Submitted by: Submitted by aimee87
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Category: Philosophy and Psychology
Date Submitted: 10/21/2013 06:35 AM
An Assignment for PSY4988, Psychological Assessment
Assignment 5
Assessment of Cognitive Functioning with Psychological Measures
Student Selection Department
University of South Africa
PO Box 392
0003
UNISA
TO: Mr Smith
RE: Assessment of Cognitive Functioning for Selection of Students at UNISA.
In lieu of our previous telephonic discussion, it is my understanding that your department at UNISA wishes to follow a new assessment approach in the selection of your prospective students. I also learned from you that this is partly because many prospective students are complaining that the process which involves the selection of students at the university is unfair and biased. Van Eeden and De Beer (2005) remind us that our country is adapting to the integration of different cultures and guidelines of equity and affirmative action which have been introduced into our constitution, and this legislation also affects psychological assessment. These students claim, and rightly so, that selection of students is primarily based on academic performance tests, but many of the prospective students did not receive adequate schooling so as to allow them to perform well on those tests. These students thereby claim they are being denied the opportunity of a better education and a better future. Given the new South Africa that we live in, all South Africans have the right to better education and jobs, so why should anyone be denied this? As a result, you approached me to compile a battery of assessment measures which can assist in the selection of students, but also includes the multicultural context in which UNISA operates in our country, South Africa. Thus the battery of tests should include cognitive ability assessments and an evaluation of the prospective student’s background, socioeconomic status, aptitude and achievement ability, their emotional state and personality. Additionally, I can also understand your stance that not just anyone is able to achieve at...