Testwiseness as a factor in readiness test performance of young Mexican-American children.

Assessed the effects of training in test-taking skills on kindergarten children's performance on a school readiness test with a sample of 131 Spanish-speaking children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Half of the Ss were trained in content-free test-taking skills, and half were provided comparable time in nondirected paper/crayon activities. All Ss were tested in both Spanish and English, with order of administration balanced. Trained Ss performed better than untrained Ss in both languages. Males were more influenced by training than were females, but overall females outperformed males. Spanish administration scores were higher than English administration scores. Order of test administration was significant in that performance in English was improved when the test was taken first in Spanish; no influence of English on subsequent performance was found. Findings support the hypothesis that test-wiseness is an important influence on test performance of young children from nonmajority backgrounds and should be taken into account in readiness assessment programs. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)