Objective: Explore the applications and issues of measuring ability and achievement.
Recall: Carol, a mother of 2 (age 6 and 16) and an accountant, is taking courses at a local university. She is depressed about her recent divorce and is unhappy with her job. It was once okay but she is bored with it now. She's spent some time in travel and her small town seems, well, small. She is taking psychology classes so she can better understand her children's needs. Her youngest child is Renae and her oldest, Andrew.
New Information: Carol pushed herself back from the table where she was working on her homework. She stretched and looked at the clock. Almost 9 on a Saturday morning. Time soon to go to the rehab center and visit her mother. She'd take along Renae's drawing that won the art prize. Her mother used to love to draw before the stroke last month. It was a shock to see her struggle to put a name to ordinary objects, including Carol herself. She seemed to recognize Carol but couldn't find the words.
Carol shook her head. Enough tears. "The neuropsychologist had been optimistic after all. He said that mom had a high level of intellectual functioning pre-stroke and said that was important in recovery."...but he also said she may not recover fully, that she may always have some level of 'cognitive dysfunction.' Carol just knows her mom seems so different now.
Her mom used to be very careful about her appearance...but Monday she didn't even comb her hair. It was the weirdest thing. She combed the left half of her hair and not the right. And her right pants leg was caught high up on her leg but she didn't even seem to notice.
Carol had taken her a cross-stitch project to work on, but her mom kept stitching, straight out to the edge, and didn't realize what was happening or know what to do when she ran out of fabric.
Carol washed her mug in the sink and said to herself, "Remember, he said that a lot of recovery would occur in the first 6 months to a year and to be patient." Carol went over to the refrigerator and took Renae's drawing down.
She also grabbed one of Andrew's drafting models to show her mom. She smiled while looking at it. Andrew's teacher said he showed a lot of promise and should consider architectural school. Now if she could only get him to apply himself. Architecture is a very competitive field. He'd have to do well in everything to succeed. Carol knew he had it in him to do well in school, but ever since the divorce he just didn't seem to care. He worked late every night at Pizza to Go and had been promoted to manager but his grades....
List the abilities mentioned or suggested in this case and the skills (achievements) related to those abilities. Draw arrows to connect related abilities and/or skills.
In your above listing, which abilities most reflect general intelligence or "g" (Spearman's model)? How might another theorist (pick one) identify "abilities" in this case?
What's important and why?
What will it take for Carol's mom to recover?
What will it take for Andrew to be a successful architect?
What will it take for Renae to become a great artist?
and what does Carol need?
Created January 21, 2001; Last Modified: March 26, 2003. All contents © Sally Kuhlenschmidt