MENTAL TESTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 75, 28 March 1924, Page 8

MENTAL TESTS.

I (To the Editor.) i iSir, —As one who takes some little interest in educational methods, I was ! more than gratified to notice your tren- [ chant leader and Professor W. Anderson's . able article concerning tr* educational , dangers attached to the above tests. To mc they appear to be of little value as a igauge. to any pupil's common intellij genee. When I heard that tlvess tests were ibeing given in the local school. 1 inline- ' diatelv took an interest in this subject ' that I had heard something about but had never seen. 1 procured the test questions. Went <lirotiph them myself with good results. Why? Because T had ■been well-grounded in my early days in Latin and French, which are great helps j, to understanding dictionary meanings, combined with a cyclopaedic mind, again t thanks to my early training: yet I would ji defy men with far greater natural intelli--3 gence than mine, through want of this r J training, to answer many of these quesa'tions successfully. The next thing I did H was to take, a lad. who has the name of [! reasoning everything out, and must know 3'the ins and outs of everything, to find l |out the questions lie did and did not . answer. His answers were illuminating, and rapid in thought, and ran after this ! style. "Yes. No. 1 do not know. Was not quite sure so left it blank. Never t saw that word before and did not know r the meaning of it. (There were many J such.) Yes, I made a mistake there, j but it was too late to rcci ; . '..'' and so > forth. This boy was rather low down on •|the list, but lie answered ti's paper 1 intelligently and honestly. ■ i> h is far more important than if he scored the i highest marks by playing "the answer- > guessing method' , with his examination t paper. I made further inquiries, and - found out that this trick was resorted to by other scholars. In such examinations, especially when it comes to a "Yes" or "So," and a "same"' or "opposite," and similar replies, the trick of putting down one or the other word to thu question must of necessity .score a high percentage of right answers that to the average man who reasons would never be registered. ' J see by your leader that Mr. Parr is out to bent a record. 1 trust that his record will not be allowed to go foward out of this country, i.e.. "That we are the first country to adopt 'the Terman group tests of mental ability in all post-primary schools throughout the Dominion." the statistics of which would bo absolutely , worthless even to us who only know the rudiment-s of psychic analysis. This record, if it went forward, would reemphasise the late Lord Bryce's statement about this country: "New Zealand is ruled by third-rate politicians." It is imperative that we should not teach our school children to become third-rate j politicians by encouraging blase teachers Ito turn out apparently clever youngsters 'by instructing their, pupils in "the answer-guessing" method of brilliantly passing "the Terman group test of mental ability," whilst the more capable and : honest teachers leave disgusted to go into other walks of life. We cannot afford to lose our better teachers. Education is nothing unless it shows a permanent result leading to tho holier life and first-class politicians, whose aim is "social service." —I am, etc.. ALFRED C.REGORY. I Darsaville, March 25, 1924. ' ..'To tJie Kditor.) Sir, —It is very saddening, to read a leading article sucli as the one on . "Mental Tests," which appeared in your excellent paper just recently. Such a fierce attack, I think, sir, was quite j unwarranted. Perhaps it was still more i saddening to read Professor Anderson's (attack in the same issue. In attempting .i to defend the tests I feel like David .'attacking Goliath, and would rather ] that abler pens did the work. I am not sure to what extent the tests are to be used in the Secondary , i Schools but I feel fairly safe in saying l that they will be used to make an j early selection of the brighter pupils so that they may work at a faster rate than those less bright. (Be it noted that practically few of intelligence below i normal will be found in the secondary j schools.) It is beyond mc to understand how this simple and effective method of grading is "dealing out a life sentence" to pupils. Under any system the slower pupil knows there are brighter pupils than himself in his class but he possibly consoles himself with the thought that he doesn't stand alone. The professor seems illogical when he says that the present examination system supplies a necessary "human and adequate thing,3 and then in the same breath, "mental tests are but examinations, mistaken for something else." There is something in the latter statement however—to an extent the tests do seem tests of information gathered and then largely of observation. How are we to measure intellij gence however, and especially the intelligence that will enable the child to profit by his school course as strictly I laid down in the syllabus? We cannot / measure electricity except by its effects. lls it not somewhat similar with ("intelligence , '? After all. all we teachers desire to know is roughly the capacity of our pivpils. What we must teach we must teach or look out for consequences. Is it not better to arrange our classes in groups of varying ability (surely no one doubts the varying ability) rather than try to force them all into j i one mould. Examinations have been of great service and are still. I believe ; they will not be entirely displaced: but] ;we teachers know that a, much heti ■-; gauge of the pupils' ability is to i ? i found in group like the Korthnm- J berland test? and individual tests like [the revised Biriet-Simon 'osts. J I could quote you a large number of I striking examples of the accuracy and ' usefulness of the tests from my own ;experience, but space will not permit. j I will say, however, that they help us lin two ways. (1 ) Preventing the undue •"pushing" of pupils of low intelligence quotients. (2) Encouraging the rapid promotion of pupils who have high intelligence quotients. In the for.aer case one realises definitely that the pupil cannot progress at the normal rate. In the latter the risk of fiutting a child from nay Standard IV. to Standard VI. would not often be taken if it were not for the assurance given ] by the rest that the pupil has the! innate ability ' 111 dosing I would like to -ay that! in s>pite of all that ha* been said*to the contrary it is surprising how accurate a measure of intelligence is given by ; the application of these tests. —I am '.etc., E. G. CODDINGTON.