Testing and Validating Psychodiagnostic Methods in Education: Theory and Practice in Kazakhstan

Abstract

This article examines the adaptation of foreign psychodiagnostic methods into Kazakh and Russian in Kazakhstan. The aim of the study is to analyze the algorithms for adapting and validating psychodiagnostic methods and to identify the need for competencies in adapting methods among master's and doctoral students in psychology and educational psychologists. An analysis of the country's leading psychology journals demonstrated the relevance, demand, and significance of psychometric adaptation studies. Seven stages of the adaptation and validation procedure for tests developed under grant No. AP23488243, "Development of psychodiagnostics in education in Kazakhstan and the world: cross-cultural analysis and development of a validation algorithm" are described. The empirical part of the study included a survey of master's and doctoral students on the issue of test adaptation and validation. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first block included questions about the survey participants' experience training in psychodiagnostics and statistical methods; the second focused on the need to adapt methods from various fields; and the third on the specifics of test validation and adaptation algorithms. 40 master's and doctoral students from the Psychology and Pedagogy and Psychology programs at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University participated in the survey. The majority of participants (85% of the sample) believe that it is necessary to adapt and validate the foreign tests they use. Personality tests and mental health tests are the most in-demand for adaptation. About 60% of the master's and doctoral students in the sample could potentially learn validation and adaptation techniques, and over 60% are interested in improving their psychometric competencies.

Keywords: tests, psychometrics, method adaptation procedure, linguistic adaptation, cultural approbation, test validation.