1917 (7) he reports a similar study resulting in the following correlations: Elementary school interests with high school interests. Elementary school interests with college intereste.. High school interests with college interests... Elementary school interests with college ability... .r=85 .r=66 r=79 .r=66 .r= 89 Order of interest with order of ability in elementary school, high school and college.. He adds the following comment: "Even if the true resemblances are ten per cent. below, these facts witness to the importance of early interest. They are rather stable features of an individual's constitution and are symptomatic, either as cause or effect, or both, of abilities." NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM If the interests of children in elementary school subjects are symptomatic of college ability what of the interests in occupations and in recreational activities? When children are leaving the elementary school the practical aspect of interests in occupation is taken into consideration. Secondary education has then been advised for all who are able to put off earning a living, and part time education for those who are ambitious enough to exchange play-time for education. If interests are potent in directing the vital forces can we afford to ignore them during the growing years? For many years the subject of elimination from high school has been under discussion. Van Denberg (8, p. 158) informs us that but one of eight high school entrants succeeds in graduating; that from five-sixths to seven-eighths have no" tangible resultant benefits;" that the high schools are being crowded with thousands eager for some taste of secondary education among whom are a few who can and will work forward to successful graduation under the present sifting process. Yet, with these, who can and will, are more, who can but will not because our process of selection or sifting is crude and defective; and so we lose this latter, equally good, material through the inefficiency of our present methods of selection." Book (9) draws the following conclusions from his survey of the high schools of Indiana: "1. That the high schools of the State are not adapting themselves to the inequalities in mental strength shown by their pupils as well as they might. "2. That high schools as at present organized and conducted seem to be better adapted to the interests and needs of the girls than the boys. The girls are more rapidly and consistently advanced by the schools, notwithstanding the fact that the boys make better records on our mental tests. This suggests that the high school is either better adapted to the interests and needs of the girls, or that the girls possess characteristics other than general intelligence important for school success not possessed by the boys. These considerations seem to point to the probability that the causes of elimination should be sought farther back in school life. Though the study of elimination from the grades may be basal to any high school inquiry the problem is actually a larger one, namely, the motivation of school children. The question is not only why high schools lose so many students by the way but also, who of the elementary school population goes to high school! Who goes to work without further school plans and who is planning for part time secondary education? What are their special interests and in what degree are these interests related to intelligence? What is the relation not only between intelligence and school plans, but also between interest and failure to fit into the existing school organization. The causes of truancy are vitally related to the interests and intelligence of school children. Before we had compulsory school laws, natural selection was allowed to operate. Children who could not comply with the minimum standards could leave school and go to work. But under the compulsory school law the child who can qualify for seventh grade is allowed to go to work; the one who has not the capacity for work in the sixth grade is obliged to attend school until he is sixteen years old. These children are not necessarily mental defectives. But they are caught as in a vise between an inflexible law, an inflexible curriculum and their own mental limitations. They are denied the only development that is possible for them, namely, vocational training in accordance with their mental capacities and interests. There are children who submit to these repressions. Others express their protest in defiant behavior and truancy. Truants are considered by society as juvenile delinquents, parents of truants are fined, and anti-social life attitudes take root. A group of 608 unselected truants taken from the Bureau of Attendance of New York City (15) were ranged according to their intelligence quotients and were found to have a median I. Q. of 84.6. Only 15 per cent. of this group were above the normal median. A similar study of 30 truants who are also delinquents on other counts was made in 1918 by the Department of Research of Whittier State School, California. The findings showed the same median I. Q. and distribution as the New York City study. When allowance is made for other factors of truancy the fact remains that the large majority of truants are children whose natural capacities and interests are ignored by the present school organization. The problem is too comprehensive to be solved by intelligence tests alone. An I. Q. is an average and has all the limitations of averages. Two persons with identical I. Q.'s may react in opposite ways to the same stimulus. The general intelligence furnishes the minimum requirement for these reactions but the type of reaction is conditioned by temperament, by individual (16) likes and dislikes. Quoting James once more: "We never make an effort to attend to an object except for the sake of some remote interest which the effort will serve." No one feels more keenly than the examiner who makes mental tests how sterile is this field unless the special capacities, the drives of the individual are taken into account. In individual testing, the laboratory psychologist gives the subject every opportunity to show what is the dominating influence in his life. Without interfering in any way with standardized measures or standardized methods of procedure it is possible to bring out instinctive likes and dislikes; the types of tests in which a certain zest is displayed, the obvious effort in others; success without apparent effort in some, failure in spite of effort in others; spontaneous expressions, and supplementary interviews concerning occupations and recreations, difficulties in adjustment to environment, all serve to bring into relief the distinguishing characterists of a personality. In planning the present investigation, effort was made to adapt the method of the individual examination as far as possible to the group examination. OUTLINES AND METHODS OF INVESTIGATION The purpose of this investigation was to find the relation between general intelligence and children's expressions of their interests in occupations and of their plans for secondary educa tion. The main requirements were: valid intelligence tests, spontaneous expressions of preferences, and an unselected group of children of sufficient number to secure statistical reliability. The three public schools whose populations were the subjects of this study, are located in the same school district of Manhattan. This district is a working man's neighborhood, as is proved by the records of the occupations of the parents. There are only a few cases of professional workers or owners of small shops. We may then assume an equal social status for the group. Public School No. 3, the school for girls, has a larger population than No. 11, the school for boys. To avoid a marked inequality between the number of boys and girls, the 6a class of Public School No. 95, a school for boys, was included. This equalized the numbers and as a 6a class may be regarded as the most representative cross section of a school population, the selection brings in no debatable factor. It is owing to the differences in actual attendance from day to day that the totals of responses to the different tests vary. No effort was made to fill in the gaps caused by absence. The total number of subjects is approximately 1,206; 658 girls and 548 boys. The investigation was limited to classes 5b to 8b inclusive. The limitations at the lower end is somewhat arbitrary, but we may say, in a general way that in grades below the fifth, the child's mind is so busy adjusting itself to the growing situations of the elementary school that it cannot plan beyond. However, an extension of the study of interests in the lower grades would be desirable. To obtain valid intelligence ratings for so large a group, careful planning was necessary. It is not assumed that any group method can replace individual examinations in the study of personalities. The plan was rather to see whether, by means of the group method, an approach could be made to an adequate study of a school population. National Intelligence Test A and B, Form 1, were chosen as a basis but it was decided to supplement these by a non-language scale in order to compensate for the low ratings which might result from language difficulties. As year norms were available, the Pintner Non-Language Scale was chosen, the Kelly-Trabue Completion Alpha was added to give additional scope for expression and the Pintner Educational Scale to give an objective measure of school attainment to be used especially in problem cases. Obviously, the composite rating obtained from the results of four tests, necessitating several visits to each class, is a more reliable indication of intelligence than is the rating of a single test. A detailed account of the testing and of the weights used in the composite is given in a later chapter. To obviate the difficulties arising from a limited time for response, spelling difficulties of backward children, and also to equalize somewhat the differences in life experience, lists of occupations and of recreations were presented from which they were asked to make three choices. Samples of the questionnaires are given below. The children were instructed to read them carefully before selecting, and to add any occupation or recreation which they preferred if that occupation or recreation were not included in the list. A third questionnaire, also shown below, concerns the family and plans for secondary education. Write your name here.. Write your address here. No... Mark it 2. Which of these would you like best to do? Mark it 1. Mark it 3. Office work Painter Photographer Policeman Printer Printer's helper Priest Street. Draftsman Elevatorman Mechanic's helper Milliner Miner Minister Motor-man Musician Professor Salesman Secretary Shipbuilder Stenographer Taking care of a home Teacher Teamster Telegrapher Telephone operator Typist Waiter Worker in laundry |