The Debate (no.48); Intelligence Beyond Standardized Tests.

^{14 November 2024
#Bangladesh 🇧🇩}

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Do you think everyone has the same chance to do well on standardized tests? Why or why not?

	Standardized Test

No, they do not. In Bangladesh, not everybody has the same opportunity to perform well on standardized tests. Reasons can be different. The education is unequal from an early age and impacts the students results. In urban schools students are often better prepared because they have better coaching, better facilities, better teachers. For example, the students of top Dhaka schools get the better deal because they have good coaching, modern resources and competitive environment.

On the other hand, rural schools don’t have these advantages. There is no teachers, no learning materials, no proper infrastructure. Because very few rural students get coaching or extra help, they don’t know how to prepare for exams. Many rural families don’t have much money so the students can’t buy the books that they need or materials. Thus standardized test scores are heavily dependent upon a student’s background.

How do you think a student's background or environment affects their test scores?

Test Scores Dependency

Test scores in Bangladesh depend on family and background directly. The more the student is supported by his or her family the better are the chances of the student to manage in exams. Parents often send their children off to cities for better education and to get all the coaching, extra notes, and practice tests.

One the one hand, there are many families that can’t afford to give resources of support for exam prep. Preparing for class can be difficult when you live in a rural area because it’s hard to get books or notes. I've also got some students who probably very quantitative minded, have additional household obligations and therefore don't have as much time to study. As a result, a student’s family finances and parental assistance are important to test performance.

Are there other ways to measure intelligence besides standardized tests? What are they?

Others Way to Measure Intelligence

Yes, certainly standardized tests are certainly not the only way to measure intelligence. It is about much more than academics, reasoning and memory. For instance, students who do not do well at school might actually be very good at art, creative writing or sports. This kind of intelligence is difficult to measure, but it is part of someone’s abilities.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is another way to measure intelligence. That means if somebody can control their emotions as well as sense other people’s feelings, also that makes them intelligent. There’s also Social Intelligence or Practical Intelligence, which is the ability of a person to make decisions and solve real life problems. However, this type of intelligence isn’t tested in exams but is very important in everyday life.

Do you believe that test anxiety can impact a student's performance? How so?

Test Anxiety

Exam anxiety or test anxiety can affect a student very seriously in Bangladesh too. The exams come with a load of social pressure even more so when the results seem to decide what your future will be. As a result of how many students, mainly in school or college, feel stressed over exam results that it really hampers their performance.

Losing focus is one of the problems caused by test anxiety among students. Pressure causes them not to remember what they learnt, and they get confused when it comes to answering the questions in examinations. Students who know the topic sometimes run into stress and forget which will lead to performing badly. In a few cases, the exam's fear or worry can literally make them sick, which will naturally affect their performance.

Can intelligence be defined in different ways, and how does that relate to standardized testing?

Different Ways for Defining Intelligence

There is absolutely no need to define intelligence in one way. Standardized tests test memory, logic and analytical skills. Intelligence is more than that. For example, in Bangladesh some students, when they don’t perform well in exams, may still be very talented entrepreneurs or successful in tackling realistic problems. What standardized tests can’t measure is their Practical Intelligence, their ability to deal with life’s challenges.

On another note, all of creativity, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence (EQ) are part of intelligence. In Bangladeshi society, solving social problems or facing challenges at work, exhibits the kind of intelligence. The types of intelligence that don’t come out in tests.

Intelligence then does not have to be a specific thing and it isn’t exam based, it can be defined and measured in many ways.

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