ABSTRACT

A STUDY OF SELECTED PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND
TENURE OF SELECTED U—H CLUB MEMBERS WHO HAVE
COMPLETED THEIR FIRST YEAR OF 4—H CLUB WORK

by La Dessa Rogers Smelcer

Certain personality characteristics of enrolled
and drop-out U—H children were investigated in order to
ascertain what personality differences may exist between
the two groups.-

The subjects were twelve matched pairs of eleven—
year—old children who had completed one year of 4—H
Club work. The control group of children had remained
in the 4-H program, and the experimental group had
drOpped out of 4-H after the completion of the first
year. Each pair was matched according to these criteria:
(1) both were of the same sex, (2) both were member of
the same A-H Club, (3) both had intelligence quotients
within i_five points, and (A) both were living with
natural parents. The ratio of boys to girls in the
study was the same as the ratio of boys to girls in the
group of first year 4—H drop—outs in the Northern Idaho
Extension District during 1962—1963. This ratio was
1:2, or four pairs of boys to eight pairs of girls.

Each of the twenty—four children was individually
administered the Michigan Picture Test, a projective
personality technique, in his school setting. The tests

were scored by the experimenter.

La Dessa Rogers Smelcer

The results of each test was evaluated for three
personality variables. A score was assigned each variable,
and the scores were individually and collectively analyzed.

The results did not show a significant difference
between the control and the experimental group on the
three personality variables: tension index, verb tense,
and direction of forces. However, a mean difference
at the .05 level was found between the experimental
girls and the control girls on the tension variable.

The control girls, or those who had stayed in 4-H,

were found to have higher scores on this variable which
indicated that they expressed greater amounts of tension
needs. '

As the mean difference on the tension score for
boys was not significant, the data appears to lend support
to the effect of sex differences in subjects‘ responses
to the test; however, the results may have been strongly
influenced by the smallness of the sample.

The correlation of the tension index scores of the
experimental girls to the control girls was significant
at the .01 level, thereby indicating that the groups
varied in the same manner. However, the correlation
between these groups for total words on pictures 1, 6,

9, and 12, although not.statistically significant,
showed a trend that the control girls were more verbal
than the experimental girls in the discussion of the

pictures used to score the tension index variable.

La Dessa Rogers Smelcer

Findings of the study suggest a need to explore
the possibility that the 4-H Club program may appeal to
a girl who scores higher on a tension index than one
who does not. Another area to consider would be whether
there may be a difference between personality needs of
boys and girls in the 4-H program.

This study lends support to A-H research concerning
a flexible program to meet individual needs of children.
A closer look at A—H program planning should be
continued to determine what types of programs may meet

the many needs and personalities of all groups of children.

A STUDY OF SELECTED PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND
TENURE OF SELECTED U-H CLUB MEMBERS WHO HAVE

COMPLETED THEIR FIRST YEAR OF 4-H CLUB WORK

By

La Dessa Rogers Smelcer

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Department of Home Management and Child Development

1966

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author expresses gratitude to Dr. William H.
Marshall, under whose encouragement, understanding, and
guidance, the completion of this thesis was possible.

Special appreciation is due Elbert McProud, University
of Idaho Extension Studies Specialist, Dan Warren, Idaho
State U-H Club Leader, Maurice Johnson, Idaho Assistant
State 4-H Club Leader, and Idaho Northern District Extension
Agents for assistance and cooperation in obtaining the data
for this study.

Thanks are expressed to Mrs. Vera Borosage and Dr.
John R. Hurley for their helpful suggestions.

The author wishes to acknowledge Stan Cohen for his
direction and suggestions concerning the statistical
analysis of the data.

Gratitude is expressed to the General Foods Fellowship
Foundation for assistance in the author's graduate study.

Final appreciation is given the author's husband,

Dale Smelcer, for his understanding and constant encourage-

ment throughout the work on this study.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . .
LIST OF TABLES . . .
LIST OF APPENDICES . . . . .
Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION . . . . .

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Factors Relating to Enrollment and

Re-enrollment . .

members . . . . .
Studies by Other Youth Groups

Comparisons of A- H Members and Non—

. O

Underlying Factors in A -H Club Drop— —out

III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES . . .

Assumptions and Hypotheses .
Description of Sample . .

Population . . . . . .

Sample Selection . . . .

Projective Technique . . .

The Instrument . . .
Reliability . . . . .
Data Collection . . . .
Scoring . .

Validation of Experimenter' s Scoring

Methods of Statistical Analysis

IV. RESULTS OF ANALYSIS . .

V. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES . . . . . . . o .

APPENDICES . . . . . .

iii

Page
. ii

iv

10
13

15

15
15
l6

17
22

25
26

A9

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page
1. Number and Percentage of First Year A-H Drop-
outs in Nine Northern Idaho Counties . . . . . l7
2. Order of Sample Pairs when Drawn . . . . . . 2O
3. Pairs Used in Study . . . . . . . . . . 21
A. The Results of a Test of Significance on Mean
of Differences Between Tension Variable . . . . 32
5. The Results of a Test of Significance on Mean of
Difference Between Present Tense Scores . . . . 33
6. The Results of a Test of Significance on Mean of
Differences Between Past Tense Scores . . . . 33

7. The Results of a Test of Significance on Mean of
Differences Between Direction of Forces Scores . 3A

8. Simple Correlations Among Variables for Girls
Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

9. Simple Correlations Among Variables for Boys
Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3o

10. Simple Correlations Among Variables for Total
Group . . . . . . . . . . ._ . . . . 37

11. Simple Correlations Between Scores of Experimental
Girls and Scores of Control Groups . . . . . 38

12. Simple Correlations Between Scores of Experimental

Boys and Scores of Control Boys . . . . . . 39
13. Comparison of Variable Intercorrelations of this

Study with a Study of Authors of the Michigan

Picture Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3

iv

Appendix

I.

II.

III.

LIST OF APPENDICES

Page
Raw Scores on Seven Variables for Twenty-
four Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Letter Sent to Extension Agents with a Cover
Letter from the Extension Studies '
Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Analysis Sheet for the Michigan Picture Test . 57

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Non-re—enrollment of first year A—H Club members
has long been a concern of A-H Club agents, leaders, and
parents. For over thirty years studies have been con-
ducted to ascertain the reasons why former A—H Club
members fail to re—enroll.

A large majority of these studies used as their
operational definition the reasons stated by the leader,
child, or parent for the drop-out. Some of the reasons
commonly found in the studies involved such factors as:
peer group influence, unavailability of a A—H Club, and
relocation of the child in a new community.

Few of the studies have attempted to assess, in addi—
tion, personality characteristics that might be involved in
discontinued membership. A report1 based on the results of
a regional A-H Club study2 arrived at the conclusion that

such basic needs as attention, prestige, and a continuing

 

JLaurel K.Sabrosky, Meeting the Basic Needs of First-
Year A-H Club Members, Federal Extension Service PA 203,
United States Department of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.:
Government Printing Office, revised, 1966).

 

 

2Western Region A-H Study Committee, Tables of Data
From Western Region A-H Club Study of First Year Members:
19A9, Federal Extension Service Circular 378, United States
Department of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.: Government
Printing Office, 1950).

 

sense of personal security may not have been realized by
the first year member who failed to re-enroll.

A later longitudinal study3 showed that one-third
of the children who dropped out of A-H listed club weak-
ness as the determining factor. This same study discovered
that drop-out children rated the projects as the best liked
feature of A—H Club work; while, in comparison, children
who continued in A—H Club work listed the Opportunity to
learn as their first choice.

Many studies have been completed that evaluate sub-
jects' answers to questionnaires. The time seems appropriate
that "many A—H workers are now ready to dig deeper into the
effectiveness of A-H Club work, or of certain activities or
projects."u

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the nature
of some underlying personality characteristics of enrolled
and drop-out A-H children. Knowledge of these character-
istics may help evaluate the present A-H Club program.
Continued effort to clarify personality variables which may
be related to non-re-enrollment in A—H Club work should be

of assistance to the individual A-H child, parents, and A-H

Club leaders.

 

3Burton W. Kreitlow, Lowell Pierce, and Curtis Middle—
ton, Who Joins A-H Clubs?, University of Wisconsin Research
Bulletin 215 (Madison, Wisconsin: Agricultural Experiment
Station, October, 1959).

“Laurel K. Sabrosky, "Present Status of A-H Club
Studies," Paper read at the National State A-H Club Leaders'
Meeting, Federal Extension Service, United States Department
of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing
Office, April, 1961), p. 1.

 

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Research literature on A—H Club enrollment, re-
enrollment, and drop—outs has been available for over
thirty years. A great majority of these studies, however,
were concerned with specific factors which were related to
both enrollment and re-enrollment. The factors were most
often those which the child, leader, or extension agent
mentioned to the person doing research. Quite often the re-
lating 0f factors was by means of a questionnaire which was
mailed or by an interview schedule. There was a wide
variety of methods used in the studies. Some had control
groups; others did not. Studies were made on all A—H
members; others on boys or girls or first year members or
whatever sub—group of the A-H Club was available. In this
brief review, only information which seems pertinent to the
present study will be cited.

Factors Relating to Enrollment and
Re—enrollment

 

Numerous studies have been made using enrollment as

a variable. They range from the Western Region A-H Study5

 

5Western Region A-H Study Committee, op. cit.

to individual theses involving a few counties in one state.
A careful review of the available literature shows that

there is a common list of factors which seem to influence

7

member enrollment and drop-out. The studies of: Sabrosky,

Western Region A—H Study Committee,8 Copp and Clark,9

10 ll 12

Campbell, Crile, Cummings, New England A-H Study

 

6Audrey Sandstead, "Factors Affecting A-H Club
Enrollment in Colorado" (unpublished Master's thesis,
Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College, Fort Collins,
Colorado, 1952).

7Laurel K. Sabrosky, "A-H Club Study Findings Point
the Way," Extension Service Review, XXI (March, 1950), pp.
A8-A9.

8

 

Western Region A-H Study Committee, op. cit.

9James H. Copp and Robert C. Clark, Factors
Associated with Re—enrollment in A-H Clubs, University
of Wisconsin Research Bulletin 195 (Madison, Wisconsin:
Agricultural Experiment Station, February, 1956).

 

loFrank Nelson Campbell, "Factors Associated with
Re-enrollment in A-H Clubs in Rock County, Wisconsin"
(unpublished Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin,
Madison, Wisconsin, 1955).

llLucinda Crile, The Relationship of Age and Other

Factors to Enrollment and Continuation in A—H Club Work,
Federal Extension Service Circular 183, United States
Department of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.: Government
Printing Office, 1933).

 

 

l2Alberta H. Cummings, "An Investigation of A—H Club
Work in Cabell County, West Virginia" (unpublished Master's
thesis, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 1939), cited by
Barnard Joy and Lucinda Crile, A-H Clubs and Older Youth
Studies, Federal Extension Service Circular 339, United
States Department of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.:
Government Printing Office, 19A0), p. 33.

 

Committee,l3 Sandstead,lu Joy,15 and Howes,l6 found

that:

1. initial enrollment at an early age was associated
with re-enrollment. When the member joined at
the first eligible age, he stayed in A—H for a
longer period of time.

2. sex was not a factor associated with re—enroll-
ment or drop-out. Both boys and girls were in
equal proportions in these groups.

3. the personal relationships between the member
and the leader seemed to have an influence on
the re-enrollment and drop-out.

A. the degree to which the members actively partici-
pated in the club had an effect on the re—enroll-
ment. The more a member participated, the greater
the chance that he would re—enroll.

5. various factors in a child's background such as:
level of living, residence and occupation of
father, permanency of residence, and parental
social participation, all seem to have an influ-
ence. As Copp and Clark found, ". . . the kinds
of specific factors involved seem to be in terms
of the '1ife chances' and social aspirations
provided by the family background for successful
performance of A-H tasks."l

 

13New England A-H Study Committee, A-H Club Work and
High School Youth, A New England Cooperative Extension
Publication (Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 19A7).

ll‘lSandstead, op. cit.

 

 

15Barnard D. Joy, The Length of A-H Club Membership,
Federal Extension Service Circular 199, United States De-
partment of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.: Government
Printing Office, 193A).

16M. L. Howes, "Some Factors Involved in the Non-
re—enrollment of First Year A-H Club Boys in Baltimore,
Marford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties, Maryland" (unpub-
lished Master's thesis, University of Maryland, College Park,
Maryland, 1952), cited in Review of Extension Studies,
Federal Extension Service, United States Department of Agri-
culture (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1953),
p. 27.

17

 

 

Copp and Clark, op. cit., p. 15.

6. the degree to which the parents were involved and
participated in A-H activities was linked to en-
rollment and drop-outs. The children who had
parents actively involved had a higher re-enroll-
ment rate.

7. whether or not the child had a brother or sister
or close friend in A-H seemed to be associated
with enrollment and drop—out. The peer group's
lack of interest or drop-out often influenced the
member to do the same.

8. some of the failure for a member to re—enroll was
the result of the member leaving the community.

9. club failures accounted for some of the members
who did not re-enroll.

Copp and Clark18 compared boys and girls who re-
enrolled with those who did not re—enroll in selected
counties in Wisconsin. In addition to some of the above
factors, they reported that:

1. it was not possible to distinguish between the two
groups using the child's perceptions and evaluations
of his projects and club experiences.

2. membership in other organizations was not associated
with re-enrollment.

3. there was a very low degree of association between
an interest in farm homemaking or agriculture as a
career and the decision to drop-out or re-enroll.

A. the most important factors found in the study, in
combination, accounted for only forty-two per cent
of the variance in re-enrollment. It seemed there

‘was no single cause which could be primarily
responsible for the failure of a child to re-enroll.

The chart on the following page represents the extent to
which Copp and Clark felt drop-outs could be prevented with

more adequate knowledge and planning.19

 

18Copp and Clark, 0p. cit. . 19Ibid., p. 2.

 

   
     

Preventable Not Preventable

Member
Leaves
Community

Drop-outs which 20%
might be prevented
with more adequate
knowledge and

planning
60—65%

    
  

 

Work Conflicts

 

  

Failures

Estimated prOportion of all drop-outs due to various
types of conditions.

A study by Lindstrom and Dawson,20 concerning circum-
stances influencing membership in A—H Clubs, used A—H members,
non—members and past members. After conducting a question—
naire study, they concluded that:

1. boys from larger farms were more apt to join in
greater numbers than boys from smaller farms.

2. boys and, to a lesser extent, girls who were actively
participating in other groups were found in greater
numbers in A-H than those who were not as active in
other groups.

 

20D. E. Lindstrom and W. M. Dawson, Selectivity of

A-H Club Work: An Analysis of Factors Influencing Membership,
University of Illinois Research Bulletin A26 (Urbana, Illinois:
Agricultural Experiment Station, July, 1936).

3. girls who were more ascendant than the average
seemed to be in girls' A-H Clubs; however,
ascendant boys did not seem to be present in
boys' A-H Clubs to any greater extent than
submissive ones.

A. in the subjects of this study, it was found that
there was no indication that the grade of intel-
ligence or I.Q. was a selective factor in A—H
Club work.

Comparisons of A—H Members and Non-members

Crile21 did a study combining items from county agent

 

annual reports and a summary of field studies. She reported

that:

l. farm size did not appear to be an important factor
in the probability of A-H enrollment.

2. nearly as many children of tenant farmers as com-
pared to children of owner-operated farmers were
reached by A—H Clubs. The difference was not
significant.

3. the more formal education the parents had received,
the grater the chance of A-H membership of their
children.

However, in a later study which was part of a longer,
longitudinal study, Middleton22 found his subjects more
likely to be in clubs if:

1. their fathers were farmers.

2. their parents owned farms.

 

‘lCrile, op. cit.

22C. O. Middleton, "A Comparison of the Family Back—
ground and Status Between A-H Members and Non A-H Members Who
Are in the Sixth and Ninth Grades in Ten Wisconsin Communities"
(unpublished Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Wisconsin,l958) cited in Review of Extension Research,
Federal Extension Service Circular 532, United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing
Office, July, 1960), pp. A7-A8.

 

3. their nationality background was Scandinavian,
Bohemian or German rather than Polish or
English-Scotch-Irish. '

A. their religious preference was Lutheran,
Presbyterian, Methodist or Protestant rather
than Catholic or mixed affiliations.

Another important study was that of Kreitlow, Pierce,
and Middleton.23 This study was part of a larger longitudinal
study started in 19A9 and continuing until 1972. The study
compared Wisconsin sixth grade A—H members, non-members and
drop-outs in order to analyze their school and home back—
ground. After comparing members and non—members, it was
found that the analysis:

revealed a real difference between the two groups in

mental ability, school achievement, willingness to

work, and in their home and family background. The

A-H members rate higher on these items when they are

in the sixth grade in school and these same youngsters

rated higher on many pargfi of these items when they

were in the first grade.

When the members and drop-outs were asked what they
liked best about the A—H program, the opportunity to learn
was expressed by one-third of the members. Working with
boys and girls was mentioned by one—fourth and projects were
expressed by one-fifth of the member group. In comparison,
the drop-outs mentioned each of the above for their top

three, but the order in which they were mentioned was

reversed.

 

23Kreitlow, Pierce, and Middleton, op. cit.

2L‘Ibl<l., p. 2.

10

The drop-outs were asked why they drOpped their
membership. The reasons and the percentages of the children
who gave that reason are listed for the first three reasons:

1. the club program was weak. 33%

2. the club was not easily available. 18%

3. there were too many other things to do. 1A%
It was interesting that one—third of the children were
critical of the program. Their reasons involved administra-

tive details as well as the educational program.

Studies by Other Youth Groups

 

Although studies by other youth groups on their drop—
out problems are not readily available, studies on both the
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been made.

The Girl Scout Study25 included girls from Brownies to
Seniors. However, a comparison between Scouts who dropped
out with those who stayed in the program demonstrated that:

l. fathers of Scout drop-outs were more likely to
be employed as blue-collar workers than to be

self—employed or professional workers.

2. mothers of the drop—outs were more likely to be
employed.

3. both parents of the drop-out Scouts were less
likely to have attended or graduated from college.

It was concluded that:

 

25Survey Research Center, Institute for Social
Research, University of Michigan, A Highlight Summary of a
Study of the Program of the Girl Scouts of the U. S. A.
(Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press,
September, 1958).

 

 

11

It can now be seen that this difference between the
Scout group and the general population of girls is
not only based on a greater appeal of Scout activi-
ties to girls of more privileged origin, but as much
and perhaps more on the differential availability of
Scouting at the Brownie and Intermediate levels to
girls of different income groups. The problem of
the "hard to reach" is, perhaps, not so much these
girls' potential inggrest as the length of the
organization's arm.

The study supported by the Boy Scouts of America27
drew upon a representative sample of boys in the United
States who were between the ages of 11 and 13. Among many
other aspects of the study, boys were asked why they had
dropped out of apy club to which they had once belonged.
The answers were then classified into three main groups:
personal preference, reality pressures, and organizational.
In the eleven year old group, forty-three per cent gave
personal preference as the reason. Some of the direct
answers were general: lost interest in activity or had
competing interests. Another forty-seven per cent listed
reality pressures such as moving away or transportation dif-
ficulty as the reason for dropping. Twenty-seven per cent
listed organizational reasons such as the group dissolving
or the group becoming inactive.

This study also found that membership in groups is,

again, more frequent for the sons of white collar workers

than for blue collar workers. Likewise, boys with the

 

26Ibid., p. 10.

27Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research,
A Study of Boys Becoming Adolescents (Ann Arbor, Michigan:
University of Michigan Press, 1960).

 

12

greatest amount of personal possessions belonged to one

or more groups more often than those with fewer possessions.
Another area found that time involvement was not a very
important factor in boys' membership in clubs. Boys who
belonged to clubs were as busy with homework, jobs, chores,
and television as those boys who did not belong to clubs.

In comparing home and club experiences, the boys in
the sample felt more bored at home and experienced frustration
at failure more at home than at the club. About one-half of
the boys felt less independent at home than at the club. The
feeling of competition was more frequently experienced at the
club. Nine out of ten boys felt they received as much or
more approval from their parents as from their teachers or
club leaders; however, the boys felt they were less apt to
be forced to do something they did not want to do at the
club than at home or school.

In discussing the development of the self, the study
found that boys had their greatest satisfaction from assuming
some aspect of an adult role by performing a responsible
task. Comparing non-members to members, there was a tendency
for non-members to be more dependent on home and parents,
which may be one reason for their not reaching beyond the
home.

In conclusion, the study stated that:

The fact that there is no single set of activities,
no one design that all boys want for an organization,

means that no single program can hope to appeal to
all boys of this age group. There are perhaps certain

13

activities that appeal to a larger proportion of the
age range than to any other grouping of boys, but it
also means that any agency which seeks broad member-
ship might do better to have only rather loose over—
all programming and to permit local units relative
freedom to select content and organizational

designs best suited to the particular community and
kind of youth they serve.2

Underlying Factors in A-H Club Drop70ut

 

Sabrosky's29 booklet was written after the results from
the Western A-H Study were known. It was an important step
in A—H studies. She reported that the first year members
sometimes found themselves in a situation which did not
satisfy some of their basic developmental needs. She named
the needs for attention, prestige and a continuing sense of
personal security as important to the first year A-H Club
member. She felt that an effort by leaders, agents, and
parents to help effectively satisfy these needs would reduce
the number of drop-outs in A-H.

Sabrosky summarized the need for more research of this
type by saying:

Many A—H workers are now ready to dig deeper into the
effectiveness of A-H Club work, or of certain activities
or projects included in A-H Club work. In the near
future, even more State A-H workers will be asking for
this kind of help--will want to move toward actual

evaluation of the A-H Club program, in light of objec—
tives and needs.

 

28Ibid., p. 214.

29Sabrosky, Meeting_the Basic Needs of First Year A-H
Club Members, Op. cit.

 

3OSabrosky, "Present Status of A-H Club Studies,"
op. cit., p. l.

1A

The studies reported in the review of literature
indicate that little is known about the effects of per-
sonality characteristic differences on enrollment and re-
enrollment in A—H and other youth groups. Several of
these studies, however, do mention possibilities that per-

sonality characteristics may be an influence. It is for

this reason that the hypotheses in this study were stated

as follows in Chapter III.

CHAPTER III

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

A statement of this research problem and a review
of literature were discussed in the foregoing chapters,
The assumptions and hypotheses, method of sample
selection, instrument, and statistical analyses are

presented in this chapter.

Assumptions and Hypotheses

 

Assumption 1. The Michigan Picture Test is a valid
‘ "'I' ' measurement of selected personality
characteristics of children.

Assumption II. Eleven year old children are able to
verbalize emotional reactions in
response to a stimulus.

 

Hypothesis I. A difference significant at the .05 level
exists between the experimental group
and the control group on the tension index
as defined by the Michigan Picture Test.

 

Hypothesis II. A difference significant at the .05 level
T‘ exists between the experimental group and
the control group on the verb tense score
as defined by the Michigan Picture Test.

 

Hypothesis III. A difference significant at the .05 level
exists between the experimental and the
control group on the direction of forces
score as defined by the Michigan Picture
Test. .

 

Description of Sample

 

The subjects for this study were twelve matched pairs

of eleven-year-old children. The experimental group was

15

l6

composed of children who dropped out of the A—H Club
program after completing the first year requirements.
The control group was composed of children who completed
the first year requirements of the A—H Club program and
continued into their second year.

Each of the children met these qualifications:

1. They were eleven years old at the time the data
was collected.

2. They had completed one year of A-H Club work.

3. The family residence had not changed from one
community to another.

A. The A-H Club leadership had not changed.

5. They had not dropped out of one club and
immediately become a member of another.

Each of the pairs was matched according to the
following criteria:
1. They were both of the same sex.
2. They were both members of the same A-H Club.
3. They had intelligence quotients within i five
points of each other as shown by the school

records.

A. They were both living with natural parents.

Population

 

The population from which the sample was drawn con-
sisted of A-H Club members in the Northern Agricultural
Extension District in Idaho. There were nine counties in
the district: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater,

Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce.

17

Sample Selection

 

The Idaho State A-H Club office furnished the enroll-
ment records for each county in the Northern District for
the enrollment years 1961—1962 and 1962-1963. Each club
was examined for:
1. total number of boys and total number of girls
who were nine or ten when they enrolled as a
first year member in 1961-1962;

2. total number of boys and total number of girls
who were ten or eleven as second year members
in 1962—1963.

The results are shown in Table 1.

TABLE l.-—Number and percentage of first year A—H drop-outs
in nine northern Idaho counties.

 

 

Total Boys % Total Girls %
1961-1962 38A 76A
1962-1963 235 A78
Drop-outs 1A9 38.8 286 37.A

 

The ratio of boys to girls in the experimental group
of the study was the same as the ratio of boys to girls in
the group of first year A—H members who did not re—enroll.

The percentage of boy drop—outs to girl drop—outs was
38.8 to 37.A. Because this seemed insignificant, the ratio

for the boys to girls was not weighted. The ratio of

l8

1A9:286 is 1.92. With so small a sample, the ratio of

l to 2 was used, or one boy for every two girls, which

made a total of eight pairs of girls and four pairs of
boys.

A comparison was made between the enrollment records
for 1961-1962 and 1962—1963 in order to obtain the names
of all boys and girls appearing on the 1961—1962 records
and not on the 1962-1963 records. It was also discovered
that some A—H Clubs did not reappear on the 1962-1963
records, and some clubs were listed for 1962—1963 which
had not been shown previously. The names of the boys and
girls and the names of the clubs were sent by counties to
each county's agricultural extension agent. He was asked
to advise whether:

1. the child had enrolled in another Club.

2. the child had moved to another community.

3. the child had not completed even the first
year of A-H Club work.

3. the clubs listed were functioning during
1961-1962 or 1962—1963.

When the lists were returned by the county agents,
another list was made from them, by counties, of all boys
and girls who had dropped out of A-H, had not moved to
another community, and had completed the requirements for
the first year of A—H. This was compared again with the
enrollment records of 1962-1963 with all possible matches
being noted. In many instances there was no child of the

same sex or age with which to match the drop—out. In this

l9

manner, a total of twenty-two pairs of girls and seven
pairs of boys were found.

After finding all of the eligible pairs, the six
counties, Boundary, Bonner, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, and
Nez Perce, which had paired children were alphabetized.
Next, all of the clubs which had pairs of girls and all
of the clubs which had pairs of boys were alphabetized
within each county. Each girl pair was assigned a number
from one to twenty—two, and each boy pair was assigned a
number from one to seven.

The table of rancom numbers in Snedecor's Statistical
Method331 was used to draw the sample. Twenty—two for the
row number and seven for the column number determined the
starting point. To select the boys it was arbitrarily
decided to go vertically down the row and select numbers
one through seven as they appeared. To select the girls,
the starting point was the same as the boys, but the
numbers were examined by pairs until all numbers from one
through twenty-two had been selected. The order of the
drawing is shown in Table 2.

Permission was obtained from the superintendent of
schools in each district where a pair of children resided

to obtain intelligent quotient ratings from

 

31George W. Snedecor, Statistical Methods (5th edition;
Ames, Iowa: The Iowa State College Press, 1956), pp. 10913.

 

20

the school records and to administer the test to the

children in the school if the pair matched. In all cases
the superintendent notified the principal of the school
involved to inform him of the study and to obtain his co-

operation.

TABLE 2.--Order of sample pairs when drawn.

 

 

 

Boys Girls

Ori inal . Ori inal

Pair Drawn Cider Pair Drawn Ogder
1. Coeur d'Alene 3 1. Moscow 12
2. Samuels l 2. Cataldo 8
3. Moscow 7 3. Lewiston 16
A. Genesee 6 A. Bovill l3
5. Rathdrum A 5. Lapwai l7
6. Coeur d'Alene 5 6. Bovill 1A
7. Post Falls 2 7. Naples 3
8. Lapawi l8
9. Cottonwood 6
10. Cottonwood A
11. NeWport-Blanchard 1
l2. Sandpoint 2
13. Cottonwood 5
1A. Post Falls 10
15. Lewiston 20
16. Lewiston 22
17. Potlatch ll
18. Lewiston l9
l9. Athol 7
20. Bovill 15
21. Lewiston 21
22. Kellogg 9

 

In some cases there was a difference of more than :
five intelligence quotient points, and the next pair down
the list was used. Some children were not in attendance at
a school in the district, having moved within the year; thus

they could not be used. The pairs finally used in the study

21

along with reasons why other pairs were not used are shown

in Table 3.

TABLE 3.--The sample pairs used in the study.

 

 

 

Boys Girls

Location Reason Location Reason
Coeur d'Alene 1. used Moscow moved
Samuels mismatch-age Cataldo 1. used
Moscow moved Lewiston 2. used
Genesee 2. used Bovill 3. used
Rathrum 3. used Lapawi A. used
Coeur d'Alene A. used Bovill 5. used
Naples moved
Lapawi moved
Cottonwood 6. used
Cottonwood 7. used

Newport-
Blanchard out—of—state
Sandpoint I.Q. difference
Cottonwood 8. used

 

Projective Technique

 

The term projective technique refers to types of per-
sonality tests that, according to Zubin, Eron, and Schumer:
deal with material that is usually unstructured
or ambiguous, supposedly permitting S to project
his own wishes, desirSs, and needs into the un-
structured stimulus.3
Some of the reasons for the usefulness of a projective
test to obtain certain kinds of data were given by Selltiz,

Jahoda, Deutsch, and Cook in their book on social science

research. These were:

 

32Joseph Zubin, Leonard D. Eron, and Florence Schumer,
An Experimental Approach to Projective Techniques (New York:
John Wiley and Sons, 19657, p. 1A.

 

22

1. The subject may find it easier to express himself
if he is not explicitly talking about his own
feelings and attitudes, even though he knows that
what he says will be so interpreted.

2. With the best intentions in the world, the subject
may be unable to describe his feelings and attitudes
as accurately as they may be discerned in the pro—
jective test situation.

3. Sometimes access to certain populations of potential
subjects (e.g., school children, workers in a factory,
etc.) may be withheld if the topic under investigation
is made explicit to the subjects, but granted if it
remains tacit even though obvious.

A. Even though the purpose of a projective attitude
test is apparent, it may produce more extensive
information than a questionnaire or even an interview
with open-ended questions would.3

The Instrument

 

The Michigan Picture Test,3u published in 1953, was
developed by Hartwell, Walton, Andrew, and Hutt under the
sponsorship of the Department of Mental Health of the State
of Michigan.

The test, a projective personality technique used to
evaluate Children eight to fourteen years of age, had these
purposes, as described by the authors:

1. to investigate and measure the emotional reactions
of children in the preadolescent and adolescent
stages of development . . . [when] children find

it particularly difficult to verbalize and to
describe their emotional problems.

 

33Claire Selltiz, Marie Jahoda, Morton Deutsch, and
Stuart W. Cook, Research Methods in Social Relations (New
York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1962), pp. 287-288.

 

3“Michigan Department of Mental Health, Michigan Pic-
ture Test: The Evaluation of Emotional Reactions of Children
Eight to Fourteen Years of Age (Chicago: Science Research
Associates, Inc., 19537.

 

23

2. to develop a projective picture—story . . . tech-
nique for children which would reveal this type
of data-—one for which objective methods of
analysis could be developed.3
Using both school children and clinic case children,
the authors pre-tested nearly 1,000 pictures along six
criteria lines in order to select the fifteen pictures used
in the Test. A blank card was added, and the pictures were
divided into a group of twelve cards for girls and another
group of twelve cards for boys. Some cards were common to
both groups.
In order to arrive at discriminating test variables,
a cross-section of Michigan school children and clinic
case children were tested with the Michigan Picture Test
by trained researchers. The school children were rated by
their classroom teacher on an eleven—item scale of pupil
adjustment. A high adjustment group and a low adjustment
group were selected by using the upper thirty—three per
cent and the lower thirty-three per cent as defined by an
emotional adjustment score on the pupil rating scale. This
process tested the significance of test variable's ability
to discriminate between groups of well and poorly adjusted
Children. Eight variables were studied, and three were

effectively able to discriminate at nearly all grade levels:

third, fifth, and seventh/ninth, for the variables of

 

35Ibid., pp. 25-26.

2A

tension index, verb tense, and direction of forces.
Critical scores were established for each of the three
variables. The other five variables showed trends that
would be of value to a clinician but were not statistically
significant.

A later study obtained test scores, rating sheet
scores, and data on each child as to his:

age, grade, intelligence quotient, school, socio-
economic status, ordinal position in the family,
number of children in the family, the parents or
others with whom he lives, and race. The only
significant relationships between poor adjustment
and any of the basic variables were on socio~
economic status, low intelligence, and children
who live gith someone other than both natural
parents.3

The basic standardization of the Michigan Picture
Test was centered on four core cards, 1, 6, 9, 12, which
were used for scoring the variables of tension index and
verb tense. A third variable, direction of force, had
normative data established for only one core card, 6, but
had discriminatory data given by two non-core cards, 2
and 7.

Test variables were scored by analyzing the content
of stories given by the children in the test situation to
core cards 1, 6, 9, and 12, for tension index and verb
tense, and cards 2, 6, and 7 for direction of forces. The

scoring process consisted of closely examining and comparing

the examples given in the scoring section of the manual,

 

361bid., p. 54.

 

25

with the content of each child's stories. A score for each

of the three variables was obtained by totaling the number

of times a particular variable was mentioned.

Each variable, tension index, verb tense, and direc-
tion of forces, had a critical score which differentiated
between the well-adjusted and poorly—adjusted groups.
According to the authors,

critical scores were selected to include the
maximum percentage of poorly-adjusted children,
while excluding the maximum percentage of well—
adjusted children. . . . The greater the distance
above or below the critical score, the greater

the probability that the Child can be "correctly" 37
placed in one of the two categories of adjustment.

Reliability_

 

The reliability was described by the developers in
the following manner:

With projective personality tests . . . the usual
methods of demonstrating test reliability are not
applicable, since the dynamics of personality are
subject to variation from one time to another,
particularly during psychotherapy. With projective
techniques, the customary method is to demonstrate
consistency between the independent analyses of the
same stories by more than one examiner. This method
has been followed én the Michigan Picture Test
research project.3

All correlations on tension index scores obtained on
the four core pictures which were evaluated by two judges
on fifteen cases at each of the three grade levels were

found to be significant at the .01 level.39 The verb tense

 

38

37Ib1d., pp. 64—65. Ibid., p. 37

 

39Ibid., p. 38.

 

score was gained by counting all the past, present, and
future tense verbs. No interjudge correlations were given
for this variable as the scoring is simply a tabulation of
the number of each English verb tense. The direction of
forces interjudge correlations on the four core pictures

for ten subjects at the fifth and seventh/ninth grade

level were also significant at the .01 level.“0

In summary, Zubin, Eron, and Schumer described the
Michigan Picture Test in this way:

The Michigan Picture Test has had the advantage
of careful preliminary thought and design, good
standardization, adequate normative study, and
careful cross-validation. If this projective
test is a model of the proper construction and
evaluation of a thematic apperceptive technique,
it is apparent that the other TAT derivatives
fall far short of the standard."1

Data Collection

 

Each child was taken individually to a private room
where he became acquainted with the experimenter and the
recording equipment. The child was told that the experi—
menter was interested in finding what kind of stories
sixth grade children told when they looked at interesting
pictures. The twelve pictures for his sex were shown
individually with the experimenter telling the child to

make up any kind of story he wanted about each picture.

 

”Olbld., p. us.

 

ulZubin, Ehwngand Schumer, op. cit., p. 508.

27

He was told he could tell what had happened, what the
people in the story felt, what the people were doing, or
perhaps how it would turn out. When the blank card was
shown, the experimenter urged each child to see how good
his imagination was in telling a story about a blank card.
All children were told to tell the experimenter when a
story was finished in order that they would be able to

finish completely each story without interruption.

Scoring

Each test was scored for tension index and verb
tense by using the stories from the core pictures 1, 6, 9,
and 12. Direction of forces score was derived from stories
of pictures 2, 6, and 7. Examples and procedure in the
testing manual were closely followed.

Tension index, defined by the Michigan Picture Test,

is:

based on the verbal expression of four types of needs
which are defined as follows:

(a) Love-—any verbal expression, whether positive or
negative, indicating affection, belonging, or affilia—
tion, friendship, or admiration. This usually involves
a definite expression of interrelationship between
human beings, or between human beings and animals, or
between two or more animals. Occasionally, however,
some inanimate object is given human characteristics,
and in such cases any reference to a need is scored.

(b) Extrapunitiveness-—any verbal expression of
aggression toward an external object. Such expressions
include: oral aggression such as sarcasm, dislike,
objection, belittling or anger, reproving, teasing,
references to competition and to stealing; and, physical
aggression such as pushing, fighting, pulling, hitting,
killing, hurting, injury to other persons, aggressions

28

involving damage or harm to some object. Aggression
is not necessarily expressed through the action of a
human figure.

(c) Submission-—any verbal expression of defeat,
resignation, passivity, compliance, obedience, and
acceptance of suffering without effort to overcome it.
The person must be acted upon in some way and not
make any effort to retaliate, but simply accept the
action.

(d) Personal Adequacy—-any verbal reference, whether
positive or negative, of happiness, strength, compe-
tence, or any reference to the temperament or physical
characEeristics of human or animal figures in the
story.

The authors of the Michigan Picture Test state that:
our results indicate that maladjustment may also be
reflected in the relative emphasis on different needs.

We may conclude that typically well— adjusted
children in the eight- -to- fourteen- -year age range
distort the obvious nature of the stimulus less than
do poorly-adjusted children in the same age range.
Well-adjusted children alio tend to project fewer
needs into story content.

To obtain a score on tension index, the total refer-
ences to needs for each core card 1, 6, 9, 12, were SCOPEd,
and that number was the score. A score of five or above at
the seventh/ninth grade level indicated maladjustment.1M

The verb tense score was obtained by counting all of
the past, present, and future verbs in the stories for the
core cards. A percentage of the total number was figured
for each tense. For seventh/ninth grades, a score of 18

or above on past tense indicated maladjustment, and a score

 

A2
Michigan Department of Mental Health, op.

pp. 66— 67.
”3lbld., p. 90. qubid., p. 82.

 

 

29

A5

of 70 or below on present tense indicated maladjustment.
Future tense did not discriminate in the normative data at
any level; therefore, the percentage score was not used in
the analysis of the data.

The authors of the Michigan Picture Test found that
tense was an effective discrimination between well— and
poorly-adjusted children. They wrote:

. . . well-adjusted children differ from poorly—
adjusted children in that they give a smaller
proportion of past tense references. These results
support the conclusion that poorly-adjusted children
who are experiencing difficulty with present con-
flicts use past tense as one means of attempting a
resolution of their difficulties.L46

Direction of forces is defined in the Michigan
Picture Test Manual as:

the action of the story, specifically to the forces
impinging on or emanating from the central figure of
character. There are three classifications for dir-
ection of forces: (1) centrifugal or outward action,
in which forces are emanating from the central

figure of the story; (2) centripetal or inward action,
in which forces are being directed upon the central
figure; and (3) neutral, which means that no direction
of forces is clearly indicated. For purposes of this
test, the central figure is defined as that person or
figure in the picture about or arpund whom the obvious
interest of the story is focused. 7

The score for direction of forces was obtained by
scoring pictures 2, 6, and 7 for the variable and assigning
a weight to each direction expressed or not expressed for

each picture. A weighted score for all three pictures of

 

“51bid., p. 83. u6Ibid., p. 90.

 

 

u7lbid., p. 72.

30

eight or more Was considered indicative of maladjustment

at the seventh/ninth grade 1evel.l‘l8

Validation of Experimenter's Scoring

 

Three children not included in the sample were given
the Michigan Picture Test prior to the data collection pro—
cedure. The tests were administered and scored by the
experimenter, and later were checked carefully in confer-
ence by the major professor.

Each of the twenty—four tests administered to the
sample was tape recorded and checked for accuracy after

the information was typed.

Method of Statistical Analysis

 

Each of the twenty-four tests was scored according
to the criteria set up in the Michigan Picture Test Manual.
A score was obtained for each child on tension index, past
tense, present tense, direction of forces, total words on
pictures 1, 6, 9, 12, total words on pictures 2, 6, 7, and
total words for pictures 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 12.

A test of significance for small samples, using
Fisher's table of "t," was used to test the difference of
means for the experimental girls and control girls, experi-
mental boys and control boys, and experimental total group
and control total group on each of the four possible scores
outlined in the Michigan Picture Test: tension index,

past tense, present tense, and direction of forces.

A8

 

Ibid., p. 8A.

31

In a second analysis of the data, simple correla-
tions were computed by the Michigan State 3600 Computer
among each of the seven variables. This correlation was
obtained for the total group, girls only, and boys only
by comparing each of the seven variables with tension
intex, past tense, present tense, direction of forces,
total words for pictures 1, 6, 9, 12, total words for
pictures 2, 6, 7, and total words for all scored pictures:
1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 12.

Other correlations were obtained by comparing the
scores from the experimental group of girls with the con-
trol group of girls, and then the experimental group of
boys were compared with the control group of boys on each
of the above seven variables. A "t" test to determine the
significance of the difference between correlations was

performed.

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS

The results of the first analysis, a test of signifi-
cance for small samples using Fisher's table of "t," will
be presented in terms of each hypothesis given in Chapter
III.

Hypothesis I. A difference significant at the .05

 

confidence level exists between the experimental group and
the control group on the tension index score as defined
by the Michigan Picture Test. This hypothesis could not
be supported by the test of significance. The results
are shown in Table A.

However, a difference significant at the .05 level
did exist for the tension index variable between the ex—
perimental and control groups of girls only.

TABLE A.--The results of a test of significance on mean
differences between tension scores.

 

 

Variable Group D t p
Girls -7.25 ~2.5 .05

Tension Boys 2.5 1.13 .A0
Girls & Boys —A.0 -1.6A .20

 

Key: D = mean difference; t = t value; p = probability.

This key will be used on Tables 5, 6, and 7 in this
thesis. '

32

33

Hypothesis II. A difference significant at the .05

 

confidence level exists between the experimental and con-
trol group on verb tense score as defined by the Michigan
Picture Test. Both the percentages of the past and the
present tense were individually tested. As shown in
Tables 5 and 6, none of the differences was significant.

TABLE 5.——The results of a test of significance on mean
differences between present tense scores.

 

 

Variable Group D t p
Girls 13.63 1.33 .A0

P§§§§2t Boys 10.00 .50 .80
Girls & Boys l2.A2 1.38 .20

 

TABLE 6.--The results of a test of significance on mean
differences between past tense scores.

 

 

Variable Group D t p
Girls -l3.63 -l.3A .A0

Past Tense Boys -1A.00 - .6A .60
Girls & Boys ~13.75 -l.A7 .20

 

Hypothesis III. A difference significant at the .05

 

level exists between the experimental and the control group
on the direction of forces score as defined by the Michigan
Picture Test. To test for any significant differences in
the direction of forces score, the weighted scores, as
determined by the Michigan Picture Test, were used. The

results, shown in Table 7,were not significant for any group.

3A

TABLE 7.--The results of a test of significance on mean dif-
ferences between the direction of forces scores.

 

 

Variable Group D t p
Girls .5 .3A .80

Direction Boys .5 .A3 .80

of Forces Girls & Boys .17 .16 ---

 

The results of the analysis of the data as computed
by the Michigan State University 3600 Computer are presented
in Tables 8 through 12.

Results of the first analysis, multiple simple cor-
relations among the seven variables, are reported in Tables
8, 9, and 10. These are for girls only, boys only, and the
total group.

Of the twenty—one correlations among the score
variables for girls only, three were significant at the
.05 level and eight were significant at the .01 level; while
only one of the twenty-one correlations for boys was
significant at the .05 level and two were at the .01 level.
Among the correlations for the total group, tWO were at
the .05 level of significance and seven were at the .01
level.

The results of the second analysis of the data in which
the girls'and the boys' scores of the experimental subjects
were correlated with the girls' and the boys' scores of the
control subjects on each of the seven variables are reported

in Tables 11 and 12.

35

 

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CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Although none of the hypotheses of the study was
confirmed by the results of the analysis of the data, some
of the trends of the study were worth nothing.

One significant difference at the .05 level was the
tension index score for the girls. The girls in the control
group had a mean difference that was 7.25 points
higher than the girls in the experimental group. This
would indicate the girls in this study who stayed in A-H
expressed a greater number of needs, as mentioned in this
study, than those who dropped out of the program. All of
the individual scores for the control girls were at or
above the critical score of eight for this variable. The
authors of the Michigan Picture Test noted that: "the
greater the distance above or below the critical score, the
greater the probability that the child can be 'correctly'
placed in one of the two categories of adjustment."149

When the tension index scores of the experimental
girls were correlated to the scores of the control girls,
the correlation, 0.952, was significant at the .01 level.

This would indicate that the scores between the two groups

 

uglbid., p. 65.

 

A0

Al

vary in the same manner; whereas, the correlation between
the control and experimental girls' scores for total number
of words for pictures 1, 6, 9, and 12 was —0.A32. Although
this correlation is not statistically significant, it does
indicate a trend that the control girls used more words or
were more verbal in their discussion of the pictures from
which the tension score is derived.

Several questions can be raised concerning the reasons
for the higher tension scores for the control girls. Are
A-H girls actually more verbal in expression of tension than
non—A—H girls? Does the A-H program provide an outlet for
this tension; therefore, does it appeal to a girl who needs
an outlet for tension? Does the A—H program provide areas
where tension needs can be expressed? Lastly, does A-H
appeal more to a person who has higher tension levels than
to one who does not.

It is also interesting to consider the relationship
between the higher tension score for girls and the structure
of the A-H program. The A—H program is relatively highly
structured in many ways. There are definite outlines for
projects and certain steps to be taken before completion of
the project. In order to complete the year and earn credit
for the project, a record book of the project must be
completed, and, in most cases, the results of the year's
efforts must be exhibited in a A-H show. One could take the

position that the A-H program teaches responsibility in

A2

carrying out and finishing tasks and hard work in achieving
a reward. Does it continue to reinforce what many children
have already been taught in their families? If a child has
not had a background that has already oriented him to these
kinds of values, might he drop out of A—H because the values
being expressed in A-H were not important to him, did not
appeal to him, or did not meet his needs? Does the A—H
Club present a varied enough program to reach and interest
children of many different individual personalities and needs?
The mean difference on the tension variable for

boys was not significant. This may have been because the
number of boys in the study was so small, or it may have
been an artifact of the instrument since sex differences in
responses to the Michigan Picture Test have not yet been
validated. According to its authors,

We have also found that the sex of the respondent may

make a difference in some of the variables which we have

tested. Unfortunately, our work thus far has not

permitted an extensive study of the effect of sex

differences upon responses to the test stimuli.5O

The trend of the total group scores on the tension

index showed that the control group was generally higher on
this variable than was the experimental group. This
difference was significant at the .20 level only, however.

Of the four variables, tension index, past tense,

present tense, and direction of forces, the constructers of

 

501bid., p. 13.

A3

the Michigan Picture Test found that the tension index
was the most completely validated variable.51 They
recommended that it be the variable scored if for some
reason it was possible to score only one.

The intercorrelations between the variables tension
index, past tense, present tense, and direction of forces
for the total group in this study were compared to
intercorrelations given by the authors of the Michigan
Picture Test52 in Table 13.

Table 13.—-Comparison of variable intercorrelations of this
study with a study of authors of Michigan Picture Test.

 

 

Tension Index Direction of Forces
MPT A-H MPT A-H
Past Tense .32 .A2 .33 -.31
Present Tense —.18 -.A3 —.30 .30
Direction of
Forces .51 —.18

 

As the correlations were fairly low, it should
indicate that the variables measure different attributes.
Depending on the characteristics of the group, the inter—
action, and therefore, the correlations, would probably vary

in direction.

 

511bld., p. 9A.

 

52Ibid.

AA

Implications for Further Study

 

Several questions have been raised in this study which
could be the starting point for several interesting and
challenging investigations.

An analysis of personality characteristics of a much
larger sample of A—H children may yield more significant
information concerning any characteristics that may differ
between the A—H child and the drop-out. Unless the research
could be done by several people, a testing instrument that
would have faster scoring than the Michigan Picture Test
may be considered.

Another study of importance would be what significant
personality differences, if any, exist between the boys and
the girls in the A—H population and the A—H drop-outs. If
any were found, this would present some challenging problems
in the area of program planning to meet individual needs.

A comparison of possible personality characteristics of A-H
children taking a particular kind of project as compared
with another may be considered; whereas another study
could deal with the personality characteristics of boys and
girls taking the same projects.

If a satisfactory test to determine the soci—economic
level of farm families could be utilized, a variable concerning
that area could be very important in matching children in a
sample or simply comparing large groups of children. This
additional variable may uncover information that would be

extremely important in possible program development to meet

A5

certain individual needs of children or to reach certain
groups of children. Much work could be done in a study of
the values that a particular socio-economic class holds for
its young people and how these values may relate to the

A—H Club program.

Other variables which could be added to a study would
be: the number of siblings in a family, whether any of these
siblings are A-H members or dropouts, what ordinal position
the child holds in a family, and whether a parent is a A—H
leader.

In conclusion, this study was not able to determine
any significant personality variables for the study group
as a whole. However, possibilities for further study have
been posed that could be significant for future A—H

program planning.

CHAPTER VI
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Certain personality characteristics of enrolled and
drop—out A—H children were investigated in order to
ascertain what personality differences may exist between
the two groups.

The subjects were twelve matched pairs of eleven-
year-old children who had completed one year of A—H Club
work. The control group of children had remained in the
A-H program, and the experimental group had dropped out of
A-H after the completion of the first year. Each pair was
matched according to these criteria: (1) both were of the
same sex, (2) both were members of the same A-H Club,

(3) both had intelligence quotients within : five points,
and (A) both were living with natural parents. The ratio
of boys to girls in the study was the same as the ratio

of boys to girls in the group of first year A-H drop—outs
in the Northern Idaho Extension District during 1962-1963.
This ratio was 1:2, or four pairs of boys to eight pairs of
girls.

Each of the twenty-four children was individually
administered the Michigan Picture Test, a projective person—
ality technique, in his school setting. The tests were

scored by the experimenter.

A6

47

The results of each test were evaluated for three
personality variables: tension index, verb tense, and
direction of forces, and for total words for pictures
1, 6, 9, 12, pictures 2, 6, 7, and pictures 1, 2, 6, 7, 9,
and 12. A score was assigned each variable, and the scores
were individually and collectively analyzed.

The results did not show a significant difference
between the control and the experimental group on the three
personality variables: tension index, verb tense, and
direction of forces. However, a mean difference at the .05
level was found between the experimental girls and the con-
trol girls on the tension variable. The control girls, or
those who had stayed in A-H, were found to have higher
scores on this variable which indicated that they expressed
greater amounts of tension needs.

As the mean difference on the tension score for boys
was not significant, the data appears to lend support to
the effect of sex differences in subjects' responses to the
test; however, the results may have been strongly influenced
by the smallness of the sample.

The correlation of the tension index scores of the
experimental girls to the control girls was significant at
the .01 level, thereby indicating that the groups varied
in the same manner. However, the correlation between these
groups for total words on pictures 1, 6, 9, and 12, although

not statistically significant, showed a trend that the

A8

control girls were more verbal than the experimental girls
in the discussion of the pictures used to score the tension
index variable.

Findings of the study suggest a need to explore the
possibility that the A-H Club program may appeal to a girl
who scores higher on a tension index than one who does not.
Another area to consider would be whether there may be a
difference between personality needs of boys and girls in
the A-H program.

This study lends support to A—H research concerning
a flexible program to meet individual needs of children.

A closer look at A-H program planning should be continued
to determine what types of programs may meet the many needs

and personalities of all groups of children.

REFERENCES

Campbell, Frank Nelson, "Factors Associated with Reenrollment
in A—H Clubs in Rock County, Wisconsin." Unpublished
Master's Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Wisconsin, 1955.

Copp, James H. and Clark, Robert C, Factors Associated
with Re—enrollment in A-H Clubs. University of
Wisconsin Research Bulletin 195. Madison: Agricultural
Experiment Station, February, 1956.

Crile, Lucinda, The Relationship of Age and Other Factors to
Enrollment and Continuation in A-H Club Work. Federal
Extension Service Circular 183, United States Department
of Agriculture. Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1933. '

Cummings, Alberta H. "An Investigation of A-H Club Work in
Cabell County, West Virginia." Unpublished Master's
Thesis, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 1939. Cited
by Barnard Joy and Lucinda Crile. A—H Clubs and Older
Youths Studies. Federal Extension Service Circular 339,
United States Department of Agriculture. Washington:
Government Printing Office, 19A0.

 

Howes, M. L. "Some Factors Involved in the Non—re—enrollment
of First-Year A-H Club Boys in Baltimore, Marford,
Howard, and Montgomery Counties, Maryland." Unpublished
Master's Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park,
Maryland, 1952. Cited in Review of Extension Studies.
Federal Extension Service, United States Department of
Agriculture. Washington: Government Printing Office,
January, 1953.

Joy, Barnard D. The Length of A-H Club Membership. Federal
Extension Service'Circular 199, United States Department
of Agriculture. Washington: Government Printing Office,

193A.

Kreitlow, Burton W., Pierce, Lowell, and Middleton, Curtis.
Who Joins A-H Clubs? University of Wisconsin Research
Bulletin 215. Madison: Agricultural Experiment
Station, October, 1959.

 

Lindstrom, D. E. and Dawson, W. M. Selectivity of A-H Club
Work: An Analysis of Factors Influencing Membership.
University of Illinois Research Bulletin A26. Urbana:
Agricultural Experiment Station, July, 1936.

A9

50

Michigan Department of Mental Health. Michigan Picture Test:
An Evaluation of Emotional Reactions of Children Eight
to Fourteen Years of Age. Chicago: Science Research
Associates Inc., 1953.

 

 

 

Middleton, C. O. "A Comparison of the Family Background and
Status Between A-H Members and Non—A—H Members Who Are
in the Sixth and Ninth Grades in Ten Wisconsin
Communities." Unpublished Master's Thesis, University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WiSconsin, 1958. Cited in
Review of Extension Research. Federal Extension
Service Circular 532, United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington: Government Printing Office,
July, 1960.

 

New England A-H Study Committee. A—H Club Work and High
School Youth. A New England Cooperative Extension
Publication. University of Massachusetts, Amherst:

 

 

 

l9A7.

Sabrosky, Laurel K. "A-H Club Study Findings Point the
Way." Extension Serivce Review, XXI (March, 1950),
[48"L‘9 o

, Meeting the Basic Needs of First—Year A—H Club
Members. Federal Extension Service PA 203, United
States Department of Agriculture. Washington:
Government Printing Office, Revised, 1966.

 

, "Present Status of A-H Club Studies." Paper read
at the National State A-H Club Leaders' Meeting.
Federal Extension Service, United States Department of
Agriculture. Washington: Government Printing Office,
April, 1961.

Sandstead, Audrey. "Factors Affecting A—H Club Enrollment in
Colorado." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Colorado
Agricultural and Mechanical College, Fort Collins,
Colorado, 1952.

Selltiz, Claire, Johoda, Marie, Deutsch, Morton and Cook,
Stuart W. Research Methods in Social Relations.
New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, March, 1962.

 

Snedecor, George W. Statistical Methods. 5th ed. Ames: The
Iowa State College Press, 1956.

 

Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University
of Michigan. A Highlight Summary_of a Study of the
Program of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press, September, 1958.

 

 

51

, A Study of Boys Becoming Adolescents. Ann Arbor:
University of MichigangPress, 1960.

 

Western Region A—H Study Committee. Tables of Data From
Western Region A-H Club Study of First-Year Members:
19A9. Federal Extension Service Circular 378, United
States Department of Agriculture. Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1950.

 

 

 

Zubin, Joseph, Eron, Leonard D., and Schumer, Florence.
An Experimental Approach to Projective Techniques.
New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1965.

 

APPENDICES

52

APPENDIX I

53

5A

Raw Scores on Seven Variables for Twenty-four Subjects

 

 

 

8.0

C 4—3 Ha) (\l

L. O i: 4—30 '7“

(D H (1) (D0) 0&4 r—IUJN r-IUJ r-imON

.0 c0 pm mm (DO (U'UH cd'd «SUN

5 x a :88 28 :12: see 88:; 88:?

g $ A me me no 93H 93m 93H
1E G 1A 62 31 9 214 128 313
2E G 1A 20 80 6 266 118 325
3E G 19 71 29 6 230 126 314
AB G 15 20 80 11 206 117 272
SE G 9 22 78 6 358 221 477
6E G 11 38 56 8 225 135 314
7E G 14 28 70 8 411 156 499
BE G 12 40 60 5 298 133 381
9E B l2 19 75 11 305 172 378
10E B 21 13 77 7 258 153 365
11E B 8 54 46 11 198 106 269
12E B 8 50 50 8 117 76 176
1C G 21 64 31 10 299 129 369
2C G 19 53 47 5 454 3A0 705
3C G 45 75 25 10 979 504 1321
40 G 25 83 16 1 713 164 804
50 G 8 30 63 8 158 77 199
6C G 15 37 63 8 302 138 397
7C G 18 61 39 6 393 241 560
8C G 15 7 9l 7 339 198 451
9C B 8 12 88 13 218 85 276
10C B 13 92 8 7 212 147 316
llC B 10 38 62 11 178 130 254
12C B 8 50 50 8 277 118 354

 

UJFJ

xperimental Group; C = Control Group
° G = Girl

APPENDIX II,

55

56

Letter sent to extension agents, with a cover letter from
Extension Studies Specialist.

La Dessa Rogers Smelcer is collecting data for her
master's thesis in the field of child development. Her
special research interest is re-enrollment and non-re-
enrollment of ten—year-old first year A-H club members.
By using the state records of the nine Northern Idaho
counties, she hopes to be able to match twelve pairs of
children. One group of twelve children will be those who
have dropped out of A-H after one year. Each will be
matched to a child who has remained in A—H after the first
year. A projective test will be administered to each of
the children in a school situation.

She has reviewed the 1961—62 and 1962-63 records for
your county. The following ten years olds were found on the
1961-62 records, but were not found on the 1962-63 records:

It would be most helpful if you would look over the
names to see if any have:

1. Enrolled in another club.
2. Moved to another community.
3. Not completed even the first year of A-H work.

In addition, these A-H clubs were shown on the 1961—62
records, but the 1962-63 records did not contain these clubs.
The following children were recorded as ten year old, first
year members:

Similarily, the following clubs were recorded in 1962—
63 and not in 1961-62 with these eleven year old, second
year members:

Would you please inform Mrs. Smelcer if any of the above
two groups of clubs were functioning during 1961-62 or 1962-
63? It is necessary that the sample be drawn from clubs which
were active during the two time periods.

You help and consideration would be very much appreciated
by Mrs. Smelcer. Her address is:

La Dessa Rogers Smelcer
1015 6th Street
Rupert, Idaho

APPENDIX III

57

58

ANALYSIS SHEET for the MICHIGAN PICTURE TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAME DATE OF BIRTH SEX
(M) (F)
DATE rEsr '
ADMINISTEIED GRADE NORMs USED ANALYSIS sv
TENSION INDEX
PICTURE EXTRA- PERSONAL
NUMBER LOVE. NUMBER PUNITIVE NUMBER SUBMISSION NUMBER ADEQUACY NUMBER TOTAL
1
6
9
12
Toals
Percent
Above critical score__.___ 1.- _
Emphasis on_1- __._ ___.--_-___
VERE TENSE
NUMBER 0? REFERENCES PER CENT or REFERENCES
PICTURE
NUMBER PAST NUMBER PRESENT NUMBER FUTURE NUMBER TOTAL PAST PRESENT FUTURE
1
6
9
' 12
Totals Pest Present Future Tot?! four 96: ‘ %= %=
CO e: '

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published by SCIENCE RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, Inc., 57' w.» Grand Avenue, Chicago 10, Illinois
Copyright I953, by Michigan State Department of Mean Healfh. All righrs reserved.
Copyright under the Internafional Copyright Union. Printed in U.S.A.

Please Use number 7-2I46 to reorder this Analysis Sheet.

At or above critical score:
' Pas: tense
Present sense

 

 

 

59

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

m TOTAL Wm
NW N WEIGHT CRNTRIFETAL WEIGHT NEUTRAL - WEIGHT Soon
2
6
7
Sum of the weighted scores
At or shove critical score
_ IMONAI. NATIONS
NUMBER OF REFERENCE. PER CENT OF REFERENCES
PICTURE OVER OVER
NUMBER 2-PERSON NUMBER 2-PERSON NUMBER TOTAL 2-PERSON 2-PERSON
l
6 _
9
12
PERSONAL PIONOUNS
NUMBER OF REFERENCES PER CENT OF REFERENCES
Slim. IST PERSON NUMBER 2‘33: ’ NUMBER TOTAL 151' PERSON 23$?
l
6
9
12
PSYCHOSEXUAI.
NUMBER OF REFERENCES
PICTURE ORAL ORAL MASTUR- CAS-
NUMBER PASSIVE NUMBER SADISTIC NUMBER ANAL NUMBER OEDIFAL NUMBER BATORY NUMBER TRATION NUMBER
1
6
, 9
12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60

POPULAR OBJECTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PICTURE
NUMBER POPULAR OBJECTS TOTAL
1 (MEET. mother, paper. boy. girl
6 b0!
9 lightning
12 , boys
COMBINED MALADJUSTMENT INDEX
TENSION INDEX TENSE 01:53:; 0" COMBINED
MALADJUSTMENT
GRADE PAST PRESENT INDEX
5 .1 1 1.
5
7/9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check the occurrence of a "critical score."
For grade 3, the maladjustment index may range from 0 through 2.
For grades 5 and 7/9. the maladyusrment Index may range from 0 through 4.

WI.
PER CENT OP REFERENCES
POST- ORAL ORAL MASTUR-
OEDIFA NUMBER TOTAL PASSIVE SABISTIC ANAL OEBIFAL MTOIY

CAS-
TRATION

' POSTOEDIFAL

 

61

Summary and Recommendations: