A comparison of responses between two different socioeconomic groups on the Boehm test of basic concepts

Abstract

1969) in order to determine if a statistica+ly significant 2' differenoe existed between sooioeoonomic level and the number of concepts oorreotly identified on the~. A secondary purpose was to determine if a significant relationship exis ted between concept development as measured by the ~and intelligence from an assessment of receptive vooabulary by using the Peabpqy Picture Vooabulary Test (PPVT) (Dunn, 1959).Ol'te"~'lnmdr-ett Wh'1ttf, lower" and mi'dtt'Xf) , SOcTo-economtc level children from two elementary schools in Portland were seleo ted as subjects to be inoluded in this study. Variables con trolled were grade level, auditory acuity, emotional stabili ty, and sooioeconomio status • . The BTBC consists of firty pictorial items, arranged in approximate order of difficulty and divided evenly between two booklets. Included in the fifty items are twenty-three spatial concepts, four time conoepts, eighteen quantity con cepts, and five concepts classified as miscellaneous. The PPVT was used to provide an estimate of a subject's verbal intelligence through a measurement of his receptive vocabu . lary. Dn both tests, the subject was instructed to point to the picture representing the ,,-stimulus . item.The results of this study revealed a relationship exists between sooioeoonomic status and the numbel l of concepts cor reotly identified on the m,Q,\l This rela.tionship was observ ed when the lower-class subjeots were compared 'W'ith their middle-olass peers at eaoh grade level, when all kindergart ners were compared to all first graders, and in a comp~rison of the fifty lower-olass and fifty middle-class subjects. SCORE FOR EACH SUBJECT 80