Professional aptitude test for children induces debate

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 28, 2004

Professional aptitude test for children induces debate

A seven-year-old boy in Beijing found out recently he was "sociable" enough to become a psychologist in the future.

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A seven-year-old boy in Beijing found out recently he was "sociable" enough to become a psychologist in the future.

Ruo Bai, a first grader, was one of the 2,000 primary school students in Beijing who took a professional aptitude test provided by a local high-tech firm free of charge. His mother helped him answer all the questions on the two-page test paper, which took 30 minutes.

The computer-generated report shows the boy might also become a scientist or designer, said Ruo Bai's mother. "It says he's good at logic, mathematics and dimensional and visual thinking."

But the mother said she did not know whether she should take the results seriously. "I just feel it's too early to tell what a seven-year-old should do 10, maybe 20 years from now."

Many parents had the same doubt when their children brought home reports showing hidden talents for painting, journalism, business administration and even subjects that were never heard of by a child.

"The software we use is based on some well-grounded theories on a person's personality, intelligence, aptitude and individual plans for the future," said Li Fengxue, a business executive with Beijing Jinghua Zhigao Co.

Li said the theories originated in the Republic of Korea and the testing system had been officially approved there.

"In fact, it echoes the traditional Chinese belief that you can always tell what a three-year-old will grow up to be judging from his behavior," he said. "By offering free tests to primary school children, we aim to provide an opportunity for the students to know their own potential. It may make it easier for them to succeed later on in life because they can avoid choosing a field that does not fit them at all."

To choose a major that leads to a future profession has long troubled China's high school graduates and some teachers have called for aptitude tests to help the students.

According to a survey conducted by Beijing Institute of Education Science, 70 percent of the high school students say they are not certain what they want to study in college, and 30 percent of them say they might as well follow their parents' suggestion.

Professional aptitude tests were introduced to China over the past two decades by a growing number of foreign-invested companies in their search for local professionals. Some of these tests have proven helpful to college graduates in their first attempts at the job market.

But Yin Zongyu, a veteran teacher in Beijing, said it was "questionable" to test the professional aptitude of children, and warned parents not to take the test results so seriously.

"It takes time to tell whether they're reliable or not," he said. "A rash evaluation in childhood may hinder a student's development."

Many teachers and parents had opposed various intelligence quotient tests once popular in China, Yin said, "because it's detrimental to tell a child he has a low IQ."

Likewise, the results of an aptitude test might dampen a child's enthusiasm in certain areas of his study, he said. "After all, primary and middle school students are encouraged to be holistic and well balanced."

Source: Xinhua

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