Structural Validity of the WISC-III for a National Sample of Native American Students

Abstract

Test bias research with Native American participants is uncommon, although individual tests of intelligence are often used with Native American students to determine eligibility for special education services. Only two studies with minimally adequate sample sizes have addressed the structural validity of major tests of intelligence in Native American populations. It is unfortunate that both used an obsolete test and included students from only two tribes. This study used confirmatory factor analyses to examine the structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (WISC-III) among 344 Native American students representing 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Nations attending BIA schools in 11 states. Results indicated that Wechsler's four-factor oblique model exhibited the best overall statistical fit. Thus, the underlying factor structure of the WISC-III with a national sample of Native Americans was similar to that found in the normative sample. Implications for school psychologists are presented and recommendations for further research are provided.