ACCULTURATION AND INTELLIGENCE - EFFECTS OF ACCULTURATION ON PROBLEM-SOLVING

The use of intelligence tests with students from culturally diverse ba ckgrounds historically has been controversial. Research has focused on several forms of bias without examining effects of cultural change on problem-solving abilities, so the present study was undertaken. 23 ch ildren in Grades 6 to 9 were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Sc ale for Children-Revised and the Acculturation Quick Screen. A t test indicated that children who were more acculturated to the school envir onment had higher Verbal IQs than less acculturated children. Other re sults implied that a student does not have to give up the first langua ge to develop problem-solving skills. Another implication is that, wit h bilingual and Hispanic children, the verbal subtests can be viewed a s a measure of their adaptation to school demands.