TOPIC:  ASSESSMENT: The Power and Potential of Psychological Testing, Educational Measurement, and Program Evaluation Around the World

Assigned Reading/s: CHAPTER 2, pp. 37 - 58 [Shealy, Bullock, & Kapadia (Eds.) (2023)]

Supplementary Materials:

ARTICLE: Global and regional perspectives on testing children: An Empirical Study
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1080/00207599108246857

The results of an international survey of test use in 44 countries are reported. Data are presented and discussed for six groupings: highly industrialised, less industrialised Western, developing Third World, socialist, Middle East, and least developed nations. A total of 740 tests were identified. A number of similarities exist among the six groupings in their test use. Intelligence tests are most commonly used followed by personality and achievement tests. Important differences also exist. For example, the developing Third World and Middle East nations use more group than individually administered tests and fewer achievement tests. Many tests lack reliability and validity studies and norms. Additional tests are needed to assess achievement, intelligence, social development, personality, and vocational interests and aptitudes. Tests are especially needed for children and youth who are learning disabled, mentally retarded, and slow learners. Problems created by these conditions and implications of the frequent use of foreign developed tests are discussed.

ARTICLE: Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) Psychology: Measuring and Mapping Scales of Cultural and Psychological Distance

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797620916782

In this article, we present a tool and a method for measuring the psychological and cultural distance between societies and creating a distance scale with any population as the point of comparison. Because psychological data are dominated by samples drawn from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) nations, and overwhelmingly, the United States, we focused on distance from the United States. We also present distance from China, the country with the largest population and second largest economy, which is a common cultural comparison. We applied the fixation index (F_ST), a meaningful statistic in evolutionary theory, to the World Values Survey of cultural beliefs and behaviors. As the extreme WEIRDness of the literature begins to dissolve, our tool will become more useful for designing, planning, and justifying a wide range of comparative psychological projects. Our code and accompanying online application allow for comparisons between any two countries. Analyses of regional diversity reveal the relative homogeneity of the United States. Cultural distance predicts various psychological outcomes.

ARTICLE: Top ten standardized tests used internationally with children and youth by school psychologists in 64 countries: A 24-year follow-up study

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0734282915595303

This article provides a 24-year update on the 10 standardized tests used most frequently with children and youth by school psychologists. Data were acquired from 64 countries through an international survey, with one respondent from each country. The informants were solicited due to their expertise in the area of assessment. The data from the current 2013 survey are described and discussed as well as contrasted with the 1989 survey data. The 2013 survey data led to the following rank order of tests based on data from the 64 countries: the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, Ravens Progressive Matrices, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence, Child Behavior Checklist, Bender–Gestalt Test, Child and Adult Apperception Tests, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Draw-a-Person Test, Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales. Survey data from advanced, developing, and emerging counties also are compared and discussed. Results are discussed in the broader context of international test development and use.

BOOK: The ITC International Handbook of testing and assessment
https://academic.oup.com/book/1027

Embedded within the globalization movement, the internationalization of testing and assessment has encouraged scholars, professionals, and practitioners to work together to enhance our research and practice in the cross-cultural context. The International Test Commission (ITC) was formed to serve this need. The ITC seeks to facilitate the exchange of information among members and stimulate cooperation on problems related to the construction, distribution, and use of psychological tests and other psycho-diagnostic tools. The ITC has also sought to advance knowledge and best practices related to international testing by the publication of guidelines and of a journal, the International Journal of Testing. Consistent with these aims, the executive council of the ITC decided to launch a Handbook to present a state-of-the-art review on international testing. The ITC International Handbook of Testing and Assessment has been published to address the many challenges facing the cross-cultural applications of psychological and educational testing in this era of globalization. It also represents and showcases the concerted efforts of the ITC in tackling the wide range of problems and complexities in international psychological testing. Finally, the Handbook has been designed to provide information and resources to help guide professionals and graduate students regarding testing and assessment from an international and global perspective.

BOOK: Clinical Assessment in International Settings

https://academic.oup.com/book/1027/chapter-abstract/137929813?redirectedFrom=fulltext

The adaptation of psychological tests that were developed in one language and country into a different language and culture is expanding in contemporary international psychological assessment. This chapter addresses the need for psychological tests to be carefully developed in order to be effectively employed in cultures and languages different from their country of origin. Before a psychological test, based upon item content from the initial culture, can be adapted in other cultures, it is important to assure that linguistic equivalence has been attained through effective translation and adaptation procedures. Several psychometric procedures that are crucial to developing effective test adaptation are provided in this chapter, such as the strategy of using multiple translations to ensure general accuracy, doing a careful back-translation study, conducting a bilingual test-retest evaluation of translated items and scales to further ensure translation accuracy, developing appropriate in-country norms, and conducting external validation of tests.

BOOK: Assessment: The power and potential of psychological testing, educational measurement, and program evaluation around the world.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-04288-003

Assessment is a broad, globally relevant, and much-needed area of inquiry and practice—with tremendous power and potential. Psychologists are leaders and experts in assessment, with specialized knowledge in research design; statistics; and, of course, psychological testing, measurement, and evaluation. This chapter discusses assessment broadly, focusing on its centrality to psychology and research. It also discusses contemporary national assessment practices considering the "big four" specialties: clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/organizational psychology. The chapter presents basic competencies, including what applied psychologists do in the United States. It discusses three important international assessment topics: psychological testing, educational measurement, and program evaluation. The chapter explains cross-cultural issues in assessment, including test translation and adaptation. It highlights challenges, opportunities, and cutting-edge exemplars, including therapeutic assessment, formative educational testing and item development, and transformative program evaluation. The chapter offers practical suggestions for developing global assessment competencies and participating in the international assessment community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

BOOK CHAPTER: Positive Psychological Assessment in an Increasingly Diverse World.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-02181-003

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss our capacity to assess positive characteristics of individuals from all populations and to examine the interpretation and generalizability of these findings from one culture to another. Specifically, we will review the history of cross-cultural psychological assessment, issues related to cross-cultural measurement, and the applications of positive psychological constructs across cultures. Finally, we will describe a model for positive psychological assessment with cross-cultural populations and provide recommendations for future developments in the assessment of positive psychological constructs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

DOCUMENT: Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists Book 2: Engaging in International Collaborative Research

https://www.apa.org/international/resources/publications/research.pdf

The goal of this booklet is to provide an introductory guide for U.S. based psychologists, graduate students and early career psychologists interested in pursuing international research opportunities. It is written to help span the gap between knowledge of sound research practices, knowledge of local ethical and regulatory processes, and the application of that knowledge in international collaborative research.

WEBPAGE: The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing

https://www.testingstandards.net/open-access-files.html

 

The Testing Standards is a joint product of the  American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). Published collaboratively by the three organizations since 1966, it represents the gold standard in guidance on testing in the United States and many other parts of the world.