Investigation of the quality of the test items on the performance scale of the isiZulu translated version of the junior South African intelligence scale -GIQ8

M.Ed. (Education)South Africa is a diverse and multicultural country that provides an environment in which children are able to grow, learn and develop. However, this very same environment has challenges of its own especially when it comes to learning. This is due to issues and concerns surrounding the current education system as a whole. It is therefore important to address these challenges as early as possible in order to provide children with an opportunity to reach their potential and to help them become valuable citizens of tomorrow. Psychological testing is one way of addressing such challenges as it aids with the deeper understanding of individual’s area of development and strengths in order to be able to make informed decisions about appropriate interventions support and recommendations. Due to the dynamic nature of the South African country, psychological testing is faced with challenges of its own ranging from the unavailability of tests that are culturally sensitive, the high costs of inventing such tests to the lack of qualified professionals to administer those tests. This study therefore is a milestone towards addressing such challenges by implementing a localized solution to a local problem (Bergman, 2009), at an affordable cost. An exploratory quantitative design was adopted to investigate the quality of the test items on the isiZulu and seSotho translated version of the Junior South African Intelligence Scale (JSAIS) which is one of the few instruments currently available in the country to measure the intelligence of 7-11 year olds. My focus was on the isiZulu version. The translation aimed at addressing the language barrier in the measurement of intelligence or cognitive abilities. Grade 1 learners were assessed at a school in Soweto and the results quantitatively analysed using a Rasch Model of analysis. The subtests looked at were firstly Absurdities A and B which measured the learners’ ability to judge the correctness of the units of figural information and to notice absurdities in the visual material. Secondly, the Form Board subtest was looked at which measured the ability to perceive forms with insight, that is; the cognition of figural transformations. The findings of the study indicated that the quality of the items on the isiZulu translated version of the JSAIS-GIQ8 was generally good with of course exception of a few that need to be either revised or eliminated in order for us to obtain a test that is not culturally biased. The findings further suggested that cultural context and exposure play a role on the ability of the learners to judge the correctness of the figural information. However, the quality of the items on this particular version did not indicate any significant changes that had to be made with the items on these subtests. Moreover, I recommend further research to address the few items considered unfit for the instrument