THE PERCEPTION OF ABILITY SCALE FOR STUDENTS (PASS) IN AFRICA AND NEW-ZEALAND

The present study investigates the Perception of Ability Scale for Stu dents (PASS) which is purported to measure six academic self-concept d ynamic factors evident in children. Although previous analyses of PASS among New Zealand children have suggested only Penmanship/Neatness su bscale did not yield a significant effect, corresponding analyses amon g non-Western children have not yet been undertaken in any satisfactor y manner. To this end, the present article, reports the treatment by t wo-way analyses of variance for the PASS on an African sample of 204 F orm 2 or Grade 6 students enrolled in various elementary schools. The results suggest the scale does not appear to have a ceiling effect whi ch prevents differentiation of normally-achieving and learning-disable d groups from those of gifted ones. The results also indicate that in comparison with normally-achieving children, the learning-disabled (LD ) children are characterized by significantly more negative perception s of ability and negative academic self-concept, along with tendencies towards learned helplessness and lower achievement expectations for f uture success in school. The Perception of Ability Scale for Students is not only a new addition to the field of academic self-concept measu rement, but also a major breakthrough for assessing children's cogniti ve-motivational variables without the difficulties associated with sel f-report questionnaires. Nevertheless, the degree of variation across both studies and samples suggests that further refinement of the PASS is required in order to improve its reliability and robustness.