Position Paper 4 by Munira Shahidah (0729796)

Position Paper 4

“Since most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture, Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments at all.” Discuss.

Assessment can be defined as any variety of procedures used to obtain information on student’s or client’s performance. It is not necessarily a quantitative measure and it connected to some goals or objective. In counseling, one of our objectives is to help our client to manage their problems and show the way to solve the problem. Out there, there are many assessment instruments that we can use as a counselor in way to help our client. However, most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture. We, as Muslim counselors seem like uncomfortable to use the standard assessment instrument at all. This is being a question among Muslim counselor where could they find a references or assessments that suitable with Syariah and Muslim cultural.

In my opinion, as a Muslim counselors he or she should not use hundred per cent of the standardized assessment instruments that based on American culture. As a good counselor, they need to choose which on of the assessment that suitable with the Muslim cultural. If the assessment do not contrast with Syariah and can be acceptable in Muslim cultural, why not use it.

If in Malaysia, which country that have multicultural such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan etc, Counselor Council should have play their role to create a new assessment or amendment the assist assessment so that Muslim counselor can use the new assessment that fit with Malaysian cultural. Counselor also should see the important of the language that is use in the assessment. Sometimes, in the American culture, they use a language that inappropriate with Malaysian culture. So, as a good counselor, he or she wise to use a proper word so that it not ashamed anybody.

As a conclusion, I prefer that Muslim counselor can used assessment instruments based on American culture as long as the assessment still in the right path of Syariah and be accepted in Malaysian multicultural. However, it is better if Muslim counselor can create a new assessment that relevant with Muslim culture.