The Effects of Environment on Psychometric Performance in Masvingo Province

Abstract

The study examined the effects of rural and urban orientations on pupils’ performance on WISC-R (a standardised intelligence test). The study made use of an experimental method. The data were collected on a sample of 100 primary school pupils (50 rural and 50 urban). The participants were from grade 5 and had an average age of 10 years. The independent variable was the environment in which the pupil was raised. The dependant variable was the performance of the pupils on the WISC-R intelligence test. The control group of the study was the rural pupils, whilst the urban based pupils were the experimental group. Participants from the two backgrounds were each tested on WISC-R’s 10 subtests. The results showed a significant difference in performance on WISC-R between the two groups. The urban group scored in the superior range whilst the rural group scored in the lower range in all the subtests.