Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:10:04.936Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘It’s a lot trickier than I expected’: Assessment Issues and Dilemmas for Intern Psychologists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2019

Linda Gilmore  and
Marilyn Campbell
Linda Gilmore*
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Marilyn Campbell
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Linda Gilmore, Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Beyond the basic information provided in foundation texts and test manuals, there is a notable scarcity of professional literature addressing complex issues and dilemmas in assessment. At times, psychologists need to make decisions based on their professional experience or personal preferences, and it is possible that some of these decisions are made without adequate justification or reflection. Intern psychologists may be confused by the differing advice they are given by university staff, supervisors and experienced practitioners. Our aim in this project was to identify specific issues in psychoeducational assessment that need clarity, guidance and reflection, not only during postgraduate training, but also across the professional lifespan. Focus groups with educational and developmental psychology interns revealed confusion about aspects of test administration and interpretation, as well as a number of challenging professional issues. The findings have implications for trainers and supervisors, as well as for experienced practitioners.

Keywords

psycho-educational assessmentissuesdilemmastrainingintern psychologists
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 3 - 7
Copyright
© Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Educational Research Association (AREA), American Psychological Association & National Council on Measurement in Education (2014). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, DC: AERA.Google Scholar
Belk, M.S., LoBello, S.G., Ray, G.E., & Zachar, P. (2002). WISC-III administration, clerical, and scoring errors made by student examiners. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 20, 290–300.Google Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butcher, J.N. (2006). Assessment in clinical psychology: A perspective on the past, present challenges, and future prospects. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 13, 205–209.Google Scholar
Conoley, J.C., Conoley, C.W., & Hernandez, R.J.C. (2013). Technical reporting, documentation, and evaluation of tests. In Geisinger, K.F. (Ed.), APA handbook of testing and assessment in psychology: Vol. 1. Test theory and testing and assessment in industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 251–263). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Decker, S.L., Hale, J.B., & Flanagan, D.P. (2013). Professional practice issues in the assessment of cognitive functioning for educational applications. Psychology in the Schools, 50, 300–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodds, J.B. (1986) Supervision of psychology trainees in field placements. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 17, 296–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmore, L., & Campbell, M. (2009). Competency in intelligence testing: A training model for postgraduate students. Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 26, 165–173.Google Scholar
Harvey, V.S. (2013). Communicating test results. In Geisinger, K.F., Bracken, B.A., Carlson, J.F., Hansen, J.C., Kuncel, N.R., Reise, S.P., and Rodriguez, M.C. (Eds.), APA handbook of testing and assessment in psychology: Vol. 2. Testing and assessment in clinical and counseling psychology (pp. 35–50). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kranzler, J.H., & Floyd, R.G. (2013). Assessing intelligence in children and adolescents: A practical guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Krishnamurthy, R., VandeCreek, L., Kaslow, N.J., Tazeau, Y.N., Miville, M.L., Benton, S.A. (2004). Achieving competency in psychology assessment: Directions for education and training. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 725–739.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sattler, J. (2018). Assessment of children: Cognitive foundations (6th ed.). San Diego, CA: Author.Google Scholar
Stoltenberg, C.D., & McNeill, B.W. (2012). Supervision: Research, models, and competence. In Fouad, N.A. (Ed.), APA handbook of counseling psychology: Vol. 1. Theories, research and methods (pp. 295–328). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watkins, M.W., Dombrowski, S.C., & Canivez, G.L. (2018). Reliability and factor validity of the Canadian Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — Fifth edition. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 6, 252–265.Google Scholar
Wilcox, G., & Schroeder, M. (2015). What comes before report writing? Attending to clinical reasoning and thinking errors in school psychology. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33, 652–661.Google Scholar
Wolfe-Christensen, C., & Callahan, J.L. (2008). Current state of standardization adherence: A reflection of competency in psychological assessment. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2, 111–116.Google Scholar