Skylar’s Self Reflection Essay:
Things I did right:
On the video I show strengths in a couple of things. I did not provide as much
encouragement & cheerleading as mentioned in my earlier video feedback. I know that I used to
give a lot of affirmation cues like “good job”, but I took the feedback to heart and really tried to
control how I presented myself to the student. I also tended to give away more affirmative
non-verbal cues, as well. Examples include nodding my head or smiling.
With this final, I feel as though I have gotten a lot better at that; I feel as though I can sit there
more stoically to better keep up with the norms of this test.
I also was able to self-correct within a few seconds of my mistakes. Examples of this
include: accidentally named the wrong shell in Test 1: Atlantis, and accidentally taking a triangle
away on Test 12: Triangles. Within both subtests I was able to quickly (within a matter of
seconds) realized my mistake, apologize and correct the mistake, and not affected the subtest
enough to invalidate the overall results. I am proud of my more intimate knowledge of the test, to
be able to quickly identify and correct the mistakes.
Did I have any significant mistakes?
No, nothing in the administration of the KABC would indicate any errors significant
enough to warrant the entire test invalid. An error in counting was reported on Test 14: Word
Order, but after going back over the numbers, I was right with the original number.
Small errors/things to consider are: also recording the incorrect responses (in addition to
the correct responses) so that we know what the examinee was thinking during the test. This
happened on Test 16: Hand Movements and Test 5: Number Recall. I should also remember to
slow down when reciting numbers orally, and to work on not subconsciously chunking the
numbers together.
What would I do differently next time?
Next time I would check the test kit’s in the classroom when I first receive them to make
sure I have all of the pieces I need. Dr. Beeler made a good point about improvisation in the field
and being prepared for whatever you may encounter. I realize that even though the replacement
pieces look the same, it is still not within the norms created for this test.
Under normal circumstances I would have taken my participant to the library and rented a
room, however that was not possible during a global medical pandemic. Seeking a quiet place
became quite an adventure. If I were to do this differently, I would first respectfully check with
the host family to see if they have the ability to leave (no underlying conditions), and then set up
in a living room (after I disinfected myself). My participants family does have medical
conditions that put them more at risk to catch the coronavirus, however they were gracious
enough to go outside for a bit, then upstairs, while I administered my test. I made sure to
thoroughly disinfect everything after I left, as well. Before redoing the final, my first
administration of the KABC was outside and at one point I was fighting the wind. Checking the
weather forecast could have been helpful, as well.
What have I learned this semester about IQ Tests? What am I most interested in learning more
about?
This semester has taught me how to be creative and flexible in administering the different
types of intelligence tests. I feel as though the experience of testing every age group has given
me a taste of the real-world, and the potential difficulties I might face within every age group.
For example, five year olds are notorious for not sitting still, while some older adults ask a lot of
questions even after hearing the directions multiple times. I also actually enjoyed learning
everything again, not so much the WISC, because I was able to get a deeper understanding about
the various theories of intelligence and the application for them.
I am most interested in learning about the updated versions of the standardized tests; in
terms of what all will be included on the new tests and the normative populations sampled. In
reading the introductory pages of the KABC technical manual, the talk of diversification in
education, in contrast to tests made in earlier time periods, fascinated me; especially in relation
to race, gender, the further stratification of income levels, technology & screen time,
legal/resident status, and sex. No matter how hard you try, all of these tests will always play
catch up to our rapidly changing society and education system. An example of this would be the
global pandemic we are currently in now. With primary schools being unprecedentedly closed
for months, and the sole reliance on online education, there was a huge learning gap created that
is affecting a surprisingly large group of people; and not just people of lower socioeconomic
status. Children with multiple siblings (a limited number of devices and potential limit on
internet capacity, especially if the parent is also working from home), parents who may have a
specific learning disability themselves and are trying their best (teachers can only help so many),
and children with Emotional Disturbance such as Conduct Disorder (controlling and motivating a
child to even attend school). I am eager to see what the meta research says about this break in
regular education programming.