Educational and Psychological Testing in Zimbabwean Schools: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Psychoeducational testing practices in Zimbabwe can be understood in terms of the colonial heritage of the country and the democratization of the education system following Black majority rule. Regulations for psychological practice and Western-oriented psychology curricula inherited from the colonial era are elements of continuity in the country's psychoeducational testing practices. The demands of the postindependence education dispensation that extended psychological services to native Blacks represent elements of change that challenge psychological and educational testing in the country to be more responsive to the cultural diversity. A survey of test users in educational settings in the country revealed a significant use of Western tests, although some limited progress has been made in developing local tests, particularly in the area of achievement testing. The current status of psychoeducational testing in Zimbabwe is best characterized as being in a transitional or modeling stage, entailing the application of Western concepts and technologies. Authentic testing has great potential as an alternative in this developing country.