A Study of The Biistet Definition Tests
- Author:
Isabel Lawrence,
State Normal School, St. Cloud, Minn.
The purpose of this study is to apply the Binet scale for grading of mentality in one phase only, that of definitions, and to compare the results with the estimates furnished by teachers of the children’s ability to do school work. To try out one feature of the Binet scale at a time seems a thorough method of investigating its usefulness. Such a method, moreover, will assist in determining what features of the scale must be modified if it is to be used in American public schools.
The definitions?the feature chosen for this study?make possible a written test from the second grade through the eighth. While written work is undoubtedly more difficult than oral, this written definition test has several advantages, namely: 1. Time. This test occupied forty minutes. !No superintendent can himself take the time to examine separately over a thousand children.
2. Fitness. The definitions are among the tests said by Binet to determine the maturity of intellect (la maturite as distinguished from la rectitude), and being a language test, are more likely to grade power to do school work as at present conducted, than are some of the other tests.
3. Trustworthiness. As the test was made at the same hour throughout the city and the papers were taken up before the close of the session, the pupils had no chance to learn from each other what the questions were. The teachers themselves were ignorant of what the test was to be, and even of its purpose.
4. Service as a coarse sieve. As the written test is more difficult than the oral, pupils passing it may safely be considered as regular, that is, of normal intellectuality for their age. The comparatively small number who do not pass it, may be examined afterward orally and their status determined.
The test was given in the first part of March, 1911, to 784 pupils in the elementary schools. These were mainly children in the public schools at St. Cloud, where arrangements were made for the test through the courtesy of Superintendent A. !NFarmer, and in the practice classes at the State Normal school. Afterward a set of papers was sent in from the Elk River schools by Miss Ruth Atkins. Valuable assistance was rendered by Miss Belle Ranney of Wellesley College, both in reading papers and examining orally children of the first grade.
The questions were arranged in four groups, each group including the definitions required by Binet for one age. The first group served for both the sixth and ninth years, the children of six being expected to define in terms of use and those of nine in terms superior to use. Group I consisted of, What is a fork, a table, a chair, a horse, iron ? Group II, the eight-year test, What is the difference between paper and cloth, a butterfly and a fly, glass and wood? Group III, the eleven-year test, was, What do you mean by charity, by justice, by goodness ? Group IV, the thirteen-year test, was, What is the difference between pleasure and welfare, event and prevent, pride and pretension, poverty and misery, evolution and revolution ? A pupil was scored as passing any group for which a majority of the definitions (two out of three, or three out of five) were satisfactorily given. All the grades were given an opportunity to answer all the questions. The teacher gave orally one direction or question at a time, and waited not more than two minutes for all to finish. The pupils received no suggestion as to their answers in matter or form.
The words used are literal translations of Binet’s except that in Group I, iron is substituted for mamma which it was feared the older grades might not take seriously. In Group IV, evenement and avenement could not be so translated as to give the same test in discrimination, so event and prevent were substituted. There are no definitions in the Binet tests, for the ages of seven, ten, twelve, fourteen and older. Pupils of these ages are therefore considered “at age” if they pass the test for six years, nine years, eleven years and thirteen years respectively. There are, therefore, more regular pupils of these ages than there should be, for some of them might have failed on the test for their own age, had there been such a test.
In marking the number of years of retardation or advancement, the same difficulty appears. A pupil of eleven, failing to pass the eleven-year test, but passing the nine-year test, might have passed the ten-year test, had there been one. In such cases, the pupil is given the benefit of the doubt and marked retarded for one year only. Pupils of six years passing the six-year test, but not the eight-year, might have passed a seven-year test, had there been one. Such cases, in this study, are marked at the highest age which they pass. Since there were many pupils thirteen years or over who could not be tested for being above their age, this feature of the test is especially inadequate for the older ages. BINET DEFINITION TESTS. 209 TABLE A COMPLETE RESULTS OF THE DEFINITION TESTS WITH 784 CHILDREN. Age | 6 Grade Above age 4 yrs. 3 ” . 2 ” . 1 ” . At age Below age 1 yr. 2 yrs. 3 ” . 4 ” . 5 ” . 6 ” . 7 ” . Total. i ii 38 12 1 7 57 1 58 2 21 22 2 1 5 10 II III IV 11 12 15 12 5 7 11 5 3 10 II III IV V 26 34 3 1 64 17 39 26 3 85 2 1 1 4 16 17 2 5 8 8 7 12 11 1 2 II III IV V VI 3 1 2 9 1 3 17 12 3 6 16 12 13 1 1 2 6 11 28 26 8 79 11 II III IV V VI VII 1 6 12 36 29 1 85 1 10 14 9 7 5 3 13 4 1 1 4 2 5 12 24 29 1 73 Age I 12 13 Grade Above age 4 yrs. 3 ” . 2 ” . 1 yr.. At age Below age 1 yr., 2 yrs. 3 ” . 4 ” . 5 ” . 6 ” 7 ” 8 ” Total. Ill IT ? VI VII VIII III IV V VI VII VIII 1 7 3 14 22 6 4 13 9 5 9 7 4 4 5 4 3 1 4 13 2 1 1 3 1 1 3 7 21 25 15 72 14 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 11 23 27 17 82 14 15 I iv v vi vii viii 1 in iv v vi vii vni 1 6 1 13 39 111 3 1 2 2 4 3 7 1 3 9 11 17 46 86 1 2 15 5 3 4 8 2 5 8 1 1 2 5 7 11 31 57 16 vi vii vra 1 11 1 1 7 1 1 2 19 22 17 + 21 210 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. TABLE 11. SUMMARY OF AGE AND TEST CONDITIONS. Actual age. Advanced according to the test Normal* Retarded Total. 38 20 58 49 15 15 64 62 85 63 79 10 15 33 37 85 11 6 47 20 73 12 13 9 45 18 72 51 31 82 14 60 26 86 15 18 39 57 16 12 10 22 17 or over 9 12 21 Total 140 435 209 784
? One year below age was also counted as “normal” in this summary. In table A the complete results for the 784 children tested are given by both age and grade. The age at the last birthday is recorded. The dots above the Roman numerals of the grades indicate the theoretical grade for the age, on the supposition that the children enter the first grade at six years and progress one grade each year, and in addition one grade below the theoretical standard. This makes some allowance for children who have just passed a birthday and permits one to see at a glance either the theoretical grade for the age or - the normal grade for American school children as suggested by the work of Mr. Ayres.1
Since advancement is not as well tested as retardation for the greater number of pupils, and since written work was found to Lo more difficult tlinn oral would have been, it seemed advisable in the summaries of tables B and C to consider pupils one year behind actual age according to the test as still “normal,” and they are so counted in these two tables. The grade teachers, knowing nothing of the results of the test, sent in their estimate of the scholarship of their pupils, grading them as very poor, poor, medium, good, very good, and excellent. A comparison of the mental 1 Ayres, Leonard P. “Laccards In Our Schools.” New York: Charities Publication Committee, 1010. See nlso Tun PsvPHOT.OaiCAI, Cmnic, Vol. II, p. 121. BINET DEFINITION TESTS. 211 ability of the children according to the test, with the estimates of their ability in school work as furnished by their teachers is brought out in table C.
TABLE C. TEST COMPARED WITH SCHOLARSHIP. Estimate of Teacher Poor or Very Poor 105 Whole Number of Pupils. Estimate ) Advanced | 10 or 10% tof [-Normal ‘ 14 or 13% Test , J Retarded i 81 or 77% Medium or Good 533 80 or 15% 356 or 67% 97 or 18% Very Good or Excellent 146 I?} 79% 31 or 21% Two hundred and nine pupils in all are rated as mentally more than one year below their age by this test. Marks of poor and very poor in school account for 81 of these; 76 others rated below age by the test who were marked good and very good by their teachers, were in a grade lower than they should be for their age. Thus 157 out of the 209 or 75 per cent of the pupils pointed out by the test as behind their age are so recognized in the schools. Out of the 146 pupils marked good or excellent, 115 or 79 per cent are marked “at age” or above age by the test. Another correspondence between the school grading and the estimate of meutal ability given by the test, may be seen by noting how many of those pupils who are behind grades marked by dots (table A) are one or more years retarded according to this study, also how many of those ahead of their grades are found in the list of pupils advanced mentally according to this test. Only 19 pupils are ahead of the grades marked by dots; 16 of these pupils are estimated by this test as above their age mentally, two are “at age” and one below age. One hundred and forty-one pupils within the ages of seven to thirteen inclusive, grades and ages being fairly well distributed, are behind the grades in which they should be. Of these, 103 are estimated by this test as below age mentally, while 38 are estimated as “at age.” Perhaps it is not well to push percentages too far, until we have a test for each age, but roughly speaking about 75 per cent of the so-called laggards in school are pointed out by this test to be mentally retarded one year or more, while the same per cent of those who are advancing in school more rapidly than the rank and file are found, as above indicated, to bo advanced a year or more mentally. The child regarded as exceptional by the school system, will be proved to be exceptional by the tests, much more frequently than will the child indicated as exceptional by the test be found to be exceptional in school work. This fact was pointed out by Prof. J. B. Miner, who has summarized the results of table A upon several different bases of calculation, such as the most frequent grade for the age, two most frequent grades for the age, above and below actual age by the test, one year above and below age, etc. This fact seems to come out whatever basis of calculation is adopted, if, for the reasons indicated above, the ages, seven to thirteen inclusive, are used to figure retardation, and six to twelve years inclusive to figure advancement. For example, of the 219 pupils below actual age by the test, 103 or 47 per cent are behind the dotted grades. Of the 140 pupils above actual age, 15 or 11 per cent are above the dotted grades for the ages. These ratios are to be compared with 75 per cent agreement noted above. The closest agreement when the exceptional child is chosen by the test, is apparently found when one notes those more than one year below or above age who are below or above the most frequent grade for their ages. In this case 57 per cent of those exceptionally retarded, according to the test, and 20 per cent of the exceptionally advanced mentally are found respectively below and above the most frequent grades for their ages. The easy eight-year test is responsible for a large part of the lack of agreement in regard to advancement, since so many six- and seven-year-old pupils who are at the common grades pass this test.
The fact that the exceptional child indicated by the test has hardly an even chance of being exceptional in school grading, may be due, as Dr Miner suggests, to the unwillingness of school teachers to put a child either behind or ahead of the usual grade for his age. For the same reason when the pupil is exceptionally forward or backward in his school grades the chances are high that he will be found exceptional by the test.
Some examples of the children’s definitions may be of value. Group I is characteristically defined thus by a six-year-old girl:?
(fork) 1. To eat with. (table) 2. To eat on. (chair) 3. To sit on. (horse) 4. To ride on. (iron) 5. To hit with. Use, and use to the child is predominant. As the children grow older, the following definitions of “table” show the types in a developmental series:? F. 8. A table is what we eat on. BINET DEFINITION TESTS. 213 F. 6. A table is something to eat on. M. 9. A table is an object to eat off of, and to put paints and papers on. M. 10. A table is an article of furniture. M. 10. A table is a thing made of four or five planks cut oft a certain length, varnished, and set on round sticks. M. 14. A table is a wooden article of furniture used to eat on and put things on. It may be round, square, or oblong or adjustable. Group II is readily answered by children from two and a half up:? F. 4. Paper is to wrap in; cloth is to sew. F. 5. Paper is to write on; cloth is to make my dres>. M. 6. Paper is thinner than cloth. M. 6. Paper you can tear easier than cloth. M. 7. You can tear paper, you have to cut cloth. M. 8. Paper is stiff; cloth is limber. P. 14. Paper is pressed from pulp; cloth is woven from threads. P. 4. A butterfly is bigger than a fly. P. G. A butterfly is got dots; a fly hasn’t. M. 6. A butterfly can’t buzz, but a fly can. M. 7. A fly wants in and a butterfly wants out. M. 7. A fly is smaller than a butterfly and hasn’t such a long tongue. F. 13. A fly carries diseases and a butterfly does not. F. 4. A butterfly is sometimes yellow, purple, green, white, but a fly is black. Limited observation causes such incorrect statements as? A fly comes from eggs and a butterfly from caterpillars. A butterfly sinks to ground; a fly rises in the air. F. 0. You can get wood in your fingers but glass cuts you. 6. Glass we can see through; wood we cannot. 8. Glass you can sling on a rock and break, but wood you have to saw. 7. Glass “busts”. You chop wood. F. 8. Glass is tenderer than wood. M. 10. Glass can be melted; wood cannot. 11. Wood grows. Glass has to be made from minerals. Group III is hard work for the eleven-year old:? F. 11. Charity means to give things to the poor. Buying Red-Cross stamps is charity. 214 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. F. 13. Charity means to be good to sick people, and to give money, clothes and food to the poor. M. 11. Justice means to not steal and to not cheat. M. 14. Justice is to be square with everybody. M. 14. Justice is to treat all alike. Sometimes the idea of a justice as a man creeps in,? M. 15. When a man does wrong, he is brought before a justice and asked why he did it and how he did it. F. 11. Goodness is to do right by all human beings and dumb beasts. M. 8. Goodness is when a man says “Goodness! you’re house is on fire.” M. 13. If any one was “scairt,” they’d say it. M. 15. Goodness is an exclamation. While Group IV was too hard, some strong and many interesting answers were given, even by younger pupils:? F. 8. Pleasure is to go where you want to. Welfare is to stay home and work. F. 13. Pleasure is to do something that might only be fun for the time. Welfare is to do something for your future. F. 14. Anyone can have pleasure and injure their welfaro by not taking care of their health. M. 14. Pleasure is a thing made by man; welfare is destiny. M. 13. Poverty is when you are pretty low down and still keep clean. Misery is when you’re awful low down and don’t keep clean. F. 13. Poverty is when you haven’t a cent of money, and have to depend on the neighbors. Misery is when you are starving because the neighbors don’t help you. F. 12. Poverty is need of money; misery is need of something to brighten your mind. F. 11. Poverty is someone very poor but can get along. Misery is when they can’t get along. M. 10. An event is a circus. Prevent is to stop you from going to it.
M. 11. An event is an accident or adventure. Prevent is to stop the accident or adventure. M. 14. An event means that something has happened to somebody. Prevent is to keep it from happening to yon. F. 11. Pride is when you go to a party, and feel nice nnd stiff. Pretension is when von make believe that you are having a good time.
Revolution was defined as war, as a great army of men, as birth of a brave man, as a time when our grandfathers got killed. M. 10. Evolution is not to fight; revolution is to fight. M. 8. Revolution goes round on axles like a ball. The tendency to guess at meaning through the sound, or to remember words only, is illustrated by the following: M. 12. If somebody wrongs anybody else, they will both be justed (justice). M. G. Charity means that you want cherries. M. 8. Charity is a King’s chair. M. 10. Justice is to have your pupils do just as they like to you. F. 10. Charity is a place that begins at home. F. 9. Welfare is when you’re going away and bid everybody farewell. F. 13. Poverty is when you have no money; misery is when you’re too stingy to spend a cent. Conclusions.
1. The definition test has served the purpose of separating grades of intellectual ability in a coarse way. It thus provides a method, independent of school grading, to discover exceptional children who can then be more thoroughly tested. 2. Of the exceptional children, as indicated by the school grading and by scholarship, enough are exceptional, according to the test, to prove the value of the tests. Of the exceptional children, as indicated by the tests, a considerably smaller percentage are in exceptional grades for their ages.
3. The eight-year test is decidedly too easy, 38 out of 58 six-year-old children passed it. The thirteen-year test is decidedly too hard, only 2G out of 82 thirteen-year-old children passed it. The difference between evolution and revolution was not given correctly in a single instance by pupils in the eighth grade. The transference of the eleven-year test to twelve, as suggested by Miss Iiatherine L. Johnston in the Training School Record (London) November, 1910, seems unnecessary. It would give 31 elevenyear-old pupils above age in the test, to 22 “at age’’. The transference of the thirteen-year-old test to an older age, which Miss Johnston also suggested, seems to be a movement in the right direction. The older pupils in this study were not sufficiently numerous or normally distributed to indicate what would be its proper place.
4. An attempt was made to classify on the basis of advancing the child one year beyond the age for a group of definitions when all the answers were satisfactory for that group. The attempt proved Binet’s opinion that definitions test what he calls la maturite of the intellect, not la rectitude. Scarcely any pupil was found completely accurate with any group, unless it were Group I.
5. The definition test can serve only as a coarse sieve. Its correspondence with school grades may be due to the predominance of language training. Other Binet tests should be tried before comparisons are made and conclusions drawn.
6. Group IV is not well adapted as a test in American schools. The difference between except and accept, arraign and arrange, illusion and allusion, suspect and expect, and other definitions of terms in daily use with us, would be preferable to literal translations of Binet’s terms. This is with the understanding, of course, that the test is moved up to an age of greater maturity than thirteen.
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