Cultural Issues in Standardized Tests: Analysis of the Latino and Hispanic Examinees

Introduction

Since the introduction of standardized aptitude tests to mainstream testing in most parts of the English-speaking world, there have been issues about the poor performance of racially and linguistically diverse students. The students that are always in the spotlight for either poor performance or a range of other negative attitudes concerning these tests are mainly Latino and Hispanic examinees. In addition to their under-representation in these standardized aptitude tests, these students above face a lot of other significant challenges that impact their performance in comparison to other students. Standardized aptitude tests are highly significant in the placement of students to institutions of higher learning, and therefore, it is imperative that test-takers perform to the best of their ability. The poor performance of most Latino and Hispanic students, therefore, poses a significant threat to their future and especially those that would like to pursue a career that is big on formal education (Hambleton & Zaal, 2013).

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Additionally, the poor performance also affects the validity and reliability of the tests in a variety of ways. For one, these tests are not suited for these students and therefore, are a disservice to them in comparison to students of other races like Caucasians. Secondly, these tests cannot be an accurate measure of intelligence because of the bias present and hence, are not a reliable means of testing intelligence. The paper aims to identify some of the issues that make Latino and Hispanic students perform poorly in these standardized aptitude tests. In so doing, the hope is that there will be a solution at the end of all the analyses and these will aid in the students posting better results (Hambleton & Zaal, 2013).

Stereotypes

The issue of validity and reliability of standardized aptitude tests is not new. There have been many debates and controversies surrounding minority groups like Hispanic and Latino students when it comes to taking standardized tests. The main discussion has been on the intelligence of these student groups; whether they are intelligent enough to score as highly as some of them do. Most students from these two groups and other minority groups often score poorly in these tests and therefore, most contemporary people often have a wrong opinion about the entire race. Many people in present times believe that students from minority groups are not as bright and therefore, it is the general expectation that they will perform poorly in standardized tests. The stereotype meted out on Hispanic, and Latino students, therefore, have a significant influence on the reliability and validity of standardized aptitude tests. Although it is true that most of the students who take most of these tests post poor scores, it does not mean that every one of the population groups is intellectually impaired (Osei Akoto, 2014). The reason for the consistently poor performance in most students of the Hispanic or Latino origin goes beyond the surface.

Nonetheless, most examiners and other significant people who use the results of these aptitude tests are not aware of these issues. As a result of this lack of information, there is a persistent and consistent negative stereotype concerning these racially diverse students. These deficit thinking orientations are extensive, and this poses a lot of challenges to examinees and students who rely on standardized aptitude tests to advance their academic journeys. Most people who are of the idea that Hispanic or Latino students are bound to perform poorly in these tests do not refer them to specialized programs which may enable them to post better results and scores (Hambleton & Zaal, 2013). As a result, the stereotype continues to be accurate; just because the stereotype is firmly ingrained in most people's minds and therefore, do not do anything about it.

The issue of stereotypes is a significant cause of the poor performance of Latino and Hispanic students and other racially diverse student groups. The situation cannot, however, continue as this affects the reliability and validity of these standardized tests. As such, they can neither be reliable nor valid, since, although they may be standard, they have a significant amount of bias towards the examinees. As such, scholars and other notable figures in the educational fraternity need to come up with a solution to solve this problem of reliability and validity in the standardized tests that more often than not affect the educational outcomes of a majority of students. Examiners and teachers who have the task of coaching students hoping to take these standardized tests should not make assumptions based on their racial or cultural diversity. If a student is consistently posting poor performance, their tutors should take the necessary steps to ensure that they sign them up for special programs that will improve their overall performance. They should not assume that poor performance is typical due to the stereotypes persistent in contemporary scholarly circles. The focus of tutors and other relevant authorities in the administration of standardized aptitude tests should be on individual students' needs rather than on the stereotypical thinking concerning the broader categorization of these students (Miller & Lovler, 2015).

Testing Issues and Diverse Populations

There is a long-standing debate concerning the validity and reliability of standardized aptitude tests among diverse populations. As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, standardized aptitude tests have a strong influence on the path that test-takers follow in their academic pursuits and therefore, are of paramount importance to their future. As this is the case, these tests have to be both reliable and valid regardless of the student population or the origins of the students taking the test. As appropriate as this may be, it is not the case. Most student groups face a myriad of challenges that influence their performance in a majority of these tests, and this has a permanent influence on their life. Most standardized aptitude tests have English as their primary mode of instruction, and therefore, students of Latino or Hispanic descent often face significant challenges when taking the test as the language may not be the primary mode of education in their home country (Osei Akoto, 2014). To this end, these students meet the challenges of bilingualism and myriad other problems that come with translation or trying to understand questions posed in a different context. In the sense of language barriers and the issue of bilingualism, standardized aptitude tests are biased towards Hispanic and Latino students. It is no wonder then that most of these student groups perform poorly in these tests.

The other issue that regards diverse populations and the differences that arise from this is the format of tests. It is common knowledge that almost every country or region has its way of doing things and this is the same for educational matters. Hispanic or Latino countries have a different way of administering and grading tests as compared to American or contemporary Western countries. Standardized aptitude tests are initially a creation of western countries, and therefore, students from this region have a higher advantage since the program is native to their educational format. Hispanic or Latino students, on the other hand, are at a more considerable disadvantage by the mere fact that their educational program is diverse and vastly different from the one that they are now forced to take the standardized test. Most standardized tests take this name because the examiners and other people pertinent to their formulation have taken steps to ensure that it is fair to all the test takers. Although the idea of standardization may seem authentic and correct, it is often not. In most instances, standardized tests are more straightforward for American students as their educational curriculum incorporates many aspects of these tests, and therefore, they have a better shot at attaining better scores (Wiseman, 2015).

For scholars and relevant stakeholders to solve the issue of diversity among the test takers of most standardized aptitude tests, several measures need to be in place. For one, the tests need to be structurally different depending on the examinees taking the test. Students from countries that do not use English as the primary mode of communication need to have slightly lower pass marks or grade levels to account for the language barriers. Secondly, standardized tests should incorporate components of the student's home country's educational components to smooth out the contextual differences. The incorporation of specific elements of the Hispanic or Latino educational components will ensure that the tests are valid and reliable as they will be testing the educational attainment of the students using their primary curriculum. Finally, standardized tests should be open to more than one interpretation. A student may be inadequate in one component and yet be adequate in another, and therefore, a student's intelligence should not be based solely on a single entity but rather a juxtaposition of many facets of these tests (Hughes, 2016).

Examiner-Examinee Relationship

Every test has a person who is taking it and one who is administering it. In the case of standardized aptitude tests, the takers are often students from diverse cultures and races whereas the examiners are mostly of Caucasian origin. Many scholars and researchers have conducted studies on the issue of the examiner-examinee relationship, and there is a big split concerning this matter. Most Caucasian scholars think that this relationship does not influence the validity and reliability of tests (Warne, Yoon & Price, 2014). Scholars from other countries and most minority groups like Hispanics and Latinos are of the contrary opinion (Osei Akoto, 2014). They cite that the examiner-examinee relationship is a substantial variable in the performance of students and this case, the Hispanic or Latino students. Such students often feel inferior to their Caucasian examiners, and consequently, the results of the test may not be an accurate representation of their intellect. An examiner of a different race may evoke anxiety or fear in the examinee, and this may lead to the student failing even in areas that he/she would have scored highly in a different setting. White examinees on the other hand, often have no problem with having white examiners taking them through their standardized tests. The reason for this is that they deem themselves to be at almost the same level as their examiners and also, they have more time to interact with them since they are of a similar race.

To combat the issue of feeling inferior and examinees deferring to persons of authority, a variety of measures need to be in place. One of these is to have examinees and examiners be people of the same race or similar ethnicity. Doing so would eliminate the anxiety that comes from having an examiner of a different race, and consequently, examinees might post better results on standardized tests. Secondly, examiners should have the option to choose their examiners. The reason for this is that the writing of standardized tests should be in an environment that is comfortable for the examinee and one way to do so is to let the students choose the examiner that they are satisfied with or prefer. The final solution to the issue of deference to authority is teaching the examinees to be comfortable in their skin and not have an inferiority complex regardless of the race of the examiner or other examinees with whom they are taking the test together (Thaler & Jones-Forrester, 2012).

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