In my first entry, I mentioned that learning (or education) has its social aspects aside from the psychological one. In this week’s entry about module 2, I want to use a sociological lens in sharing my insights on intelligence and intelligence testing while also employing the ideas of Gardner and Perkins.
Truth be told, I feel so strongly about social inequality in IQ tests, and that is evident in my assignment 1 essay and my post on the student-initiated discussion forum. I believe that the educational system and workplace rely too much on these intelligence tests and therefore perpetuate inequalities in terms of class and ethnicity. Of course, they also serve beneficial roles such as identifying one’s specific needs based on the person’s strengths and weakness. However, please allow me to use a conflict perspective in order to determine the flaws of the concept.
Rather than factual knowledge, IQ tests ask questions about mathematics, spatial recognition, and other abilities that require critical and analytical reasoning. But knowledge about complex concepts that require judgment differ among classes and ethnicities. These two not only represent material well-being, but also norms, common goals, family structures, music, behavior and other cultural factors.
We all know that cultural relativism suggests that it is inappropriate to compare intelligences of people from different cultures. For instance, Thompson (2017) states that Native American children produced low IQ scores because they were unfamiliar with speed-based examinations. A question from the test may ask which instrument is part of the orchestra, and many people of different races may fail to answer because they are not exposed to such type of music. In my opinion, IQ test is misused when it examines cultural knowledge than actual intelligence, when it limits many from opportunities, and when it maintains an established form of power.
Before I provide solutions to what I see as a problem, I would like to point out that I am not against IQ tests as I consider general intelligence as economically important. However, job application, selection, and evaluation should be more focused on other attributes, such as diligence and time management which I also stressed in one discussion forum.
I think that instead of using intelligence testing to help solve problems in one’s academics and the educational system itself, it is more important to make sure that individuals are kept in an environment where experiential and reflective intelligence can be more improved. Free lunches for public school students and national healthcare are just some examples in which we can nurture intelligence among people and shrink social inequality.
As Gardner (1984) said,
“[The goal should be to] provide opportunities and rewards for individuals at every degree of ability so that individuals at every level will realize their full potentialities, perform at their best, and harbor no resentment toward those at any other level.”
Sources:
Gardner, J. (1984). Excellence: Can we be equal and excellent too? (rev. ed.). Norton.
Thompson, K. (2017). Why IQ Tests May not Measure Intelligence. Retrieved from https://revisesociology.com/2017/08/15/why-iq-tests-may-not-measure-intelligence/.
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