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The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) is a test which is currently used in New Zealand both clinically and in research to measure receptive vocabulary skills (Phillips, McNaughton, & MacDonald, 2004; Reese & Read, 2000; Stockman, 2000). This research investigated issues of cultural bias by comparing PPVT-III scores obtained by 46 Maori children from three different age groups (5-11 years) with scores from the standardisation sample. Results revealed that the PPVT-III appeared to be suitable for use with Maori as a receptive vocabulary measure, although a number of suggestions were made as to ways in which the administration and interpretation of PPVT-III test scores could be adjusted when working with Maori in order to minimise the impact of cultural bias. Additional research is required to establish whether changes to potentially culturally biased items may improve the validity of the PPVT-III for use with Maori.
Issues of cultural bias in psychometric assessment have been widely debated in the research literature, with a range of views arising as to the ways in which cultural differences might compromise the validity of psychometric test results (Ogden, 2003; Ogden & McFarlane- Nathan, 1997; Shepherd & Leathem, 1999). Despite the continued debate about the effects of cultural bias, most professionals acknowledge that test content and administration procedures are invariably culturally bound, with some tests having a higher cultural loading and potential for bias than others. Test developers acknowledge the need to consider the impact of test content, test materials and test conditions on the reliability and validity of a test in an attempt to minimise the effects of cultural bias. In an unbiased measure, high or low scores reflect attributes of the person being assessed and cannot be seen as artefacts arising from culturally different understandings of the test material (Stockman, 2000). Within a New Zealand context, there is very little research that has investigated the appropriateness of using psychometric tools with Maori and more specifically, Maori tamariki.
The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is one psychometric tool that was designed and standardised for use with children in the United States, but is used in New Zealand with Maori children both clinically and in research (Phillips et al., 2004; Reese & Read, 2000). A previous version, the PPVT-R was...