Second Edition (Kabc-Ii) – an Explo
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University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh PERFORMANCE OF GHANAIAN SCHOOL CHILDREN ON THE KAUFMAN ASSESSMENT BATTERY FOR CHILDREN – SECOND EDITION (KABC-II) – AN EXPLORATORY VALIDATION STUDY BY DEIRDRE SALLY QUARTEY 10175263 THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE JULY, 2014 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION This is to certify that this thesis is the result of research carried out by Deirdre Sally Quartey under supervision, towards the award of the Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology Degree in the University of Ghana, Legon. ………………………… DEIRDRE SALLY QUARTEY (STUDENT) Date………………………… ………………………… PROF. C. C. MATE-KOLE (PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR) Date……………………….. ………………………… DR. A. ANUM (CO-SUPERVISOR) Date………………………… i . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-second Edition (KABC-II) is a foreign psychological test which is increasingly being employed by practitioners in Ghana in the assessment of intelligence and cognitive abilities in children although it has not been locally normed as yet. Thus, the performance of 90 school children in Ghana aged between 6 and 12 years, whose sociocultural backgrounds may differ considerably from those for whom the KABC-II were normed, was investigated in this study. Children aged between 10 years and 12 years 11months performed significantly better than those aged between 6 years and 7 years 11months on all five subscales but only on two subscales when the former age group was compared to those aged between 8 to 9 years 11 months. Children from private schools performed significantly better than those from public schools on all five subscales. On the global indexes, those from private schools performed better on the FCI than the MPI whereas the converse was true for children in public schools. The findings of the study suggest a suitability of the KABC-II as an assessment tool in Ghana. However, the socioeconomic background of the child being examined must be taken into consideration. ii . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my family. Thank you for loving me. iii . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To God be all the glory for how far He has brought us. My utmost gratitude goes to the Almighty for the His neverending grace and faithfulness towards me. My immense gratitude to my supervisors, Professor C.C. Mate-Kole for being with me every step of the way, and Dr. A. Anum for his unbelievable patience for me. I could never have made it without their help. I also thank all my lecturers at the Department of Psychology for the knowledge they have imparted to me. Next, I acknowledge the Ethical Clearance Board of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), the Greater Accra Regional Dierctoe for the Ghana Education Service, the various heads of schools, consenting parents and guardians and the wonderful school-children who so willingly participated in the study. Of course, I cannot forget ―my friends‖ who assisted me in diverse ways to get this research done. God richly bless you all. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love, support, encouragement and immeasurable sacrifice, just to see me through. I love you. And God bless you for being the ―wind beneath my wings‖. iv . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Page DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Definition of Intelligence .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Concepts of Intelligence ........................................................................................................... 1 1.3 History of Psychological Testing .............................................................................................. 5 1.4 Uses of Psychological tests ..................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 11 1.6 Aims/Objectives of the study: ................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................................................... 13 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 13 2.1 General issues in cognitive testing .......................................................................................... 14 2.2 Cultural issues in cognitive testing ......................................................................................... 18 2.3 Language and intelligence ...................................................................................................... 21 v . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.4 Sex differences in intelligence ................................................................................................ 23 2.5 Socioeconomic status, parental education and intelligence .................................................... 24 2.6 The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children- Second Edition (KABC-II) ....................... 29 2.6.1 Standardization Issues of the KABC-II ............................................................................... 32 2.6.2 Reliability and Validity Issues of the KABC-II ................................................................... 33 2.7 Rationale for the study ............................................................................................................ 35 2.8 Statement of hypotheses ......................................................................................................... 36 2.9 Operational Definitions:.......................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 39 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 39 3.1 Study Population ..................................................................................................................... 39 3.2 Study design ............................................................................................................................ 39 3.3 School selection ...................................................................................................................... 39 3.4 School type.............................................................................................................................. 40 3.5 Sample size and sampling technique ...................................................................................... 40 3.6 Exclusion criteria .................................................................................................................... 42 3.7 Instruments .............................................................................................................................. 42 3.7.1 The Kaufman‘s Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II) .................. 42 3.8 Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 46 3.9 Data Management and Analysis ............................................................................................. 47 vi . University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 48 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 48 4.1 Summary of Key Findings ...................................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 79 DISCUSSION