Assessment in multicultural groups: The South African case

Abstract

It is argued that the 1998 Employment Equity Act, in which the onus of the proof to demonstrate the adequacy of psychometric instruments is on psychology as a profession, creates daunting tasks, but also creates unique opportunities. Recent developments in the assessment of multicultural groups are described, with an emphasis on procedures to enhance the validity of measures for all groups involved and on procedures to examine validity. Bias and equivalence are treated as key concepts in multicultural assessment. Four kinds of procedures for dealing with multicultural assessment (namely, establishing equivalence of existing instruments, defining new norms, developing new instruments, and studying validity-threatening factors in multicultural assessment) are described and illustrated.

Opsomming
Daar word geredeneer dat die Wet op Billike Indiensneming, 1998, waarvolgens die onus om die geskiktheid van psigometriese instrumente te bewys na psigologie as professie verskuif, nie net oorweldigende take nie maar ook unieke geleenthede skep. Onlangse ontwikkelings rakende die evaluering van multikulturele groepe word beskryf, met die klem op prosedures om die geldigheid van metings vir alle groepe te verhoog en op prosedures om hierdie geldigheid te ondersoek. Sydigheid en ekwivalensie word as sleutelkonsepte in multikulturele evaluering behandel. Vier soorte prosedures om multikulturele evaluering te hanteer (te wete bepaling van die ekwivalensie van bestaande instrumente, definiëring van nuwe norme, ontwikkeling van nuwe instrumente en ‘n studie van faktore wat die geldigheid van multikulturele evaluering bedreig) word beskryf en geïllustreer.