Intelligence Testing in America

Paper Summary:

This study traces the beginning of intelligence testing through the work of Thorndike, Binet, Goddard and Terman. The writer notes that Thorndike saw intelligence testing as a complex and barely quantifiable process, while Binet wanted to find out why so many children were failing in French schools. The writer discusses that Goddard had his own school population of "feeble-minded" adults, and Terman collaborated with Binet on one of his later revisions. The writer concludes that schools will undoubtedly continue to test children's intelligence, but there remains more to do if it is to effectively promote better learning.

From the Paper:

"In the late 19th century, schools in the United States evolved from educating students who were interested in education (or children from the elite and business families) to educating children whose parents were uneducated and did not speak English. This increase in school attendance was a result of compulsory education laws. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in pushing for reform to require compulsory education on the premise that people must be educated in order to participate in decisions regarding how their government should be run. As a result, school enrollment swelled as people responded to Thomas Jefferson's reform. The increase brought on many challenges as educators raced to meet the demand. Within the school population, there were students with a wide range of intellectual abilities. In order to optimize teaching, educators tried to find a way of sorting students according to ability levels."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Binet, A. (1980). The development of intelligence in children. Nashville: Williams Printing Company.
• Boake, C. (2002). From the Binet-Simon to the Wechsler-Bellevue: Tracing the History of Intelligence Testing. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 24, 3, 383-405.
• Flanagan, D. P., Genshaft, J. L., & Harrison, P. L., (Eds.). (1997) Contemporary Intellectual Assessment: Theories, Tests, and Issues. New York: Guilford Press.
• Sternberg, R. J., (2004). International Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
• Terman, L.M., (1920). Condensed guide for the Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon intelligence tests. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

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