Reducing bias in psychometric assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students from refugee backgrounds in Australian schools: A process approach

Australian Psychologist

Volumn 44, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 16-26

  Fraine, Nicole ^a   McDade, Rossana ^a  

^a Brisbane Catholic Education   (Australia)

Author keywords

Cultural diversity; Intellectual disability; Mental health; Psychological assessment; Refugees; School

Indexed keywords

EID: 60649085164     PISSN: 00050067     EISSN: 17429544     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00050060802582026     Document Type: Article

References (55)

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: Author.
2. Anderson, T. M., Sachdev, P. S., Brodaty, H., Trollor, J. N., & Andrews, G. (2007). Effects of sociodemographic and health variables on Mini-Mental State Exam scores in older Australians. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15, 467.
3. Ardila, A. (2005). Cultural values underlying psychometric cognitive testing. Neuropsychology Review, 15, 185-195.
4. Ardila, A., & Moreno, S. (2001). Neuropsychological test performance in Aruaco Indians: An exploratory study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7, 510-515.
5. Arnold, B. R., & Matus, Y. E. (2000). Test translation and cultural equivalence methodologies for use with diverse populations. In I. Cuellar, & F. A. Paniagua (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural mental health: Assessment and treatment of diverse populations (pp. 121-136). San Diego: Academic Press.
6. Artiola i Fortuny, L., & Mullaney, H. A. (1998). The ethical neuropsychologist. Assessing patients whose language you do not know: Can the absurd be ethical? Clinical Neuropsychologist, 12, 113-126.
7. Baca, L., & Cervantes, H. (1978). The assessment of minority students: Are adaptive behaviour scales the answer? Psychology in the Schools, 15, 336-380.
8. Berman, J. (2007). Using dynamic assessment in school psychology. In Psych, 29(4), 17.
9. Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Segall, M. H., & Dasen, P. R. (1992). Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press.
10. Bracken, B. A., & McCallum, R. S. (1998). Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test. Itasca, IL: Riverside.
11. Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) (2009). Support processes for the assistance and assessment of students from refugee backgrounds. Unpublished document.
12. Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) (2008). Support Process for Assisting and Assessing Students from Refugee Backgrounds (SPAASRB) in Brisbane Catholic Education Schools. Brisbane: Author.
13. Brough, M., Gorman, D., Ramirez, E., & Westoby, P. (2003). Young refugees talk about well-being: A qualitative analysis of refugee youth mental health from three states. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 38(2), 193-208.
14. Bryant, B. R., Taylor, R., & Rivera, D. (1996). Assessment of adaptive areas. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
15. Collier, C., & Hoover, J. (1987). Social-cultural considerations when referring minority children for learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Focus, 3, 39-45.
16. Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment and pedagogy. San Diego: College Hill.
17. Department of Education, Employment and Training, Victoria (2000). First language assessment tasks. Melbourne: Community Information Service, Department of Education, Employment and Training.
18. Dugbartey, A. T., Sanchez, P. N., Rosenbaum, J. G., Mahurin, R. K., Davis, M., & Townes, B. D. (1999). WAIS-III matrix reasoning test performance in a mixed clinical sample. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 13, 396-404.
19. Eber, L., Sugai, G., Smith, C. R., & Scott, T. M. (2002). Wraparound and positive behavioural interventions and supports in the schools. Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, 10, 171-180.
20. Flanagan, D., & Ortiz, S. (2001). Essentials of cross battery assessment. New York: Wiley.
21. Fraine, N., & McDade, R. (2008). Disability or difference: Holistic assessment of EAL refugee students. Paper presented at the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit Conference, Issues in Cross-Cultural Psychological Assessment: Enhancing practice with migrants, refugees and indigenous peoples. Melbourne, Australia.
22. Garcia, S. B., & Ortiz, A. A. (1988). Preventing inappropriate referrals of language minority students to special education. Occasional Papers on Bilingual Education. New York: National Clearing House for Bilingual Education.
23. Greenfield, P. M. (1997). You can't take it with you: Why ability assessments don't cross cultures. American Psychologist, 52, 1115-1124.
24. Hammill, D. D., Pearson, N. A., & Wiederholt, J. L. (1996). Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
25. Harrison, P. L., & Oakland, T. (2003). Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (2nd ed). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
26. Klingner, J. & Edwards, P. A. (2006). Cultural considerations with response to intervention models. Reading Research Quarterly, 41, 108-117.
27. Knotek, S. (2003). Bias in problem solving and the social process of student study teams: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Special Education, 37, 2-14.
28. Krashen, S. D., & Terrell, T. D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
29. McKay, P., Hudson, C., & Sapuppo, M. (1994). ESL bandscales in NLLIA ESL development: Language and literacy in schools. Canberra: National Language and Literacy Institute of Australia.
30. Miletic, T., Piu, M., Minas, H., Stankovska, M., Stolk, Y., & Klimidis, S. (2006). Guidelines for working effectively with interpreters in mental health settings. Melbourne: Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit.
31. Nell, V. (2000). Cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment: Theory and practice. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
32. Ochoa, S. H., Robles-Pina, R., Garcia, S. B., & Breunig, N. (1999). School pyschologists' perspectives on referrals of language minority students. Multiple Voices for Ethically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 3, 1-14.
33. Oregon Department of Education Office of Special Education (ODEOSE) (2001). Special Education Assessment Process for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Guidelines and resources for the Oregon Department of Education. Salem, MA: Education Evaluation Center, Western Oregon University.
34. Poppitt, G., & Frey, R. (2007). Sudanese adolescent refugees: Acculturation and acculturative stress. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 17, 160-181.
35. Queensland Program for the Assistance of Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) (2007). Students from refugee and displaced backgrounds: Handbook for schools. Brisbane: QPASTT.
36. Raven, J. C. (1992). Raven manual: Standard progressive matrices. Oxford: Oxford Psychologists Press.
37. Rhodes, R., Ochoa, S., & Ortiz, S. (2005). Assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students: A practical guide. New York: Guilford Press.
38. Rosselli, M., & Ardila, A. (2003). The impact of culture and education on non-verbal neuropsychological measurements: A critical review. Brain and Cognition, 52, 326-333.
39. Rutter, J. (2001). Supporting refugee children in 21st century Britain: A compendium of essential information. Oakhill, UK: Trentham Books.
40. Sattler, J. M. (1992). Assessment of children. San Diego, CA: Author.
41. Shakespeare-Finch, J., & Wickham, K. (in press). Adaptation of Sudanese refugees in an Australian context: Investigating helps and hindrances. International Migration.
42. Shuttleworth-Edwards, A. B., Kemp, R. D., Rust, A. L., Muirhead, J. G. L., Hartman, N. P., & Radloff, S. E. (2004). Cross-cultural effects on IQ test performance: A review and preliminary normative indications on WAIS-III test performance. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychobgy, 26, 903-920.
43. St Brendan's Catholic Primary School, Moorooka (2007). Welcome to primary school: An orientation pack for primary schools to welcome families from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Brisbane: SpeakOut.
44. Sternberg, R. J. (2007). Culture, instruction, and assessment. Comparative Education, 43, 5-22.
45. Taylor, S. (in press). Schooling and the settlement of refugee young people in Queensland: '...the challenges are massive'. Social Alternatives.
46. Thomas, W., & Collier, V. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. Resource collection series (9). Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
47. Valencia, R., & Suzuki, L. (2001). Intelligence testing and minority students: Foundations, performance factors, and assessment issues. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
48. Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) (2005). Education and refugee students from Southern Sudan. Melbourne: Author.
49. Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) (2007). School's in for refugees: Whole-school guide to refugee readiness. Melbourne: Author.
50. Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition. San Antonio, NY: Psychological Corporation.
51. Wechsler, D., & Naglieri, J. A. (2006). Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability. New York: Psychological Corporation.
52. Whitelaw, S. (2008). Issues in the intellectual assessment of newly arrived populations in schools. Paper presented at the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit Conference, Issues in Cross-Cultural Psychological Assessment: Enhancing practice with migrants, refugees & indigenous peoples. Melbourne, Australia.
53. Ysseldyke, J., Burns, M., Dawson, P., Kelley, B., Morrison, D., Ortiz, S., et al. (2006). School psychology: A blueprint for training and practice III. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
54. Ysseldyke, J., Dawson, P., Lehr, C, Reschly, D., Reynolds, M., & Telzrow, C. (1997). School psychology: A blueprint for training and practice II. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
55. Znoj, H. J. (2005). International perspectives on posttraumatic growth: PTG from a European perspective. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.