There have been concerns about poor academic performance among minority groups such as the African Americans and Hispanics. Issues of underrepresentation in standardized tests have emerged. Poor performance in the standardized tests may indicate that the student requires evaluation for stunted growth or learning disability. Minority groups fall victim and are perceived to be gifted or disabled in most cases (Harmon, 2002). This study answers the question of whether intelligence testing contributes to equal intelligence and performance among diverse minority students such as African Americans and Hispanics in comparison to whites. This paper describes the concept of multiculturalism and diversity with the application of psychology.
Do standardized tests contribute to equal intelligence testing and performance linguistically diverse students like African American or Hispanic American origin affects student when compared to dominant races like the whites?
Standardized test results reveal that whites score better than their African American or Hispanic counterparts do. Psychologists explain the achievement gap in standardized tests results from bias or unfairness based on racial grounds despite the notion that race is not a factor that influences performance in standardized tests. There is a proposition that the difference in performance may be a reflection of ethnicity or lack of ample time for studying. The most likely assumption for poor performance is that the student spent less time studying and lacks personal responsibility. Ethnic minority students are usually exposed to negative perceptions about their abilities, making them undermine the significance of education (Boykin, 1986). There is emphasis on test performance rather than the test bias, which is a reflection of inequality in the society. Fair testing would put into consideration the cultural setting of education, thus accommodating all students undertaking the test. This action would ensure validity and reliability of the tests (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, " National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999).
Toxic messages about a student’s ability can make the student develop individual protective strategies that make them less privileged due to their self-concept (Howells, 2014). Stigmatized minority groups perform poorly in academics compared to non-stigmatized groups (Johnsten, 2014). Minority learners experience unequal treatment, expectations and have fewer resources within their reach. Resultantly, the minorities lack the motivation for schooling as they question the essence of credentials or going through standardized tests. Counterarguments are that recently migrated minority groups do not experience similar challenges. There exists stereotyping about the value of schooling.
Psychology attests that an individual has a stronger attachment to their culture than their surroundings (Lakin, 2012). However, the environment may initiate change in the individual. A white dominated education system may adapt to a culture of injustices on the minority. Discrimination has an impact on the psychology of the target. Nevertheless, schooling is believed to offer choices where the individual may decide to succumb or not to side with negative beliefs about them. Culturally defined testing is not advisable.
Self-esteem is intertwined with the individual’s environment and plays a major role in the effects of prejudice on the targets. The minority students are said to be victims of inferiority complex and self-hatred. The feelings of inferiority are geared by membership in underprivileged groups (He " Yu, 2017). For instance, African American children would prefer white dolls while the white children find the black dolls to be less admirable or dirty in comparison to the white dolls. Despite, educational segregation being a criminal activity, minorities keep undergoing prejudice and receiving negative feedback about their educational abilities (Walker, Spohn, " DeLone, 2012). The minority groups internalize the negative stereotypes targeted towards them, thus affecting their self-concept.
People derive their self-esteem from group membership or accomplishments. A student that misidentifies with academics is not a proud associate of education. A person prides in a group that maximizes their ego (Wiley, 2014). The repercussions are reflected through standardized test developers and managers that influence where students would end up educationally and career-wise. However, African American students are not always victims of self- esteem (Worrell " Erwin, 2011). Studies reveal that African American students have stronger self–esteem in comparison to whites. This notion applies because individuals manage and protect the perception of self. For instance, an African American student that receives a negative comment about their failed examination results may take it towards their advantage or shortcoming.
On the contrary, the civil rights movement attributes racial prejudice to the many negative outcomes experienced by Hispanics and African Americans. The validity of tests goes unquestioned with the effects of bias. The assumption in tests is usually that white students are more competent than blacks are (Sharma, 2011). However, this logic does not hold since research proves that the psychological interpersonal environment for both whites and minority students is different. Standardized test developers have the challenge to reform the testing to avoid bias situations (Johnsen, 2004). Test bias is common with overprediction of results.
Social background as well may influence performance in test results. Whereas a student that comes from an achievement-oriented family is likely to outshine academically, psychology plays a role when it comes to self-concept. The targets of discrimination end up in mistrust while they had expectations of receiving fair treatment or being accepted as members of a certain group (Hogan " Hathcote, 2013). Race-conscious admissions and options have triggered protests across educational institutions. Issues of identity and belongingness continually become a notion of the student, as they should have no connection to negative stereotype whatsoever or feelings of inferior ability. Psychologists are of the view that mistreatment, exclusion or discrimination result in increased anxiety and awareness of the individual making them vulnerable to recurrence of the scenario in future. Rejection sensitivity applies to both African American and Hispanic students.
Minority students undergo psychological changes due to their anticipation for threat or discrimination. The psychological theories of attachment and interpersonal relationships apply to the minority students. Perceived discrimination by the student results in negative cognitive as well as effective reactions. The individual is prone to psychological stress, mistrust, and insecurity. Within an educational setting, race-based rejection is linked to the student inability to concentrate on educational goals. The students are likely to have anxiety in their relationship with professors, reduced attendance and a negative self-concept on academics. On the other hand, students that are less worried about bias achieve highly in academics. Psychologists propose that a positive educational environment that values every student’s race or identity is fostered (Culp " Schmidlein, 2012). Race-based rejection has a direct relationship to self-esteem of the learners.
Standardized tests may either be overpredicted or underpredicted. Tests should undergo research to determine their validity or reliability. Educational outcomes would be difficult to determine in an environment dominated by the concerns for acceptance, belonging or valuation. In such a setting, bias overrides the educational enterprise (Gentry, 2009). Standardized tests may underpredict the academic performance of minority group students. However, research shows that the underestimated performance of marginalized education groups may be more as a result of threatening context of the test administration other than the test bias. Consequently, there is a need for the review of stakeholders in standardized test administration. Policymakers regard standardized tests as indicators of intellectual ability. The framework of standardized tests cuts across the negative African American and Hispanic students end up discouraged from engagement or participation in the standardized tests.
Psychological research attests that intellect relies on the beliefs of the individual. Beliefs result in action and are related to the culture or surrounding of the individual. Beliefs are amendable through educational institutions. One group of psychologists are of the view that intellectual ability can be changed through working hard in school while others perceive intelligence to be a fixed entity. Individuals that believe intellect is a fixed entity work to prove their intellectual ability. The performance objective is that of intelligence. Upon failure in the test, the person is seen as not being smart. Such individuals avoid difficult learning ventures for fear of the perception that they are not smart (Gersten, Brengelman, " Jiménez, 2017). On the contrary, psychologists that believe intelligence is grown have a different approach towards schooling. Schooling would mean an exposure to resources not yet mastered. The students are more interested in learning than in the performance in standardized tests. Intelligence beliefs may contribute to the performance gaps in testing.
African American and Hispanic students focus more on performance than learning. A large component of negative stereotyping among ethnic minority learners is the inferiority in intellectual capabilities. Educational outcomes are related to intelligence stereotyping. Intervention seeks to change the minority student concept of intelligence. African American students are made to believe that intelligence is grown and cultivated. A reaffirmation of the student intelligence worked positively to the student performance in education (Hosten, 2014). Minority students are less viewed as incapable. The African American and Hispanic students are in more control of their academics and portray an increased level of achievement and enjoyment. Negative ability perceptions derive their power to hinder academic performance or motivation for learning due to their implication of threat and false perception of intelligence as a fixed motion. A perception of fixed intelligence widens the performance gaps in standardized tests among minority groups.
A research on standardized tests in education is necessary. However, the performance gaps may be as a result of social bias or threatening context as opposed to the test bias (Johnson, Yerrick, " Kearney, 2014). However, this does not exempt standardized test administration from taking the blame in the performance gap among Hispanic and African American students as opposed to whites. Both bias and standardized tests contribute to the toxic educational environment. A second proposal for the standardized tests would be funding by the government to implement structural changes to the testing procedures. An overemphasis on cognitive ability and aptitude leads to stereotyping by the students. Tests should be renamed based on research to counteract the stereotypes. Indexes showing performance should avoid categorizing performance based on student minority membership belonging. This strategy implies working out bias-free outcomes. This method would be an effective application of research on the standardized test results and the performance gaps thereof. Additionally, other than correcting test bias, teachers should focus on practice that indicate performance without evidence of ethnic or group affiliations (Skiba et al., 2008). Another effective structural change would be instilling the belief that intellect is a malleable entity. Moreover, the curriculum should not overstretch the significance of aptitude tests at the expense of learning. Education outcomes should take on a trajectory from where the student is monitored from elementary level to the university. Organizations as well should increase the representation of minority groups to avoid underrepresentation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there have been concerns about the poor performance in standardized tests among minority groups such as the African American and Hispanics. Standardized test results reveal that whites score better than their African American or Hispanic counterparts. Psychologists explain the achievement gap in standardized tests as a result of bias. Fair testing would put into consideration the cultural setting of education thus accommodating all students undertaking the test. Toxic messages about a student’s ability can make the student develop individual protective strategies that make them less privileged due to their self-concept. Minority students undergo psychological changes due to their anticipation for threat or discrimination. Both bias and standardized tests contribute to the toxic educational environment. Indexes showing performance should avoid categorizing performance based on student minority membership belonging .Other than correcting test bias, teachers should focus on practices that indicate performance without evidence of ethnic or group differences. Additionally, employment Organizations as well should increase the representation of minority groups to avoid underrepresentation
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