Position paper 4- Sheril Aida Sulainan(0812752)

“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.




It is not a fallacy that most of the assesssments are made based on American culture. But we cannot falsify that there are the assessment made based by own culture instead of white man based assessment.How many portion of other culture based assessmant as compared to American culture based assessment?

To use all American’s assessment is still acceptable because they have gone certain process of building up question for human. The process is well structured and was not took by granted.They also develop theory based on observations on real people, in reality.Psychologically need of human actually is still in the same nature even though cultures are difference. Life style maybe different but it is still a small issue in testing since we have right to adjust the assessment to suit other culture. Maybe the question is still the same but we have to add more items on optional answer. It is only about fitting and replacing the precise and the understood vocabolary which are common to non-white man culture. We cannot just simply reject existed assessment as they bring the assessment nowadays with the proper study and research. Human nature is not differing much. What they need and wants in this life is not having vast distinction. It is just how we playing with the words and element in order to reach their worldview and way of thinking.

But to use blindly and fully applying those assessments will not become relevant to other part of the world. This is caused by the the “wire setup” in their way of thinking, culture, taboos and the ideology that heve been soared in people’s mind sinces childhood are varied. How can we ask the question to people who never ever come across that issue? Who have no answer for it because it is far from his daily routine? For example: “How many times did you kiss your girlfriend a day?” If an American encounters this question, there will be no problem. But if Yamanees were asked, they will feel somewhat uncomfortable or reluctance. Furthermore, generalization will never be the best solution of handling human. In psychology, there are human who is like others, something we have like others and have not and nothing is same like others. The tophography, geography, demography and principle of each part of the world are uniques; differ even though they have the similarities on human nature.Thus, we have to study, skim and adjust the American based assessment.

My stand is Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments at all. Sinces the emphasis on this stand is not to reject all and not to accept all standardized assessment; I think it is appropriate to be implemented. To value knowledge is not by dumping and criticing others view without understanding and studying their work. Only then we can pin point what is the inappropriateness before jumping to conduct inventory to our people. Simple thing to describe same human nature, share wants but differs in means is “I must eat”. Smith maybe will mean to eat pork everyday with the branded wine but Muhammad will mean to eat lawful and healthy food everyday as recommmended by religion. So, it is clever to just simply ignore the unrelated type of question to our culture and put the precise replacement for it. It is allowed to adjust the questionnare if we follow the right procedure. Knowledge is open to all, neither to be exclusive nor to be restricted as long as the means and ends are because of real “saadah”.