Payne's Framework Under Fire

Ruby Payne’s rubric for assessing resources; the Krabill/Payne Resource Quotient (2004), is interesting.  However, I feel that employing multiple scoring items in each cell will cause problems for many people as some, but not all items in each cell will apply.  Therefore, people will need to choose which cell most applies to them.  If this is the case, then how does one weigh each item?  As an example, numbers 3 & 4 under the Integrity Resource read: 

3. Decisions are moral, ethical, and legal;   Avoids difficult issues;   Is responsible for self but blames others.
4. Decisions are moral, ethical, and legal; Tough issues are addressed;   Accepts responsibility for self and is accountable to others.

Here, we see that in each column, there are two items that differ.  Suppose someone feels that they “avoid difficult issues”, but also “accept responsibility for self and [are] accountable to others”.  Which is more accurate?  Which is weighted more in the assessment?  The answer may be that they are both equally accurate. 

To correct this issue, I would suggest changing only one item in each column in order to alleviate confusion.  Once the issues with the rubric have been corrected, I feel that Payne’s work may have some utility.  An additional section that the author may wish to include could instruct businesses as to how a program such as this would be implemented and sustained in an organization.

Paul Gorski’s paper, “Peddling Poverty for Profit: Elements of Oppression in Ruby Payne’s Framework” (2008) was an eye-opener.  Gorski pointed out something that I missed when reading Payne’s work: That Payne was self-published.  This is very interesting as any claims in her work may not have been examined. 

I found many of his Gorski’s points to be well thought-out and would be interested to hear Payne’s rebuttal.  Gorski noted that Payne’s research was performed through casual observations and had no statistical relevancy.  I would like to hear Payne address where and how she obtained the data she employed in her study.

Cited

Payne, R. (2004, January 1). The Role of Economic Diversity in Employee Retention, Promotion, and Training. Retrieved December 3, 2014.

Gorski, P. (2008, January 1). Peddling Poverty for Profit: Elements of Oppression in Ruby Payne’s Framework. Retrieved June 26, 2008, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10665680701761854