of Education Competitive Grants

Project Title: Appropriateness of cognitive ability tests for non-English speaking background students

Chief Investigators: Ms Amanda Thomas, Ms Masa Pavlovic and Dr Esther Care

Funded by: 2007 Faculty of Education Competitive Grant

Project Summary: This project will investigate the appropriateness of three commonly used tests of intelligence for prep students from non-English speaking backgrounds. Many traditional intelligence tests are dependent on knowledge of the English language, and thus, may not be valid tools for assessing students with limited English proficiency. By implementing assessments that focus on both verbal and non-verbal IQ, we intend to identify how well these measures discriminate between prep students from English and non-English speaking backgrounds, and to what extent student achievement is constrained by English language knowledge, rather than actual cognitive ability. Results are intended to assist teachers in incorporating appropriate assessment methods into their teaching programs, as well as assisting in planning teaching strategies for students of varying levels of cognitive ability.