Canadian Journal of School Psychology

WISC-III subtests scores from 44 students referred for special education evaluations and identified as having learning disabilities were used to compute WISC-III short form IQs based on.the Dumont/Faro formula. The resultant short form IQs for Canadian students, scored using United States norms, were compared with the scores obtained from the complete WISC-III. Misclassification indexes were computed. This article discusses the composition of the WISC-III short form, its utility for Canadian children, and guidelines for apprapriate use.

The WISC-III protocols of 66 Canadian children with learning disabilities were scored using both the American and the Canadian norms to make comparisons of the resulting profiles. The Canadian WISC-III scores were compared with both the Canadian study of WISC-III and the American WISC-III scores for these children. The Canadian WISC-III scores were found to be lower than the American WISC-III scores in Verbal IQ, Full Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility. Lower scores resulted in changes in Full Scale IQ classifications, but use of the confidence interval around the Full Scale IQ avoids misclassifications of children. Fewer children had a scatter of 10 points or more when scored using the Canadian in contrast to the American norms. The Dumont/Faro short form for WISC-III was validated using Canadian normed scores. These results will assist prartitioners and researchers in the interpretation of scores using the Canadian norms. Practitioners are urged to use the Canadian norms when assessing the intellectual capabilities of canadian children.

Content validity of the Third Factor of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Childre-n-Third Edition (WISC-III) was evaluated by asking undergraduates to label the factor represented by items like those on the Arithmetic and Digit Span subtests. Participants unfamiliar with the content of the two subtests choose labels that corresponded with terminology associated with problem solving, memory, and quantitative skills. The concurrent validity of the Third Factor with behavioral measures of attention, hyperactivity, and learning problems was assessed in a sample comprising consecutive referrals to a university-based psychoeducational clinic. There was a moderate relationship between Freedom From Distractibility (FFD) and teacher ratings of learning problems on the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Teacher Rating Scales. There were no significant correlations to suggest concurrent validity between the Third Factor and behavioral ratings of attention problems and hyperactivity. Theoretical and practical implications of the FFD factor are discussed.

The primary intent of this research was to determine whether the Processing Speed Factor scores of the WISC-III would distinguish between groups of clinically referred children. A total of 311 elementary, junior high, and senior high students were grouped according to ADHD, VMI, behavioral, low academic achievement categories, and physical health problems or absence of such problems. Multiple comparisons using the Newman-Keuls and multiple regression techniques indicated that processing speed was a significant diagnostic factor differing between clinical groups. Anderson's (1992) model of the cognitive architecture of the mind was used to explain the specfic findings.

An investigation of the difference in school psychologists' clerial error rates between WISC-R and WISC-III showed that WISC-III appears no less prone to examiner errors than WISC-R. Errors were found on 38% of WISC-R protocols and 42% of WISC-III protocols. On WISC-III, the decline in Full Scale IQ-changing errors over a period of 18 months was statistically reliable.

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT, Psychological Corporation) was introduced in 1992. The purpose of this study was to examine the psyciiometric properfies and normative data of the WIAT with a sample of Canadian children. Ninety randomly selected Saskatchewan schoolchildren in grades 4, 5, and 6 were administered the WIAT in conjurcction with the Canadinn Achievement Test/2 (Canadian Test Centre, 1992). Teacher ratings of academic achievement and expert evaluations of the WIAT item content were obtained. Although there is support for the reliability and validity of the WIAT, prelimirzary data suggest the need fnr further study of Canadian children's perfornurnce on this test..

The WIAT and WISC-III were adminisfered to a sample of 21 children diagnosed with ADHD. All children were receiving Ritalin at the time of testing. Results indicated that WIAT test scores were quite variable. Correlation patterns betweerc WIAT subtests and with the WISC-1II are reported.

A total of205 high school students (grades 10,11,12) with approxi=tely equal numbers of niales (N=104;.50.7%) and females (N=101;49.3%) and a mean IQ of117.7 (SD=13.27; range.-74-150) responded to the Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ) and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI-HS). The resulting data were fitted to a three-factor model of learning motives and strategies theoretically deritrdfrom Biggs' (1987) learning process model and based on associated empirical evidenre, the nature of the LASSI-HS, and our assuniptiotis regarding the mediating role of inteIligence and the nature of twmi-r*renced measures of intelligence (Otis Lenon). The resulting frt of the nwdel was very good (comparatine frt index =.98; residual mean square =.21), thus providing strong support for the proposed model. We conclude that there is a strong relationship between studetits'approaches and strategies for learning and that infeIlectutrI functioning plays a critical role in their ability to discriminate approaches and strafegies for learning.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is presently undergoing revision in the United States. As Caruzdian children perfornwd differently than American children on the recent reuision of the WISC-III, a Canadian standardization study is currently being undertaken to determine whether Carsadian adults perform differently than American adults. Canadian norms will be developed for the WAIS-III if differenres are found.