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L11 Hm zmwzwmnmm v .I. .p‘..: I A(Lém$STUDIHAL4LISIS OF E4CTOAS CONThIBUTIhG T3 lug ACILDri-lC DE‘ICLLICL” OF DLILACLA‘L) l-LILJEiILhL. 51311 * COLLLQE STUQLLTS ON PhO”CTIOQ IS [I (I; A Tn ' Simdtted to the School of Graduate Studies of nichigan ‘tate College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of tue reguirements for the dezree of DOCTOR OE PAILOSOPMI Department of Guidance and Counselor Training 1953 J'hLb-s ~< rifirm.’ ‘T"‘~'~,r Kuw- JLKJ13HO7’JLJLUJ‘..JL..LO For their encouragement and generous assistance the writer extends sincere appreciation to the members of her guidance committee, Dr,‘flalter F, Johnson, Chairman, Dr. Clifford E. Erickson, Dr. Leonard J. Luker, and Dr, Cecil V. nillaru, Gratitude is expressed to Dr. Paul L. Dress Director of Counseling, and to colleagues at the seling Center whose COOperation made the res are possible. Thanks go also to the staff oi t ‘ "tueents and of the Legistrer who were so liberaL in tn;ir nglp. \I‘; ‘l 'l ‘0 \)' _—-- _-- .-_._- I\_\I_.\I_ nun“ n (\Anunn -" \ \I \ - - ..'.-V..“_..’.."..“_ du’nnunnnn fl‘«".' '1 I . T? g RJIJUF i 1‘»? beatIice Iva Fessc nden Candidate for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPAY Finalenenination,.npril 9: 1953, 1:00 P.E., l7 Lorrill Hall Ifissertathnn A Case Studyn mlysis of Factors DOItFlbUClI” to tne Academic Deficiency of Selectec Lichiran State College Stucents on Probation Outline of Studies major subject: Guidance and Couims elinq oicxraohical Items born, Larch 26, l9lh, auburn, new York tndergraduate Studies, Cornell University, 1932-36 Graduate Studies, Cornell University, 1935-39, Syracuse University 1 9LS- -Lc, cont. Fall Semestsr 19L7, Uni ver sitv oflLinnesota, Spring Quarter l9L9, nichigan State Colle l9uL-S3 EXperience: high school instructor, Gasrort nisn School, Gasport , new York, 1’36-3t, n_'h Scnool instructor ane counselor, dainorid nigh School, balnurlu e, new'lork, 1939- -L3, Counselor, nicnican State College, 19'O-- Lember of.American Personnel and Guidance lssociation, American College Personnel Association, national Vo- cational Guidance association, nicni~an Counselors Association, Kappa Delta Pi,P iLammr‘a Theta, PLi beta nappa A CASE MUD! ANALYSIS (3 FACTORS CWTRIBUTIHG TO THE AGADBIIC 1331013510! 01’ SELECTED MICHIGAN MATE omen: STUDENTS W PROBATION By Doctrine In Fessenden “ABSTRACT mum to tho School of Mt. Studies of Hichigan “to 00110.. Of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the rements for th- dnmo of m GmSOPH! Wat of (him and Counselor ruining tar 1953 W !;-‘ 5.! n‘: in. .49. ‘M flit. Its :33?“ “ ‘ n'QL-‘Jé to “3-2:: .' u If the 19:11..)1 £15. 3;: cc: .-. r'a . '«w In: 50.5.. .. . (11:! ‘J. was. r:‘.:' :3: mt w lesis‘. z [rt-ads, Lech-i ,r Him mt r, ::;:‘. ““1 “1L1: s: -. CL: ‘36 3.2.33.1, ; hitting, Lille} ”‘ "“"u .1. ‘0.“ 81.4.21. "~31". '..' .“' “”— J h 2‘ "‘2: 1! 3:: . ' I “.f‘ . 6J‘3‘% a .t... u.” . _ NAIF“?! .. ‘5 ‘ , 3! 13”.“. ‘. “4511}. pr .: MT. 2'3. _ “T313 Emblem. This was a study of a selected group of students on probation. Its purpose was to increase understanding of the factors contributing to academic deficiency by description and analysis of the dynamics of the individual student in relation to his scholastic diffi- culties. By consideration of the cases as a total group and as sub-aroups the study sought further to determine whether these students had charac- teristics in common which might have significance for institutional pro- endures used to assist academically deficient students. MethodsJ techniques L and data. The case study was employed as the techniqn. most appropriate to an individualized approach to the problem. Data from diverse sources were utilized—special interviews with almost all of the students, case notes and special diagnostic reports from counsel- ing contacts, college records, and information from follow—up questionnaires to the students. The cases were reviewed in order to study group charac- teristics. Findings and conclusions. The case study technique made evident some of the reasons for the limitations of prediction studies and for reports in the literature of conflicting findings or lack of significant findings from grow.) studios of specific characteristics. '.?.'he same factor was found to have either a positive or negative effect upon academic achieve- lm in relation to the student's reaction to that factor. Still more con- founding to group statistics was the demonstrated effect of the inter- relationships and varying influence of factors. 'i‘he case studies, therefore, "are essential for evaluating these relationships and their effects. Con- Bideretion of factors as separate entities merely verified the findings of Prwious research that scholastic achievement is influenced, adversely or a; a! $25! V 2. '31 u m :1sz 2;: It‘ll zen-:4: m. :1 1e}; favorably, by numerous non-academic factors such as educationsl~vocational native, personal-social adjustment, family relationships, and readiness to accept assistance. Among more objective findings from consideration of the cases in eggegate were the following: 1. High school rank was not predictive of academic difficulty for many of these students. 2. The ACE scores of 75 percent of the group were in the lower half of the class distribution. Still more were deficient in reading skills. Little relationship was found, however, hemeen level of scholastic ap— titude and degree of academic deficiency. 3. Approximately seventy percent of the low aptitude group and a substantial number of those of higher scholastic aptitude were in seemingly inappropriate njorl. h. The students who succeeded academically Fall Term 1951 responded most promptly to attempts to contact them, both that term and previously, and far exceeded the other: in repetition of courses as means of regaining honor points. They hid no advent-go in level of scholastic aptitude, reading skills, or difficulty of under. 5. Utilization of the services of the Counseling Center and of Reading Clinic by any of those students was inadequate. Both major and minor findings proved to have considerable significance for institutional provisions and procedures in regard to academically deficient students. a... CHJJ’TEIL I lfiiliJCF CONTENTS [111—13 PROELL‘QQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoQOOOOOOOOOOOOIOoooooen.00. Introduction........................................... Statement of the problem............................... Importance of the problem and origin of the study,,.... Definition of termS.................................... Limitations of the study............................... Organization........................................... 11 THE RAVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.............................. III The relationship of high school scholarship to academic achievement......................................... The relationship of scholastic aptitude test scores to academic achievement................................ The relationship of measured reading skills to academic achievement......................................... The relationship between first year achievement and second year achievement..................... ....... The relationship of size of high school to aca‘cmic achievement in college.............................. The relationship of family background to academic achievement... .... ................................ The relationship of extra-curricular activities and employment to academic achievement.................. The relationship of educational and vocational purpose to academic achievement............................. The relationship of measured personality character- istics to academic achievement...................... Procedures used to assist students who have academic difficultieS........................................ smunaryo.000000000-0000000000000000000OOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO l'Lrj-‘liobs Alli) PitmEDUfifioOOOO0.0.0.0....0000000.000.0000.00. Definition of the group to be studied.................. Kinds of data and sourceS.............................. The case studieS....................................... Consideration of the cases collectively................ Summary................................................ I: :"1‘ ‘2 J. A. at: \OKJD’NHH i—J |._J '._J ll 37 In 142 mg, 51 '-’n 94 LLLE(M CO”finllo - Continued 03193211; IV 1 - illfi C 1.7;‘41 135“ C THE CASE STUDILS: rHE CASE STUQILS; CONS: use srunns: cases our: neon .1: CA 3.33 Tan-m1 ‘ 033231 cases THlnTI CASES FIDT (Pf LMLATION OF Td_.CnSES In thifiukTE Quantitative Data................. Sex............................ Age....................,....... Educational level of father.... high school rank............... Measured scholastic aptitude... Relationship between high school rank and W0 i ILLOU Gd hcasured reading skills............. Firsty ear college achievement... Probation history................ Extent of honor point deficiency. Extra-curricular activities...... Employment........................ Activities in relation to employ 0 "dent SmmI-lary............................. Qualitative Data’oooooooooooooocoooo-o. ApprOpriateness of choice of major. DI. DU Educational motive............. Personal and social adjustment. Severe emotional disturbances.. Family relationships........... heterosexual adjustment........ Firla11CialneedOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Personal limitations........... udy of sub-groups classified in re Spect to diSposition of the caseS................. hi gh school rank......................... measured sciolastic aptitude........ l‘Le ”“18 Of prooation.................................. Extra- curricular activities and employment.......... vae M TILLLIJLEI 17 W'JLI'IY- O .E 'i‘HAOUGH .3\m1 hAJ$\IJ. mt"; inlnlY-SEVnh.. ~— -ISIGI~I‘1‘ TihLOU L‘frI EIFT I-Ol-IE . . . SIA1-L-LJ1-Jooooo ultimate PAUL} LFI‘ FT 293 3&3 h73 h; 3 h73 hTh mu th L"):- .l l L: htz ILh ht; I400 LLC h90 Leo L93 KLLE(E‘CONT5NTS - Continued :(1 . E , CEnPThi honor point losses and repetition of 001rses........ 503 heduced course loaos........ ....................... 505 Utilization of Reading Clinic.......... ............ SOS Counseling ContactS................................. 507 Response, Fall Term 1951............... 507 APPPODTiateness of major............................ EOt Summary............................................. 509 Academic follow-up.................................. 512 X STUDENT ATTITULES TOWARD The QASIC COLLEdd PnOunAh........ flu keeponse to the questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . , , . , , , . . . . , . 51L AttitUdeSOCOOOOOOOOOOOI...'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.OOO55 sulTnlrlarErOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOOOC000.00.00.00... 519 XI fiELAhY, CONCLUSIONd, Rho lnPLICATICho FOR aninnn msbz.LLiCE-IC>..OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO000.00.00.00. ~;21 Summary of the study................................... S22 Quantitative data................................... 522 Qualitative data.................................... 525 Student attitude toward the sasic College progran... 525 Academic follow-up.......0......COOIOC00......00000. '—l \fl N ConclusionS............................................ 52’ Evaluation of the case study as a research techniQuc... S27 Implications for further research...................... 531 XII SIGNIFICAECE Or The Flholhds FOd thTlTUTIOhAL Psocenuhss. S33 heed for a COOperative approach........................ 533 heed for more effective communication with students.... 53h Written communication.................................. 53S neason for lack of student response.................... 335 heed for more extensive use of follow-up procedures.... 53? Required counseling contacts and use of improvement serviceS............................................ 53c Supplementary methods of communication................. 3&0 Enrollment as related to prevention and remediation of academic problemS................................... Shl / 'EQLE(X‘CONTEHT - Continued CHAETEn Need for closer relationships with schools and departmentS................................. dffective methocs of referral................. Further considerations.............. Values and limitations of screening interviews. Summary....................................... JLLlom&.XPEYOOOO'O0......00.00.000.00...0.00.0...0000 APPLIXXLA -- List of cases classified in reSpect to diSposition Of tile Case.‘0.0.00.0.0.000...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO A¢FQQDIX b -- Letter to the student from the Dean of the dasic College......................... Preliminary Interview Form......... Counselor's Report................. APPLRDIX C -- Questionnaire...................... Letters Accompanying Questionnaire. Follow-up letterS.................. ’ ‘1‘ }’_I‘ .4 --\JJ._J 5&2 13 ILLI '33 h h C'lA-f In.) 5146 55c 570 573 H F1 +4 VIII IX XIII XV Distribution in chronological are of the group studied.... Educational level of the father in the group studied....... Quartile distribution in high school rank of high school graduates in the group studied...................... .000... Decile distributions in ACE total scores of the St-udieClooOOoooooooooooo group nigh schoo rank of the 34 students with ACE scores in deciles one through three. high school rank of the 28 students with ACE scores in deciles four through ten................................... Scattcrdiagram of relationship between decile rank of ACE "L" score and the COOperative heading Total score in the group Studieci...........0......000OOOOOOO‘OOOOOOO. Coo-o... haximum honor point deficiency and deficiency Fall Term l93l in the total group studied and in the sub-groups classified in reSpect to sex and scholastic aptitude....... Participation in extra-curricular activities by students tkle S’Toup StuCiiedOOOO0.00.000...000.00.000.00000000.00.0... Part-time employment of students in the group studied...... Participation in extra-curricular activities by employed students in relation to level of scholastic aptitude....... Participation in extra-curricular activities by employed students in relation to hours of employment and level of scholastic aptitude........................................ Level of scholastic aptitude, number of terms of probation, empl yment and extra-curricular activities of the students classified in reSpect to eligibility for the Upper School.. Loss of honor points and repetition of courses by the stu- dents classified in reSpect to eligibility for the Upper SCilOOlOOOCOOOO0.00.0...0.0.0.0...00.000.00.000...OOOOOOO... Reduction of course load, use of Special services, and reSponse to the Basic College prOQram of assistance Fall Term 1951 by the students classified in reSpect to eligi- bility for the Upper School................................ M3 3101 so 2&1! v- CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction Research has sought to discover the relationship to academic achievement of almost every aSpect of students' lives, present and past, that could be measured or otherwise evaluated. The research findings, however, have in many cases been disappointing and fre- quently conflicting. Studies have been limited to a great extent to seeking the presence or absence of Specific characteristics in groups of failing students, or in groups of successful students as contrasted with unsuccessful students. The individual student who is failing, however, may not fit the pattern of the failing student derived from gnbup characteristics. Perhaps, then, an individualized approach may prove conducive to increased understanding of the problems in- velved in academic failure. The Problem Statement of the problem. This is a study of a selected group dracademicalhy deficient students at Michigan State College. The pnhmipal technique is a case study of each of the students. Its pur- Ixme is to seek increased understanding of scholastic problems through demndption and analysis of the dynamics of the individual student in relation to his academic difficulties. Such a study necessitates con- sideration of the following: 1. the interrelationships of many, diverse data whose significance may vary with the individual student. 2. the influence of the student's view of and reaction to his situation. 3. the influence of the student's attempts to deal with the prob- lem and the effectiveness of his attempts. Integral parts of the case study are a clinical judgment of the case, based on analysis and synthesis of all available data, and a follow- up of the case. A secondary purpose is to seek answers to the following questions by consideration of the cases in aggregate: 1. Are there characteristics common to the total group or to sub- groups of these academically deficient students? 2. Are there findings which are of considerable significance in relation to institutional procedures for dealing with the problem of academic deficiency? .Answers to the following questions, for example, are pertinent: Are there provisions made and procedures employed by the institution which appear to be particularly effective or ineffective? Are there provisions or procedures suggested by the stu- dents or implied in the findings which might be inaugurated or extended in order to be of greater assistance to stu- dents in academic difficulty or to be employed as pre- ventive measures? Are there ways of dealing with academic deficiency which could not be applied as institutional procedures, but which could be used effectively, or at least recommended, in individual work with failing or potentially failing students? Importance of the problem and origin of the study. Numerous stud- iescuiginating in.many different types of colleges and universities . C o .. . _, o .. I-‘ v" .~-" . A-o ,. ‘ I .. . L.‘ ‘ ‘5'. ‘ n '0 - . . - ‘. . .. . - V ‘ . ... over a long period of time are evidence of a general concern with the problem of academic deficienCy. At public institutions the problem is particularly acute. At Michigan State College, for example, the pri- mary basis of admission for Michigan residents is the recommendation of the high school graduate by the high school principal. Scholastic aptitude tests administered to all entering students indicate wide differences in measured academic potentialities of these recommended students. The incidence of academic deficiency is high. At the end of Spring'Term 1951 almost 2h.percent of Basic College students were subject to some type of probation or were requested to withdraw. Nor does this include students doing unsatisfactory work who failed to re- turn to school or who withdrew during the term. The administration and staff of the Basic College do not complacently assume that these stu- dents are not "college material" and should be "weeded out", the sooner the‘better. Because of his concern with the problem of scholastic deficiency, the Dean of the Basic College initiated during Fall Term 1951 a special program for probationary students. This program and the procedures developed for it offered the unusual Opportunity for intensive study of individual students which.made the present investigation possible. A counselor from the Counseling Center was assigned to the Dean's Office to interview students who were academically deficient. The purposes of these interviews were: 1. to determine whether these students were making use of both instructional and Special services available to them, to encourage the use of such resources, and to make referrals to them. 2. when referral was not indicated, or when the need for it was not recognized by the student, to appraise the student's situation With him and to assist him to arrive at a satis- factory approach to his problems, if he had not already done so. 3. to make available to the Dean a picture of the student's total situation based on the initial interview and any subsequent counseling contacts in order that an administrative decision regarding the student's academic future might then be based on knowledge of the student rather than on mere credits and honor points gained or lost during the term. b. to seek a better understanding of students who are on proba- tion to determine whether there are ways in which the institu- tion through its procedures or its agencies can help to reduce the incidence of these academic problems. Such were the circumstances in the local situation which gave im- petus to the present study. Definition of Terms Case study-- a synthesis and interpretation of information about a person and his environment, collected by means of many techniques and focused on the aSpects that seem to be causing the difficulty in adjust- ment (106). Scholastic (academic) aptitude:L the capacity of an individual for academic work, frequently detenmined by his performance on tests referred to as scholastic aptitude or intelligence tests, designed to measure this capacity. Intelligence-- a term used in its limited meaning in this report as a synomym for scholastic aptitude. The Basic College-- the administrative educational unit in which all :fimdents are enrolled for their first two years at Michigan State College. Its purpose is to provide a program of basic general education for all students, regardless of their intended major. The Upper School-- the administrative educational unit to which the student may be admitted for the continuance of his undergraduate program after he has completed the requirements of the Basic College. Completion of 92 credits with at least a C average is the minimum re- quirement for admission to any of the seven schools at Michigan State College. The basic courses (the Basics)-- comprehensive core courses which, as the Michigan State College catalogue states, include the "study of man's relationship to the physical, biological, and social sciences, an increased knowledge of the historical background of present-day civiliza- tion, and an enhanced appreciation of cultures, past and present, that have been expressed in literature, music, and art". Completion of five of these basic courses was a requirement at the time the students in the present study were enrolled in the Basic College. Comprehensive examination--an examination administered at the con- clusion of each basic course. The grade in this examination became the grade for the entire course. Thus, a student might either raise or lower his term grades in a basic course. This system of grading has now been changed, but it was in effect at the time the students in the present study were enrolled in the Basic College. Preference-- the area in which the student at the time of admission sfiates his intention of majoring, after he has completed the requirements of the Basic College. During the Basic College period the curriculum includes courses required for the major as well as the Basics and elective courses. No preference-- a descriptive term applied to a student who has not declared a preference. A "no preference" student may supplement the Basics With exploratory courses. He enrolls at the Counseling Center. Change of preference-- an official change from one prOposed major (preference) to another. Changes are made at the Counseling Center, and students are encouraged to take advantage of the testing and coun- seling services prior to making a change. Enrollment officer-— a member of the instructional staff of a school who enrolls Basic College students who have declared a preference for that school in courses apprOpriate for the prOposed major. The enroll- ment officer is usually a member not only of the school, but also of the department for which the student has stated a preference. Counselor-- an official title at Michigan State College for Special- ists in counseling who are members of the staff of the Counseling Center. Counseling Clinic-- a three day program of testing, counseling, and orientation activities offered during the summer prior to their entrance to students who have been admitted to Michigan State College. Reading Clinic-- a no credit laboratory type course offered by the Basic College to students who wish to improve their reading skills. Ehrollment is voluntary. Enrollment in three other clinics, writing, Speech and arithmetic, is required of some students, but any student may enroll, if he wishes. Grade points (honor points)-- four points are allowed for each credit of work of A grade; three points for each credit of B grade; two E Q. o~ points for each credit of C grade; one point for each credit of D grade. No points are given for grades of F. Grade point average (honor point average)-- the total points divided by the total credits carried. A 2.00 (C) grade point (honor point) average is required for admission to the Upper School and for graduation. Academic (honor point) deficiency-- a grade point average of less than 2.00. Probation-- status of a student who has become more than eight honor points below a 2.00 average. Various degrees of probation will be described in Chapter III. Limitations of the study. An ideal study of an individual, even when the research is limited to one area, that of academic achievement, would be longitudinal in nature, observing the individual or following his history from the time of his earliest learning experience, at least, to the conclusion of his formal education. The present study, however, is functional in design. Therefore, the study has consciously been limited to those data which are available or can be obtained for any Michigan State College student. Future research, however, will follow the individuals studied to the conclusion of their undergraduate studies. Secondly, case notes from counseling interviews furnished important data for the case studies. Some students, however, made little or no use of the Counseling Center during their first two years of college. The amount of detail included in counselor's notes, moreover, varies ‘dth the counselor, from very full notes to a limited report of contact. These circumstances, therefore, necessarily limit the amount and quality of information available for some students. Thirdly, any conclusions drawn and any recommendations made may be considered applicable only to students or procedures in the Basic College of.Michigan State College. Extension of findings to other institutions or even to the Upper Schools of Michigan State College is warranted only if similar studies verify that these findings are applicable to the in- stitution in question. That this is a study of certain Michigan State College probationary students at a Specified time, not a study of all.Michigan State College probationary students, must be recognized as a fourth limitation of the study. To the statistically oriented person, that identical data are not reported for every person studied would constitute a limitation. The case study technique, however, emphasizes, not the tabulation of data, but the analysis and synthesis of data as they relate to the individual under study. Lastly, it is rec0gnized that the process of synthesis of data to be included in the case study and the interpretation or diagnosis of the case as a whole are based on subjective judgment. The validity of that judgment rests ultimately on the qualifications of the person or persons making the judgment. In most of the cases reported, the judgment is actually that of two professional counselors, members of the staff of the Michigan State College Counseling Center, who have been selected for tmn;position on the basis of their professional training and experience. The final judgment of what should be included in the case study and the summary of each of the cases were the responsibility of a single coun- selor. Organization The first chapter is concerned with a statement of the problem, its importance, and its origin. Terms which are frequently used in the report are defined and the plan of organization of the thesis is pre- sented. In the second chapter a review of the literature pertinent to the present study is made. The third chapter is a description of the methods and procedures used in the study. Chapters four through eight are devoted entirely to the individual case studies. The cases are divided arbitrarily into the five groups which constitute these five chapters on the basis of level of measured scholastic aptitude, high school rank, and sex. This classification is merely an attempt to im- prove organization and to facilitate reference to individual cases. Chapters four and five present cases of students who ranked in the high- est quartile of their high school graduating classes. In chapters six and seven are found the cases of students who were in the second quartile in high school rank. Chapter eight includes the cases of all students who were below the second quartile in high school rank or who were not graduated from high school. Findings from consideration of the case studies in aggregate are presented in the ninth chapter. These include both quantitative and qualitative data regarding the total group mmisub-groups classified in reSpect to measured scholastic aptitude l0 and ultimate diSposition of the cases. Chapter ten reports the atti- tudes students expressed toward the Basic College program of assistance. The eleventh chapter consists of the summary, conclusions, and impli- cations of the study for further research. A final chapter is devoted to consideration of the significance of the findings for institutional provisions and procedures in regard to academic deficiency. .a‘- . w -. . ' I v I’. 1 .. a " I- c . . . - ‘—- ' O ‘5. ' . ' ‘ ~ _ l . ~ . ~ 'I‘ . . .’-. I. ‘ - Q s v .‘ . H ‘ . . .A. I“.- k "> ' n \ s '_ ’ .. h .. . | t. 4 . e. ‘I .‘o u C.- . a. .. o n o ,. s o .. o. - CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Investigators have studied the relationship of almost innumerable factors to college achievement. These have included data from many kinds of standardized tests and inventories, as well as from psychometric instruments devised for particular studies. Research has examined too personal characteristics of groups of students and many details of their school, home, and social background. In addition, many aspects of students' lives while in college have been investigated to explore their relation- ship to academic achievement. In order to limit its scope, this review includes only those studies which are pertinent to the present investigation. Since reviews of the literature are available in many of the areas, these, supplemented by reports of individual studies of particular interest, are used. The Relationship of High School Scholarship to Academic Achievement Since high school scholarship, indicated by high school average or by rank in high school class, has long been used to predict academic achievement in college and to attempt to improve selection, numerous studies of its effectiveness have been made. .Although the degree of relationship may vary, the studies, with few exceptions, show high school scholarship to be the best single predictor of college success. In an 12 early review (1931) of prediction studies Douglass (31) reported an average correlation of .51; between high school average and college achievement. In 1937 Segel and Proffitt (100) in a study of 13 univer- sities found a median correlation of .52 between high school average and freshman marks. Harris (50) reported in 191m that in the. studies he reviewed correlations between high school grades and college grades were mostly in the .60's and .70's. Durflinger (36) in 19h3 and Garrett (L3) in 19L? reported median correlations of approximately .55, between high school scholarship and college grades. Since the present study is concerned with students whose achieve- ment in two years of college work is unsatisfactory, the findings of Brown and Lofgren (19) are of particular interest. They reported in 191:1 that students who failed the first two years of college at the University of California were more inferior in high school achievement than in scores on scholastic aptitude or reading tests. In 1952 Dowd (32) reported one of the few studies of the predictive- ness of high school rank in which scholastic aptitude has been controlled. In a group of entering freshmen, all of whom were in the tOp decile on the ACE, high school rank differentiated between achievers and non- aChievers in first term grades. Research has not overlooked the possibility that differences between SCthools may affect the significance of the scholarship record of students fI‘om those schools. At Yale University (21;) , for example, the student's rank in high school class is expressed on a standard scale which is based on size and quality of the high school. In 1939 Dressel (33) found , .- ‘ 0 ‘_ v. ‘I .. o _l . '.. ‘c . , g. 4.""‘ '. ,... I. " r' . ¢ 1—..701 " . 0'" .0' " ' ‘.,..-v'.' -- v _. .... 4 . “a .‘.,—.-. . ..,..0 -’ no . n 3“.“ ,. .. o In. .I. .,. ‘r .’ .-, ' " 1 “ -. Z. t... .- . .. .l . V D "t '. o - . ‘ '2‘ "-‘k ‘ U .1 .~ . " ‘t- 'o i x. .. _‘ . ' ‘.._ 1- . ~' I § ..' 1- ' V. I. .. .. .‘ o.‘ . 's ... ' v.‘ 1“ . \. . o . . . 5. u. I -’ ’ .7- '- I ‘4 l.‘ ,‘ ‘_~ ‘ . a. I u u 5 \. . u ‘.i _ o (v. . ‘ ‘. ~ 0 .I 13 a correlation of .52 between high school and first quarter grades at MSG for students from 15 large city high schools. He found also that grading standards differed considerably in these schools and that if desired, prediction could be improved by taking cognizance of these differences. The limitations of high school scholarship for predicting the achievement of groups, not to mention that of individuals, have long been evident from numerous studies. At the University of Illinois in the late thirties Seyler (101) found that although failures were highest among students from the fourth quartile and lowest among those from the first quartile of their high school classes, there were many in the latter who had at least one F, while 21 per cent of those from the low- emt decile of their high school class had no failures. Studies by Held (51), Gehman (hh) and Holbrook (66) gave evidence that relatively large :mmters of students asked to leave school or subjected to probationary action were from the upper quartiles of their high school classes. High :xflmol scholarship, with all its limitations, however, has proved to be the single criterion most effective in predicting college achievement. AS a result, most institutions rely heavily upon it in the selection of their students while investigators continue to search for improved methods of prediction, The Relationship of Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores to Academic Achievement Shisummaries of studies of the predictiveness of scholastic aptitude test scores published in the early thirties, Douglass (31) and Segel (97) lb found median correlation of tit-1:5 between so-called intelligence test scores and college grades. When Harris (50) reviewed the prediction studies of the years 1930 to 1937, he found reports of correlations of .33 to .614 between intelligence and grades. In 19143 Durflinger (36) in a review of )4? studies found a median correlation coefficient of .52. Crawford and Burnham (25) , writing in 19h6, reported, as did Wagner (56) more than 10 years earlier, correlations between intelligence tests and college average to be typically .hO-50. When Garrett (L3) summarized 91; studies in 1919, he found a range of correlation coeffi- cients from .17 to .67 with a median of .117. Since the ACE is the measure of scholastic aptitude used almost ex- clusively in the present study, it merits Special attention. In a review of the literature in 1952 Posz (82) reported on 19 studies of the ACE which showed correlations ranging from .27 to .67 with a median coefficient of .50. In a review of scholastic aptitude tests in 1919 Garrett (h3) found that the ACE showed the highest relationship to college achievement. Froelich, in a study reported by Volpel (llO) , found the ACE to be as effective as high school average in predicting achievement at the University of Wisconsin. Williamson and Bordin (109) reported in 19142 a correlation coefficient of .50 between the ACE and grade point average of freshmen in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Minnesota. In an institution to which high school graduation is the only admission requirement (Texas A and M) Bertrand (l2) in'a recent study found the ACE to be more predictive of potential scholastically deficient students than high school grades. He found, however, that high school grades were slightly more useful for predicting completion.of the second year. In 1951 Berdie, Dressel and Kelso (11) reported that studies of the predictive efficiency of the ACE in thirteen institutions showed wide variations (.25-.66) in correla- tions with total grade point average. On the whole, women tended to show somewhat greater predictability than.men. The median coefficient of correlation between total score and first year achievement was .39 for men and .50 for women. In most cases the total score showed the greatest predictive efficiency; At Michigan State College the research was based on the class from which cases for the present study have been drawn. A correlation coefficient of .33 was found between the ACE total score and the grade point average of men for the freshman year. The coefficient for women.was.b8. Unlike most institutions, the L score was slightly more predictive for both men and women. The coefficients were .36 and .50 respectively. Recent studies of wallace (lll), Osborne (79) and Bolton (13) agreed that the total score on the ACE predicted more effi- ciently than either the quantitative or linguistic scores. 0f the two, L proved to be more predictive than c. Rausch's (86) findings at the University of Indiana provoke interest. He reported in l9h8 that those students who were least variable in terms of score points on the parts of the ACE, although their mean score was lower, had significantly higher scholarship achievement than those who were more variable. Johnston (55) found variability of another kind of significance. In ins pioneer wank of the nineteen-twenties in prediction studies he found that students whose records showed a divergence of 30 percentile points "n .. 16 or more between high school rank and test rank, neither being very high, usually made poor records in college. Since some retesting on the ACE has been done in the present study a brief review of studies of changes in scores on ACE is pertinent. In l9h2 Hunter (53) reported gains from 23 to 31 percentile points from the freshman to the senior year. In 19h8 Shuey (10h) reviewed two studies which showed average gains in total score of 8.6 and 26 per- centile points reSpectively between the freshman and senior years. Shuey herself found a mean gain of 11 percentile points. Although the studies did not agree in the effect of major on change in scores, all agreed that the students who originally obtained lower scores made the greatest improvement. As a result of these studies one is aware that scores on retests of the ACE must be interpreted with caution. The Relationship of Measured Reading Skills to Academic Achievement Both Garrett (b3) and Harris (50) have summarized studies on the relationship of reading test scores to college achievement. Garrett reported correlation coefficients from .36 to .bS. Of particular inter- est is research which has attempted to determine the effect of reading skills on achievement when intelligence has been controlled. In the late thirties Anderson and Dearborn (h) administered three reading tests to 68 pairs of Harvard freshmen, matched on intelligence, who differed in their first semester grades. .A significant difference, or at least a.tendenqy, in favor of the better readers. was found. Dowd (32) found that the Cooperative Reading was one differentiating factor between 1? achievers and non-achievers in first semester grades, all of whom were in the tOp decile of the ACE. -Eurich (LO) matched groups of "probation- ers" and "non probationers" on scholastic aptitude, sex, class, etc. He found that the "probationers" were Significantly inferior in reading. In 19h5 Kilby (60) reported that 110 Yale freshmen who participated in a Remedial Reading program made a significantly higher grade average at the end of the semester than students who were equal in predicted grade status and higher in initial reading status. In 1951 Torrance (108) reported an interesting study by Amy Newberry who found that only 1.3 percent of a group of failing students indicated awareness of reading difficulty although 35 percent of them ranked in the lowest decile in reading tests. Barnes (7) presented vivid evidence in 1950 that one of the principal sources of information regarding an individual's intellectual capacity, the so-called intelligence test, is markedly affected by reading skills. She found that, with intelligence controlled, good readers (tOp 15 percent on C00perative Reading) made significantly better scores on most of the tests of the Differential Aptitude Test Battery than did the poor readers (lowest 15 percent). All evidence points, then, to the significant effect of reading skills on college achievement. Relationship Between First Year Achievement and Second Year Achievement Since the present study is concerned with students academic achieve- ment at the end of'two years of college, prediction of the achievement of the first two years of college is of special concern. Although studies 18 in this area are limited in number, they demonstrate that early college achievement is the best single predictor of achievement during the second year. In 1931 Pothoff (83) reported that at the University of Chicago the first quarter's work showed a correlation of .810 with the scholastic average for the first two years of college work, while the coefficients for scholastic aptitude tests and high school average were .b35 and .620 reapectively. Furthermore, of BL students whose first quarter average was below D+, only three made averages high enough to be graduated. Feder (Ll) found that at Iowa State University the first year's grade point average correlated .80 with the second year's grade point average. He discovered too that the grade point average seemed to be quite stable throughout college. Thus it seems evident that just as previous achieve- ment (high school record) is the best predictor of first year college work, so previous college achievement is the best predictor of later college work. The Relationship of Size of High School to Academic Achievement in College Harris (50) and Dwyer (37) reported that results of studies made prior to 1938 regarding the relationship of size of high school to college suc- cess were conflicting or showed little relationship. During the next decade studies in this area continued to report conflicting results. Feder (bl), who took scholastic aptitude in consideration, reported little or no relationship between size of high school and collegiate success. Recent studies, Bertrand's (12) in 1950 and Dowd's (32) in 1952, also have l9 controlled the intelligence factor and like that of Feder found little or no relationship. Bertrand did note, however, that more students from small schools were in the lower fifty percent on a scholastic aptitude test, and Feder found that students from Smaller schools did less well on the qualifying tests. He observed too, however, that these students seemed to overcome this handicap so that their achievement was not affected. Thus these more sophisticated studies indicate that size of high school in itself does not seem related to college achievement. The Relationship of Family Background to Academic Achievement Although the relationship to academic achievement of many aSpects of home and family background has been subjected to research, this review is limited to consideration of occupational status and educational level of the parents. Results of studies of these factors are sometimes con- flicting,due not only to lack of control of scholastic aptitude in some, but also to differences in occupational classifications used as well as to selective factors resulting from differences in types of institutions. Two studies of occupational status reported that students from pro- fessional families achieved at a higher level than did students whose fathers were businessmen. In Crawford's study (23) both intelligence and economic status were controlled. Robinson (92), however, did not provide for control of these variables, when he compared the achievement of students from four occupational levels. He found not only that those from professional families ranked first but that students from "business" families were surpassed by farm youth as well as by those from families 20 of white collar, skilled and semi-skilled workers. In an early study (l928) Bear (8) found that students whose fathers were skilled workers ranked second in scholastic aptitude but first in achievement. The reverse was true for students whose fathers were salesmen. Children of professional men.ranked fourth in scholastic aptitude (children of cleri- cal workers ranked third), but they were third in achievement. In a review of six studies Harris (50) found a relationship between occupa— tional level of the father and achievement in only one, that of Remmers who found that superior students at Purdue more frequently had fathers who were professional men. Neither Harris (L9) himself nor Miller (7h) found significant relationship between college success and occupation of the father. Volpel's (110) is the only recent study reviewed which con- cerned itself with this factor. About twice as many of the scholarship students whose scholarships were renewed by M.S.C., he reported, had fathers in the professions as did those students whose scholarships were canceled. The significance of this finding is questionable, however, since a difference in scholastic aptitude in favor of the former is known to have existed. ‘Wells' (112) study at Harvard of "survivors" and "non-survivors" reported a trend toward lower economic status among the survivors with only negligible differences in scholastic aptitude. This finding raises the possibility of greater motivation of students from homes less economically privileged. In regard to the relationship of educational background of parents, reports are again.conflicting. Crawford (23) found that at Yale sons of college graduates did not tend to make better records than did those of 21 non-college graduates. At about the same time, at a different kind of institution (Northwestern), Clark (22) reported that students who had at least one parent'With a college education did least well, and this to an extent that was statistically significant. Neel and Matthews (77) found that educational level of parents did not distinguish between achievers and non-achievers, all of whom were of superior scholastic ap- titude, although they reported a tendency for students whose parents had had more education to achieve at a higher level. During the period 1930- 1937 Harris (50) reviewed five studies which showed no relationship between educational or occupational level of parents and students' achievement. DeRidder (28) reported that in the group he studied the parents of men on Inubation had had more training than had the parents of non-probationary Hen. Because results appear so conflicting in these studies and because :hlmany cases there appeared to be several uncontrolled variables, it is apparent that, like so many of these factors, the relationship of these unacademic achievement must be studied in the institution concerned. The Relationship of Extra—Curricular Activities and Employment to Academic Achievement A review of studies of the relationship of extra-curricular activities amiemployment to college achievement reveals contradictory findings. Qfl] studies reported from 1929 to 1952, 11 reported that participation haextra-curricular activities appeared to be related to good scholarship. hlseven of these, however, intelligence was not controlled. Chapin and Maums(20) reported in 1929 a steady gain in mean honor point average as stuhnfle progressed from no activities to a median number (two or three) .i. .o. 22 of activities to a large number (five or more). The authors inferred that prohably the more active students were the more intelligent. In a later study at a different institution Mehus (73) found this to be true. wagner (57), matching her groups on high school regents' average, found that the non-extremist in extra-curricular participation achieved most satisfactorily in college. Dunkelberger (35), having paired stu— dents on sex, class, and scholastic aptitude test scores, reported (1935) that students with little or no participation in extra-curricular activi- ties were markedly inferior in academic achievement to participants. Both Crawford (23) in 1929 and Neel and Matthews (77) in 1935 reported that among students of superior scholastic aptitude "achievers" partici- pated in extra-curricular activities to a greater extent than did"non- achievers.n Two studies found participation in a greater number of activities to be characteristic of poorer students. In Eckert's (39) study in 1935 ‘Ue intelligence factor was not controlled. Bear (8), however, reported 'Uet of 60 students receiving very low grades twelve who were above awmage in measured intelligence (ACE) spent twice as many hours per week :hlextra-curricular activities as the school average. He reported also, meever, that ten of the twelve were considered "problems" by the faculty, aftct which.may indicate that their overparticipation was symptomatic of Oder factors which.may have adversely affected their achievement. Four studies in which intelligence was controlled (Harris (h9) in 1931, Alexander and Woodruff (2) in 191m, Gerberich (us) in 19m, and Dowd ( 32) h11952) reported no significant relationship between amount of extra- . 23 curricular participation and achievement. Harris reported a tendency for under-achievers to spend more time in extra-curricular activities and part-time employment, while Dowd found a tendency in the Opposite direction. In regard to probationary students specifically, Holbrook (66), with no control on intelligence, found that probationary students de- voted more hours per week to extra-curricular activities and part-time employment than did superior students. Mehus (73), on the other hand, reported that participation in extra-curricular activities did not seem to be significantly related to the unsatisfactory work of a group of probationary students at Minnesota. Although results of studies are conflicting one may conclude that, then intelligence is controlled, participation in extra—curricular activities either has little or no significant relationship to academic afluevement. .Among students of superior capacity there is some tendency fln'achievers to participate more than non-achievers. Employment is usually considered separately from other kinds of exheacurricular activities. Again results of studies are not in agree- mmun This is not surprising since the design of the studies differed (neatly. In many there has been no control of the intelligence factor. Smmzhave been based on percent of his own support the student was earn- bhp Others have differentiated students only as working or not working. (fibers have defined carefully the number of hours of employment per Ffiek. CK'the 1h individual studies reviewed, only eight had controlled mwmlastic aptitude. Of these eight, five (Neel and Matthews (7?) in 28 1935, Reeder and Newman (89) ih.l939, Reeder (88) in l9hl, Alexander and Woodruff (2) in l9h0, and Dowd (32) in 1952) reported that, in general, the extent of paid employment showed little relationship to the degree to which students achieved at the predicted level. Both Neel and Matthews and Dowd studied superior students. Dowd reported a tendency for non-achievers to Spend less time in extra-curricular activities and employment. Crawford (23) found that self-supporting students tended to work up to capacity better than non self-supporting students. In 1939 Shaffner (102) found a significant difference in favor of all workers over non-workers (under four hours per week) with the greatest difference in favor of moderate workers (6—21 hours per week). In only one of these eight studies in which scholastic aptitude was controlled 'mne working students found to be inferior scholastically to non-working students, (Dunkelberger (35) in 1935). Studies in which intelligence was not controlled (Behrens (9), Ikflbrook (66), Pressey (8h)) reported a relationship between.amount of tart-time employment or degree of self-support and poor achievement. Baker's study (6) highlighted the limitations of such studies when he Itported that in the group he studied students carrying more hours of cflasses and outside work had lower mean academic averages, but their mean score on the ACE was also lower. If we take the studies with in- telligence controlled as our basis for judgment, there is little evi- wflme that employment in itself affects scholastic achievement adversely. 25 The Relationship of Educational and Vocational Purpose to Academic Achievement Only studies in which scholastic aptitude has been controlled are included in this review of investigations concerned with the relation- ship of educational and vocational motivation to college success. In 1929 Crawford (23) reported that when students were grouped by serious- ness of motives for attending college, a hierarchy of grades appeared. Similarily Harris (L9) found that coming to college for prestige was related to underachievement. Non-achievers more frequently than achiev- crs failed to see value in academic subjects, according to Neel and Matthews (7?) . Three recent studies have employed student inventories to investigate the relationship of educational purpose and satisfaction to under- and over-achievement. The overachiever, Borow (lb) reported, expressed greater seriousness of educational purpose and greater satis- faction with college life and curricular choices than the underachiever. The overachiever was characterized by an ability to perceive the goals of study, deep-seated interest in intellectual and academic pursuits, and conviction that he belonged in college. Lack of interest in academic Work and pre-occupation with non-academic work characterized the under- achiever. DiVesta (30) too found that satisfaction with major was a discriminating factor between under and over-achievers in a school of agriculture. Woodlmn (ll5) reported in 1952 that difference in attitudes toward college work, toward the value of college, toward academic activi- ties and similar items discriminated between over- and under-achievers . Scholarship students at Michigan State College (110) who failed to ‘ o v ‘2. .. I - n' ,a v I h. JV.‘ .‘Vi 4 u Foo " Invi~ " , e.- . . ~ . .7. .u u. o o.‘ o . -o. n ‘ . I .. .‘v o .- u... I ' - . A 1 s. 0 V. ‘ 26 qualify academically for renewal of their scholarships reported that they neglected assignments because of lack of interest in courses. Similarly, they frequently expressed a feeling that lack of goals was one of their handicaps. Prior to the use of inventories, ratings by high school principals and teachers had been used, and are still used, as a source of informa— tion about students. Ratings of almost every possible characteristic have been made, as may be found in reading the reviews of'Wblf (116), Harris (19,50) and Garrett (b3) . The limitations of rating scales were recognized (107,63), but many of the studies failed to provide for these limitations. 0f the many personal and social qualities rated, those that'. _ showed the greatest relationship to achievement in college vmre those which gave some indication of educational purpose and work habits. Harris (h9), for example, reported that studies showed that "industry" (or "steadiness' or "persistence") had been found to go im- pressively often with high grades. ‘Wrenn and Crandall (117) reported iitl9h0 that ratings of industry and initiative and of definiteness of Inupose (in terms of which time and energy are distributed) on the ACE fhting Scale had sufficiently high correlation with freshman scholarship 'UJbe given serious attention, particularly since this scale showed Imgligible correlation with the scholastic aptitude test used. Studies of the relationship of certainty of vocational choice to mfllege achievement are not in agreement. Of those in which scholastic aptitude was taken into consideration, Crawford (23) reported in 1929 a unrelation coefficient of .55 between definiteness of vocational purpose ".. ‘ ‘ ...> '0 ,4 . .. of -. ". 7 o .... .-o-"" . . '..a n ‘ If". .... ‘ .. .. 0" I .. 7 po' r.- -- , l «0 ‘ v "' .4..._ CA4 - u o 0- '7 , . .. — .-.' ‘ I . r' ..'I -' c . . 7 . .. . . .._ _ o . " 9. U! A Q a.“ u i/ i .U. , o ‘I ' to- "u ,e “N- ..' .o .0 ' '~." 1'. ‘ ’0. . l I. v. . 'Vo. ' ‘ 0 p ‘- l . . .- , . o.‘ . .. a: \ t .. .l I" . u, , . '. _ - a -“ ' u , . . '1 u. | ._ .. I, . a." 1 . . no \ I . \L . . .h - .' I c ., . . .v v'. "I o . ’ \ \. .'. ._. . ‘ . .‘. . ,. 27 and achievement. In 19h0 Alexander and woodruff (2) found a tendency for overachievers to have had a definite vocational choice upon entrance to college. Hepner (52) reported the same tendency in over-achievers of lowest college ability, but he found that choice or lack of choice did not differentiate among students of superior ability. Neel and Matthews (7?), on the other hand, found a tendency for fewer achievers than non-achievers to have made a vocational decision, and'Williamson (11h) reported a tendency for women with no recorded vocational choice to get better grades. Most studies in which scholastic aptitude has been controlled showed no statistically significant difference in achievement between students who had made a definite vocational choice and those who ted not (39,57,11h,121). In a recent study at Michigan State College Matteson (72) compared the mean grade-point average for the first two years of students who changed their major during that period with that of students who remained in the same major. The former included students Vdm entered college with no stated major as well as those who changed nmjors. He concluded that indecision does not affect grades adversely, when scholastic aptitude is controlled. Furthermore, only 21 percent of 'Umme who changed majors had Withdrawn from college, while 36 percent Of those who had made no change had done so. It may be concluded, as <fid.Williamson.(llh) that certainty of choice does not appear to be diag- Imstic of seriousness of educational purpose. He proposed that suit- flfility-of choice may be more related to achievement. Research data on 'Uds relationship, however, is limited. Eckert (39) found that students Ihlthe lowest quarter of their class at the end of the SOphomore year 28 were more interested in medicine and dentistry than were those in the tOp quarter. 'We may assume from her report that unsuitability of choice in terms of the course requirements for those majors was related to their achievement. More evidence is available, however, on the relationship of measured vocational interests to academic success. Berdie (10) found only negligible correlation (.13) between achievement of engineering students and the engineer's key of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. At Pennsylvania State College, according to Borow (1h), Coblentz found little relationship between Strong scores and achievement in some schools and only a moderate relationship in others. Segel and Brintle (99) found Strong scores and first year marks in certain subject groups not significantly related in most cases, yet Segel in a report of a different study (98) reported finding a substantial relationship. Dowd (32), in a more recent study (1952), reported that non-achievers were frequently :hlan academic major or had vocational goals which were inconsant with ifleir measured interests. Thus, results of studies are inconsistent. There seems little doubt that studies which consider the relationship Qfachievement to appropriateness of interest and aptitude may prove more fruitful . A limited amount of research has been done upon the "Occupational Lewflfi key of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank as a measure of vo- mfldonal motivation. All of these studies have investigated the rela- thnmhip of the OL key to academic achievement, when intelligence was hakiconstant. ‘When Kendall (59) divided 300 male college freshmen into 29 three groups differing in 0-1. scores, he found differences in mean academic achievement which were significant beyond the 5 percent level but not at the 1 percent level. When Ostrom (80) repeated this study with a different group of freshmen, he found no significant differences in mean achievement. When he divided the sample into six groups, three of high ability with high average and low O-L and three of low ability with differing O-L levels, he found differences significant at the 1 percent level. Gustad (I48) found significant differences in academic achievement in groups differing in O-L. When he subdivided the group into those with majors which were apprOpriate in terms of their interests, as measured by the Strong Vocational Interest Blank and those with inappropriate majors, he found no significant differences in grades among those of differing occupational level within the same group. It must be noted, however, that these subsamples were small. The majority of findings would indicate sufficient relationship between Occupational Level and academic achievement to make extremes in 0-1 scores worthy of consideration in individual cases . The Relationship of Measured Personality Characteristics to Academic Achievement When Wolf (116) reviewed 1:2 studies published prior to 1935 on the relationship of personality characteristics to academic achievement, she Could find no verification of findings because of use of different in- struments by investigators. With the increase in the number and types of so-called measures of personality through the years the acuteness of this problem has by no means diminished. Furthermore, comparatively few ...- ' ’ o , u' a— o In. ’ .c _' o o-.. "- c," ,. , a . ,.. . -a"‘ lg-gso ’ ,. .‘eo . , . _,7 ,. ... .o-M a- . — “ . . r ,. u I v -’ ~ - -- .c..- .u. ."*‘r‘ ..... ..o 0- ... n ‘ ‘ - “." ‘-o . o. O ‘o a u . f‘ . ._ .. 'n. " '9. I. °'--.4 ’naI .. . I .5, he, .. " . -u ' ' v u « H. 2' - ,. " ... I" I.‘- .‘_.. -‘ ’ A. p... _ ‘ ." . c K. a I .' q n I‘. "e' J . ..C ' .. .- s . cl", ,._ “~, N ‘ _ . .. ‘ 3’ - \ x. ‘9‘ . . a .. 5 u . . a . I‘.. . '. \*“ . . 3‘ ‘~. 30 studies have controlled scholastic aptitude in investigating the rela- tionship of these characteristics to academic achievement. Early reviews of literature by Stagner (105), wolf (116) and Harris (50) showed little significant relationship between personality inven- tories then in use and academic achievement. Stagner reported however, that emotionally stable students tended to achieve at the expected level to a greater extent than did unstable, maladjusted students and that intraverts tended to earn higher marks than did extraverts. Other studies reported conflicting tendencies. Garrett (£3) reviewed twenty studies reported from 1925-19h5 and found a median correlation of .09 with a range from -.30 to +.6h between personality test scores and academic success in college. Borow’(lh),5in commenting on the difficulty of drawing conclusions from published reports, suggested that few psychological measures which had been originally designed to measure behavior other than academic achievement were capable of accounting for student differences in scholarship. To overcome this limitation, Borow developed an Inventory of.Academic Adjustment of ninety items in six categories. This inven- tory differentiated between over- and under—achievers and showed moderate- ly low positive and significant correlation with grade point average.- He found too that overachievers less frequently reported worry, moodiness and related symptoms of emotional disturbances. Since the Bell.Adjustment Inventory and the Bernreuter Personality Inventory have been used to some extent in the present investigation, a brief review of studies of these instruments is pertinent. When 31 scholastic aptitude was controlled, the Bell Adjustment Inventory failed to differentiate between over- and under-achievers in most studies (Young (118) in 1937, Hepner (52) in 1939, Griffiths (h?) in 1916 , and Dowd (32) in 1952) . Hepner, Griffiths and Dowd reported some tendency for the less welleadjusted to over-achieve. Darley (26) too found no statistically significant relationships between achievement and adjust- ment as measured by the Bell. When he compared the extremely well- adjusted with the extremely maladjusted, however, he found that extremely maladjusted women tended to underachieve. Extremely maladjusted men, on the other hand, achieved in terms of their abilities to as great an extent as did the extremely well-adjusted. Darley noted that the ex- tremely maladjusted men had made use of the counseling services to a greater extent than the other men and that this may have been related to their achievement. Studies of the Bernreuter by Neel and Mattews in 1935 (77), Stagner (105) in 1933, Zalman (119) in 19h5, and Dowd (32) in 1950 revealed little relationships between scores on the Bernreuter and academic achievement. Stagner reported only a tendency for the highly emotional and extremely self-sufficient to underachieve. Gehman (Eh) found that probationary students who were removed from probation showed a tendency to mark items on the Bernreuter in the direction of self-sufficiency. If personality characteristics have a relationship to academic achieve- ment, then, paper and pencil inventories like the Bell and Bernreuter do not appear to be effective in revealing it. 32 Procedures Used to Assist Students Who Have Academic Difficulties DeSpite numerous studies of prediction of college success and of the factors related to college achievement, relatively few accounts of actions taken by institutions to assist academically deficient students have been published. Reported procedures vary from the issuance of administrative regulations regarding such students to the organization of Special programs for scholastically deficient students. In the first category is Alter's (3) recommendation in 193h that a student's course load be determined by the quality of his preceding term's work. )In 1951 Leffler (6h) reported Special provisions made for freshman having aca- demic difficulties to drop courses. Tuskegee initiated a program (27) permitting scholastically deficient students to transfer to terminal courses in preference to required withdrawal. Readmission to the degree program was permitted if satisfactory progress were made for one year in the terminal program. Three out of four so reinstated were success- ful. Some of those who were successful in the terminal program, moreover, preferred to continue in it. In 19h6 Zerfoss (120) reported the use by instructional departments of case conferences regarding academically deficient students. A group of instructional staff made judgments of the student's academic assets and liabilities and prOposed remedial measures. The reporter recommended this procedure for emphasizing the reSponsibility of instructional staff for concern with academic problems:‘ There has been reported too the organization of Special programs or classes for students in scholastic difficulty. In 1927 Pressy (8h) 33 reported on a "How to Study" course set up for 31 students who had done very poor work the preceding quarter. The course included provision for personal interviews "for diagnosis and guidance." In 1932 Eurich (L0) reported on a Special class for instruction and exercises in study methods and supervised study which all probationary students were re- quired to attend for a year. {Whitmer (113) and Behrens (9) reported on "howbto-study" classes emphasizing study methods and supervised study and the use of personal interviews for diagnosis and treatment. The first required all freshmen placed on probation at the end of the first termls work to enroll. The second included some probationary students from all classes. To determine the effectiveness of these programs the special groups were compared with matched control groups, usually students in a similar situation the preceding year for whom no Special provisions had been made. Pressey (8h) found that in comparison with control groups her group improved markedly in college work, not only the term of the course but the following term. (Whitmer (113) found that the grades of the training group had improved the second semester while those of a similar group of the preceding year had become worse the second semester, but neither group had made a C average by end of fourth ‘x/” semester. ,Only'Behrens (9) had a control group of matched students on I ‘. x «J probation at the same time as his experimental group. Although he found no significant differences in point average of the two groups at the end of the term of the Special program, six quarters later he discovered that h2 percent of the experimental group in comparison with 31 percent of the control group had completed all six quarters, that 3h only three percent of the experimental group in contrast to 27 percent of the control group had been dismissed for low grades at end of six quarters, and that the point average of the experimental group was better than that of the control groupl):0nly'Eurich's (LO) findings failed to favor the experimental group. He found that both the experi- mental group and a matched group of probationary students from the pre- ceding year had made significant gains. He assumed, then, that proba- tion itself served as a motivating force. He felt this lack of differ— ence, however, might be ascribed in part to the fact that the program was required rather than voluntary and that the study sections were too large and offered little individual attention. “fix-- Cehman (hh) reported in 1950 that certain scholastically deficient students placed in a Special program, which included required psycho- logical counseling and testing, made significantly greater gains in honor points than did control groups who were also on probation. Only two other studies have reported utilization of Specialized counseling services for students in academic difficulty. At Marquette ( 69) StUr dents with academic difficulties whose records indicated lack of scholastic aptitude, lack of study skills, or inapprOpriate vocational objectives were referred to the Testing and Counseling Center. It was found that most of these students had only vague ideas about their own aptitudes and that the majority reSponded with considerable interest in their studies once they found they had abilities in keeping with their studies. On the job training was recommended to those who lacked aptitude for college work. rSalzberg (9h) attempted to evaluate the L 35 effectiveness of counseling in the cases of failing students who of their own initiative had made use of the counseling services at the University of Denver. Salzberg recognized the motivational factor in- volved in the initiative shown by these students in seeking assistance. He noted also, as did Enrich, that all the probationary students, except the uncounseled seniors, showed a significant gain in mean grade point average the term of probation and the term following. In addition, however, he found that the counseled group exceeded, though not sig- nificantly, a non-counseled probationary group matched in scholastic aptitude in mean gain in grade point average and in percent removed from probation the quarter following counseling. Furthermore, on a percent- age basis, the mortality of the counseled students was less than half that of the non-counseled studentstg Two recent studies, both primarily diagnostic in emphasis, have sought to gain understanding of academic failure through case studies of individuals in academic difficulty. In 19t8 Sheldon (103) described the personality and emotional characteristics of forty students enrolled in an academic methods class who voluntarily sought more individual assistance than was available in the methods class. Sources of informa- tion were interviews, a structured autobiography written by each of the students, campus sources of information and extensive testing, includ- ing paper and pencil tests, the Rorschach and wechsler-Bellevue, and visual tests and examinations. In case studies Sheldon synthesized the data regarding the phychological environment of the student in his home background, his school background in terms of subjects liked best, 36 attitudes toward school and subjects, progress in school etc out-of- -: school interests, military service, and personal and emotional problems as revealed by test data, autobiography and the interview. Interpreta- tion of the significance of these data in the individual cases was not included. Sheldon reported the students ranged in intelligence from normal to very superior, that they were severely disturbed emotionally and that their personality problems were highly complex, that, for the most part, they had a history of academic failure since grade school, that their reading skills were significantly below average for freshmen at the institution, and that they had no visual anomalies. As a result of his findings, Sheldon concluded that Since a history of academic failure and presence of emotional disturbances characterized the group, these factors as well as scholastic aptitude should be considered when students are considered for admission to the institution. If students With these handicaps were to be admitted, Sheldon felt their admission should be contingent upon their willingness to take therapy. If handi- capped scholastically, Sheldon recommended remedial work. ‘Wells (112) presented case studies of 1h college "survivals" and 1h "non-survivals" at Harvard whose entrance test data-indicated- marginal ability for college work. These studies emphasized diagnosis. Background data, extensive testing, including the Rorschach, and psycho- netrist's and interviewer's observations were the principal sources of information. It was concluded that good personality integration, neturity, intellectual energy, intense application, and emotional stability were favorable factors to offset intellectual limitations. 0 V 2' - .<- v 0‘ t... ”a- It. I L no 0.. 0p. - "" '. 1.. I- .. ' '- _. . ‘qool, n '. w. ,- fi ‘ . l a. t _‘ v . . I: n- ' ~' 4‘ .. .- v‘ 0. N ‘ ' o ‘7. 1' .' '- ~. I- -. \.' u‘.. _ . ‘u. .‘- 0- ‘u, v c H n u o ._ . K. n n 9. o . " s _ a '5‘ .' .0. ’. ‘ c ‘~¢I' . . ' o ._ c I D .. ,.n n- . ..--- . - u - . a . “.4 . ’ 'nr ~p - v 7, . u ._ -- . Io‘ .. a... . _ r... o - 37 Summary A review of studies of the relationship of various factors to aca- demic achievement in college has been made. Only those factors which were pertinent to the present study have been considered. Most studies indicated that high school scholarship, either rank in graduating class or high school average, was the best single predictor of college achievement. A median coefficient of approximately .55 was reported in most recent reviews of the literature (36,h3). Since only data from scholastic aptitude and reading tests are com- monly available for all Michigan State College freshmen, the review of studies of the predictiveness of tests was limited to these. Reports have indicated .h5-.52 as median coefficients of correlation between tests of scholastic aptitude and college achievement in the freshman year. One summary reported a range of correlation coefficients from .17- .67 (1.3). Of particular interest were studies of the relationship between ACE scores and freshman achievement. The median coefficient for several studies reported was .50 (82). A recent report (11) from thirteen co- Operating institutions showed great variation in the predictiveness of the ACE in different institutions. Coefficients ranged from .25 to .66 idth a median of .39 for men and .50 for women. Correlations of .36 to .hS have been found between reading test scores and college achievement. One study (7), moreover, demonstrated the marked effect of reading skills upon performance of scholastic aptitude tests. Research (hl,83) has Shown that the first quarter's or the first year's work in college is highly predictive, approximately .80, of 38 achievement in the second year. Quantities of data have been collected about the size of high school from which students have come, the occupational status and educational level of their parents, students' participation in extra-curricular activities, and the extent of their part-time employment. Much research has been devoted to the study of the relationship of each of these factors to the academic achievement of groups of students. Many of these studies have proved to be of little value because of their failure to control scholastic aptitude. Even when this factor has been controlled, findings often seem to be conflicting, probably because of difference in research design, in institutions and their selection and administra- tive policies, etc. For the most part, those studies in which scholastic aptitude was controlled showed little or no Significant relationship be- tween any one of these factors and academic achievement in college. Rather interesting tendencies which have been described in the preceding pages were revealed by some of these studies, but frequently findings were not in agreement. Several studies in which scholastic aptitude was controlled showed that differences in attitudes toward college work, in interest in college courses, in purpose for coming to college, in short, differences in edu- cational motive, discriminated between over- and under-achievers. Coming to college for prestige, lack of interest in academic work, or failure to see the value in academic subjects were frequently associated with under-achievement. 39 Studies of the relationship of certainty of vocational choice to college achievement were not in agreement. Many studies inwhich scholastic aptitude was controlled showed no significant difference in grades between students with a definite vocational choice and those who were undecided. It may be concluded, as did Williamson (11b) that cer- tainty of choice of major or of vocation does not appear to be diagnostic of seriousness of educational purpose and that suitability of choice may be more related to achievement. So far as apprOpriateness of a vo- cational choice in terms of the measured interests of the students is concerned, results were again conflicting. Studies which consider ap- propriateness of choice in terms of both interests and aptitudes may prove to be more fruitful. Measured personality characteristics have shown little significant relationship to college achievement. Although tendencies were reported, these tendencies, even when the same instrument was used, were not the same in different studies. The approach of Borow and others who have attempted to devise instruments apprOpriate to college students appears more promising. Finally, reports of preventive and remedial measure employed by various institutions have been reviewed. These have been relatively few in number in comparison with the almost innumerable investigations into possible causes of academic difficulties. They have included Special administrative provisions or controls, faculty case conferences, and Special ”how'to study" classes, the most frequently used method. In investigations of the effectiveness of the latter, only one failed ho to report favorable effects in subsequent terms, if not during the term of the remedial program. In one institution (hh) certain students on academic probation were withdrawn from their major departments and assigned to a Special program involving required psychological testing and counseling. This group made significantly greater gains than did the control groups of probationary students. Another university (69) used referral for testing and counseling either to assist in academic recovery or to "counsel out" of school those who lacked sufficient scholastic aptitude for college work. The case study has been used by two investigators (103,112) as a means of diagnosing academic difficulties. Both employed projective techniques extensively. The findings of both emphasized the importance of emotional and personality characteristics of students in academic achievement. CHAPTER III METHODS.AND PROCEDURES Definition of the Group to be Studied Of the probationary students who were included in the Special program initiated by the Dean of the Basic College, those who were on "Final Warning" have been selected for Special study. These were stu- dents who had earned the 92 credits necessary to qualify for admission to an Upper School, but had not fulfilled the additional requirement of having a "C" average. According to college regulations, if such students are unable to achieve the required average during the period permitted them for that purpose, they may no longer enroll in the Basic College. Their academic situation was, therefore, critical. In order that this group might be as homogeneous as possible in reSpect to length of time at Michigan State College and continuity of attendance, those "Final‘warning" students of Fall Term 1951 were se- lected who entered Michigan State College Fall Term 19149 as freshmen with no previous college experience. In order that the group might con- sist of those considered to be in serious academic difficulty, there were included only those students who were more than three honor points deficient and who had been on probation at least one term previously. The group thus selected consisted of 65 students. Kinds of Data and Sources Objective Data All of the data which are normally available to the counselor were used in the preparation of the case studies. These include information in the following areas: 1. Academic background of the student High school rank and class of high school Scholastic honors in high school Principal's rating of student's academic capacity and achievement Principal's comment on student‘s attitude or probable success Parent's occupation and educational level Basis of admission to Michigan State College Scores on tests administered to all freshmen at Michigan State College 2. Academic status Fall 1951 and academic history at M. S. C. 3. Psychometric data b. Record of counseling contacts prior to Fall 1951 5. Stability of choice of major Sources of Objective Data 1. Student admission slip 2. Counselor's sheet from student application blank 3. Case records—~Counseling Center h. Change of preference slips--Counseling Center b3 5. Official transcript of academic record--Registrar's Office 6. Test results--Counseling Center Data from Interviews and Counseling Contacts The interview at the Basic College Office. Before seeing the stu- dent, it was necessary for the counselor at the Basic College Office to become thoroughly acquainted with the student's present academic status. and his academic history at Michigan State College, including his pro- bationary history. In this way it was possible to do a preliminary analysis of the student's measured scholastic aptitudes and skills, the courses or types of courses which had been a source of difficulty, his course loads and his use of repeat courses as a means of improving his academic status. During the interview the counselor attempted to learn what the student believed to be responsible for his academic difficulties, what his reactions to them were, what he had done or was doing about ' them, including the use of the counseling and remedial services, and whether he wished to make use of Special services. A summary of this interview data was recorded in duplicate on a form called Preliminary Interview, and one COpy was forwarded to the counselor to whom the stu- dent was referred. ‘When referral did not occur, more detailed case notes were made. A cOpy of the preliminary interview form may be found in the appendix. Counseling_contact§. In order to facilitate the use of reports from the counselor by the administration of the Basic College and to make the reports a source of data which might be used for research purposes, a a-. ht report form was devised. Based on the results of an unpublished study made the preceding year at the Counseling Center of a group of probation- ary students, a check list of factors which seemed, on the basis of the previous group study, to be related to academic deficiency was made. Space was provided after each item for the counselor to express the basis for his judgment or to comment on the extent to which he felt this to be a contributing factor. Under more general categories, such as family conflict, personal adjustment, and attitudinal factors, the counselor might provide information on the nature of these problems and their effect on the student, provided such information did not violate the con- fidence of the student. (It should be noted that these reports were sent to the Dean with the knowledge and consent of the student.) Most important perhaps was the provision for the counselor's summary, where he might express his judgment of the relationship and relative importance of these problems to the student's scholastic status. Space was provided also for other pertinent data. Before this report blank was put into final form, it was examined and criticized by the Dean of the Basic College and the Director of Counseling. A staff meeting of the counselors was devoted to a review and criticism of the form and discussion of its use. The criticisms and suggestions were incorporated into a revision before the report blank was put into its final form. A copy of the Counselor Report may be found in the appendix. When the case studies were being written, the counselor's original case notes often served as a valuable supplement to the Counselor Report. 1", ‘ ,'._' A - . r ‘- 9 .. .o . '. I. o‘ n , on ‘ .. ‘ I ' v”""“ . . ‘0 ~.. . Q - ..- . ... I' .. 'u . .‘. a... .s. . . .o . .. — .... 41H. - . ‘d.“ ., ' . r .s . ' n a“- - .1 .n. .. -- ‘0. ‘- .A. .'. ‘ ‘ -u o . . 1 ¢ ' en. .. u- ._ .' 'V I_ ‘ ‘ .. - . " v... . . ‘ .| “ .._ .. . "~ - -. "§»-'.._ u . .n “ , . . '4 II t "‘ ' .~'.. . Q . . u ‘. ,.. I ,u. ‘, x, - . . . - . ‘§ 5 ‘ .1 x. .‘I . . .. 1“: . 16 They were particularly useful in giving a picture of the develOpment of the case, as it progressed from interview to interview, when a series of counseling contacts occurred. Follow-up Data Academic record for 1951-52. The course record gave evidence of whether the student carried out educational plans as they were recorded in the Counselor Report and whether the academic standing improved or grew worse. Records of student contacts. Records of students contacts were reviewed to determine to what extent the student had given tangible evi- dence of concern over his academic problems. Had the student reSponded to the Dean's urgent invitation to see the counselor at the Basic College Office? If not, had he reSponded to a follow-up phone call by the counselor? If referred, had he followed through on the referral? What were his attitudes toward referral? If Special plans had been made, had he carried out these plans. Such data, considered in the light of all other available information, were used as clues to the student's ini- tiative and motivation. The followeup questionnaire. This questionnaire, devised as a supplementary source of information, was sent to the students late in the Spring term of 1952. One purpose was to secure comparable data on amount of self-SUpport, number of hours of part-time employment, and extent of participation in extra-curricular activities. The second partcfifthe questionnaire was designed to secure expressions of Opinion V—-'- .o _ , . v -,, . ,., ,0 ‘ ‘. _.ru . _ . . ‘ ,._,.-4- 1“ . for ps' .. .4- a ,fi.....‘ . .o. '9“ “ , C q ,.. .-‘ .. . . . ~.--' «I . - ' I o~..' c»v . ~._ . v-h. ‘ ... .. . ‘9'? -- ........ .o .. . ., . ' ... u . h... _ ‘ ‘ . s. . u‘.‘ r._ .__. 0-. fl .. ‘- l . "‘-~ c v . . uv...__ ' -... - o I u “, ' A O ' " V- n. " r. \ 0‘ . h" _m ... c - .'-o i . . c _ ‘ . . ‘ .. no \ . .. _ u ’ ‘ '- . a ‘- ' a -w o k. - . ...'I , .. h. 7.. .. ' . hé from the students after the crisis had passed. By this time they had either continued in school or had been requested to leave. This part of the questionnaire afforded the student the opportunity to answer with complete frankness, since he was no longer in the Basic College, since his answers could in no way affect his situation, and since any emotional concomitants of his academic status in the fall might have been removed or reduced or might now be more freely expressed. These reSponses were used to compare the student's judgment of the causes of his academic difficulties as he conSidered them in retrOSpect with his expression of his difficulties at the time of the fall term contacts. Secondly, the responses were reviewed for criticisms and suggestions for the improvement of services to students. The Case Studies Good, Barr, and Scates (he) describe the case study as a method for the analysis of complex causation. The values and limitations of the case study as a research technique have been considered at some length in Chapter I. The case study of each student is the heart of the present investigation. Through it is sought that which Strang (106) has called "the growing, unfolding understanding of the individual". All of the data have been critically evaluated in terms of their relationship to the individual under study. A detailed outline has been followed in the preparation of the cases so that no point might be over- looked. .A more general type of outline has been used for the final writingcufthe cases. Certain data, essential for the understanding of I u 9“. .- “' .o -u \ p..- I - a} . u '41! _ u o I. .'~” ~.“ . '._. Ip u o n - « n . rr - . ' . .P. \. . 0- n v .n . x I . ,‘ 1. ~ ' o I-” - 'a a. u. ‘ o . .Q. .. . o x c ’ . h? every case, have been presented in a similar form at the beginning of each case. In order to facilitate understanding of the cases, the form of the case study and an explanation of significant points in the presentation of data are now presented. Outline of the Case Study 1. Case ___-—Sex, veteran or non-veteran; honor point deficiency, Fall 1951 Age at entrance High school rank (quartile rank, first quartile the highest) Class high school (A-SOO or more pupils B-325-799 pupils O-lSO-BZh pupils D—less than 150 pupils Interim, if any, between high school and college Scholarship awards, if any Preference at admission Changes of preference with date change became effective 2. Psychometric data. The decile rank of the student on the American Council on Education PsychOIOgical Examination (ACE) and on the Cooperative Reading is presented first. No date of administration is given, since all the students took these tests when they entered college Fall Term l9h9. The norms are based on that class of entering.Michigan State College freshmen. Other tests taken by the student and the term during which they were administered are listed next. The norms used are those presented in the test manuals, selected in terms of their appro- priateness to the educational level of the students. All results are presented in terms of percentile rank, except those from the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (the Strong) and the Bell Adjust- ment Inventory (the Bell). 3. Family data. Parents' educational level, occupation of the father and of the mother, if employed. Any further information available about the family. 14.}fish school background. 1:... (7") Comments on measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Extra-curricular activities and part-time employment, both in high school and college. hhucational-vocational plans and attitudes related to them. Summary of and comments on academic record in college. tudy of the summary (sample on page h9) in each case reveals significant points about the student's academic record. ‘erm: .An asterisk before the tenn oeno otes that the student has changed to a new school preferer rice effective that term. Inspection of the terms incicates too wl ether tie student has spent more than six terms in earning 92 creo its. Pr.) ,. Probation (Pro.): It may oe observeo wlen t1-e stud;nt was first placed on probation, whether he ha sheen on predation con- sistently, and the seriousness of his prooation. Explanation of Symbols: P-~Probation: a student is placedo on procation whe n he becomes more than eight honor points deficient. CP--Continueo Plooation: student status when his proba- tion is continued another term or more. SP--Strict Probation: a student is placed on Strict Pro- bation when his deficiency is approximately 25 honor points or more. The student's initial probation may be Strict Probation, or his deficiency may gradually increase until he is placed on Strict Probation. This status usually implies that the student will achieve a C average for the term or be requested to withdraw from school. FH--Final'darning: status of a student who has earned 92 credits, but who has not earned a 2.00 (C ‘) av ver he is, therefore,i ineliciole for admission to the Upper School ar d is permitted to enroll in the has College for an additional term in order to attempt make up the deficiency. FW2--Final Warning Extension: at the discretion of the Dean of the Basic College, a student may be granted one ad- ditional term in the Basic College in order to remove his deficiency in honor points If a student suc ce :os, he is admitted to the Upper School on probation. Smary of academic record “!EEH‘TPHUT".'. ‘ w.~c ". I" H.P. CHINED Comps . Repeats D' s F' s 'FWE9 “[350 'SISO ; . 11'50 +T”§ . CP —12 +9 1h.', 9-bb '3151 h‘Sl “Tel '1532 ‘ ‘ ‘i FW2--(continued); Occasionally a student on Final Warning Extension may become eligible for admission to an Upper School through deletion of credits of D or F which do not pertain to his major. Such deletion is made by a Dean when the student has changed from a preferred major in which he received poor grades to a new preference. In this way a student is not penalized for an original choice of major which was presumably inappropriate. Uncl.--Occasionally a student who is ineligible to enroll either in the Basic College or in the Upper School obtains Special permission from the administration to enroll as an "unclassified student". If he can gain sufficient honor points to bring his grade point average to 2.00, he will be permitted to en- ter the Upper School. Honor point (H.P.) status: Total represents the number of honor points the student lacks or has in excess of a C aver- age at the beginning of a Specified term. Term indi- cates the number of honor points the student has gained or lost in the Specified term. This column gives a particularly clear picture of the consistency or fluctuation of a student's achievement. Credits (Cr.): Number of credits carried by the student during the Specified term. Credits for repeated courses are marked "R" and are placed beneath the total number of "new" credits. Honor points (H.P.) gained: Amount and source of gain. 1. Gain from earning a higher grade on the comprehensive exami- nation (comp.) in a basic course than the grades earned in the work of one or more terms of the course. The information is presented thus: 2)3-C. The first number identifies the Basic as follows: 1. Written and Spoken English 2. Biological Science 3 . Physical Science h. Social Science 5. Effective Living 6. History of Civilization 7. Literature and the Fine Arts The second number is the number of honor points gained. The letter is the grade received on the comprehensive examination. In the example, then, the student gained three honor points by earning a C grade on the comprehensive examination in Biological Science. 2. Gain by repetition of a course or by earning a B or A in a "new' course. The number in each of these columns is the number of honor points gained. .An "r" after the number indicates that the course was required for the preference in which the student was en- rolled that term. A "b" indicates that the course was a Basic. In the "Repeats" columns a number following the "b" indicates that the gain.was by repetition of a comprehensive examination in the Basic of that number. Numbers followed by neither "r" nor "b" are honor points gained in courses required for all students, such as physi- cal education, or in an elective course. Sl Honor points (H.P.) lost: Amount and source of loss. The pro- cedure is the same as that in the preceding columns. It is impore« tent to note whether the student loses in both Basics and in courses related to his prOposed major, or in only one of these areas. 9. Steps taken by the student to improve his academic status. 10. Personal characteristics and attitudes of the student. 11. Follow up. 12. Counselor judgment and summary. This may be considered a basic outline. The deveIOpment of an in- dividual case, however, may result in changes of order, inclusion of additional areas, or a somewhat modified presentation. The major criter- ion for inclusion of an area in the case study is the significance of that area to the understanding of the individual in relation to his academic problems. Consideration of the Cases Collectively It has been stated that a secondary purpose of the study is to de- tenmine whether there are characteristics common to the total group or to sub-groups and to look for findings of significance to institutional procedures as they relate to academic achievement. Hath.particular attention to the attitudes of students expressed .. D . o - . "W'- ..2 ._ ' . K . . . v a . .‘ it. 63 A check reading test administered during the term of Final Warning indi- cated little improvement although the student enrolled in Reading Clinic Winter 1951. The student's measured academic potentialities, therefore, seem very limited. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated only in football and baseball in high school. He had no part-time job. In college the stident joined and held office in a fraternity. This was his only organized activity. He attended athletic events, concerts, and college dances. He has devoted no time to employment. Educational—vocational plans. The student selected Business Adminis- tration'because he planned to go into business with his father. During the Basic College interview he stated that he was in college for a general education and that his vocational plans were definite. He added that he had had no course in which he felt great interest. It was sug- gested that he might find it helpful to take advantage of the testing and counseling services to seek reasons for this lack of interest and to consider what he might do about it. At the time the student rejected the idea, but a few days later he went to the Counseling Center on his own initiative. He has continued in Business Administration. Summary of and comments on academic record. On every comprehensive examination the student's grade was D on the first attempt. Often this ggede was lower than the term grades in the Basics. The student re- peated three of the examinations without repeating a term of the course. theraised the grade to C in two of them. In the two he took the SOpho- xmue year he repeated one term of each course Fall 1951. He raised Sunnary of acgdemic record W .. v". v: ".1 ‘ mam ".. We I! r i Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term ; D's F's Tu? ? 6- ' +8 15.". 2 +8 -3 17.- I 3-b 1'50 = I“ W l)6-D 6-b +5 -18 16 . 'i l h)3-D 3-r MO 3 *"I i ’ i I 1"— fi ' 5 5 9-bl : P -13 +6 18. 9-bh h—r 2 2)6-D 6-:- 6-br '5 150 1 -7 0 3R ': 6-r 6-b 1751 W “ I 1 -7 -8 15.’ S)O-D 0-b2 l } 6)3-D 6-b ? T131 “ g g I . I N -15 +23 6R ' 18-b6 ! h-r W ~ 4 ! I j 0 +8 +7 18 7_r : L } ‘ +15 -6 16 ' ~ 6.1- one to a C, the other to B. The student's only other poor grades were in the last term of statistics and in the first term of economics. In the other terms of these courses, he earned C's. His best grades were in College Algebra (A) and the first term of Accounting (B) . .' ' v.1. ' ' 4.- ' -.—- ‘. .. .“ .. 't" r’ . .._.._y A. "‘ O.- ‘1 ...o . .. .o s u.- ' ‘Iho U.- 5'. a D ":21? «v . n.,~—...._ .‘ I I‘°.’ w. u . n_., o ‘ . ‘v. -. ,. . .. I. .. .. 4 . a~ _ no. .. . u . .‘ . - ' .. . ,. . | . t, V. I o t. ... '.. ‘ . * . u I ;‘ - . ‘- I- . . n. ‘ g . n “. v .— “ » t ‘ -. u 65 Stepg taken rggarding academic status. The student's repetition of comprehensive examinations was his method of gaining honor points. He did not enroll for Reading Clinic until the second term of his SOphomore year, apparently upon his own initiative. There is no record of the student's having made use of other campus services. During his first term in college and Spring 1951, he carried a reduced load of academic courses. Fall 1951 he was enrolled for 17 credits including two economics courses. He was concerned about one of these, but rejected the suggestion that he drOp it in order to devote more time to his other courses and Ineparation for the comprehensive examinations. Shortly thereafter, however, he drOpped the course. Personal characteristics and attitudes. During the Basic College interview the student rejected both the referral to the Counseling Center and the suggestion that he decrease his course load. ‘Within a few days In had done both. To know his reasons for doing so would be interesting. Eb may be an extremely independent person or he may be one who takes time before making decisions. 'His rejections did not seem to be expres- sions of a negative attitude and his reaction to the Basic College inter- view expressed later in reSponse to the questionnaire was favorable. There seems little doubt that the student was strongly motivated to succeed in college in the face of discouraging achievement in the Basics, particularly in the comprehensive examinations. His repetition of each of these examinations probably provides tangible evidence of that motiva- tidn. let the nature or source of the motivation is not apparent. The student's vocational future was assured, with or without a college degree. _ . . ‘4 4. p. .,A ‘ . 7-0 o r ..'_ - 4' '. ‘ — _ - . _.. -o " ,._ ,.. .0- .. no " " ',. I _ u-.. ,v ‘ " ‘ __ . _, .l" a. - - ' ,y u .. -~ 0 g- '- ¢.o ‘ ‘ng. o a. ‘ a c-‘O ,- .0 ....,v . .. n.- n .‘u -.- - . "'Vu- ,- ' a. _ "\. .c c-0 - 66 Indeed, he pointed out that he was in college for a general education, not for strictly vocational preparation. He was not stimulated by interest in his courses. On the contrary, he stated that he had had no course in which he felt genuinely interested. The student believed that he studied hard but he did not appear to feel self—satisfied because of his efforts. He was not, moreover, a "grind". He belonged to and held office in a fraternity. He "dated" and attended college activities. The student gave no evidence of emotional strain. He was concerned about his academic status and eager to succeed, but he did not appear anxious. Followbup. Although he received a D in a four credit business course Fall 1951, the student gained 27 honor points by his repetition of two comprehensive examinations. This made him eligible for admission to the Upper School. The following term he carried 18 credits and earned better than a C average. Spring term he received F in an economics course, although he had earned B in economics the preceding term. This did not reduce his all college average to less than C, however (lhl credits carried, 138 earned,29l honor points). Counselor judgment and summagy. No satisfactory explanation of the sament's record has been found. 0n the basis of test data, even when EflJowance is made for poor reading skills, both his high school and cmllegezrecords seem to represent overachievement. Although, according toius own report, he studies hard, he also seems to have a normal social life. No evidence was found of unusual vocational or educational moti— vathnn of strong interest in his courses of compensatory satisfactions in his academic work. ._ . of“ v- u 4" O .— ._, ’- o 4'". - . ... O" .. - ‘ ' | " ‘ -_ ..--v- . a 0-. 4.,p. 67 Analysis of the student's record itself is puzzling. Although he had been in Reading Clinic, his measured reading skills have not im- proved. In the Basic College interview the student commented on his slow reading. He stated that he had no difficulty in concentrating on reading, but he said, he was just slow. Poor reading skills, however, do not explain his academic achievement. The student received D's on comprehensive examinations, to be Sure, but the very next term he raised the grades to C's, yet when he took comprehensive examinations the next year, the pattern was the same, poor grades on the first attempt with satisfactory or better grades on the second attempt. Reading skills seem not to be the determining factor. Emotional blocking on comprehensive examinations offers no more satisfactory explanation unless one makes the dubious assumption that the student has to go through the experience once before he can perform successfully. This seems too far-fetched, however, to be given credence, particularly since there is no evidence of it in other courses. Neither was there any indication from the student in the interviews at the Basic College or at the Counseling Center of any difficulty in taking tests of any kind. In reSponse to the questionnaire the student said that he still did rmt know the causes of his academic problems. It can only be observed tmre that his success in improving his academic status and in.becoming stumble for the Upper School in Spite of the presence of several factors whhfliwould ordinarily make such achievement unlikely is equally in com- prdmumible with the information that is available. V - " I O. l-~ 68 Case 3 -- male, non-veteran; l9 honor points deficient Age at entrance: 1? years, 8 months High school rank: first quartile, Class C school Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Agricultural Engineering - Winter 1950 Psychometric data: ACE 8-1-2; 9-1-3 (Fall 19h9) COOperative Reading l-l-l-l; 1-2-2-1 (Fall 19h9) Strong Vocational Interest Blank (Fall 1951) Group III Production Manager B+ Group IV Farmer A Aviator B+ Carpenter A Printer A Mathematics teacher A Industrial arts teacher A Vocational agricul- ture teacher A Policeman A Group VII Senior accountant B+ Banker B+ (Group II Engineer B) Interest maturity h6 (standard score) Occupational level h2 Masculinity-femininity 65 Bell Adjustment Inventory Home excellent; exoellent‘ Health good; average* Social very aggressive; average; Emotional excellent; good* Total excellent; good* 4’}If all of ? reSponses were included as unfavorable reSponseS. Family data. The student's father, who had eleven years of school- ing, is employed as an farm superintendent. His mother is a graduate of lfichigan State College. A brother was a senior when the student entered msa.freshman. Each of two sisters had completed one year at the univer- sity. High school background. The student was rated fairly high in inuaJectual capacity and high in actual intellectual performance and in |" I c - v ' .p-fi' 1 v’ '2 c-‘ :,o $ ’" ,...v -o "'_‘ .’ '0. -.. .- \"‘ ‘I ‘ .xa"-- ~O-o . We - .4- —- ~-» ,. . a 0,0 - "-1-.. .. o._._.... . -. ‘. . n « s ‘ c . , . N. 69 seriousness of purpose. The principal commented further that the stu- dent had always had a fine attitude toward his school work and that he had great intellectual curiosity. An I. Q. of 111 on an Otis adminis- tered in the ninth grade was recorded. Measured aptitudes and Skills for college work. The ACE showed a marked divergence between "Q" and "L". The student was above average in the quantitative area and very low in linguistic aptitude. The two combined resulted in a low total score. His measured reading skills also were very low. Check tests taken during his first term in college verified these scores. Students with such scores are likely to experi- ence considerable difficulty with college work. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student had been active in varsity athletics and he had participated in both the junior and senior plays. He had been selected as representative to Boys' State. In college he has participated only in the Agricultural Engineering Club. This may be related to his living off campus, and to the fact that there is no public transportation from the nearby small town in which he lives . It is equally possible that his courses demanded too much time to permit Participation. The student worked approximately ten hours per week dur- ing Spring 1950 and Winter and Spring 1951. Egucational-vocational plans. On his application the student stated that he was uncertain of his major. His preferred subject in high school was mathematics. During Fall 1919 the student took tests and consulted a counselor regarding his vocational plans. Unfortunately, the counselor filed only a report of contact. Therefore, the process by which the ., . .n. .\‘-. D . .‘H'.O” _ \‘b‘... .' . :o‘ ‘ .H ‘ ..I . . ' - N- .~ . - p. . . ‘ 'v- . . "no, .. . N ‘1 I .:q -, .-.V b v a. I. n l . I ."o - N. . . ., .g L' _ . . n. e A,. -. _ l .‘ ._‘ ‘r , a." ‘ . v. “8: I. . 70 student arrived at the choice of agricultural engineering is not known. The code on the change of preference Slip indicated that the change was made with limited counseling and with insufficient evidence of his capacity for the work. The high "2" score was surely favorable, but the low verbal aptitude would be a seriously limiting factor in any major. In Fall 1951 the student felt certain that his choice of major had been a good one. The Strong indicated interests Similar to those of men engaged in the technical group of occupations. His interests were at the B level for engineers. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student's principal loss of honor points occurred in the Basics, both in the termgrades and in the comprehensive examinations. In every case, however, he lost additional honor points on the comprehensive examinations. The student's comment on the cause of his difficulty was that there was too much read- ing in the Basics. In 36 credits of science and mathematics courses, the student's nine credits of B nearly compensated for the ten credits of D he received. His gades in these courses did not Show a trend, but ‘ fluctuated term by term. By the end of Summer 1951 the student had com- Pleted all of the mathematics and science courses prerequisite to engi- neering. Steps taken regarding academic status. DeSpite his academic diffi- culties the student carried 17.5 or 18.5 credits each term during the first two years. After the change of preference during his first term in school he had no contact with the Counseling Center until Winter 1951. It was recommended then that he decrease his course loads and enroll in 1.4. Smary of academic record k 71 W .. . v: . !_ mam .. m an ! Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's ‘D's Total Term 5 D's F's s Th9 ; ‘ "2 #8 .5 1 11-1. ‘ 6-b J ‘ 1 Trio i 3_r . -2 +1 17.5: 1 l 3-b WU ! 1)3-D 3-b 3-b -1 ,lh.5 17.5; 1.5 2 (h)6-F 1 3-r 71 ' i 50 ' ; 6-b P 4-5.5 -1.5 18 .5 ; 9-bh 2.5 i 7-17} 11‘ - 5 - - y SI lh.5; 5 CP -17 +8 hR : 8-r 3-r l 3-b1 s 51 ' T ! 6—b CP -9 -13 117.5 6)O-D 2-r ’2)6—D 3-r’ 7'51 7 ,j I 5 1w ~22 +3 3R ; 3-r g 1 1 5 fl 9-b6 i N -19 +37 153 . 18-b2 1 , We . 3"— ; - +18 -3 16 2 3-r ‘81; +15 -6 l7 1"" . t 3- | h- Reading Clinic. The student apparently considered the Reading Clinic some- thing to be used when he could find time for it, rather than as a much needed source of assistance. v In reaponse to the questionnaire he remarked that he enrolled in Reading Clinic Fall 1951, because he had time for it. u t . o . u s - o I l 0- . . l I i o . .— .. 1... .~ '. . '0 '- .‘ -,~ ...- 1.4 _- ‘. ' I. - _, I «.1... ‘ ‘,',., " .V ‘ ..’l_, .94 a - --:; - b. u-' ’ .o n. 7" | n. - n a a . ‘ &. -..---. . ..‘- ‘h . ..‘ ,- p., .- nun. .. H. -.. . ‘ — ,.._,._v ' . >.. ., ' I. l' . ... .. _ -a a - . _ ,. ~v ‘7’. -~- II -VI- . ‘ t . ~ I "l‘ .. .- "a. m . u, - . I .v .’ . . V. ~-. ~ . 1‘. . c Q ‘ A . I K. ‘ ‘ . ., ‘- “a I-“ -.’ u.‘ ' . H.“ . l "h 5,. .s. “‘ 72 The student's only repetition of a D course during the first two years of college was that of a four credit physics course. He attended summer session in 1951, but he repeated only one course. He repeated none of the three Basics on which his grades were D. Prior to Fall 1951 regis- tration, however, he conferred with the assistant to the Dean of the Basic College who recommended that he take five repeat courses, primarily Basics, Fall 1951 and that he repeat two comprehensive examinations. He also enrolled for Reading Clinic. Thus, it appears that the urgency of "Final‘Warning" or the weight of administrative authority or both were needed to move the student to take the remedial measures that had been recommended much earlier. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Little is known about this student as a person. His contacts with the Counseling Center were limit- ed, but during those contacts and in inventory data there was no evidence of extra-academic problems which might have contributed to his scholastic problems. He seemed to be genuinely interested in attending college and in his major field. He expressed no dislike for the Basics, even though they caused him considerable difficulty. He took initiative in consult- ing a counselor, although he did not make use of recommendations that were offered. He showed still further initiative by seeking assistance from administrative officials of the Basic College. Although he had uhnued his Fall 1951 schedule with a Basic College official, he reSponded pnwmndy to the Dean's letter Fall 1951. He was equally c00perative in hisguompt reply to the followbup questionnaire. 73 Follow-up. Fall 1951 the student raised his grades in the two comprehensive examinations he repeated to C and B. An A in the beginning calculus course which he repeated increased his gain in honor points that term to 37. Thus he entered the Upper School with a surplus of 18 honor points. He received a grade of D, however, in a required course in civil engineering in both of the terms that followed. His grades in other engineering and agriculture courses have been satisfactory. At the end of Spring 1952 he had earned 1h5 credits and 299 honor points. Counselor summary and judgment. Because of the very low scores in the freshman tests, verified by a recheck, because of the student's failure to take advantage of remedial resources which might have facilitated an increase in his Skills, and because of the difficulty of his major and his practice of carrying the full course load set up for the major, one would feel reasonably certain in predicting that this student probably could not succeed in qualifying for admission to the Upper School of his choice. Consideration of his high School rank and his high school principal's comment on the student's interest in academic work and his intellectual curiosity, supported by the student's achievement in his first term of college work, would make one somewhat less certain of such a prediction. The student gave no evidence of doubt of his capacity or of fear of failure. In fact, he almost delayed too long in taking the measures Which would give him a chance to become eligible for the Upper School. The student's seriousness about his work, his apparently good attitude toward the Basics, the effort he put into his studies, and the absence, SO far as can be determined, of distracting personal problems seem to 7h have made it possible for this student to continue in the pattern of academic over-achievement which he had established in his pre-college education. Whether he can complete the engineering major successfully seems questionable in view of his continuing difficulty with some of the technical courses. There is little doubt that he can, if necessary, transfer to one of the majors within agriculture for which he has a back- ground of experience and strong measured interests. . 'f ' ~‘OOI M. 0...; l‘ -I S n... 75 Case h -- male, veteran; 8 honor points deficient Age at admission: 21 years, 7 months Three year interval between high school and college High school rank: first quartile, Class C school Preference at admission; Geology ngchometric data. ACE 2-h-2 C00perative Reading 6-1-3-3 Bell Adjustment Inventory Fall 1950 Home -- good Health -- average Social -- average Emotional -- average Total -- average Family data. The student's parents completed eighth grade. The father is an oil well driller. The student himself worked in the oil fields during the period between his discharge from military service and his entrance to college. This background and his own experience in the field turned his interests toward geology. The student is married and both he and his wife are students. High school background. The student had applied for admission for Fall 19h6, but military service delayed his entrance for more than three years. He had no Specialized training while he was in the Army Signal Corps. He had the rank of sergeant when he was discharged. On his original application he was rated high in potential intel- lectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and very high in mmflousness of purpose. .All ratings were high, and the principal pre- dicted that the student would do well in college. The student had been a member of the National Honor Society.‘ Measured gptitudes and skills for college work. The fact that the studenttmd.been away from academic activities for more than three years , .- -. \ , . ,--u. h- , , .u- ~’ - O." " O . . Otg-utl‘ | - ,v‘u' .o . .0... I. n. .n .L ..v..'¢-. I . ‘x- U ~‘Ic I ‘ v 9 ‘M..' sh. 5 ' U a... ‘ ’ C i- ._ 5 - . I._ .‘l Nu, ~.‘v t I u "I. N. . -..v 'Oo L. '. . n.‘ 76 must be taken into consideration in evaluating test data. No test data were reported by the high school and no tests of scholastic aptitude or of reading skills were administered subsequently in college. The vari- ability between the "Q" and "L" scores with the lower "Q" and low total scores would not lead one to assume probable success in the physical 1 sciences. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was a member of the Glee Club. It is not known how great the Opportunity for participation.was in a rather Small high school in northern Michigan. The student was rated "high" in "social mindedness" and in "pOpularity". In college the student has attended football games and one major college dance per term. In reSponse to the questionnaire he expressed regret that his academic problems made it difficult for him to find time for more active participation. He feels now that he worried excessively about his work and that it would have been better if he had deveIOped outside interests. The student had part-time employment during the school year. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with the intention of becoming a "petroleum geologist". The probable origin of this interest has already been noted. When he began to have difficulty with mathematics, he considered changing his major. His interest in the field was so great, however, that he decided to try to survive these required courses in order to attain his objective. l.At‘M1 S. C. “Q" correlates higher than "T" or "L" with achieve- ment of men in chemistry (11). 77 Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the follow- ing page for the academic summary) The student carried a full load of academic courses throughout the first two years. His academic diffi- culties were in mathematics and chemistry which were required for a science major. In his major field, Geology, his grades were C's. He felt he was capable of doing better in geology, but he neglected these courses in order to devote more time to mathematics and chemistry. By reducing his course load and by repeating 3 credits of "D" the term of Final Warning, the student achieved the c average necessary for admission to the Upper School. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student saw a counselor Fall 1950 because he was concerned about his difficulty with mathematics. During this interview and a few others at intervals throughout the year his principal concern was whether he would attempt to continue in his major in the face of the academic difficulties he was encountering. His anxiety regarding examinations was also given considerable attention. During one conference the counselor suggested that the student drop calculus, since it was not required for his major. He was reluctant to do so, however, because he was interested in it. After two attempts to pass the course, however, the student took no more mathematics courses. In the reSponse to the questionnaire the student expressed his apprecia- tion for the personal interest and consideration Shown hhm by this counselor. Persdggl characteristics and attitudes. The student has reported that poor grades caused him to lose confidence in himself. He had been 78 Statuary of academic record W v; N * . 3 H.P.1F.INED I .. m 1| Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term 1 D's F": i % -3 15 f ‘ 3-1‘ a is ; 1 1'50 .. alga a ' i a 0 +3 15 1383 L 3-b ! , 3-r R'SU l . } ' I .g g , 771570 r 7' i ! +3 0 16 : 3-b ' 3'1" 1'51 16 ' 7 7 i J +3 -12 " 3-b ! 6)6—C 6-r 3-1‘ “3‘51 13 i ' i } P -9 +1 31?. S)O-C O-r l ’ h'51 j. 4 g- i i W #4 10 E w ‘ 5 FW {-8 +9 3R 6-r 3 I 1'52 1 A I ' +1 +3 16 , 3—r f i ' +b '6 18 6-1‘ “3 credits earned by taking the comprehensive examination after 2 terms an outstanding student in high school and academic difficulties were a new and unpleasant experience. He worried about examinations and about his work in general. He sometimes felt too that he was only a number. The counselor , . -0 ¢ ro- " ‘ ‘ a..- .... i'l ' _ o G ’ a D i I ' . Ih.“:' "" "' ’ " \ l glnn. ~ A. 7‘. o. 'o - 1 -. .- . \ _ t- Iooi. .. ,I u' 'D .‘ -¢ ’ 4 A. .. a u g .. n... -. i“.- - ~~ 'I "u- . 9 ._ -. ‘1 - “ u. l.- n __’ u ‘ . . u 79 was aware of these anxieties, and apparently was of assistance to the student. The student's reaction to the Dean's letter and the Basic College interview was that they were evidence of the institution's interest in student's who were having academic difficulties. Followhup. The student has completed the mathematics and chemistry requirements for the science degree. He was rather unwise, it seems, to. carry 18 credits Spring 1952 when he enrolled for the first term of physics. He received D's in both the physics and a geology course. He has earned B's and C's in other geology courses, one of them a senior course. The two D's Spring 1952 left the student with a deficiency of 2 honor points at the end of that term. The student feels he is learn- ing to cepe With his anxiety regarding his academic problems. He is participating to a greater extent in extra-curricular activities. He expresses no doubt of his ultimate achievement of his educational goal. Counselor judgment and summary. In that courses required for his major call upon the student's lesser aptitudes, his choice of major seems inappropriate. On the other hand, he has strong interest and motivation to succeed in this field, based on his background and experi- ence. Moreover, he evaluated the total situation carefully when he began to have difficulty with mathematics and decided to attempt to achieve his goal in spite of the obstacles. Unfortunately the strength of this motivation has been somewhat offset by the student's anxiety regarding examinations, particularly in the courses in which he has diffi- mfliy; By the end of Spring 1952, however, he felt he had learned to overcome his tendency to worry over his work. .av" ’ u. a. -vm ' “h ;n. v . ... .... ,1. so. -... c . n. I ..,, -. -.’ h-' 'o- . ‘ - \. ,. , Jun... In. . l ~a - . II— .0 .J‘.‘ z‘ . c 7‘ 7. I. .“ VIM. C-. u: ‘ v 's. .- O '1. . "Q- 80 When his record is analyzed, it may be seen that after a loss of three honor points his first term in college, the only term the student lost honor points was Winter 1951. That term he carried 16 credits including chemistry, calculus, and chemical mineralogy. In addition, he devoted extra time to preparation for a comprehensive examination which he was permitted to take after two terms of the course because of his good grades. By getting only a C on the examination he lost the points for the B's he had received in the two terms of work. A less ambitious student might have been content to concentrate his effort on the courses for which he had enrolled. It was this term's work which put the stu- dent on probation and was reSponsible for his being ineligible for Upper School. The student's 18 credit: load of difficult courses Spring 1952 seems somewhat comparable. If the student can learn to carry a normal load, at least while he is completing physics, and use good judgment in his course combinations, he should complete his major successfully. In the case of this student his strong motivation seems sometimes to over- come his judgment with unfavorable results. c. 'Q- n. ’ ‘- QC... II. .II— . . , _ | . II I. ~. .- ~\_~ ‘ ~ . _ ‘ I_ ' . u 0.‘-‘ 81 Case 5 -- male, non-veteran; 8 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, 9 months High school rank: first quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: Civil Engineering Changes of preference: Business Administration -- Fall 1950 Psychometric data. ACE 3-2-3 Cooperative Reading 2-l-l-l Strong Vocational Interest Blank (April 1950) Group IV Farmer B+ Group VI Musician A Group IX Real Estate Salesman B+ Interest maturity h? (standard score) Occupational level h9 Masculinity-femininity ho Family data. The student's parents are high school graduates. The father is prOprietor of a meat market. An.older brother Operates a television and appliance sales business. The student anticipates going into business with either his father or brother if he can't find anything he is more interested in doing. The family have been very concerned about his academic difficulties. On one occasion both the father and brother came to the campus to request tutoring for the boy. One of the student's principal concerns was that it would be very hard for his family if he should not succeed in college. High school background. The student was rated fairly high in in- tellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and high in seriousness of purpose. .An I. Q. of 102 was obtained from a California Test of Mental Maturity administered during twelfth grade. His high emhool counselor commented that he had always been conscientious in re- gard to his school work. 82 Measured aptitude and skills for college work. Although his high school rank was high, the scholastic aptitude tests administered in high school and in college failed to indicate strong potentialities for college work. In view of his test scores, engineering seemed an in- appropriate choice of major. Low reading scores too indicated the likeli- hood of academic difficulty. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in many high school activities and was captain“ of the basketball and tennis teams. Throughout his first two years of college he participated regularly in a riding club, a church choir, an intra-mural Sport each term and served as a dormitory representative for one year. In addition he attended "practically all" the concerts and college dances. He did not vary the amount of his participation with his academic status, even when he was on Strict Probation and Final Warning. Educational-vocational plans. The student's choice of engineering seems to have been based principally on his liking for mathematics and mechanical drawing in high school. When engineering courses proved difficult for him, he changed directly into Business Administration with the intention. of going into business with his father or older brother. He made the change without investigating his potentialities for that major, although he was encouraged by the Counselor to do so. DeSpite his difficulty with courses required for Business Administration, the student has remained in that major. During the Basic College interview the term of "Final Warning" he expressed doubt regarding his choice of major because of his poor grades in economics previously and his present .1. _ if. _. -... g t..-.-_ ' - §. _ g a o. - t" _ v A. u, ’ .- a n . _i \’ '\ '! ‘1. n h 7 - . i .n 4 A .. .- ._ . . I . . ‘ U 1 .. 'U . ._ ' I. . . 9 83 difficulty with accounting. He expressed considerable concern over his indecision and readily accepted the suggestion that he work rather in- tensively with a counselor. Perhaps the pressure of his precarious academic status made it difficult for him to concentrate his attention on anything else. In any case, he had only one or two interviews with a counselor and then interrupted the contacts. Followbup has shown that he is still in Business Administration. He made no reference to the vocational problem in his reSponse to the questionnaire and did not in- dicate that it had had any relationship to his academic difficulties. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) Because of his difficulty with college mathema- tics and descriptive geometry, the student changed from engineering and dropped descriptive geometry during the last term of his freshman year. His change to Business Administration brought little improvement, since he failed economics and earned only a D when he repeated the course. After this experience, he discontinued economics, but he continued to enroll in Business Administration. During the same year he received 3 F's and 3 D's in Basics. Ultimately he attained C's in all but one Basic. He repeated no "D" courses until the term of "Final warning". By the end of Fall 1951 he was eligible for the Upper School with slight— ly better than a 2.0 average. teps taken regarding academic status. It has already been observed that the student attempted to improve his status by a change of major. He was worried at that time about his work and his vocational choice. He took an interest inventory, but there is no record of his having re- 'hnmwd for further contact that year. Even had he not had difficulty Smary of academic record 614 W .. ‘ w. v: ' . ; mam H.P. mar-w ’ Comps. Repeats A's Comps. F's D's Total Term ; ‘D's F's I W9 * -1 17. ‘ 3 -b . 3-r -l +.S 17. 3"b 1-5 W ..3 + -.S -5 3R f O-b 1)3-c 3-r “'50 x V EU I - i +7: 111.5 g ' '55 -10 BR b—r 6-b T y -' w 5 lh.5 1 P -15.5 -11 BR 3-r Loo-F 6—b 3-b SP -26.S .15 12.5 12-bit , tie-b 1.5’ [”51 S )3-0 640 SP -25 +17 6R ; )3-c L 6-b: 3-r I SI 10 f 'Y N -8 +15 31?. 6—r W52 - v +7 '1‘ 13 h_r } I +3 -2 l7 6-1‘ in the new major, the change brought no ready solution since the Basics were his principal source of difficulty. credits of F in Basics the sophomore year. When he was placed on probation He had 9 credits of D and .18 Winter 1951, he reSponded to an invitation to consider his academic \ a“, w .- I I. I l o, i »- -' cw. ~.¢ | v a ' a ‘ J v ' , I . . O 5 r ' - o n o , ' ‘- . C . . . . C . . f- . . a ‘ . . , a 1 .- . —.- a ..l . .- ‘1. ..-, .-. .-. . . l . o ‘ O I a . . o ‘ 0 ,-,~ ..4 -u. . A. . -.- 1 ’ ‘ ‘ O . . 9 I , n . u 1 . . u. -.-I w'. . v- .. u v‘. u. ,- I a . "' ¢ ' . , ‘1‘ v. o. I. . .- "n.' a a: .o .o, - -a. . \“ a 14- .1 . .k- u . h - I . ‘ Q ._ s 0' . H":- I IA. I. ‘ x. I: l. 1 h. ' “ q .. . !.2 v. .' w I . . .'¢‘ C 17“. 92 Steps taken regarding academic statug. The student consulted a counselor during winter term of his freshman year regarding both his vo- cational planning and his academic status. He was concerned about his reading skills at that time and he enrolled for the Reading Clinic Spring term of his freshman year. He did not see the counselor during the SOphomore year. Neither did he continue to make use of pre-enrollment as he had for Spring 1950, although enrollment in advance of the registra- tion period gives the counselor and student sufficient time to do the most careful planning of courses, both for exploration and for improving academic status. The student did not continue part-time employment when he was placed on probation. 'When the Basic College counselor saw the student Fall 1951, he had enrolled for 18 "new" credits, although he was 7.5 honor points deficient. The preceding term, moreover, he had carried only 13.5 credits and had gained only 2.5 honor points. He readily accepted referral to his former counselor to consider the wisdon of decreasing his course load and perhaps of repeating another of his "D" comprehensives as well as to plan for his choice of major. He re- duced his course load to 15 credits subsequently. Personal characteristics and attitudes. At the time of the Basic College interview, the student seemed unaware of the seriousness of "Final Warning", although the original letter of notification and the Dean's second letter had explained the significance of the status. The student, ii.appeared, was neither indifferent nor greatly concerned over vocational and academic problems. His seeking counseling assistance his freshman Year,tds enrollment in the Reading Clinic, his repetition of comprehensive ‘l ‘V .‘l .' 93 examinations furnished evidence of his desire to improve his status. It was as if he had a false feeling of security because he had gradually gained honor points his sephomore year and because at the end of Spring 1951, for the first time, he had received no grade below C. ‘When his situation was made clear, he immediately took constructive action. Followhup. The student did not succeed in making up the entire deficiency Fall 1951. ‘Winter term, however, he gained more than enough honor points to make him eligible for the Upper School. By the end of Spring 1952, his all college average had increased to slightly above 2.1 (139 credits, 295.5 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. Very low reading skills seem to have been a major source of the student's academic difficulties. It is probable too, in view of this handicap, that during the freshman year participation in two major Sports with a strong desire to "make the team" and employment of five to ten hours per week, demanded too much of his time. After the freshman year he concentrated his efforts on baseball. Furthermore, after his experience of Spring term in the freshman year, he carried a reduced course load during baseball season. Neither coun- seling interviews nor adjustment inventories revealed problem areas to make it difficult for the student to concentrate on his work. Loss of his scholarship, for example, caused the student no financial difficulty. He was able, indeed, to eliminate part-time employment. Although the student seemed to be interested in college and in succeeding in college, there was no evidence of strong motivation. Except for taking a few teshskds freshman year, he took no discernible steps toward a decision 9h regarding a major. He took no exploratory courses during the SOphomore year until Spring term, nor did he take advantage of pre-enrollment for planning such exploration. Although he made substantial gains by repeat- ing two comprehensive examinations, he would have become an academic casualty at the end of Fall 1951 without the extension of time. granted by the Dean. The student's progress to date in requirements for his major is satisfactory. He seems genuinely interested in Police Adminis- ration both for itself and as preparation for law, if he finds that he can meet the academic requirements. 95 Case 7 -- male, nonrveteran; lb.5 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, 8 months High school rank: first quartile, class C school Recipient of an M. S. C. scholarship Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Agricultural Engineering-JHinter 1951 Agricultural Mechanics--Spring 1952 ngchometric data. ACE 5-34;; 9-7-8 (Fall 1951) COOperative Reading 7-6-h-6 Note: Students whose ACE "L" score was three or lower are included arbitrarily with the group of students of low Scholastic aptitude. Strong Vocational Interest Blank (Fall 1951) Group III -- Production manager A Group IV -- Farmer B+ .Aviator A Printer B+ Mathematics teacher B+ Vocational agriculture teacher ' B+ Policeman B+ Group V -- Personnel director A Public administrator A Group VII -— Senior accountant A Office man B+ Purchasing agent B+ Mortician B+ Pharmacist A Group IX -- Sales manager A Group XI -- President, manufacturing concern A Interest maturity 57 (standard Score) Occupational level h8 Masculinity-femininity ‘68 Family data. The student's parents completed two years of high school. The father was a plumber. The father is either deceased or separated from the family. For some time the student has been reSpons- ible for the Operation of the family farm. This responsibility continued when the student came to college. Although the mother and younger sisters .: _ . ,.1. ~ “ .. .o. II- . - .15. 4.. . u h... . ‘I- u.-- 9“. . '-l( ‘5‘» 1“- 8“. 96 have helped as much as possible, the student has had to Spend a great deal of time at home each week. High school background. The student was very highly recommended by the high school principal as a "good scholar who will do a good job any- time anyplace." He was rated high in intellectual capacity, fairly high in.actual intellectual performance, and very high in seriousness of pur- pose. His record warranted the award of a Michigan State College Scholar- Ship. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's linguistic score on the ACE was somewhat low, The high vocabulary score on the reading test raises some question as to the accuracy of the measure- ment. The recheck of the ACE Fall 1951 did not confirm the original test- ing. Homeuch the scores had changed as a result of his college experience can not be determined,1 but the improvement was great enough to raise further question regarding the accuracy of the original test scores. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in no extra- curricular activities in high school because he was working a minimum of 25 hours per week on the family farm. His only college activities have been attendance at football games on the few weekends he has been on campus. He went home most weekends and frequently during the week. He Spent a minimum of 20 hours per week on work at home, even in the winter, and during the fall and Spring terms he Spent at least 30 hours per week on farm work. During Summer 1951 he did not stay on campus at all, but 1 Studies (10h) have Shown mean changes of eight to thirty-one per- centile points between the freshman and senior years of college. 97 came occasionally for classes. In some terms his college work seems to have been extra-occupational activity. Educational-vocational plans. The student was certain that he wanted to go into an agricultural occupation, but he entered college as a “no preference" student. During the first term he changed to agri- cultural engineering without investigating his aptitudes for that highly technical vocation. Although he had had poor grades in several of the courses prerequisite to engineering in Fall 1951, he was still determined to continue in engineering. He stated that if the School of Engineering would not accept him, he would Seek admission elsewhere. It was only when he learned of the major in agricultural mechanics, and found that he definitely could not qualify for agricultural engineering that he made the change to agricultural mechanics. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) Although the student's grade was D in two terms of Basics, he regained the lost honor points by earning C on the compre- hensive examinations. Beginning Spring 1950 the student began to have difficulty with courses required for his major, chemistry, engineering drawing, physics, and calculus. Although he was not placed on probation until Spring 1951 as a result of a particularly disastrous winter term, he was then seriously deficient (21 honor points). Steps taken regarding academic status. Although the student was Spending a great deal of time at home, he did not inform his enrollment officer of his activities, As a result, he was enrolled for a full load each term. He saw a counselor late in the term, Spring 1951, when he was *7» I :0. midi. 98 Summary of academic record W"- ”‘ '~‘ ' '~ ! mam m. mar-“n: { COEPS- ‘Repeats B‘s A's Comps. F's D's Total Term. i D's F's ‘ l F'h9 : -3 113.5 3.}; #‘F50 . J -3 .1 17.5 3** i-bi ”‘50 153-0 ~h +1; 17. 8 3:8 # 1 3 {[150 1 z w i f ‘Ffiju , i 1 1'51 \ : ~ s 61H 3_b ’ l _ g are 1‘51 11. P P -21 +h.5 6R 6)o-c 3“ 348* 1.5 C? -16.5 +2 1412 8*? 3x . 4 . Fw -1b.5 -h 13 ‘ 6w 6‘ his 1'52 5 . . - , FW -18.S +16 7R ‘ 9» L 3*} 1 _ g i I ha L . o + P ”9.5" -s 13 3-1- 8-r fi “Courses required both for his first major, agicultural engineering and for his ultinate major, agicultural mechanics . xDean of Agricultm'e deleted 6 credits of "D" and 3 of "F" in advanced calculus and descriptive geometry. a . ~.. .. . . 1' I . . \ I . . ‘3 Q . I \ v ’- ‘t L . . . . A . \ . . - . . .7 I u I . . -~ 4.. .1‘ 99 on probation for the first time. He was Optimistic about the outcome of the term's work at that time, Since he was repeating l "D" course and I "F" course. He gained only h.5 honor points however. He enrolled for summer session to repeat physics in which he had received an F. Although he carried a reduced load (13 credits) for the first time, his attendance, it has been noted, was very infrequent. The student did not respond to the Dean's letter, because he had so little time. Only after a phone call from the counselor did he come for an interview. Personal characteristics and attitudes. There is no doubt that the enrollment officer would have helped him plan a reduced course load each term, had the student told him of his home responsibilities. The student frequently failed to attend classes and to submit required work, yet he never gave any explanation. His failure to do so did not Spring from indifference, since his desire to attend college seemed very strong. He was, however, unaggressive and had had the feeling that there was little he could do about his situation. The interest Shown by the Basic College in his problems seemed to surprise him. ‘ Follow-up. The student drOpped one course Fall 1951 and Spent the maximum amount of time possible on campus. Early in the term he did well in calculus, but when the work was based on materials from previous terms, the handicap was too great. Near the end of the term the student became willing to consider alternate majors, and selected agricultural mechanics as most closely related to his original choice. Less advanced mathematics is required by this major. ‘Winter term the student carried “-4-. g.-- - v' . “ v. " a ‘h' 4 ' .- . .- .l‘. Q "~‘ ., K - 'Ir, . ~»'. « v ~‘ 0 t b. 'v 4 - I I m 'V. n . - . ‘. - 100 a reduced schedule which included seven credits of repeat courses. Through this and the dele tion of course credits not required for his new major, he became eligible for the Upper School. Spring term he again carried a reduced Schedule but he failed the third term of physics. The student, however, has received average or better grades in his major courses. He has recognized that if he is to get through college at all, he must, because of his other reSponsibilities, carry reduced loads, at least until he has completed the theoretical scientific courses which are difficult for him. The student has been given every opportunity to make a recovery. Counselor judgment_and summary. This student's case is somewhat extraordinary. Many young men, with similar reSponsibilitieS and with a farm which furnished an adequate income, would have accepted the Short Course program as a means of better qualifying themselves for the practice of agriculture. He, however, was strongly motivated to get technical training which would enable him to work in agriculture on the Specialist's level. He was, perhaps, misled by the fact that he had been able to do superior work in high school while carrying his reSponsibilities. Actual- ly, considering the limited amount of time he was able to give to his studies, he did get along surprisingly well the first four terms. When he enrolled for physics, calculus and descriptive geometry, however, his academic reverses came suddenly. The student was slow in making necessary adjustments in course loads and in majors. This may have been due to his lack of aggressiveness, to dogged determination to accomplish what he set out to do, to unwillingness to face reality, or to some other factor which 101 did not become apparent in the contacts with the student. He has made the most of his apparently average academic potentialities under unfavor- able conditions. It is hoped that with lighter course loads and with the change in major he will be able to achieve his goal. of. 102 Case 8 -- female; 6 honor points deficient Age at admission: 17 years High school rank: first quartile, Class C school Preference at admission: Home Economics Changes of preference: Art--Fall 1950 Psychometric data. ACE 1-2-1; 1-8-h (April 1950) COOperative Reading 7-3-6—5 Strong Vocational Interest Blank-4W6men.April 1950 Artist B+ Housewife B + Office worker B+ Stenographer secretary A Masculinity-femininity 50 (standard score) Bell Adjustment Inventory.April 1950 Home -- average Health -- good Social -— average Emotional -- average Total -- average Meier Art Judgment April 1950 Manual norm: College and adult art classes -- 63 percentile Family data. The student's mother is a high school graduate. Her father has done graduate study and is in research work. The student lives at home in a nearby community. Her family relationships seem to be a source of concern to her. High school background. The high school principal rated the student high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance, and seriousness of purpose. He noted too that She had showed considerable ability in school dramatics. She had won a prize for her achievement in history; Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's initial whflscores were low. .A recheck later in the freshman year verified the .-' . e' y . "‘ r -. ' . I. .. -a', 4 .. ‘ ’c— “v. a , .n1v'.-a‘- on . .- ".‘ 5;! '9 ,. "- "u—uo b- . e V‘ " A..o. - , - 'uu '-' Jo.-. .- ...,.,>' . '~-.: . ' ‘0 :1“- c "Q- "- .fl. '; ‘gu u;, ‘4 ". . I. a . I‘ an... .1. _- a... \ .. ‘ ' ‘v. "‘7... .. . .‘. \ it. .‘-I . ‘hlg .. ~..- . ' , 8‘... I v u . .b . ”H..." . -_ t P: 'o "n ' I. I. - "‘~0 - :V. . A n \I ' .‘p -. u ~J‘~ 103 low "Q" scores. The "L" score, however, was so much higher that the original testing probably was inaccurate. Thus, on the basis of the later Scores, as well as on the high school rank and ratings, the student might be expected to do satisfactory academic work in non-quantitative areas. Her reading Speed, however, appeared to be slow. No check test of reading was administered. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was active in three class related clubs, glee club, and'y-Teens. She worked on the school newSpaper and apparently gave an outstanding performance in the Senior play; In college, however, She has participated in no organized activities. She has occasionally attended athletic events and concerts. During the first term of college she worked twenty hours a week in a cafeteria. The following terms, however, she decreased the hours to nine per week. During the term of "Final'warning" she again worked twenty hours a week. Educational-vocational plaps. 'When she entered college, the student stated Textiles and.Clothing as her preference, because she wished to go into dress design or a related field. Because of requirements in Home Economics, She changed to an art major, but her goal remained the same. The student has been advised by a member of the art staff to change from art to some other major. The student, however, refused to accept the suggestion, because, she said, She preferred art courses to any others. mem, the student has persisted in.a major for which, in the judgment of eXperts, she has little talent. By doing so, she has risked the ., .... q-v a \ - ' n. .... -—. u . . - -- a- u .- ._,. .,~->-. " . o . . a ‘. C y... I -...- .o . In - ~ "~- -. vi-‘ 10h possibility of being required to withdraw from college because of poor grades. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student achieved satisfactory grades in all the Basics, except Biological Science, in which she consistently received D's. The first term in college her grade in the beginning course of her prOposed major, Textiles and Clothing, was F. She took no further courses in that area during the first two years of college. She carried only Basics the remainder of the freshman year. She declared Art as her major Fall 1950, although She had had no college art courses. She earned average grades in art courses until Spring 1951. Since that time most of her grades in art have been D's. She also received a D in the beginning course in dress design. On the other hand, She has earned B's in.French, psychology, and Speech courses. Steps taken regardinggacademic status, When the student was placed on probation Spring term of her freshman year, she went to the Counseling Center at the insistence of her parents. She discussed her academic status and vocational plans and took tests, but the counselor recorded that he was unable to break down the student's resistance and to establish a satisfactory working relationship. She was coming, in his Opinion, merely to satisfy her parents. He attempted to stimulate some desire on her part to continue counseling Since he felt that she was extremely im- mature, personally and socially. She renewed contact, however, only to change her major Fall 1950. The student reduced course loads while she was deficient in honor panda and her change Of preference was an attempt to find a more appro- Priate major. 105 Summary of academic record W ' . ' . H.P. GAINED ; Repeats B's D's F's W9 ’W'5O 3‘50 A 1 h'SU J; F'i 5‘0 3-b W's]; 3 S ‘STSI h‘51 ‘FTSI 7 W”)? 3 3! 52 . l Elncl . 3 Pgrsonal characteristics and attitudes. The high school principal remarked in his notes that the student's manner of Speaking and acting had kept her from being attractive to others . During the student's period of contacts with the counselor a college instructor called regarding the ' Q( r O . n \ u i . . . . . .. . ,, ‘ v .—a~- o ~ . .oc‘ A -;.. o ..— ,.o - .- 1 .- . _ , ., “v. L: ..-‘-- .-.¢H‘ " a or I- ...~ ..'---w- ya. a"’ .u v" v“ v . .I' _,._- «.- o , on I... 5"- w. n. n . v as Q «,1 a. u.. o . I -- vw ‘- k'-n ‘ a» ,. .- .,. .,. v . ... v‘.-...- V o. . '9‘ a. "-‘.'L. - ,o -- .a n, \ o . 0.. v . ‘ 4—. a.‘ .‘r--‘_-. . .- .‘ .‘ _ —~vo.‘- .. n . o - ~.\ ‘ 'i x. ‘ a,” “J" 5 ‘I . __ “5. ‘ . .‘s _.. . A I 7' _ . ,~ .,_h ..j ‘ . .'\4. 106 student's rather childish bids for attention in class. During the Basic College interview the student stated that living Off campus made it difficult to make social contacts. She wished that She might live in a dormitory, but it was too expensive. She had thought of a sorority, but not getting in would be worse than not trying. The student felt rather hostile toward the mother who was married at 19, "as She keeps reminding me". Living at home has probably not helped the student in another reSpect. The student verbalized her discontent and accepted referral with the in- tention of working on these problems with her counselor. Yet, when She saw the counselor She made no mention of them. Although She is unhappy, it appears easier for her to put up with her dissatisfactions than to bring herself to the point of making effective use Of professional assistance to attempt to work out her problems. Living at home makes it easier for her to withdraw and to use the fact that she cannot live on campus as a not too satisfying rationalization for her lack of social contacts. Followeup. Although the student was granted an extension of time in the Basic College and then became an "unclassified" student, she was still four honor points deficient at the end of Spring Term 1952. D's in art courses led to Final'Warning and are reSponsible for her continuing deficiency. She has gained honor points outside her major field. Even if the student is granted further extension, there seems little hOpe of Yer succeeding academically, if she continues to take art courses. Counselor judgment and summary. In the linguistic area the student iSEbeably'high average or better in scholastic aptitude. Her satisfactory du‘ ..0. ...AJ . a. . " "'- . l‘ ‘ - -.o. .r.—... " .A’ . I. . - .- ,. ...._ "Z't .. ., O A V. .5-.. ’ .. .A ' ' .' q. a- . n.-. u A---' .' -‘ ~ . . ' :"";-‘g... " ..""i‘- Mi '7. .- ‘ . ‘I' _ "' dL '- v..._ . 107 achievement on comprehensive examinations and in courses demanding considerable reading indicates that she is not unduly handicapped by the low reading Speed freshman tests indicated. The preponderance of her poor grades has been in art courses. In the judgment of experts the student lacks sufficient talent to continue in the field. Yet she per- sists in it in spite of the overwhelming evidence Of her lack of success. It may not be too far afield to suggest that this refusal to make at change, even though she has been successful in other subject areas, may be related to her problems of personal—social adjustment. It may be that she finds release in art which is emotionally satisfying. If this is her motivation in continuing in art, it appears that she is no more successful in taking some positive action in regard to this problem than she has been in dealing with her personal and social dissatisfactions. ne— .d. ”4 in. ‘3 t 108 Case 9 -- female; A honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, 1 month High school rank: first quartile, Class D school Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Elementary Education-~Summer 1951 ngchometric data. ACE 1-2-1; 1-6-3 Fall 1951 Cooperative Reading 2—2—h-2; h-h-L-h Fall 1951 Strong Vocational Interest Blank for Women Fall 1951 Housewife B+ Elementary teacher B+ Office worker B+ Stenographer-secretary A Femininity-masculinity 53 (standard score) Bell Adjustment Inventory -- Fall 1951 Home -- average Health -- average Social -- very aggressive Emotional -- average Total -- average Family data. The student's parents are high school graduates. The father is in the insurance business. The high school report has indicated that the student's parents have given her every Opportunity educationally and socially. They not only defray her college expenses but also have made it possible financially for her to join a sorority. High school background. The student was graduated from a small parochial high school. She was rated fairly high both in potential in- tellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and high in seriousness of purpose. Measured aptitudes and Skills for college work. The student‘s fresh- man test scores indicated low potentialities for college work and low reading skills. After two years her measured reading Skills were only low average for M. S. C. freshmen, yet her grades in comprehensive examinations ‘ I .. ' 3"..«z ' .- gt...vl ... . '.- IO'- ‘ ’ pa..- . n ’ .‘-. ‘u I- -‘n .. . . an; . '1‘ ‘ -‘_ lav Jo--o - n. , . p. ._ a £~ -- a I.» - ...... u .- n... a q s: . '- u. no. ‘-- v. -s‘ ""-- ... 1 O. b I. 0. § 4 . I u.._ -‘ ‘ o. _ ' \ 'u-O . a..." v : .._ A ‘...F .".. 'o.‘ - “-v, . I 8" .0 . we. .‘ no I s. Q‘: t ... I. Q .- d.“. - , ,. I; v-., H‘s“ .__ _ I _,v. s w ;. ., ‘A Q .1 ~. . . .- . o .,. l,- ‘n N. ~I. . .. ._ . . h, 5. . . l '- 109 do not indicate that She was unduly handicapped, at least in test per- formance. The marked increase in the "L" score may give evidence that her linguistic aptitude was underestimated by the first testing, particu- larly in view of her measured reading Speed on both testings. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in no organ- ized activities in high school, but it is doubtful that many activities were offered in the small school. She was a member of the Honor Society and was Selected to attend'WOlverine Girls State. In the first term of the freshman year the student joined a church related group, but attended regularly only that term. During the re- mainder Of the year she attended no organized activities. She has re- ported no participation, moreover, in other college-Sponsored activities. AS soon as she was academically eligible, she became a member of a sorority and participated in intra-mural Sports. Her activities have been limited to these areas. Furthermore, she has had no part-time em- ployment. Thus, it would appear that over-participation has not con- tributed to the student's academic difficulties. Educational-vocational plans. Throughout the freshman year the student, as a "no preference" student, enrolled for elective courses in- cluding Home Economics course each term. She did not do well in these courses, however, and began to follow the elementary education curricu- lum her SOphomore year. She received both B's and D's in courses re- quired for this major. The student has reported that She took little interest in some of these preliminary courses and did not put much effort into them. Her choice of vocation never seems to have been a source Of concern to her. 110 Summary of and comments on academic record. In view of the stu- dent's test Scores her record at the end of the freshman year was surprisingly good. She had carried a normal load each term and had better than a C average by the end of the year. This was due largely to her remarkable gain in two comprehensive examinations. A loss in honor points on a comprehensive examination at the end of the SOphomore year was largely reSponsible for her being placed on Final Warning. Addi- tional losses during the summer session and Fall 1951 necessitated an extension of Final'Warning in order to enable her to become eligible for Upper School. Steps taken regarding academic status. Although the student was a "no preference" student for two years and was therefore, aware of the existence of the Counseling Center, she did not consult a counselor when She was having academic difficulties. When her average fell below C again at the end of her SOphomore year, she considered repeating courses, She reported, but her enrollment Officer did not recommend it. She did reduce her course load, however. When it was recommended during the Basic College interview that She see a counselor, she readily agreed. The counselor has reported that the student was most OOOperative and eager to make plans for overcoming her academic deficiency. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Both in the interviews and in.re5ponse to the questionnaire the student attributes her academic difficulties to lack Of application of her part. This was due, She felt, to lack of interest in some of her courses, including early courses in education. The counselor believed that she may have had some problem 111 Summary of academic record TEE! PRU. H.P. m 11.13.1sz ' Repeats F's D's D's F's Th9 3-b 3 Y s so 3 P 3-b [USO F i 50 3-r T51 l S‘SI 3-b 3-r’ (,1‘51 2.:—1 -F151 Fw 3 *W52 - aw, x 3'52 L P initially in making the adjustment from a small parochial school to a large institution. It was not until her sophomore year, for example, that she participated in college activities to any extent. The counselor commented ‘4 - u? .- .- fill : . 543‘. .‘ ‘ --- ~ ‘, . n I‘._ O ' I ‘a. ; a: - -. ‘h \n_, _ 4 '\.‘» "eg' . .. \ . V I ._ . -‘N. ~ " I h. e -. '4 .- e. u “- "41“ ‘ . / “A u u. I. .“~ {- 4 e\ ‘, o g -_ ([4. "‘f‘ — ‘. O 112 too on a OOOperative attitude, her poise, and personal charm. Followhup. ‘Winter 1952 the student enrolled in a course in.Methods of Study, but she did not enter Reading Clinic. She has had no grade below C Since Fall 1951. She has earned B's, moreover, in psychology and an advanced English course. The student has reported increased in- terest in courses required for her major and greater concern with achieving at a satisfactory level. At the end of Spring 1952 her all college average was approximately 2.1 (1h3 credits, 300 honor points). Counselor judgment and summapy. It seems possible that the student's academic potentialities are not accurately measured by tests which put a premium on speed. This supposition is supported by her grades of B in two highly verbal Basics, in.psychology, and in a literature course. Her measured reading skills in the junior year were only low average for freshmen. There was no evidence of emotional blocking on the teSts. NO social or emotional problems were indicated in the counseling interviews, in the adjustment inventory, or in the student's own report. Her disinterest in some courses may have deterred her from Optimum achievement. She seems to be neither an under— or over-achiever. The student's choice of major appears wise in that she has avoided one in which the requirements would make heavy demands upon her limited capacities in the quantitative area. It appears apprOpriate, moreover, in terms of her interests, measured and stated, her satisfactory achieve- ment, for the most part, in required courses, her pleasing appearance and manner . The student's failure to repeat courses during Summer or Fall 1951 and to take advantage of the services of Reading Clinic probably pro- longed her academic deficiency unnecessarily. 113 Case 10 -- female; 2h honor points deficient Age at admission: 1? years, 10 months High school rank: first quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: Hotel Administration Changes of preference: NO preference--Spring 1951 Hotel Administration--Spring 1952 Psychometric data. ACE 2-3-2 COOperative Reading h—6-3-h California Test of Mental Maturity--Winter 1951 Nonplanguage I.Q. 113 Language I .Q . 102 Total I.Q. 106 Occupational Interest Inventory (Lee—Thorpe) Winter 1951 Personal-social LO percentile Natural 10 Mechanical 20 Business 90 Artistic 70 Scientific to Verbal 50 Manipulative 30 Computational 70 Level 70 Bernreuter Personality Inventory Winter 1951 No extreme scores; a tendency toward lack of self sufficiency, toward sub- missiveness, and toward extraversion BlN L3 percentile st 37 B31 32 B4D 38 Family data, The student's father, a graduate of a business school, is an office manager. Her mother is a high school graduate. According to the student, her parents were very anxious for her to continue in her original choice of major, Hotel Administration. Only when she was aSked to withdraw and was later readmitted on Strict PrObation were .o o av‘ . . ”I c v k" I . l 0.. u- .- -4 n. a. a u u . Q ‘ - 4 u— " ‘ . I ~ I .- D.“ 1‘ F ‘- ' b&.-. I t - . .9: . . , _w r_ c ‘ -.‘ I‘M— cu . I I H.:( 1.“ r;- 09“- . I ‘7‘ u. ‘ ". ... A .. ' ‘r.. S. “ - . ‘I‘ ..’.""- z-f' I -.‘-"~. | ‘0 . ':~-.. .. ‘Ao. A ‘- ~ I .‘v- . o... q‘: . H- ' , .,. - "o, l u“. 1‘. u 1124 they willing for her to consider some other alternative. The student expressed feelings of inferiority to her father who was competent in accounting with which she was having so much difficulty. The counselor felt that the father's relationship to the daughter was a very dominant one. High school background. The student was rated high in intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance and very high in serious- ness Of purpose. The rater commented that the student had always been a very fine student. She was actually in the tOp ten percent Of her class and her high school curriculum had included chemistry, physics and mathematics as well as history, English, and foreign language. Measured_eptitudes and Skills for'college work. In contrast to her high school standing, the student's ACE scores were low. There was only a Slight difference in rank between her scores in the quantitative and linguistic areas. Her Speed of reading was average, but her level of comprehension was below average. A California Test of Mental Matur- ity administered during the second term of the SOphomore year also indicated lack of high scholastic aptitude. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was a member of Y-Teens in which she served as secretary and of a foreign language club. During the first two years Of college She was a member of the organization for majors in Hotel Administration. She attended athletic events, a few of the concerts and some college dances. Since She had no part-time job, there is no evidence that she devoted excess time to organized or college Sponsored activities. '7‘ l l g- y-.. .‘ .. A- O ..A\- l..~ “ ..- - _ - 41~u- . V' ) .i‘ ‘ : "A---- Q .- -.. n - o ‘ u‘. 1‘ wt. 0 s.- . ‘;\-. -QA _.. ' ' . n. ao-.__ ‘u. vi_. .9 n in. ,1 . ,4. o... .1 ~ \ -. “s. n. - ‘ “‘ v. - . v Q‘ s .‘b t. "n “1. s. .. a. -. w, . e "._> -., Q I .‘D. IJ.‘: .-. '- v. 1 u; . \r t. I“... ‘« 115 Educational-v00ationalgplans. The student stated Hotel Administra- tion as her preference at admission. Although she was enrolled as no preference for four terms beginning Spring 1951, only in the first of these terms did she enroll in courses which were not requirements for Hotel Administration. Why the student's parents were so eager for her to enter Hotel Administration has not been recorded. The counselor believed that the parents' influence was the principal reason for the student persisting in the major in Spite of her difficulty with the course requirements. The student gave some consideration to other majors, but never very seriously. In reSponse to the questionnaire the student said that she felt She had probably made a poor choice of major, since the courses required for her major were those which were most difficult for her. She expressed confidence that, with the science and mathematics courses completed, her academic difficulties would be at an end. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student received D's in three comprehensive examinations two of them in the sciences. These final grades were consistent, for the most part, with the term grades. Her other losses during the first two years were in mathematics, chemis- try, and accounting. .Although the student's grades in the Basic, Social Science, and in the first term of economics were D's, she has done average or better work in.most of the more verbal areas of study, EngliSh, history, and psychology. I’d 116 Summary of academic record i Comps. Repeats Total Term ! D's F's g l W9 i -s 17 { "W‘rso ? -S -9 16 ; 3‘50 1 .. l)3-B I P -1h -6 ' 2)0-—D h'SU CP -20. +6 3 ‘FFSO . ‘ CP -1h -15 17 ,9 W51: 11 5 SP -29 -5 0-131: 6H: T3751 y 1 IF SP -3h +5 3 O-b h'Sl 9 SP -29 +5 ha 3)o-D 8%: W1 9 ‘ FW -2h +114 [LR E 8*} Why we -10 o 16 ts'sz 1 P x-1 +8 17 ‘— w wm—v -.-—— ai-Courses required for eventual major, Hotel Administration. x 9 credits of D deleted by the Dean of the Upper School. Admitted to the Upper School with a deficiency of one honor point.' y Readmitted after having been requested to withdraw. Steps taken regardipg academic status. The student made three attempts toraise grades of D. She repeated the comprehensive examination in Social .-.-‘ - -75-44 -O—.I . g. I U: us~~~ (I! I II' l.‘ .l’.‘ d . I ‘ ‘... .‘ '- “. ‘9. --"- ; a..- .. . a 117 Science and the first term's work in Physical Science. Her grades in these, however, remained unchanged. She was more successful in an accounting course in which she raised the grade from D to B. The stu- dent, according tO her report to a counselor, wished to decrease her course loads during the freshman.year when she began to have difficulty, but her enrollment officer did not approve. When it was recommended by the counselor, she did decrease her course load and continued to carry reduced loads for several terms. Only for Spring 1951, the term when she was readmitted on Strict Probation, did the student plan her courses with a counselor. This was the only term in which she did not follow the curriculum in Hotel Administration. Although she did her best work to date in these courses, this success did not cause her to change her goal. The student also took a Special course in.Methods of Study that term. During the Spring of her freshman year the student went to the Counseling Center for the first time and saw a counselor at intervals during the next year. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Consideration was given in counseling interviews to evidence from her academic record and test data that a change to a major not SO heavily weighted with scientific and mathematically oriented courses might have a favorable effect upon her academic achievement. Yet, neither this evidence nor her greater aca- demic success the one term she carried other courses resulted in a change Of goal. ~..- A. y'a-J . a a Q- _..o. u ‘- n. - -1 0 .. ...--- ”.".~.. I . 41-1-, ‘5. 1...! 1": 118 It seems possible that there was strong pressure on her from home to continue toward that goal. There is, moreover, evidence in counsel- ing notes that the student relied on her parents in.making decisions more than do many young college students. The student's feeling Of academic inferiority to her father may also have given motivation to persist despite difficulties. She did not express other feelings about her parents. She may have been motivated by a desire to please her father whose ability she reSpected and with whom, in the judgment of the counselor, she identified strongly. Her motivation may have stemmed from a desire to preserve her own self re— Spect by proving to herself that she could succeed in the major she had undertaken. That her father's education and her own were not comparable seems to have had little effect on her feelings. The descrepancy between the student's high academic rank in a class a high school and her scores on scholastic aptitudes tests indicates that She was probably an "over-achiever" in high school. It is possible, therefore, that she relied a great deal on hard study to overcome her academic limitations. She has reported that she devoted the major por- tion of her time to the more difficult courses at the expense of other courses. That she recognized that she had some limitations seems evi- dent from her stated desire to decrease her course load her freshman year. It is interesting to note that in her reSponse to the questionnaire the student stated her academic limitations and said she felt that it vmuld have been wiser to change her major. .- a a . _ d o. - - - . _ - ‘—. - .-. Q . . - i -“O .. a.-. -.' ...... v- .. ,.-.g«- —-"--~ .,- u... u...— --- 5. ---~ o- ‘. It 1.- g- -- - he d a‘.— . ~h-O um... . L-.- a 119 Follow:gp. The student gained 1h of the 2h honor points She lacked Fall 1951 and had no grade below C. Winter 1952, however, she resumed a full load of "new“ courses and gained no honor points. Only by dele- tion of 9 credits Of D in required courses and by acceptance with a deficiency of one honor point was the student admitted on probation to the Upper School. Spring 1951 She gained eight honor points deSpite 3 credits of "D". At the end of her third year, then, the student had a total of 129 credits and 265 honor points. ‘With two advanced economics courses, engineering courses in mechanical and electrical equipment, and three terms of accounting still remaining, her academic success in the future seems questionable. That she earned a C in the third term of general accounting, however, gives hOpe of satisfactory achievement in hotel accounting. Counselor judgment and summary. A choice of major apparently inap- prOpriate to her rather limited measured scholastic aptitude and to her lack of measured and stated interest in science seems to have been largely responsible for the student's academic deficiency. Hotel Admin- istration requires not only science and mathematics prerequisites but also two science Basics in both of which the student's grades were D. Furthermore, the student, according to her own report, neglected other courses in order to Spend more time on those which were more difficult. Her record Spring 1951 and her "B" grades during the junior year offered evidence that She was capable of succeeding in a more apprOpriate major. She rec0gnized her limitations. Indeed, she stated quite frankly in the Basic College interview that she had not repeated the science Basics, 120 chemistry, and mathematics because She believed She could not improve the grades. DeSpite the recognition, however, the student made no concession to them. Family influence, Obvious or subtle, and perhaps her own unwilling- ness to give up on something She had undertaken seem to have been re- lated to her persistence in the major. The student's counselor felt that both of these, along with extreme dependence upon the family, were involved. 121 Case 11 -- female; 15 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, A months High school rank: first quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: Secretarial Science-~Two year Changes of preference: Elementary Education-JWinter 1950 Psyphometric data. ACE l-h-2; 2-7-5 Fall 1951 COOperative Reading 3-3-5-3; 6-6-8-6 Fall 1951 Strong Vocational Interest Blank-4WOmen Fall 1951 Housewife A Elementary teacher A Office worker A Stenographer-Secretary A Business education teacher B+ Physical education teacher B+ Occupational therapist A Nurse B+ Femininity-masculinity 67 (standard score) Bell Adjustment Inventory Fall 1951 Home -- good Health -- very unsatisfactory Social -- average Emotional -- average Total -- average Family data. The student's mother completed tenth grade. Her father, who completed eleventh grade, is a superintendent for a lumber- ing concern. Several relatives of the student have attended.Michigan State College. High school background. The student was rated high in intellectual capacity, fairly high in actual intellectual performance, very high in seriousness of purpose. The principal commented that her attitude and application had always been "fine". The student was employed twenty lunus per week. Perhaps the principal was considering this when he rated her achievement somewhat lower than her capacity. 122 Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Although the student's high school rank was high, her freshman test scores were not high. Her linguistic score was low average and the quantitative was low. Low'measured reading Speed, moreover, offered the possibility of a handicap in this area. Extra—curricular activities. The student belonged to two organiza- tions in high school. Their names are not descriptive of their nature. During the first two years of college she belonged to no organizations, but she attended athletic events, concerts, and dances. She also dated frequently. Education-vocational plans. ‘When She entered college the student stated Secretarial Science as her preference. Early in her first term, however, she went to the Counseling Center to consider other possibili- ties. She had made this choice, she reported, because it was the only kind of work she knew. She had studied typing and shorthand in high school and had worked in a bank while attending school. She did not particularly like the work, however. Various possibilities were dis- cussed and arrangements were made for the student to gain further in- formation about herself and vocations. The student did not continue the contacts, however, and at the beginning of her second term changed her preference to elementary education. She has liked the courses and has felt very satisfied with her decision. The Strong administered Fall 1951 showed measured interests highly similar to those of elementary teachers as well as to women engaged in other social service and business occupations. ’ mg.-- 0'] .-;d d o-"" ‘ .-w- --ov' “ I .- - ig- .v-" ' a. ..‘-o - -rvfi ' .- --.a 'P - 4 -. v"- r_. ._ "'Vi- I», I ."‘ 5“ .oo- '-_ n. " ‘ n u "L 0. ‘ .’~.. _ o. - l.- . --‘._“ on ' .. .. L 2 ‘- o \ a, _ 'C. ‘\ \. r.. I4”. ‘ A "§‘ 4 “ a -.. _ O. . u, x ; : I. ‘. ." "i .. .» . d “ . I. I “. .‘t .c 123 Health_problem. The student's record of achievement during the first two terms of college was affected by the student's hOSpitalization during the examination.period of her first term in school. She was given "incompletes" in her courses. The following term, she carried a full course load, even though she had to make up the examinations for the first term courses. Her achievement during these terms, therefore, must be evaluated in terms of these circumstances. Throughout the first two years the student was subject to anaemia. She took rest periods during the day and retired early. The student had no further acute illness, however, until Fall 1951, when she was hOSpitalized because of a throat infection. This was of short duration and occurred prior to the examination period. The account of the student's health is based on her own statements, since no medical re- ports are available. Personal-family problems. In spite of her ill health, the student devoted a great deal of time to dating. By her SOphomore year she was engaged to a senior, and the marriage was scheduled for the end of year. The student planned to continue her education by transfer to a teachers college near her new home. The student's family, however, objected to her marriage. They believed that she should wait until she was in better health and that she should complete college prior to marriage. The stu- dent felt that her family refused to take her plans seriously. Within six months, the student's engagement had been broken and she had become engaged to another person. It seems unlikely, therefore, that the student's college work was receiving full attention during this period. o’- Ovl’ A JOF 39". ‘ -—‘ ‘ . 6" 0-.“ .. .- ’ p . " 3‘ 1 r... u- . .. ...,,.-. __ . - - _ -- I;,_¢_- . C - i " '37 .- --. ,. -, . .- .., .., . .. .h“ V vs... “--‘ “ m2. 1"‘Lv ‘1. 9...”. -1 "' o. _ 9 -... \ - u . ‘ a .. ‘Io_ . 'Q-. A‘-‘ I...‘ . . I ~ . F, .u" _ . ..,.I - . -. ~o .! .-.~ , l._ i ‘l . t. 0 .'§. . a ‘a, . a . ‘.‘.§ . D ‘ I u ‘. l": \A' '~. ‘ r._ .“u. . "!-_‘ -. t I‘.‘ 4 12h By Fall 1951 her fiance had become a graduate student at another institu- tion, and the student felt she had fewer distractions from her study. Summary of and comments on academic record. After Winter 1950, during which she was completing examinations for the preceding term as well as carrying a normal load of new courses, the student had a C average each term until the last term of her SOphomore year. Her princi- pal loss of honor points resulted from D's in comprehensive examinations in two Basics. She has no grade below C in courses required for her major. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student repeated no courses or comprehensive examinations and carried normal course loads during her first two years of college. The urgency of her academic status ‘Winter 1952, however, prompted her to repeat a Basic. The student did not take check tests, which were suggested to her the first term in college, until Fall 1951. She consulted a counselor at intervals regarding her academic status. She usually made use of these contacts to discuss her personal problems, but she did not undertake counseling on an intensive level. Followggp. Throughout the third year the student's academic record showed marked improvement. She had no grade below C, and she gained honor points both by repetition of courses and by better than average grades on new courses. During the year she gained h? honor points. Thus, she raised her all-college average to slightly higher than 2.2 (lh2 credits, 316 honor points). 125 Summary of academic record M ‘3. . I» ". ! HmfGEINED ; Comps. Repeats Total Term g D's . F's I 7'59 ; -11 15 f #17750 v P -11 -3 16 .' I i 3150 ' 1334; ' -c op .11 +3 16 B ~13 11750 i I fit) - 1 i _ CP -11 +h 15 . fix 6 ‘ -7 O 16 ; ‘STSI - i T -7 -1h 16 2 £051 P -21 +6 9 ; 1551 12 3 * ‘ W -15 +9 3R 6 my. H i N -6 +18 3R 12-b7 2 ‘ -' 8'52 A 1' P +12 +20 16 Counselor judgment and summary. The student's academic potentialities, particularly in the linguistic area, may have been somewhat higher than - freshman test scores indicated, perhaps due to her low reading Speed. The Check tests Fall 1951 verified the low Quantitative score on the ACE. Her \I 126 change of preference to one calling upon her stronger capacity in the linguistic area, therefore, seems to have been desirable. There were several factors which probably prevented optimum achievement. The girl's apparently poor health resulted in her missing examinations her first term. The following term, therefore, she had more than a normal load of work. The student's health possibly affected her achievement further because of her stated lack of energy and the feeling of need for extra rest. The student apparently made little allowance for this, however, in her course load or in the amount of time she devoted to dating and social activities. There seems to have been, moreover, considerable opportunity for emotional problems connected with her en- gagements and her family's attitude toward her prOposed marriage. Her poor achievement Spring 1951 coincided with the climax of these prob- lems. By Fall 1951 the girl reported that she was in better health, that she was less distracted by "boy-friends", that she was eager to continue to work toward her vocational goal of teaching for which she expressed strong measured and stated interests. She seemed for the first time to be giving the major part of her attention and time to her aca- demic work with very favorable results. 127 Case 12 -- female; 10 honor points deficient {Age at admission: 1? years, 6 months High school rank: first quartile, Class C school Recipient of M. S. C. Scholarship Preference at admission: Home Economics, Textiles and Clothing Esychometric data. ACE 3-1-2 COOperative Reading 2-1-1-1 Family data. The student's father, a farmer, is a high school graduate. Her mother completed grade school. An older sister had been graduated from Michigan State College. The family's financial resources were apparently limited, since the principal commented that the girl could not enter college without a tuition scholarship. High school background. The high school principal rated the student high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance, and seriousness of purpose. A California Test of’Mental Maturity adminis- tered during the ninth grade, however, indicated an I. Q. of only 102. Her high school achievement was of the quality necessary for the award of a tuition scholarship by Michigan State College. She was also a member of the National Honor Society. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Neither high school test data nor freshman test scores indicated high aptitudes for college work. The student's reading scores, moreover, were very low. In Opposi- tion to these unfavorable indications, on the other hand, was the stu- dent's high rank in her high school class. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in.Future Homemakers and Cheerleading and was a drum majorette throughout high school. 128 Because she was eager to qualify for renewal of her tuition scholarship, she concentrated her efforts on her studies her freshman year in college. Throughout her SOphomore year she attended a church related group and Home Economics Club, neither of which demanded a great expenditure of time. She also worked on one service committee for a short period of time Spring 1951. Attendance at college athletic events completed her program of activities. Because of her attitude toward her academic work, it was given priority. Educational-vocational plang. The student reported that she had been interested in retailing as a vocation for years. Because she was particu- larly interested in clothing and furnishings, she had stated Textiles and Clothing as her preference. Summary of and comments on academic record. During the freshman year the student received D's in two comprehensive examinations. In both she did less well on the comprehensive examinations than she had on the term's work. She received less than C in only two non-Basics, third term of chemistry and first term of economics. Prior to Final Warning she carried a full course load each term. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student repeated the examination in neither of the Basics in which she received D although she had received better term grades in the courses. In her reSponse to the questionnaire the student stated that she did not seek assistance at the Counseling Center because she had a counselor (enrollment officer) in her major field. She did not, she reported, attend any of the Clinics because she had enough to do without them. During the Basic College 129 Smnmary of academic record TERI—PRO". .. .1’ ".1 mam 1m. WIT Comps. Repeats B'siA's Comps. F's D's Total Term l D's F's } L I 71719 i 3_b +7 17 i 3-1‘ 1 1 ‘w'so E W +7 +2 16 l 3-b 2 3’b h3550 ; 3-r 33-0 .. I 1 9-D +9 171 16 )3-1) 6-1L 11750 i j 1 'THEK) E 3-r -8 -S 16 1 1 6-r 3-b T5 13 i v P -13 +1 3R! 3-r 1 3-bj 5'51 i 106-c 3-r CP -12 +2 17 7)6—c 1 r 1 1351 g 7151 FW -10 +9 11 3 9-r 17152 g , 1w, -1 +9 15 9-r ST52 ; . a P +8 +8 18 ‘ 8-r ' interview, however, there was no indication that the student had previously considered the possibility that low reading skills might have contributed to her early academic difficulties. 130 The student did not see the counselor at the Basic College until after the mid-point of the term because She had been seriously ill for several weeks. The physician had advised her to leave school or to drop several courses, since she was stillrecuperating from her illness. She had drOpped only one course, however. She had not been aware that she was deficient lO honor points. She had discussed her academic status with her enrollment officer early in the term and they had decided she was deficient only one honor point. It was too late in the term to prepare for repetition of a comprehensive examination. The student decided to try to gain honor points on her present courses and to drOp another course, if she found she lacked time to study sufficiently for all the courses. She drOpped a second course later and thus reduced her course load to eleven credits. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student reported that she had been scared by comprehensive examinations the first time she took them. She attributed the failure to attain as high grades in the examinations as term and grades to this fear. She felt too that she had felt in awe of instructors, when she was a freshman, and had not felt free to go to them for assistance. She explained that adjustment to a large school had been difficult. In her Opinion she has overcome these problems. The student seems to have felt under considerable pressure. She remarked in response to the questionnaire that she had not gone to Reading Clinic because she had enough to do without that. The student was apparently ambitious and conscientious to the point of having inadequate concern for her health, even after a serious illness. 131 Followbup. In spite of the loss of time and poor health.Fall 1951, the student gained nine of the ten honor points she lacked. She was admitted to the Upper School at the end of Winter Term 1952. She has had no grade below C since Spring 1951. Actually, her term average has not been less than C since Fall 1950. At the end of her third year in college she had earned 139 credits and 29h honor points (2.12 average). Counselor judgment and summary. Both the high school test and freshman tests indicated low aptitude for college work. The lowrmeasured reading skills, however, prevent acceptance of the scores at their face value. The student's unfavorable reaction to new testing experiences also may have affected her achievement on the tests. The student felt she could not give time for check testing Fall 1951 because she had so much make-up work to do after her illness. The student's loss of points on the first comprehensive examinations may have been due to the student's poor reading skills, as well as to her expressed anxiety regarding the tests. The student appeared strongly motivated to do well in college be- cause of her great interest in her major, Textiles and Clothing. 'Furthermore, loss of her tuition Scholarship represented a financial hardship. Desire to regain it may have furnished additional motivation. Even if it is assumed that the student's test scores are not an accurate representation of her scholastic capacity, the student's feel- ing that she lacked time for "extras" like Reading Clinic, her reluctance to decrease her course load Fall 1951, even though a physician had recommended that she do so, and the stated financial problems which her 132 college attendance involved are possible indications of pressures which may have induced overachievement. It must be recognized that the student's apparent tension may not have been characteristic of her, but caused by the problems her recent illness had raised. Had the student repeated the two comprehensive examinations in which she received D!s at the end of her freshman year, or even one of them, she might have avoided probation and Final Warning altogether. CHAPTER V THE CASE STUDIES: CASES THIRTEQN THROUGH TWENTY Cases thirteen through twenty are those of students whose AC5 total score fell in deciles four through ten and who were in the highest quartile of their high school class. Cases thirteen through seventeen are men. Cases eighteen through twenty are women. Case 13 -— male, non-veteran; h honor points deficient Age at entrance: 16 years, 10 months High school rank: quartile one, Class B school Recipient of Michigan State College scholarship Preference at admission: Agriculture, General Changes of preference: no preference--Fa11 1950 Speech Correction-AWinter 1952 Psychometric data. ACE h-h—h COOperative Reading 2-h-2-2 Family data. The student's father who completed eleven years of school is a baker. His mother left school after the eighth grade. The family has not been able to finance the student's education completely so that it has been necessary for him to work, even when he was academically deficient. High school background. The student was graduated from high school with honors. He was rated by high school officials as fairly high in po- tential intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance. His I. Q. on a TermanAMcNemar administered at the beginning of the ninth grade was 10h. On a California Mental Maturity-administered at the end of 1311 the senior year the I. Q. was 110. He had been out of school for one year during high school because of a bone ailment which was subsequent- ly diagnosed as rheumatic fever. Aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's high school record and his selection for a tuition scholarship seemed predictive of success in college. ACE scores indicated low average "college aptitude". From the reading test it appeared that reading might be a potential source of difficulty. His rather low reading skills also might have lowered the ACE scores. Extra-curricular activities. The student was very active in high school extra-curricular activities. He was a team member in three major Sports, winning eight letters and serving as captain of the baseball team. In addition, he was vice-president of the junior class and served on numerous school committees. He was selected too to attend Boys' State. He was rated by high school officials as "high" in pOpularity. In his reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire the student reported that he found the adjustment to college difficult. Athletics were his only organized activities his freshman year. Further adjustment was necessary when doctors, at the beginning of the SOphomore year, prohibited foot— ball and basketball because of a recurrence of Symptoms associated with rheumatic fever. He was, however, permitted to play baseball Spring 1951 and, in his counselor's Opinion, devoted excessive time to it. He also became an active member of a church related group and attended campus dances frequently. Since the student was able to finance college only if he worked while in school, as well as in the summer, he was employed 20 hours per week every term after Fall l9h9. Educational-vocational plans. The student's primary goal has been a career in professional baseball into which a successful collegiate base- ball career, he felt, would offer entry. He prOposed agriculture as his academic major at entrance. After a year's tryout in this area, this "city boy" concluded that he had made an unrealistic choice for which he lacked practical background and genuine interest. Prior to enrollment for the SOphomore year, therefore, he changed to "no preference". Dur- ing Fall 1950 he worked with a counselor not only on his problems of probation and of personal adjustment, but also on the choice of an ap- prOpriate major. He decided tentatively on a speech correction major and subsequently followed that curriculum. Because of his strong inter- est in athletics, he selected physical education as a minor. He con- tinued to enroll as a "no preference" student, however, because of his academic difficulties. Although he has had 8 credits of D in courses related to his major, these grades seem not to have been due to lack of capacity, since he repeated one of these courses with a B and has earned B's in similar courses. His college major, however, is secondary to his non-academic goal of professional baseball. Summary of and comments on academic record at H. S. C. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) Six of the 15 credits of D during the freshman year were in the student's prOposed major. His preference change Fall 1950 was to "no preference". .At the end of that term he was 136 Summary of academic record W .. w. v: '. 1 mam ‘ PCP. w“ I Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term. ! D's F's | "F 5? ‘. E o k5.5 % l-r 2 3-b | 1 Ltea . ; 3-b o -8 7.5 g 1 6-r ”‘50 1)o-c I 1 'a 2 0-0 -8 -1 7 5 ? 510-D g 2 W 3-b E750 3 #1155 g . P -9 +5 18 S? 8 3-by T51 . i 6-b -h -6 16.5! __ 3** 2 S** 1151 1 106-0 y P -10 +6 13.5 6)3-c 3:3: ’E'Sl . I 51 6 ? 9-b5 ‘ 3% N -h +25 8R 10H ' 3 fl 3W152 3 6- ’ i 6- 2 6-r ‘3‘52 11 5 3hr L +29 +111 3R ; 9-1‘ 2 v ’ fii Required for major he entered Winter 1952 removed from probation. It is probable that his dissatisfaction with college, to be described later, influenced his academic work the following term, and he was again placed on probation. He reduced his course load Spring 1951 137 and made a substantial gain. The pressure of "Final Warning" induced the repeats of Fall 1951. At the end of the term the student was qualified for admission to the Upper School with a 2.2 average (105 credits and 231 honor points). Steps taken regarding academic status. The first step was the stu- dent's reCOgnition of an unwise choice of major and his change to "no preference". When he had been placed on probation, he reSponded to a counselor's invitation to come to discuss his academic status. He worked with the counselor that term on his problems of academic de- ficiency, educational-vocational planning, and adjustment to college. After his satisfactory achievement that term, he did not resume contact with the counselor until near the end of the following term, when his chief concerns were that he was again doing poor work, that his athletic participation had been curtailed by his physical limitations, and that he felt he had not been given adequate Opportunity to Show his ability in baseball. His dissatisfaction was so great that between terms he investigated athletic Opportunities at another institution. He decided, however, to remain at M. S. C. He then began to work in earnestto re- move his academic deficiency. Having planned his enrollment for Spring 1951 with his counselor, he continued contact with the counselor through- out the term. When he failed to make up the deficiency completely, he made a Special trip to the campus during the summer to plan his fall course schedule with his counselor. Although he had taken these steps, 1a reSponded promptly to the Dean's suggestion that he see the counselor at the Basic College. He continued to work With his regular counselor “Mupughout the term. 136 Thus, the student showed initiative and reSponsibility from the time of his first probation, with the possible exception Of'Winter 1951. Even that term, when his discouragement and dissatisfaction seemed particularly acute, he anticipated the effect academically, renewed con- tact with the counselor late in the term, investigated alternatives, and thus. took a constructive approach to his problems, There is no record of the student's attitude toward his measured reading deficiency. There is little doubt that it was brought to his attention by his counselor, but he took no check tests, nor did he enroll in the Reading Clinic. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Had the student not carried 18.5 credits successfully Fall 1950, one might judge that his problems, along with an apparent reading deficiency, prevented him from achieving at a satisfactory level. Yet he made a good record Fall 1950 with a heavier course load and all these problems present. Winter term with a lighter course load and with a decrease in extra-class activities due to the omission of baseball, he again lost honor points. It was during this term, however, that his dissatisfaction became particularly acute and that he was least positive in his approach to his problems. It may be Observed, moreover, that the only terms the student gained honor points were those terms during which he was on probation. It was during these terms too that he showed his concern regarding his academic situ- ation by utilizing the services of the Counseling Center. One may ask whether probation furnished the additional impetus needed by this student early in his college career. 139 Follow-up. At the end of the "Final Warning" term, after success- ful repetition of a Comprehensive examination and five additional credits Of D, the student was admitted to the School of Science and Arts with a comfortable margin of 21 honor points. At the end of Spring 1952 his all-college average was Slightly above 2.3 (13h credits, 3ll honor points). He had, moreover, increased his participation in extra—curricular activi- ties during that year. In reSponse to the followeup questionnaire the student ascribed his academic problems to difficulty in making an adjustment to college and to unwise selection of a major at the time of admission. He felt that he had been unrealistic and had lacked understanding of himself and his limitations. Since the student stated these limitations in the past tense, he felt apparently that he had solved these problems or learned to meet them satisfactorily. Counselor judgment and summary. Several factors seem to have been related to the student's academic difficulties during much of his first two years of college: the adjustment necessary for one who had been out- standing in high school scholarship, in athletics, and in leadership, when he was placed in relative obscurity on the college campus; the necessity Of adjusting to more restricted athletic activities upon medical recommendation; the problem of finding a new vocational goal, when the one confidently Selected in high school proved unsatisfactory; the fi- nancial problem made more acute by loss of the tuition scholarship and necessitating work regardless of academic status. In addition to these factors which.may affect not only the amount of time the student devotes lhO to his studies, but also the interest and enthusiasm with which he approaches them, this student also seems to have been somewhat deficient in reading skills. That the student was of at least low average scholastic aptitude was one asset. Secondly, he took a realistic approach to his problems and sought professional assistance, when he found that he was not solv- ing them successfully. He admitted to himself his disappointment in his social and athletic activities (rather than to permit it to continue to affect his work adversely in his rejection of the institution as a whole.) and worked out a satisfactory adjustment with the help of a counselor. The student has reported that this process of adjustment was his most serious problem and that it was here that the counselor was of the greatest assistance. When progress was under way in this area, the student was able to profit from counselor recommendations of Specific methods of improving his academic standing. Lastly, the stu- dent's aSpiration to a professional athletic career provided strong, although perhaps indirect, academic motivation. lhl Case 1h -- male non-veteran; 7 honor points deficient Age at admission: 19 years, 11 months High school rank: first quartile, an out-of-state high school Preference at admission: Electrical Engineering Changes of preference: no preference-—Fall 1950 Civil hngineering—-Winter 1952 ._.l h‘ r ox -1;- / Psychometric data. ACE COOperative heading 4;- UL U1 -1 Family data. Both parents are high school graduates. The father is a contractor in a metrOpOlitan area. The student has reported that he contributes toward his college expenses. Nothing is known of the family's attitude toward the student's achievement or his vocational plans. High school back :round. The student was graduated in the tOp quar- a tile of a city school. He was a member of the National Honor Society. He was rated as average in potential intellectual capacity, fairly high in actual intellectual performance and high in seriousness of purpose. His I. Q. as indicated by an Otis administered in the seventh grade was 105. On a Stanford Achievement test in the ninth grade he was one grade level above his grade. High school Officials reported that he had been consistent in the quality of his work throughout high school. Heasured aptituees and skills for college work. The student's AC; scores, his high school rank, and his Selection for National Honor Society indicated capacity for college work. He had indicated a prefer- ence, however, for a most difficult major, electrical engineering. Lastlv, his reading skills seemed to be below the level Of his academic aptitude . "Extra—curricular activities. In high school the student was vice- president of the junior class, president of the student government and f4 [\3 re it"j re sertative to the all-citv student council. The 1Mig1 school coun- U) elor commented on his leadership Qualities. He was rated fairly high in social mineecne ss and ve ry high in populari The student has Jartici WI *me in no organizations in college, possibly because of his & for probationary status during much of his first two years. he did par' tici- pate in varied informal campu us activities and, in his own Opinion, ne over-participated in these activities. Early in his college career he attempted to attend all of the campus fJncti ons--dances, foreign films, lecture—concert series, Sports events, etc. he learned, he has reported, that he had to restrain his enthusiasm for these acti ities. He was emploied only Spring 1951 and Fall 1951 for approximately ten hours per week. mational-vo cational plans. On his application the student stated electrical engineering as his preference and noted that mathematics and science were the courses he liked best in high school. After his diffi- culty with mathematics and science his freshman year, he changec to "no preference". While he enrolled as "no preference" he took exploratory courses in history and political science along with "shep" courses re- Quired for engineering. he only enrolled at the Counseling Center, however, and did not take advantage of the testing and counseling services during the term. During the Basic College interview he expressed his uncertainty regarding his major. l1e counselor explained how testing ald counseling might be of help.and made an appointment for him. with a counselor at his request. he kept the appointment. The counselor gave 1dm information regarding four fields in which he felt interested-- 1113 civil engineering, aeronautical engineering, meteorology, and police ad- ministration. He eXpressed uncertainty as to the reasons for his interest in these fields. Interest and aptitude tests were set up and arrangements were made for anotherappointment. The student did not keep this appointment and did not take the tests. During registration the following term he changed to civil engineering. In the follow-up questionnaire the student has stated that the 'biggest .istake students make is diving headlong into some career field and never knowing if that is what they want." he stated that he would like to be in police work, but he felt changing his major would further elay his graduation from colle' D c. It is true that the student then had the equi'alent of a year's work which would not apply to a police administration major, but his remaining in a major for which he apparently lacks both interest and aptitude may prove to be false economy. That his father is a contractor may also have had some influence on his decision. C“ .1. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary of the academic record.) Mathematics was the prin- cipal source of difficulty to the student during the freshman year. He also received a D in the social science comprehensive examination after receiving C's in the work of the first two terms. he did not repeat this comprehensive, however, until the "Final Warning" term. During the second year, the student received no grade below C until he returned Spring term to the mathematics series he had begun the first year. He received a D in calculus, even though he reduced his course load that term. Prior to Spring term he had taken social science courses alon m7 Summary of academic record 1M; Tum I’m. WHO h HopoiszNED Repeats Total Term. D's F's "F789 +3 17.5 “W50 +3 -5 17 S 8'50 11.5‘ -2 -9 3R ETSO first ‘ P ~11 +2.5 16. “W51 OF -8.5 +7.5 117 3‘51 -1 -9 1h [4'51 ' .3fi51 7 : lE-bh Fw ~10 +28 6R f 6—r *VYPSZ *‘ £18 +h 1h 3'52 11 i +22 +h 3R} 3-r with the Basics. He assured his eligibility for Upper School Fall 1951 with slightly less than a 2.2 all-college average by repeating the social science comprehensive and the calculus course and by carrying a total of only 13 credits. 1&5 Steps taken regarding his academic status. The student did not seek assistance with his academic and vocational problems. He did try out courses in the social sciences and did satisfactory work in them. He attempted to improve his background in mathematics by enrolling for trigonometry, although he had taken it in high school. He carried light course loads Spring 1950, Spring 1951, Fall 1951 and thereafter. Not until the "Final warning" term did he use repetition of D courses as a means of gaining honor points. A followaup contact was necessary before he reSponded to the Special program for Final Warning students Fall 1951. He accepted referral to the Counseling Center readily and kept the first appointment. He did not carry out plans for testing and counseling that were made at that time however. The student has re- ported in the follow-up questionnaire that he did not make use of campus resources because he thought he didn't need any help and because he blamed himself for his poor grades. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student did not make effective use of the Counseling Center, even when he had accepted referral to a counselor Fall 1951. Yet in his reSponse to a question regarding how the college might increase its services to students, he has recom- mended that the Counseling Center contact students as soon as possible, even if they are doing satisfactory work. This seems inconsistent with the student's actual behavior. Other reSponses have indicated that it seemed too late to him to change his goals. Perhaps this is why he did not continue counseling montacts Fall 1951. Or perhaps it is only when he looks back upon his experiences that he believes the ounseling services could have been of assistance to him. lhé Follow-up. Although the student has carried light course loads since his admission to the Upper School, he has failed one course each term (mathematics and physics). High grades in advanced military science and the backlog of honor points he had upon admission give him a 2.2 average even with these failures. He has only 120 credits, however, after three years of college work. It is possible that he may be gradu- ated from engineering because he has done well in the civil engineering and shOp courses, provided he can survive the remaining mathematics and physics courses. At his present rate, however, it will require as much time as if he had changed earlier to a major more apporpriate to his interests and aptitudes. Counselor judgment and summary. Although this student may succeed in being graduated from college in his present major, it will be costly in time. It is unfortunate that a student with apparently good academic potentialities should achieve at such a low level in college. Choice of a major in which he found he lacked strong interest and for which he seemed to lack aptitude seemed to be the principal causes of his academic difficulties. When the student found that he was having aca- demic difficulties, he apparently lacked the motivation, or perhaps it was the maturity to reexamine his goals. or to seek professional assist- ance in revaluating his goals. His failure Fall 1951 to carry through testing and counseling, once he had established a counseling contact and his decision to go into engineering because of the courses he had in engineering without careful investigation of other possibilities seem to give additional evidence of lack of motivation or maturity. It is 1’47 possible that there was parental pressure toward engineering or that the prOSpect of going into business with his father influenced his decision. lh8 Case 15 -- male, non-veteran; lO honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, h months High school rank: first quartile in Class B school Recipient of M. S. C. Scholarship Preference at admission: Mechanical Engineering Psychometric data. ACE 5-6-6 COOperative Reading 2-h-h-3 Family data. Both parents had some college education. The mother attended college for one year. The father, who is a grocer, Spent two years in college. The principal commented on the student's fine parents. The family pays the student's college expenses except for the amount the student has earned summers. High school background. The high school principal rated the student very high in intellectual capacity, high in actual intellectual perform- ance and fairly high in seriousness of purpose. The principal felt that the student's extra-curricular activities had prevented his achieving at the level of which he was capable. .An Otis administered in the SOphomore year indicated an I. Q. of 115; a California.Mental Maturity in the senior year indicated an I. Q. of 126. Although he did not achieve at as high a level as the principal believed he could, the stu- dent was in the top quartile of his class and received a tuition scholar- ship from Michigan State College. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's ACE scores indicated average capacity for college work. That his Q score also was just average was not particularly favorable for the mathematics and physical sciences required for engineering. The student had had three years of mathematics and three of science in high school, and he selected these as the subjects he had liked best. The student's measured 1&9 reading Speed and comprehension were low average. His vocabulary was low. These, then, were a possible source of difficulty. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was very active in athletics, publications, orchestra, and student council. The principal felt that these activities had been a detriment to the stu- dent's academic achievement. In college the student participated in no organized activities. He did, however, attend concerts, football games and college dances. He found that his course work demanded most of his time. Although he worked seven hours a week during the freshman year he discontinued employment when he was placed on probation. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with a preference for mechanical engineering. He has persisted in that major, even though he has had considerable difficulty with some of the required courses. During summer vacations he has worked with a surveying crew and had been made head of the crew. He was confident that he had made a good choice in engineering and that he would complete the course success- fully despite his difficulty with prerequisite courses. Summagy of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the follow- ing page for the summary.) The Basics and courses prerequisite to his major contributed almost equally to the student's academic deficiency. His record in the first three terms of mathematics was poor, but he had no more difficulty thereafter. Physics too caused him difficulty. He had no grades below C in other courses required in the engineering cur— riculum. The student's achievement in Basics fluctuated from B in Biological Science to D in English and History of Civilization. Summary of academic record 150 ‘TEEHI'PHUT ‘ H.P;:EIINED ' W Comps. Repeats B's A's Camps. D's D's F's ' Th9 3-r 1.5 1'50 6—r 2 6-b' S‘SU . r 3_b ! 103-0 l-r 1)3-D i-r u'so " * 'F*50* 3-b 7-r P l T51 'SP 3-r 2 y 1%]. j A 345 SP -1h.5 +h.5 18.5? 2)6-B 3-r 3-b’ . 2.5 6)3-D -r Repeltea Hist of Civitizatitn, agaii with D _ 12 3-b FW 10 +18 9-r 6-r “"52 ' { +8 +3 17 6-r 3-b +11 +14 17 7-r 3-b Steps taken regarding academic status. When the student was placed on “Strict Probation", he decreased his course load from 18.5 to 15.5 credits. He also went to see a counselor after about a month of classes. Several Suggestions were made to the student at that time for improving his 13' 151 academic status. Among these were that he seek extra assistance in mathematics and physics, that he enroll for Reading Clinic the follow- ing term, that he repeat some of the D courses, and that he continue to carry reduced course loads while he was deficient in honor points. When the student returned the following term, the counselor inquired how many of these suggestions had been carried out. The student had sought and received extra assistance from the physics instructor. Although the counselor did not record the student's reason, this need not be an indication of lack of interest on the part of the student. It is possible that the student became over optimistic about his progress, since he had no grade below C that term, received his first B in mathe- matics, and gained 5 honor points. He was still deficient lb.5 points, however, when he again returned to» a course load of 18.5 credits, repeated no D courses, and failed to enroll for Reading Clinic. He was still Optimistic, when he saw the counselor, since he hOped for a B in the History of Civilization comprehensive examination (he received D), and he expected a C or B in physics (grade was D). He returned to the campus during the following summer to repeat the examination in History of Civilization, but he again received a grade of D. The student replied promptly to the Dean's letter Fall 1951. Although he was still 10 honor points deficient, he had enrolled for 18 credits. He had drOpped one course during the first week of the term, however. His calculus course was causing him difficulty. He felt this was due to the weakness of his background in the beginning calculus course. Since he felt this was a handicap, and since it was very 152 doubtful that the student would be accepted by engineering, if he were to receive another poor grade in mathematics, the counselor suggested that the student drOp the advanced calculus course and repeat the be- ginning course, both to gain honor points and to improve his background before going further in mathematics. The student felt that this was a good idea, and arrangements were made for the change in mathematics courses. Plans were made to drOp another course, if the load proved too heavy. Personal characteristics and attitudes. At the time of the Basic College interview the student did not report that he had had any contact whatsoever with the Counseling Center. He said, in fact, that a retired faculty member had been his counselor. He also said that it had never occurred to him to repeat a mathematics course, although the counselor's notes indicated that repetition of D courses had been suggested. It is noteworthy too that in his reSponse to the questionnaire he ascribed his academic difficulties partially to a weak background in reading and writing. Yet, he did not enroll in the clinics that were available in those areas, even though the Reading Clinic had been Specifically recom- mended. At the time of the interview at the Basic College, these facts were not known to the counselor. The reasons for these apparent incon- sistencies might have thrown more light on the student's attitudes. Followhgg. By gaining nine honor points on the repeat of calculus and nine on new courses, the student became eligible for the School of Engineering. During the balance of the year, the student has continued to gain honor points, but he has also received a D each term. 153 InSpection of the student's record shows that he has done his best work when he has carried 15 or 15.5 credits. With heavier loads, he has always had D in at least one course. By the end of Spring 1952 he had earned lh8 credits and 311 honor points (2 1). Counselor judgment and summary. Test scores and the student's actual achievement indicate that his aptitude for the courses in theo- retical background required for engineering was somewhat limited. Since he was interested only in an engineering major, if he could have recognized and accepted his limitations and provided for them by carry- ing a somewhat reduced load each term and by seeking extra assistance from instructors, he might have prevented much of his difficulty. 'When he did have serious academic difficulty, he sought professional assist- ance, but he did not, whatever the reason, make the most effective use of the assistance. In reSponse to the questionnaire the student states that he Spent more time reading to overcome his "weak background in writing and reading". The student expressed no dislike of the Basics, but he may have neglected them to give more time to mathematics and the sciences. The latter were his preferred subjects in high school, it may be recalled. When he carried a reduced load he also did satisfactory work in the Basics. Thus, all‘indications point to the lack of recog- nition, or of acceptance, of Scholastic limitations for the chosen major. Had provisions been made for dealing with them, the academic problems of the student might have been prevented, or corrected more quickly and efficiently. 15h Case 16 -- male, non-veteran; 3.5 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years High school rank: first quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: Business Administration Changes of preference: Social Science-~Spring 1951 Business Administration--Winter 1952 Psvchometric data. ACE b_8_7 Cboperative Heading h-o-h-S Strong Vocational Interest Blank (Spring 1950) Group I -- OsteOpath 3+ Group IV -- Policeman B+ Group V -- YMCA Physical Director A Public Administrator 5+ IHCA Secretary A Social Science Teacher A City School Supt. B+ Minister A Group VIII- Mortician A Group IX -- Sales Manager B+ Heal Estate Salesman A Life Insurance Salesman.A Group X -- Advertising han B+ Lawyer B+ Interest maturity 55 (standard score) Occupational level he Masculinity-femininity3l Bernreuter Personality Inventory BIN 17%i1e (well balanced emotionally) 328 Sltile (average in self-suffic- iency) 331 12%ile (extroverted) 84D 63%ile (average in dominance) Family data. The student's father, who completed grade school, is a furnace Operator. His mother attended high school for two and one- half years. According to the student, his parents were very desirous of his preparing for the ministry. To what extent they actually sought to influence their son's decision is not known. The student gave no in- dication that they were exerting pressure to persuade him to enter the field. 155 High school background. The student's I. C. on the Otis Gamma administered in January of his senior year was 110. He was rated high in potential intellectual capacity and fairly high in actual intel- lectual performance and in seriousness of purpose. The additional com- ment was made that his academic standing had improved during the last two years of high school. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's high school rank, his improved achievement in the last two years of high school, and his ACE scores seemed predictive of college success. The discrepancy between the Q and L scores on the ACE, with the lower Q score, might raise some question as to his success in mathematics and accounting required for Business Administration. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated only in Latin Club and in track in high School. In college he was active in intra- mural Sports throughout the first two years. Attendance at football games and college dances completed his formal extra-curricular pregram. During the term of Final warning he increased his part-time employment in the college dormitory to twenty hours per week. He had worked approxi— mately ten hours per week previously. Winter 1950 and Spring 1951 however, he did not work at all. Comparison of his hours of work and other extra-curricular activities with his achievement term by term fails to reveal any substantial relationship between them. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with a preference for Business Administration. He indicated to his counselor, lwwever, that his parents were strongly in favor of his entering the ministry. His "girl", on the other hand, was opposed to this vocational choice. The student himself expressed an interest in the ministry, but it was a tentative interest. In the last term of his freshman.year he stated that he would probably prepare for the ministry, but he re- mained in Business Administration until the final term of his SOphomore year. After one term in Social Science he began to carry Business Administration courses again. In the interim he had become engaged to the young woman who Opposed the choice of the ministry. Length of training was a stated factor in the decision. According to the student's followeup statement another circumstance probably had a strong effect. He had enrolled for courses required for Business Administration Fall 1951. Until that time he had felt little interest in any of the courses required for that major. Fall 1951 he had an instructor in accounting, which he was repeating to raise his grade, who, he has reported, not only stimulated his interest in accounting, but in the field of business as a whole. Subsequently the student selected Personnel Administration as his major interest in Business Administration. "I am working at it with a zeal which I lacked in.my first two years"is the student's expression of satisfaction with his decision. This choice seems apprOpriate to his measured interests as, indeed, did the ministry. Summary of and comments on academic record. Although the student lost honor points consistently after the first term, he was not placed on probation until the second term of the SOphomore year. C's in the comprehensive examinations made up for honor points lost by term grades 157 Summary of academic record TERI! PRU. HJ’. SETUS'YJR $1.13.le Repeats B's Total Term, D's F's 'Ffihg +5 18.5 3-b "W'so +5 -b 17.5 5'50 5 1h 5 * -l -3 3R ' 3-b D'SO ‘Ffs‘u -h -6 18 1 ‘W'SI * P -10 -3.5 15 -; 2 5 r3751 3. CP -13.5 +10 r 3R 6-r 1 h'Sl 7"51 1h 1w -3.5 +2 11R 12-r +W‘SZ 15 3 b-I‘ m2 -1.5 +12- 3R ' 3-r 5 3152 . 3Lr P +105 +16 18 S in.aome of the Basics. The student‘s principal loss of honor points was in Hathematics, accounting, and economics, all courses required for his pro- posed major. Fall 1951, however, he repeated accounting with an A and earned grades of A and B in the remainder of the accounting series. He had difficulty with the first year of economics, but his grades in that area improved, thereafter. Repetition of "D" courses enabled the student to become eligible for the Upper School.- Steps taken regarding_academic status. The student's initial con— tacts with the Counseling Center were during the last term of his fresh- man year, when he was attempting to arrive at a decision regarding his major. He did not resume contact until Winter 1951, when he was placed on probation for the first time. He then reduced his course load to 15.5 credits and made plans for repetition of courses, if it should prove necessary. He also changed his preference to Social Science. In view of his difficulty with mathematics and the first term of accounting, his higher "L" score, his measured interests, and his lack of stated interest in Business Administration, this choice seemed more apprOpriate. The following term he earned C or better in all his courses for the first time since his initial term in college. It has already been noted, however, that he returned to courses required for Business Administration the following term, Fall 1951, without making a change of preference. The student came to the Basic College only after a follow-up phone call, saying that he had just neglected to reSpond. He was referred to his counselor regarding his change of major. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student's attitude toward his early college experience seems best expressed in his detailed reSponse to the questionnaire. As he has put it, "I feel that I lacked the zeal with which any college student should work toward his goal. 159 Ky main problem was my inability to apply myself. Many times I have taken courses that I felt had no benefit for me. . . . I wasn't very interested in accounting so I earned a D as a final mark. This dis- couraged me thoroughly and for the next two terms I attended courses aimlessly. . . . Each time I received another letter of probation I became very depressed and my work and friends suffered." The student has ascribed his change in attitude largely to the influence of an instructor. The instructor's interest in students as well as in his subject and the stimulation of his teaching resulted, the student felt, not only in a good grade in the course but increased enthusiasm for Business Administration as a major. The latter is particularly signifi- cant, since the student received that term F and D in two other courses required for the major. The student emphasized the value to him of the personalized relationship with the instructor. The same aSpect of the Dean's letter and the Basic College interview was commended by the student. Follow—up. The student has continued in Business Administration. Grades of D and F in economics courses Fall 1951 prevented his removing his deficiency. Since that term, however, he has made substantial gains in honor points while carrying a course load of 18 credits. At the end of Spring 1952 he had carried and earned th credits with 316.5 honor points. Counselor judgment and summary. The student has indicated that his uncertainty regarding his goal, lack of interest in his courses, and subsequent discouragement over his poor grades affected the effort that he expended on his courses. In the four terms that preceded his pro- bation, which coincided with his discouragement, he did very little to discover if there were other areas in which he had an interest. Even though he was considering the ministry, he continued to take only courses required for Business Administration. Possibly early explora- tion in courses related to the ministry might have helped him to con- firm or reject this possibility. Other exploratory courses related to his high measured interests in the personal contact vocations might have aroused interest. Such measures might have decreased his stated concern over his lack of a goal, even though the actual decision were made no earlier. His continuance in courses required for one major while he was seemingly quite interested in another goal must only have increased his indecision. The counselor whom the student saw at inter- vals did not feel that the student's indecision was symptomatic of the emotional insecurity which may make any decision difficult. Although his family and his fiancee had differing views regarding his choice of vocation, there was, in the counselor's judgment, no evidence that this was an important factor in his indecision. It seemed probable, however, that his engagement and the factor of length of training influenced his decision to reject the ministry. There is nothing in the counselor's notes to indicate that the stu- dent seemed exceedingly discouraged, as he has pointed out in his response to the questionnaire, nor did he express, as students sometimes do, his feelings about the impersonality of a large institution. At the time he attributed his lack of study mainly to the influence of his ldl roommates. It is possible that he was reticent about his feelings at the time, or perhaps he felt more free to express them in writing. Perhaps he understood them somewhat better in retrOSpect. Realizing the possibility of rationalization, if the student's report is accepted at face value, his failure to achieve at the expected level seems to have been due largely to lack of sufficient application to rather difficult courses because of his reaction to his uncertainty regarding his goal. and discouragement over his grades. The student's favorable reaction to the good relationship with an instructor Fall 1951 may indicate that he felt someWhat lost in the large institutional setting and that this too had contributed to his academic deficiency. Perhaps it was not this so much as that his morale was low and the total eXperience of the personal relationship with the instructor, the interest that he stimulated, and the good grades the student earned in the course, served to increase his morale. The Basic College interview seems also to have served this purpose. That the courses in which he did his poorest work called upon his lesser measured aptitudes in the quantitative area seems not to have been a major factor in his deficiency in view of his later achievement in advanced courses in the same area. There seems little doubt, however, that he could have chosen a major more apprOpriate to his higher linguistic aptitude. Neither would this have necessitated a different vocational goal. It is interesting to observe that, as in high school, the student underachieved in the first two years of college. Case 17 -- male, non-veteran; 7.5 honor points deficient Age at admission: 19 years, 3 months High school rank: first quartile, Class B School Recipient of Michigan State College scholarship D Preference at admission: Agriculture PSychometric data. ACE 9-7—8 COOperative Heading 7—7-5.7 Family data. The student's parents emigrated from Denmark. They had the equivalent of a high school education. In the words of the principal they "have by hard work earned a good farm home and prominence in the community." The student also has devoted much time to the farm, both while in school at home and since he has been in college. High school background. The high school principal rated the student high in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and very high in seriousness of purpose. In addition, the principal com- mented that the student was dependable, had initiative, and knew what he wanted. 'He concluded "He will succeed." Aptitudes and skills for college work. All indications were that the student would do good college work-~above average test scores, high high school rank, and selection for scholarship award. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was, in the words of his principal, a leader. He was a member of the publica- tions staff, the student council, and Future Farmers of America. He held office in the student council and in F. F. A. In addition to these, he worked 30 hours a week on the family farm. After he came to college he continued to go home every weekend to work on the farm. He partici- pated in intra-mural Sports and attended college athletic events. he was a member of the Dairy Club. He has indicated in his reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire that he also engaged to a considerable ex- tent in informal social activities through much of his freshman and SOphomore year. Educational-v0cational_plans. The student entered college with a stated preference for agriculture and has remained in that field. DeSpite his early difficulty with chemistry he has selected dairy manu- facturing as his area of Specialization. He has had no doubts regard- ing the wiSdom of his choice. Later performance in chemistry courses seem to indicate that his confidence was well-founded. Summary of and comments on academic record. (defer to the follow- ing page for the summary.) Although the student had some academic difficulty during the freshman year, it was in the sophomore year that the Basic, History of Civilization, chemistry, and mathematics led to his probation. The student repeated no D courses. Had it not been for good grades in physical education and in his prOposed major, his de- ficiency would have been much greater and his probation would have come sooner. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student received a D in the second term of'written and Spoken English. His instructor recommended that he enroll for writing Clinic. ie did so the following term. The term the student was placed on probation, he reduced his course load. He reSponded promptly to the Dean's invitation Fall 1951 to see the counselor at the Basic College. The student was much con- cerned about his status. He was carrying a fairly light course load, but the courses were difficult. For the first time he was not going Summary of academic record 161; H A W .. . m ". 1 mam .. m Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term i D's F's , i I Th9 l 3 t +2 15.5 3-b ‘ 1 l1 1 1 , T50 ; W ; 3 b +2 “3.5 17.53 2.5 i A, B-ri F950 “ 1)o—- 1 0—0 I ! I 5 : 2)0-C g -l. 0 o ! $50 1 ""“ i g “ . I I 1 ‘Ffslr ! * "r =' t 2 3-r l +1.5 -5 17.5} 1 } 6—b 3-r 1'51 ' ‘ : r * 3 114.5 ! 1 b6.5 -2 3R ; # 3-b l } 6—r “3151 i t * " . 3-r 1 P -8.5‘, +1 15.5: u)o-c 1 j 3-b h'Sl ; 1’ - a i f' ‘ i FW’ -7.5 +6 15 E6)6-C 6 -n f 6—r 2 r i 1 ' W5 15 ' i FWQ -1.5 +15 3R ; 9-r 6-r 3 P +135 +12 18 gm I home weekends. i—v‘w—v‘ He had moved off-campus with the intention of concentrating more intensively on his studies and he had decreased his extra-curricular activities. He readily accepted the counselor's referral for Special help ..._ a". in preparing for the comprehensive examination in History of Civiliza— tion in which he had 6 credits of D to date. Personal characteristigs and attitudes. Although the student was concerned about his status it was a constructive concern, not a de- bilitating anxiety. He was confident he could gain in some of his courses, and appeared to be applying himself completely to removing the deficiency. Followeup. Fall 1951 the student earned agC in the comprehensive examination which he repeated and 6 credits of B. Chemistry again caused difficulty, however, and, as a result, he did not succeed in making up the entire deficiency. The student was confident that he could survive the chemistry which was required for his major. The following term he repeated the chemistry and earned a B. he did this while carrying 15 additional credits. Spring term, moreover, among, the 12 credits of B he earned was a B in his first applied (Dairy) chemistry course. By the end of Spring term his all-college average was 2.2 and he had carried 18 credits per term during the last two terms of the year. Counselorgjudgment and summary. These conclusions are based on limited data, since the Basic College interview was the only personal Contact of any counselor with this student. There is no evidence that contradicts the student's own diagnosis of his academic difficulties-- that he attempted to do too many things during much of his first two years of college. The effect of this lack of sufficient application to studies became most apparent when the student was enrolled in 1:35 courses that he found particularly difficult. Although he went home every weekend, he participated in organized extra-curricular activities and, according to his own report, frequently neglected his studies during the week to "do other things" with the boys in the dormitory. When he was placed on "Final Warning", he eliminated some of the activities and curtailed others. In addition he made use of instruc- tional and counseling resources. His recent achievement has been more in keeping with his measured capacity and the favorable predictions made by the high school principal. 107 Case 18 -- female, 0 honor points deficient Age at admission: 16 years, 5 months High school rank: first quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: Psycnology Changes of preference: Speech--Fall 1951 Psychometric data. ACE b-5_5 COOperative Reading 2-3-3-3 D Strong Vocational Interest Blank--Homen Spring 1951 StenOgrapher-secretary B+ Office worker a Femininity-masculinity 62 (standard score) Occupational Interest Inventory (Lee Thorpe) Spring 1951 Personal-Social 90 percentile natural 50 Mechanical V 70 Business 01 Artistic 90 Scientific 30 Vernal YO manipulative o0 Computational 10 Level 90 Minnesota Personality Inventory-4Women Spring 1951 Morale h? percentile Social adjustment 3h Family relationships 95 Emotionality 55 Family data. The student's mother completed tenth grade. her father attended high school for three years. he is owner of a small clothing store which serves families of the lower economic levels. The student has Worked part time in the store and dislikes it very much. During counseling interviews the student expressed very favorable attitudes toward her family. She felt that she was not dependent upon them and that they encouraged her to make her own decisions. The hinnesota Personality Test indicated excellent family relationshipS. high school background. The student was graduated in the tOp quarter of her graduating class of 7b, although her scores on an ACE Psychological Examination administered during the senior year fell in the third quartile of her class. An Otis the preceding year indicated an I. Q. of 112. high school officials considered her high average in intellectual capacity and fairly high in actual intellectual performance and in seriousness of purpose. Both the ACE scores and the ratings, therefore, indicate the possibility of some degree of overachievement. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The ACE administered at Michigan State College indicated average capacity for college work. These scores appear more consistent with the student's high school rank than those on the ACE administered in high school. heading scores indi— cated the possibility of a handicap in reading Speed. When reading scores were reported to the student during interviews with a counselor, she said that she always was the highest in reading speed tests in'written and Spoken English. She believed, therefore, that these reading scores were in error and that a check reading test was unnecessary. Extra-curricular activities. ing high school the student was active in the Red Cross and in dramatics and debate. She had planned to Continue dramatics in college, but membership in a church related group was her only organized activity during the first two years. neither did She have a part-time job. Educational-vocational plans. The student came to college with the Intention of becoming a child psychologist. When she learned during the SOphomore year that graduate work would be required if she wished to '6} become a professional psychologist, she went to the Counseling Center to consider a change of preference. her grahes in psychology were only C's and she was not interested in taking graduate training. The Strong showed practically no well crystallized interests. The Lee-Thorpe did reveal differences in fields of interests. The stu- dent investigated several vocations and finally limited the possibilities to interior decoration, her mother's suayestion, and Speech. During the term she contacted members of the Speech department and became very much interested in a Hadio-television major. During the following summer she interviewed station managers in her home city and her interest in the field increases still further. Interest in Speech was not newly dis- covered. She had been active in dramatics and debate in high school. She had taken Speech courses in college as electives and had earned grades of B and A. By Fall 1951 she felt confident that the radio- television major was what she wanted. Summary_of and comments on academic recerd. (Refer to the following page for the academic summary) The Basics were primarily reSponsible for the student's academic difficulties. She received D's both in the terms' work and in the comprehensive examination in three Basics. She Compensated for the losses through earning a B in the Basic, Written and Spoken English, and B's and A's in courses in the field which she ultimately selected as a major, Speech. The gain was gradual, however, and throughout the first two years the student was deficient in honor Points, even though she attai ed a C average or better for 3 of the six terms. Fall 1951 she took only speech courses and earned eight credits 170 Summary of academic record M --.. . u ".1 mam g Comps. Repeats B's Total Term i D's F's I F'h9 ; j -3 16 i 3-b l ‘st0 5 . 3-b -3 -8 lo I A l 5‘50 f I )C-o , ' )O—D ' P ~11 0 lo 4§)Q_D 3-0 H750 7 i ! F750 » s s* g v~ a CP -ll +7 17 f 1 ”Wu “ h i —h +2 16 3** S H ,, 1’ 690—0 -2 -O 017)0-C 'H'Sl *F‘El l - .FN -8 +26 17 I + 8dr ¥ W‘SZ g f 3152 A . v TV ** Courses required for ultimate major, Speech. of B and nine credits of A. She became eligible for Upper School, therefore, with an all-college average of 2.1+ (llh credits, 2L6 honor points). 171 Steps taken regarding academic status. The student adepted no Special methods of improving her academic status other than attempting to make up her deficiency by getting better grades in new courses. She carried a full academic load each term and repeated no courses. The student develOped a feeling that She could not co multiple choice items which she considered "tricky". She felt that the examinations in the basics in which she received D's were of this type. These basics, it may be observed, put particular emphasis in their examinations on appli- cation of principles, interpretation of data, etc. It is probable that the student considered these were "tricky". because of her attitude toward the examinations, she repeated none of the comprehensive exami- nations. The student did not go to the Counseling Center until the last term of the SOphomore year and the purpose of her visit was to consider a change of preference. At that time her deficiency had been reduced to two. When She was placed on “Final Warning, she enrolled for nothing but Speech courses in which she was confident she could get good grades. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student appears older than her years and gives the impression of considerable self—sufficiency. In a discussion of the Minnesota Personality Test with the counselor she explained that she was at ease in most social situations, but that she felt ill at ease with large numbers of her own age group. There was no indication that this was a serious problem to the student. She reSponded to the Dean's letter and was most pleasant during the interview. She was confident that She had planned her courses to insure 172 the removal of her honor point deficiency. That she had done so is clear from the gain of 28 honor points she made that term. Follow-up. During Fall 1951 the student auditioned for Radio Guild and was accepted for membership. Although she had become eligible for the Upper School, the student transferred to another institution. In her reSponse to the questionnaire the student has not indicated why She transferred, but she expressed a favorable attitude toward Michigan State College. She reported that She was doing excellent work at the new in- stitution. Counselor judgment and summary. There is no evidence that the stu- dent expressed her anxiety regarding the examinations in the Basidsto anyone while she was enrolled in the courses. That she did not under- stand their purpose is clear from her comment that other professors gave objective examinations on the thiigs that were important. To what extent this attitude affected her achievement cannot be determined. It may be noted, however,,that her poor grades on the comprehensive exami- nations were not, for the most part, lower than the term grades in those courses. her change from a major requiring advanced work in the social sciences seems to have been wise, since at no time did She earn more than a C in any social science course. In her new major she is extend- ing an interest of long standinc Q, and her grades, even those in the more technical Speech courses, are superior. Thus, she seems to be capitaliz- ing on her stronger abilities in her new major. She showed considerable maturity in her approach to the vocational problem. 173 Case 19 —- female; 13 honor points deficient Age at admission: 1? years, 10 months High school rank: first quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: home Economics, Foods and nutrition Psychometric data. ACE h-g-S , Cooperative heading S-S-b-S Family data. Both of the student's parents have had one year of post-high school education, presumably business school. The father is employed as a statistician.’ Relatives of the student have attended hichigan State College, but only for one year. Her family pays her college expenses. High school background. The student attended a small parochial girls school in Chicago. She was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose. A California Mental Maturity in the ninth grade indicated an I. Q. of 11h. Her four year high school average was slightly above 5. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Freshman test scores indicated average scholastic potentialities and reading skills. The stu- dent's preference, Foods and Nutrition in Home Economics, is, however, an academically demanding major. Extra-curricular activities. The student's only activity during secondary school was basketball during the freshman and SOphomore years. In college she attended athletic events, concerts, and college dances. She joined a sorority her second term in college, the only term during which she was academically eligible to do so. During her SOpho- more year she did not attend concerts. Whether this was a concession to lmr probationary status throughout that period is not known. 17L Educational-vocational plans. In several areas, as in the area of the student's educational-vocational plans, information is very limited. The student did not come to the Basic College. She went directly to the Counseling Center for the first time during her college career. She had only the one interview, although she had indicated her intention of returning. Therefore, the only data available are the case notes of that one contact, information from college records, and the student's responses to the follow-up Questionnaire. On her application the student stated her intention of preparing for dietetics. She gave no indication of the reason for her choice. Chemistry had been one of her preferred high school subjects. The student has continued in this major, although she had 1h credits of D in chemistry, physiology, and foods courses during the first two years of college. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student had D as her final grade in Biological Science and she lost additional honor points in science courses and in a nutrition course required for her major. She did satisfactory work, however, in subsequent science and foods courses. She had D in at least one course each term throughout the first two years. Steps taken regarding academic status. Although the student was on probation every term from Fall 1950 on, she made no Special provisions for improving her record such as decreasing course load, repeating courses, or seeing a counselor or her instructors. In fact, the first term she was on probation she carried lb credits. She may have consulted her en- rollment officer, but she has not indicated that she did so in her re- Sponse to the follow-up questionnaire. Fall 1951 and Winter 1952 she did ‘ carry somewhat lighter course loads, Summary of academic recogd ‘ 175 ‘TEHE"PRDT"HTPT‘STITUS‘ H.P. GafNEb' “ ‘* HiP.‘LdST"“*' n Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's Th9 3-1) +1 1 3-b WIFSO 3_b +1 -7 2 6-r f3‘50 ' -6 -9 1) 3-0 3-r 3-b u'SO “ F'SO 3_b P -15 -3 3 3_r 'WI‘SI t: ‘ CP -18 o 3 3-b '3'51 3_r A CP -18 +5 1 L p-r E751 "" - “1‘51 “ Fw -13 +1 in l-r 1'32 sz -12 +5 13 S-r L P xwl +11 15 3-r 8-r v fi~ fl ew— xa credits of D deleted by the Dean of the Upper School. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student seems to have had some difficulty in adjusting from the possibly somewhat limited contacts of a girls parochial school to a large coeducational institution. If this u...)- t :51 .0..l‘. 176 adjustment affected her grades its effects were not apparent until the second term. The student added sorority activities to her schedule that term. It is possible that she also increased the amount of her participation in the activities which she began the first term. The student has put it thus: "I was fresh out of a small girls' high school. I knew how to study, but I didn't know enough to get at it until late at night." The student ascribed her poor achievement partially to crowded con— ditions in the dormitory. During her third year, she was able to live in a two-girl instead of a three-girl.room. As a result she felt that she could get more accomplished in a shorter length of time, and that she could get more rest which increased her physical energy. .Lastly she reported that during several final examination periods her effectiveness in examinations had been decreased by a bad cold or by some temporarily disturbing situation. Follow-up. The student decreaSed her course loads Fall 1951 and ‘ Winter 1952 and had no unsatisfactory grades. Indeed, she gained a few points, but not enough to make her eligible for the Upper School. The administrative officials of her school, however, were willing to accept her on probation providing she would accept loss of eight credits in which she had D's and agree to repeat these courses. The student did so, and Spring 1952 she gained ll honor points, including 3 in a chemistry course. At the end of the term she had earned 127 credits and 2e6 honor points (2.1). 177 Counselor judgment and summar". Contact with the student has been too limited to furnish a basis for anything but a most superficial diagnosis. There is no evidence, however, in the case notes or in the student's reSponse to the questionnaire of serious problems_which might have contributed to her academic deficiency. If she is of just average scholastic aptitude, as the test scores indicate, it is probable that he failed to allow sufficient time for the amount of study required by science courses which are generally considered difficult. When she did have difficulty, she does not seem to have allowed more time for study by restricting her activities or by decreasing her course load. her failure to do so may have been more from ignorance of what to do than from neglect or overconfidence. hany students with _reater ability and riven up home Economics. Thus, C) less difficulty with required courses have the student apparently had rather good motivation to continue in the face of difficulty. The student associated her academic difficulties partially with the size of the institution-~the crowded dormitories, having to wait to SE; "people", and the feeling that most of the "peOple" were indifferent to students. The latter seems to be based on an attitude rather than actual experience. In referring to her one counseling contact the student said that it helped to have a "little personal interest shown on a campus the size of ours." The student's remedy for her academic difficulties would be to attend a smaller school. All these give evidence that the student seems to have had considerable difficulty in adjusting to the institutional setting. These may be partly rationalizations, but not to the extent that the student fails to mention her belief that much of her difficulty was due to lack of sufficient study. It should be noted too that when a college a7ency took the initiative in contacting the student, she re- Sponded promptly. The student's failure to repeat courses or to reduce course loads when she was carrying science courses that were difficult for her not only prolonged her probation, but without the deletions made by the Upper School could have resulted in a request that she withdraw from college. It might be assumed that the student's major with its emphasis on science is too difficult for her. her satisfactory achievement in advanced chemistry courses during the junior year, however, tends to contradict this assumption. 179 Case 20 -- female; 22 honor points deficient Age at entrance: 1t years, h months high school rank: first quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: medical Technology Changes of preference: Art--Winter 1951 Fevchometric data. ACE 5-9—9 Cooperative Reading lO-b-B-C Familv data. The father, who completed eighth grade, is a machinist. The mother a high school grad»atc does commercial art work. The hinh 9 9 school counselor noted that the student was an only child who had been much protected by her parents. In counseling interviews the student expressed the feeling that she had been overineulged by her parents, that she was not used to having to work to get what she wanted. When her grades were low, her family promised her a trip to hurOpe, if She could regain good scholastic standing. She did not tell her father for some time that she had changed her major, because she was afraid he would be diSpleased, When she told him, however, he approved the chance, saving that he wanted her to do whatever she could succeed in. believe; her family would consider it a disgrace if she should be re- guested to withdraw from college. Hifh school background. The student was rated fairly hie? intellectual capaci'y, and in seriousness of purpose her actual intel- lectual performance was rated average. although she was in the hihuest I. _ , C) Q Quartile of her graduating class. The student has courses in physical and biological scienCes in high school. She liked them and had satis- actory achievement in them. F’) Measured aptitudes and skills for colle e work. The student's measured scholastic aptitude was high. Although her scores in the ltO quantitative area of tne LCE were average, tney were approximately fortv percentile goints lower than those in the linguistic area. her measured reading speed was above average, but her level of comprehension appeared to oe low. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was a memser of an h0nor societg, the student council, and the staff of the school paper. In college, she belonged to the INCA yer first term. During her second year she was a member of both a skating club and a fencing club. During all terms she attended concerts, athletic events, and college dances. At no time did she Qualify for orcanizations in which scholastic eligioility was a requirement, She worked in the college library one term during her freshman year and one term during her sophomore year. Sue did not work after she was placed on probation, however. Educational-vocational plans. On her application the student stated her intention of becoming a research chemist. dy the time of her first registration, however, this had seen changed to medical technolOgist. When she named her preferred suojects she named courses in all areas-- chemistry, mathematics, history and English. There seems to have been no stronger preference for science than for othe others. Later the student reported that she had selected hedical Technoloiy because her parents wanted her to major in "something practical". She said too that she had been extremely interested in the courses, even though sue found them very difficult. because of her poor grades in these courses, how- ever, she deci ed to change her magor She had COne a consiieracle ltl amount of art work in high school and ha» teen much interested in it. fly lhe rreater "practicality" of science, however, had been the decidina factor in her original choice. At the time of the Basic College inter- view she had been in Art for two teams, was doing aVerage or better work in it, and felt very satisfied with her choice of major. her family had promised her the Opportunity to study in Eurcpe, She hooed ultimately to co into commercial art. t.) SUmmary of and comments on academic record. The student's grades n in all the sasics were o. her achievement in these courses was not at the level that might be anticipated on the basis of her scholastic aptitude scores. With the exception of D in the first term of French, all of the student's poor grades were in sciences and mathematics required for her original choice of major. The D in French also was the only grade below C that the student received after her chance of major until Spring 1952. Steps taken regaroine academic status. negond ger changs of major, the student's only concession to her probaoionard status prior to Fall 1931 was to reduce her course load Spring 1951, when she was on Strict Probation. She saw a counselor for he first time that term also. Fall ail she repeated the French course in which she received D. by this means and by earning 5's in "new" courses she was hopeful of making up her entire deficiency the tenn of "Final Earning". Personal characteristics and attitudes. The counselor has reported that the student had been used to being "Spoon-fed" at home and that, in n w her own words, she was "always looking for the eas; way out". In her Summary of academic record lt2 W. . . . . H.P. MINE}; mm 1551* ' Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's T119 “ -h 16 3-D 1 “'50 13 3-b 3-‘0 -h -2 3R 1 3—r ’ 1750 2)O-—C r t '0 *3 1° 53318 v34- B-b E'SO '3 ’5 g —r FTSU B—b -6 -18 lo 6-r 9-r l,le'SI r F ”S “ P ~25 -h 17 1 S ‘STSI L * SP -30 +8 13 3)3—c 5-r 71151 * - 4 i '1-‘151 9 ‘ m -22 +7 SR '5 4-1" 'Tfisz 2-1» - N2 -15 +10 10 5 1 srsz x r . P {12 +2 16 S-r l 3-r ll credits of D and 3 credits of F in sciences not reguired for major, Art, deleted by the Dean of the Upper School. resoonse to the questionnaire the student ooserved that it took her some time to realize that college is a job which must he worked at and not a . . . I . . .. .. . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . I I i .. . I . . . I.!. . I. . . . . .. . . . . a v u . u . . . u . . _ u I I to I I III. II I . . . . . . . . ... I . . . . u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . u . u . M m . I . n .0 c n I III . c I ~ I .I I I .IOI-u . .I I III In” I: . . u . . . _ . . u . h n . u a I D . . . . . . . . . . . I .. . ID. . .I .. i. . .d . . I .-.: .. .. ._ . Q . n g n . - Q . u . . . . .. I v . . a . .. . . .. .\ .. . .I .I..... . .. n .. .. . .. u , ‘ fr .. i . ..I . It... .. . . . I . Ir . .. . . . . n . . . u u . . . . . . m . . . . . _ . — . . . . . . u. . . . . . I I... I I t I .l: .l I . I. . I . .o . . . . . . . _ . _ . . . . . p . . . ' ~ _ . . . . . . . _ . I ~ I- I I I .l n l u ll . \l l I I .. 0- .l'- . .. . . . . I . ~ . . . . .. o 4 - - n a . . . . ~ . . .. . I . . n . u . . u . . . I . II. . , ... . .. ... I. . ... ... .. ....I. I. ...I... . . .. . . . . . .. . . . ~ . . . o . u v . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .e.. .... . . . ... . . . .. . ..i -.. .. I. a .. . u . m . u . . . n . . . . . u u . .. I. . .. I . . . . .. .. . . .I. I. II. I I ... c. I..lua )...:. ... I . . . n a . u o . o c c o . I u . . . m .. . . . . . . — . . u n u . a ~ 0 u u n . u . i . . . . . . . . . OI ... J .I I u I\ I ~. I II I. I II pl In. . . . . . n . . .. . . u . . . . . . . . .. v n, . . . . . .. . . H _ . . . . n u 4 . . . club in which to have good times. These comments of both counselor and student throw some light on the student's apparent underachievement. Follow-up. The student‘s anticipated grades for Fall 1931 did not materialize. Winter 1951 she decreased her load further with the goal of removing the entire deficiency by earning B's and A's in new courses. Although she gained 17 honor points in the two terms she was still five honor points deficient. Only by the Dean's deletion of the credits of D and F.in science courses not required for her new major did she become eligible for admission to the Upper School. The deletion was greater than she needed for eligibility and cost her nine credits, out it was on an "all or none" oasis. As a result, c; the end of her third year in school she had only 117 credits, 2h8 honor points. Counselor judgment and summary, There seem to have been two major causes for the student's academic deficiency. her first choice of major seems to have been inapprOpriate, at least on the oasis of her achieve- ment in the required science courses. That she might have achieved at a higher level in these courses with greater effort seems quite likely. The lack of strong personal motivation to achieve her stated goal appears to have been the second factor. In high school she had undoubtedly done good work with a minimum of effort. Furthermore, she wasn't used, she has reported, to having to Work for things she wanted. Thus, as the stu- dent has put it, she had to learn to work at the job of college. With the overindulgence to which she was apparently accustomed, one might Wonder about her adjustment to the social oem nds of college living. There is no evidence, however, that the student had difficulty in mak- ing a satisfactory social adjustment. Nor did there seem to be problems of personal adjustment beyond those already mentioned. CHAPTQR VI TAB CASE STQDIES: CASSS TWENTY-ONE TfinOUCH ThihTY-SEVEh Cases twenty-one through thirty-seven are those of students whose ACd total score fell in deciles one through three and who were in the second quartile of their high school class. Cases twenty-one through thirty-two are men. Cases thirty-three through thirty-seven are women. Case 21 -- male, non-veteran; 9 honor points deficient Age at admission: lo years, t months high school rank: second quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: Forestry Change of preference: Forestry, Lumber Merchandising Winter 1951 Psychometric data. ACE 1-1-1; 9-5—7 (Fall 1991) COOperative Reading l-l-3-l; 5-5-5-5 (Fall 1951) Strong Vocational Interest Inventory (Fall 1951) Group IV Farmer 3+ Group VIII Purchasing agent A bankeril Mortician A Pharmacist 8+ Group IX Real estate salesman A Interest maturity he (standard score) Occupational level 50 hasculinity-femininity to hell Adjustment Inventory (Fall 1951) home excellent health good Social very aggressive Emotional excellent Total excellent . Family late. The student's father is a phzsician. his mother was 1] graduated from high school. The student's responses to the bell indicated very good attitudes toward his family relationships. In a counseling interview the student e'pressed his feeling of family under— standing: "All the others in the family have seen smarter than I, tut they have all been real nice aoout it and haven't made me feel I was a ailure." It was apparent alSc that the student felt consideraole pres- H9 sure to succeed in ccllere This has intensified by his havinv a twin x.) g. r who attended a different college and was doing satisfactory coll: e work. 1 hijh school oackground. high school officials rated the student average in intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance, and fairly high in seriousness of purpose. he was sometimes on the honor roll. heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. Freshman test scores inticated low potentialities for colle e W‘rk and low reading sxills. Two years later both his ACd "L" scores and his reading scores were just average for hichigan State College freshmen. It would seem, then that the original scores might have led one to underestimate his , g) L academic potentialities to some extent, although allowance must he made ['1‘ for improvement after two years of college work. ihe divergence between the first ACE "Q" score and that on the retest is extreme. It had he assumed that he was handicapped in college mathematics and accounting courses more by his lower Verbal aptitude than by lack of capacity in the quantitative area. One wonders if his feeling that he is less smart than others in his family affects his performance on tests which are obviously designed to measure such smartness. Extra—curricular activities. In high school the student had seen a member of the student council and La» plaJed intra—mural basketsall. In college his participation in extra-curricular activities was mode - ate. During the first two years he was a memoer of a church related group and during the SOphomore year he was class representative of this group. In the spring of both years he played on the dormitory baseball teats. Educational-vocational plans. When the student entered college he planned to become a forester. Although he had a great deal of science and mathematics in high school and was planning on a major which required both, he stated that English and Civics were his preferred high school squects. It is not recorded why the student selected forestiy, out he had sta ed a strong preference for outdoor activities. The student found that he lacked interest in the science courses reQnired for his proposed major and that he found them very difficult. At the ceginning of the second term of the SOphOmore year, he changed to Light Censtruc- tion and Lumber herchandising. For some tine he felt uncertain as to whether he had a real interest in this area. During the summer of 1351, however, the student worked with a lumuer merchandising firm, anc this experience increased his certainty that he was truly interested in the work. Sunmrry of and comments on academic record. Although the student had D's as tenn grades in some of the Basics, he earned a C in GVJTJ comprehensive examination on the first attempt. This, it ma; oe oh- is better than many studeats with higher measured scholastic served, Summary of academic record lt/ k; MET-SENS R. 11.13.13.113!!!) ICPJBEF ' . ‘ . Comps. Repeats B's A‘s Comps. F's D's Total Term D‘s F's Th9 A ‘ J (m 'b 10 b l -r l 1ITEO -5 +.5 17.5l A 1.5 2 B—o 1'50 1)o-c r -7.5 +7 17.5 3%;8 1 3-r‘ HTSO i Frso 17. 3-‘0 ' -.5 -15 1R o-r o-r 1““ P -lS.S -7 18.5 Y-n 11151 8.5 3)3—C 3:; ’ '1 cp -22.5 +13.5 9H 6)o-c q 1-5 ‘ £051 a ' 1'51 3w -9 +12 6 O-r l 1011 3 9—r 1'52 +3 -b 17 3 ~' 7" 1L l-r -1 +1: 3R 3-r 3 3-r aptituuc and reading skills have achieved. uis loss 0; honor points at the end of Fall 19503 when he chan:ed his major, then,was due to science courses required for Forestry. anc economics, requireo for his new prOpcsod naJor. his loss his sophomore yea: was due to accounting . _ . ... u. . . . . . ... I .9. ll.. . pl ... . l . - . a . . . , in u — a a - . u . . . H . u . ... , ....u .. .u ...... l. u . n . 5 ..I . . ... . . _ .m . _ . . n . . . . . . . . . . . o D I. 1: I. I u n I Ill - III '1! It a I ‘ . _ . . . . a . . . .— . . O. o. . . . .. ..I. l a ... . . o. H . . _ . . . . u .. . . . . . 1 . . Z . . . . u:.. .. .1 . I In ... . I . . . . . . . l . . . . I _ _ . . . . . o v v . 4 . . _ . . . . . . . . . _ . I- . I I I I I: -~.- I I'I - I. .. I,’ . . . _ . . ~ — u n . o u . ... u 1 . I n u . . . . . . . . . m . . . II . .. . . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ ' . . . . n . . I I . . . . . . . . .. . . _ . ‘ . . _ . . D Steps Daren reQarding academic status. The student was ver con- :1 "n cerned about his loss of honor points his lirst term in college. Dur- ing the following term he went to the Counseling Center to request aptitude tests and to consider his academic situation. The counselor recommended needing Clinic, reduced course loads, methods of stucy, etc, The student's test scores were also discussed, In reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire the student sa'd that morale, In an assignment written for a class prior to the cate oi this interview Which had not seen filed in the counseling folder until'nuch later, the student expressed a very strong fear of failure in college. It is possible, then, that the test results supported and increased these fears. In any case, the student did not taae the aptitude tests, did not follow the recommendations, and did not return to the Counseling Center until.Winter 1931, when he was on probation for the first time, This interview, in the student‘s Opinion, was helpful. Essentially the same recomme.dations to repeat courses, to enroll in Reading Clinic, and perhaps a study methods course were given by another counselor. This time the student enrolled for three repeat courses the :ollowing term and earnec C's in all of them. During the summer he made a Special trip to the campus to plan his scheiule for the term of "Einal Earning" with the counselor. Again he repeated three courses. This meant that by the end of Fall 1951 he had repeated ev:rd academic course in union he had received a grade below C. DJ'Fall l9§l he had not yzt seen in deading Clinic. ne was unable to take it that te"m oecausc of a 190 schedule conflict. He received some individual help, however, and en- (f rolled in Reading Clinic the following term. That same term the stuccn moved into a private home. His stated reason for doing so was that he found it difficult to study in the dormitorv that he found it too easy 0 there to turn to other activities to relax from his studies. Although he had already planned carefully how he would remove his deficiency, the student reSponded promptly to the Dean's letter. He was eQually prompt in returning his completed Questionnaire. Personal ch racteristics and attitudes. The student felt inferior academically to other mnmbers of his family, particularly to his twin. He felt he must succeed in college, yet from the first term he feared that he would not be able to do so. His early reactions apparently was to avoid facing the possibility of any scholastic limitations that he had and, as a result, to do little about them. His comments on his first interview at the Counseling Center, his long postponement of Reading Clinic, his early reports of getting sleepy, whenever he had to study seem to be indications of this tendencv. His feeling that he neglected his work by turning to more attractive activities in the dormitory may have been another instance of this or it may have served as a rationalization for his lack of satisfactory achievement. His grades in the comprehensive examinations would indicate that he had not neglected his work too long or to a very great extent. In any case, these attitudes did not persist so long that the student was unable to recover. He accepted his apparent lack of aptitude for the sciences, he again sought the assistance of a counselor, and planned a campaign for recovery. 191 Follow-up. The student became eligible for Upper School by the end of Fall 1951. He again had difficulty with accounting and economics Winter 1952. He repeated economics and took the following course at the same time. A postponement of the third term might have been wiser. The student has now completed all of the economics and accounting required for the major. He has done satisfactory work in the other twenty-one credits of courses required for the major which he took during his third year. There are still courses in wood utiliza- tion and business which are unknown quantities. By the end of Spring 1952 the student's average was still satisfactory with 133 credits and 269 honor points. Counselor judgment and summarv. Although it is possible that the student may block on tests of scholastic aptitude and skills, it appears that his scholastic aptitude is not strong. Fear of failure, and feelings of academic inferiority arising from unfavorable comparison of himself with other members of his family and possibly from such com- parison by others, probably made the student's academic problems more acute. Desire not to let the family down, however, seems to have been a motivating force as well. The student's own strong desire to succeed influenced him to seek professional assistance again, even though he reacted unfavorably to his initial counseling contact. His success Spring 1951 seems to have increased his confidence and motivated him to make every effort to overcome his deficiency. His choice of major seems somewhat Questionable, but his strong interest and motivation may be sufficient to carry him through successfully. His repetition n 5, ”(NA— . 192 of economics Spring 1952 indicates that he is still cautious in regard to his academic status. If he finds the Specialized courses too difficult, he is likely to revaluate his goals. 193 Case 22 -- male, non-veteran; 18 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years b months High school rank: second quartile in a Class A school Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Business Administration-4Nintcr 1952 PSvchometric data. ACE l-2-l COOperative Reading 3-1-2-1 D Family data. Little is known about the student's family. Records show that the father is a college graduate and is a police officer. No information is given about the mother. High school background. The student was actually on the borderline between the second and third quartile of his graduating class. The only test administered during the high school period was a Otis in the freshman year. It indicated an I. Q. of 98. The student was rated average in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance, and seriousness of purpose. The student had taken four years of mathematics, physics, and chemistry in high school and these had been his preferred subjects. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's freshman test scores indicated low scholastic aptitude and low reading skills. Since the student never had any counseling contact, no check was ever made on the accuracy of these scores. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student had partici- pated only in athletics. Since he worked 2h hours a week in a drug store, it was remarkable that he found time to take part in both basketball and baseball. In his freshman year of college the student participated in intra-mural Sports and became a member of the freshman baseball squad. 19h His sophomore year he joined a social fraternity, became a member of the varsity baseball team and worked 17 hours per week. It should be noted that after his second term in college, he carried only lh.5 credits per term. Educational—vocational plans. The student entered college with the intention of majoring in engineering. After his lack of success with engineering drawing and chemistry, however, he changed to courses required for Business Administration. The deveIOpment of his interest in business and his ultimate goal are not known. Summary of and comments on the academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) The student's first term's work and the large deficiency at the beginning of the term of "Final warning" might lead one to believe that his college achievement was at the level that might be predicted from his test scores. Careful study of his record, however, shows that his achievement has, for the most part, been considerably higher than one might expect. He did have D's in chemistry and engineering drawing during the first two terms, but he did satisfactory or better work in college algebra and analytic geometry the same terms. Thereafter, moreover, he had no grade below C in any non-Basic. He received D's in written and Spoken English. The student was weak in English and had been required to attend the writing Clinic. After receiving D's in the first two terms of Social Science, the stu- dent's grade on the comprehensive examination was C. This might raise some question as to whether his reading skills were as poor as the read- ing test had indicated. Until Spring of the SOphomore year the student ‘ 195 Summary of academic record W H.P. MINE? Repeats B's D’s F's W9 1'56 P 3’“: 1'50 CP 3-b £750 FV5U ‘ A . -7 +8 3"? 1151 3.1) 6-r +1 +12 .5 L 1 5 1151 +13.5 -31.5 1.5 u'51 "" ’ 7'51 7_r 17w -18 +28 13 iB-bS 3 . *H 52 3er +10 +6 16 3 l 3% £16 +3 16 l 3 I 3-r is Exploratgry courses in engineering r Courses required for ultimate major, Business Administration. had better than a C average each term with B's in three of the courses re- quired for his new preposed major, Business Administration. Spring term, however, was disastrous for he received D's in three comprehensive: . . .- .. . .. o u . . . . . Q _ . . — . . . . . . . . n . u . . . ... . .. l . .. . . I. . ... . . u a . a . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . .. ..... I .. . y. t . ....... .. . I. . . ..a . a h u o n n . . . . . u . . . . . . — . . . . . ~ . . . .u. . . . t |I I .. u. .I»... .. . . . .. In.-. .... In. .. . . . . _ . u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .lu . . a O .I . t: I . . n . . . u I . . .u . A u . . .. . . . . . . . . . [a u ..l a . I'-nu - . u I: . . u. .I I. .rln o u n I I no. u n u I: ‘1: u I... . u — — . u u a i . . . . . . . . . . c .. I I u u d o o .t' l . ! u l .l I .. .' v. f U o u. . . 1.... l. I . I. a I . u \ . . .. . . . . . n .. I 1 n . n . . I . .II I I ...l l o v. I a n a u u 'l 'u III. I I . . . . - H . ~ - u . . . . . . . n .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . - . . . .. ...- 2 . . . .I. . . . . . . u . . .. A . . . . 0 H . ., . . u . _ u . g u . u I . . u u . . — v. . I. 5 . . . . . u. . .. I .. . . I . . . u n . u d . n c n n . . . . . . . 4 u . . . . I. . n . ~ 1 . . . 1 . u . . .... .. x.. ... . . ....... . . .. . . .. . . i . . . . . . . . . . u a c I .. . . u . . n . . . . . . u — . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... I . . o .. . u n . . . . . .. . . . I . u . . n . u . — . . . . . a . . s . . . . . . . . . . . . emaninations after receiving C's in the terms' work. These were re- Sponsible for the large deficiency that resulted in his being placed on "Final Warning". Steps taken regarding academic status. After carrying full academic loads during the first two terms with a consistent loss of honor points, the student decreased the credits carried to 1b.5 per term. This de- crease in credits coincided with his change from engineering to business courses. Thereafter, he had no grade below C until Spring 1951. The student, according to his own report, adOpted a study schedule and followed it consistently. During the freshman year, he said, he had had too much free time. He Spent it on his studies. He felt, however, that he did not use the time efficiently. In his Opinion, it was not until he increased his activities that he began to make really efficient use of his time. Ths student reSponded promptly to the Dean's letter. It was sug- gested that he decrease his course load in order to repeat at least two of the comprehensive examinations. The student liked the courses he was taking and did not find them difficult. He felt he could do well enough in them to make the repetition of only one examination sufficient. The outcome of the term's work justified the student's confidence. The counselor reviewed the student's reading scores with him. It was sug- gested that, even at that late date, it might be well to check them to see if low reading skills could have contributed to his poor grades in the comprehensive examinations. The student agreed that this would be desirable and arrangements were made. The student made three appointments 197 at the Counseling Center and kept none of them. This student, then, who was a "no preference" student for seven terms had no contact with a counselor exoept for enrollment. Followeuo. The student's good achievement Fall l9Sl enabled him to remove the deficiency of 18 honor points and enter the Upper School with a surplus of ten honor points. Since Winter 1952 he has carried successfully 16 credits per term. He did less well during Spring term, but he lacked the prerequisites for the course in which he received D. At the end of Spring 1952 the student had earned 139 credits and 297 honor points (2.13). Counselor judgment and summarr. he Basic College interview was the only contact with the student. The areas covered in that interview were limited, since the student accepted referral to the Counseling Center. Because he did not complete the referral, needed information is lacking. The student does not have the obvious characteristics of an academic over-achiever. He devotes considerable time to activities other than studies. Both varsity athletics and social fraternities are time—consuming activities. In addition the student works 17 hours per week. It seems more likely, therefore, that the freshman ACE scores were not an acourate measurement of the student's potentialities. It is possible that the student had some reading handicap. If so, his skills had improved sufficiently by Spring term to permit him to achieve satis— factorily on a comprehensive examination which demands considerable reading skill. His achievement, in any case, has been, for the most 198 part at a higher level than either high school rank or test data in- dicated. Lack of the Special aptitudes required may have been reSponsible for his difficulty in engineering drawing. Beyond this, lack of study skills and inefficient use of time may have been the major cause of his academic problems of the first year, as the student believes. The student seems to have used good judgment in decreasing his course load, when he took on additional activities and employment his sophomore year. Spring 1951 was the student's first term of varsity baseball. The tremendous demands such participation makes on a student's time may have resulted in inadequate preparation by the student for the compre- hensive examinations. This explanation is given credence by the fact that when the student repeated one of these examinations the following term he raised the grade from D to B. The student himself had no other ex- planation. He had not been anxious about the examinations and did not become panicky in them. Neither did he feel he had any reading diffi- culty . It is, of course, possible that there were factors involved which the student did not recognize or did not discuss on initial contact with the counselor. If there were such factors, there Were no indications of them in the interview. It seems reasonable to assume, therefore, that there were more demands upon the student's time that spring term than he could successfully handle. 19 One wonders why he remained in no preference so long, since he made no use of the services available, even that of pre—enrollment. Moreover, he had followed the Business Administration curriculum from the beginning of the sephomore year. 9 200 Case 23 -- male, non-veteran; 9 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years High school rank: second quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: Pre-dental progrmn Psychometric data. ACE 2-2-2 Cooperative Heading 2-2-2-2 California Test of Rental Maturity--Spring 1950 Total I. Q. 10h Non-language, I. Q. 89 Language - I. Q. 113 Bernreuter Personality Inventory--Spring 1950 BIH Slzile, average in emotional stability 828 35;.311e, not highly self-sufficient B31 39%ile, somewhat extroverted B4D Béfiile, somewhat submissive Strong Vocational Interest Blank-Fall 1951 Group I (Dentist(pr0posed major) 0+) Veterinarian B+ Group IV Mathematics teacher B+ Policeman B+ Group V YMCA physical director B+ Social science teacher B+ Group VIII Office man B+ Banker B+ Mortician A Pharmacist B+ Group IX Real estate salesman A Interest maturity 55 (standard score) Occupational level 51 Masculinity-femininity 50 Family data. The student's mother completed high school. His father,who is a graduate of a junior college, is employed as an indus- trial relations director. According to the student, his father has been very eager for his son to enter the medical profession. Although the student has rejected that field, he has entered and persisted in the pre-dental program. This, in the student's Opinion, serves as a compromise with his father's vocational aSpirations for him. 201 High school background. The student was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity, but average in actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose. Although he had courses in high school related to his prOposed major, physical and biolOgical sciences and mathematics, his preferred subjects were English and foreign language. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student‘s measured scholastic aptitude and reading skills were low. The low reading skills, however, may have limited achievement on the ACE. A recheck of these tests was not made. A California Mental Maturity, however, administered in the latter part of the freshman year showed a language I. Q. of 113. The total score was lowered, however, by the low non-language score. Available information, then, did not seem predictive of great academic success, particularly in the student's preferred major, pre-dentistry. Extra-curricular activities. In the student's words he was a "high school playboy". He listed eleven high school activities, includ- ing 3 varsity Sports, student council, social and class-related clubs as well as the school band and a dance band. In his freshman year in college he participated only in intra-mural Sports and attended athletic events, concerts and college dances. In his SOphomore year he substituted competition in combative sports for the intra-mural Sports. Fall 1951 he increased his activities still further. Beginning with the SOphomore year the student secured a part~time job. It required only five hours per week, however. 202 When he was placed on probation, spring 1930, the student reduced his course load to lh.5 credits. He also Went to the Counseling Center to consider the wisdom of his choice of pre—dentistry. Although test evidence and his record to date were not favorable to the choice, he decided to continue in the preference to see what he could do. The counselor's notes indicated that he seemed to want to prove to himself that he could do the required courses successfully even though he ex- pressed greater interest in other fields. He did not resume contact with the Counseling Center. He continued to carry lighter loads, but always had at least one D, although his term average as a whole improved. Spring 1951 he repeated a "D" course, but he carried a total of 18.5 credits. He again lost honor points. The term of "Final warning" he reduced his course load and gained more than enough honor points to make him eligible for Upper School. Educational-vocational plans. When the student applied for admis- sion he stated Business Administration as his preferred major with industrial relations or law as his vocational goal. Before he entered, however, he changed his preference to the pre-dental program, saying that his father was an industrial relations director and he had "just put that down". Throughout the first two years of college the student was uncertain whether he had a genuine interest in dentistry. The choice had been a kind of compromise with his father's great desire that he go into medicine. At times he felt quite sure that he preferred industrial relations or law. Fall 1951 he was still uncertain. So far as abilities were concerned, he felt that his grades would improve once 203 he had completed the Basics, chemistry, mathematics and physics. He was not at all sure, however, that he was interested in a scientific Vmajor. The Strong verified his questionable interest in profesSional scientific fields. Only veterinarian in the scientific group was sig- nificantly high. Others in the group were principally C's. In no group did he show a primary or secondary pattern of interests. In spite of his doubt regarding the wisdom of his choice, he continued in the pre-dental program. In his reSponse to the questionnaire, he indi- cated that he was still doubtful. Summary of and comment on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) VThe student was consistently deficient in honor points from the very first term. The deficiency was not great, however, and he was on probation only during the spring term of the freshman year. D's in chemistry, physics and mathematics contributed to his deficiency. On the other hand, he received satisfactory grades in several of these courses. Grades of D in three Basics were reSponsible for the major part of his deficiency. In two of these his term grades were also D. On the other hand, he achieved a grade of B in the'Written and Spoken English comprehensive examination. Thus, considerable variability is apparent throughout the student's record. Personal characteristics and attitudes. In addition to the student's disinterest in many of the courses required for his proposed major, he found it difficult to settlepdown to the hard study his courses demanded. His early attempts at study were inefficient, he felt, because of his lack of previous experience, because he was not genuinely interested in Summary of academic record 201}. ‘ W. m CH. H.P. MINE]: ICP. 7.0M " "'I Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's $19 L 6—b -6.5 17.5 2.5 3.... ”W50 -6.5 -5 17 .5 1 6-b 1'50 1) 643 P -11.5 +h 1&5 2)O-D 3-b 6-b @041 1 g h'SO h PEG 1 . -7.5 - .5 15.5 2.5 3-r‘ ‘W'SI 3_r -8 + .5 15 .5 1.5 2 5.r -7.5 -l.5 3R 6-r 1.5 h)6-D 34b h'Sl - 7'51 Fw -9 +12 1&5 3-b 9 L W152 17 13 +3 + 3R lZ-bh 3-r 6 h-r 3'52 v 3.4) +20 +13 11. h-r 6 r his courses, dawdle over his studies. The change from the numerous organized activities .77 and because he had so little else to do that he tended to in high school to only one such activity in college must have been difficult. - 205 In the student's own Opinion, his lack of activities gave him no incentive to concentrate on his work and to do it as efficiently as possible in order to be free to carry on other activities. It is true that the student did his best work Fall 1951 when he increased his activities. It is true too that "Final Warning" itself probably was a strong motivating force. The student, moreover, has completed the series of courses which had proved most difficult for him. Whether greater participation influenced the student to become much more effic- ient in his studies, as he believes, it is significant that he feels they furnished needed motivation. They substituted apparently for the motivation which a strong interest in his courses and in his vocational goal might have furnished. Followbun. Beginning with the "Final Warning" term, the student began to earn better than a C average each term. By the end of the year he had attained an all-college average of almost 2.2 (lh0.S credits and 308 honor points). He continued to carry a reduced schedule throughout the year. The student, however, was still uncertain regard- ing his vocational goal. Whether his academic record continues to improve will determine whether he will be eligible academically for admission to a school of dentistry. Counselor judgment and summary. It seems probable that the combi- nation of apparently limited scholastic aptitude, lack of efficient reading and study skills, enrollment in difficult scientific courses, questionable interest in the prOposed major, and lack of any strong source of motivation contributed to the student's academic deficiency. 20:3 The student's inclination on several occasions to change his major yet his never doing so is puzzling. It may be that the father's strong desire for him to prepare for one of the professions has influenced the student to continue. Whatever the reason, the student's lack of measured and stated interest as well as his failure to demonstrate, 3 even in the last year, better than average achievement in his major field, makes his choice of major extremely questionable. 407 Case 2h -- male, non-veteran, 18 honor points defieie nt Age at admission: l/ years, 10 months Interval of one academic year between high school and college High school ranla second quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: hechanical Engineering Changes of preference: no pr;f renc e-—tinter 195C Business Administration--Fall 1950 Eggchometric da ca. ACE 1-3—25 3.5.; Fall 19:1 COOpc erativs; Reading 3-2-h-3; h-é—S—S Fall 1951 Strong Vocational Interest Blank-Jdinter 1950 Group III Production manager B+ Printer B+ croup VIII Office man.A Purchasing agent 8+ Mortician A Group .IK Sale 8 mane ‘er A -s insurance salesman B+ Lif Interestm maturi Ly 37 (standard score) Occupational level L? Kasculinity-femininity 50 Family data. The student's parents are high school graduates and both are employed. The father is an engine inepector. The mother is a clerk. The student is partially ocaencert financially on his parents. High school background. All of the ratings given by high school officials were ave; age. A C liiorr ia Test of Rental haturity-adminis- tered at the beginning of_the eleventh grade indicated an I. Q. of 105. The student had four years of mathematics in high school and no science. Mathematics and drafting were his preferred subjects. he sured aptituces and skills for college work. Neither the stu- dent's high school rank nor freshman tests scores seemed predictive of probable success in college. Engineering seemed particularly inappro- riate. The tests administered Fall 1951 verified the discrepancy between the Q and L scores. .Q‘ ." ' I o o n . EEEE£L_EEE:§E£ZQlar actiVities. VarSity sports were the student's major Mm‘8L~-cl<'=‘xs:s activities in high school. He also held one elective office. T1ue.first term in college the student worked on.a publications staff,'p1ed{§xi a fraternity and participated in intra—mural Sports. The student has listed no organized activities for subsequent terms. This seems to have been an oversight, since he is known to have become active in the fraternity.“ The student had no part-time employment until Winter 1951 when he worked 21 hours per week and increased his course load to 18.5 credits. His academic record declined severely that term. He continued to work the following term when he was placed on probation. During the term of Final warning, however, he did not work. Educational-vocational plans. The student worked for one year after high school, since he was not certain that he wished to attend college. After nine months of work in a factory and a few months in an advertising office, he decided he needed an education. He chose sales engineering as his vocational objective. He left engineering during the first term of college. After two terms in no preference he changed to Business idministration with sales as his objective. He has per- sisted in that major deSpite consistent difficulty with courses required for that area. The student's stated interest in sales is verified by the Strong. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student lost honor points his first term in college in courses required for engineering. He earned a C average each term therea tcr until Winter 1951. It was 209 WOf academic record R. “ H.P. GEINED 1m). LOST II Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's D's F's u9 ‘ 4 -6 16.5 3-r 3-r WWVSO -6 +3 17.5 6-b 3-b "3‘50 - ! l)6—c -3 0 111.5 100-0 6 E h'SO “ f *F'BU I #7 . . '3 +1 17.5 5)3-C - l 3.b| W‘ A o-b -2 -lh.5 18. " 2.5 8-r 3-r 5'51 1h. v 3-b: P no.5 -1.5 BR 2)e.c O—r 1.5 o)3-D 3-ri 1‘51 ~ . . .1fi51 10 . FW -18 +3 LLB h-r 3 2 6-r “"52 10 FM? -15 -l > 6% 3-b 3-r 7-r 3'52 ‘ 6-r ' Uncl. -16 +18 15 o o-r . then that he enrolled for both statistics and accountine O) carried 18.5 credits, and begun to work 21 hours a week. Thus he was placed on proba- tion for the first time the third term of his sophomore year. He lost I I IIII II I . l I I I I . .l I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II III I a II III I I I I —. IIIII I I ... I I I I . I I I I I I u I I I I I . .I I II I II I I I I I I I I I . I I I _ I a I I I I _ I I I I I . I I ~ n _ . I I I I I I I _ II III II I I III I II III I I I IIIIYIII I QQIII .I I I I. I . I - — I I I I . o I I II ILI I I I I I I II III I I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I - I I I o I I . I I II I . I I II I I II I . I . I I I I. I I I II II I I II I I I I I I . . I I I I . . I m I I I I I I I I u I I I I I I II II I I. I I I I II II I I I III I . . I. I . . I I I I I I I I . _ . I I I . I I I I I I I I I I I III III. I . I I I n I I I u I I I I I I . . I I I I . II II I I II I I I II I I III .I I . I I . I I I I I I I I . I I I I II II I I I . II I I I .I . .I I I I . I I . I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I III I I II. I I I I I . I I I I I I I I I I I I . . . I I I I . I I I I I I I. I I I I I I . . I I I I o u I I I I I I II _ I I I I I I . I n I I additional points the following term which resulted in his being placed on.Final'Warning with a deficiency of 18 honor points. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student's change from engineering seems to have been the first step. Secondly, during his second term, he initiated counseling and requested aptitude tests. He began with the Strong which verified his stated interest in sales. The various majors, general and technical, which could be taken as preparation for sales were explained by he counselor. The student was inclined toward Business Administration. The counselor suggested that since this major had required courses demanding Special aptitudes, aptitude tests would be helpful. It was suggested also that check psychological and reading tests might give additional information as well as to indicate whether Reading Clinic might be helpful. The student expressed an interest in taking these tests. He did not return, however, to take the tests. 1e changed his preference during registra- tion the following fall to Business Administration, although he had not even an exploratory course in that area. The student, moreover, did not resume contact with the Counseling Center until he was referred there after the Basic College interview Fall 1951. The student's only other recorded attempt prior to Fall 1951 to improve his status was repetition of statistics in which his grade had been D, when he was placed on probation. He did not raise the grade, however. Personal characteristics and attitudes. In reSponse to the follow- up questionnaire the student stated that his approach to his academic difficulties had been to study harder. This did not result in the im- provement he expected and he went"into a slump". He thought, however, 211 that he probably had not allowed sufficient time for the extra study to have an effect, before he became discouraged. Follow-3p. The student responded promptly to the Dean's letter Fall 1951. He had reduced his course load slightly and was repeating an "F" course, After discussing the possibility of his being in an inapprOpriate major, the student was referred to the Counseling Center for further consideration of a change of major. He did not change his major, however. The student made only a slight gain in honor points Fall 1951. He was granted an extension by the Basic College. He re- peated one "F" and one "D" course the following term, but the gain he made thereby was exceeded by a loss on "new" courses he took in his major field. Basic College could grant no further extension. The student, however, was aggressive enough to seek higher administrative permission to enroll as an "unclassified" student. Spring term he carried no courses in economics or accounting which had been his principal sources of difficulty. He carried two electives and non-technical courses required for Business Administration (Speech, business writing, and economic history). In these courses he received no grade below B and gained 18 honor points to make him eligible for Upper School (131 credits, 26h honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. There seems little doubt that a major inapprOpriate in reSpect to the student's abilities has been a principal cause of the student's academic problems. His low "Q" score on the ACE recheck gives some indication of the reasons for his diffi- culty in statistics and accounting. The ACE recheck, moreover, 212 indicates only average scholastic aptitude and reading skills as com- pared with entering freshman. The student's achievement Spring 1951 verifies the Opinion that the student can do satisfactory work in more apprOpriate courses. Undoubtedly, the student's action.Winter 1951 of combining his heaviest course load with his first part-time employ-. ment contributed considerably to his deficiency. The student's dis- couragement, which he mentions in the follow-up, and the decreased effort and application which followed played its part. The student ” seemed strongly motivated Fall 1951. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that stronger motivation Spring 1952 could have been wholly reSponsible for his marked improvement. There seems little doubt, after all other factors have been considered, that the choice of courses was largely reSponsible for the great difference in achievement. , . 213 Case 25 —- male, non-veteran; 11.5 honor points deficient. Age at admission: 18 years, 5 months High school rank: second quartile in Class A school Preference atoadmission: Business Administration Bsychometric data. ACE 5-2-3 COOperative heading 1-2-3-1 Family data.. The student's father, who completed grade school, is a real estate broker. The student has develOped an exceedingly strong interest in his father's field of work. The mother is a high school graduate. High school background. High school officials rated the student fairly high in intellectual capacity, and actual intelleCtual perform- ance and high in seriousness of purpose. That he was in the second quartile of his class should probably be considered in the light of a rather extensive participation in extra-curricular activities. Measured Aptitudes and skills for college work. Neither the scholastic aptitude test nor the reading test might be considered favor- able to successful college work. Both were low in all areas except the "Q" of the ACE which was average Extra-curricular activities. The student tried out for freshman football his first term in school. Whether he did not continue because he did not succeed or because he felt it took too much time is not known. That has been his only organized activity in college. In high school, on the other hand he was active in debate, dramatics and athletics and was captain of the football team. He was also president of the senior class. Thus, an apparent interest in extra-curricular activities may have yielded to a stronger interest in getting work experience by going home every weekend. a . . . W . 5 w 4 i (..4 ...}..«x. ., .nvfl ... run... .. . v t . .. O.‘ I. 1:. .. n- .u .. .....J ..L 5: TA _. i . 3311.} v .r .. ..1... . .mfv ., fl . . p :4... .... Smut. w . H... s u. . , . Q . .Ip'l. u. r. (3%th a. » . .t. x . o. 1V ,’ .: . \ a, 1 214 Educational-vocational plans. The student is intensely interested in entering his father's field of real estate. His purpose in coming to college is to secure the college degree and to get training in Q fields related to his vocational goal. He wants to get through college 9 as soon as possible, since he looks on it only as a prerequisite to his V principal interest, his vocation. Jhen he was on probation‘winter 1951, for example, he went to a counselor to inquire how he might secure permission to carry 20 credits the following term. 0 The student has gone home every weekend to work for a business associate of his father. He has_taken this job for summers and weekends during college, because he feels it is an important part of his vocational preparation. One might conclude that the educational motive of this student is strong, it seems, only when he can see a direct application to his vocational goal. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) The student lost honor points on two comprehensive examinations, in one of three mathematics course and in two of three terms of accounting required for his preferred major, General Business. He also received D's in three of six terms of military science. He repeated no courses and carried a full course load each term. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student's purpose in seeing a counselor during Winter 1951, when he was 8.3 honor points deficient, and was carrying 18.5 credits, was to investigate the possi- bility of carrying 20 credits the following term. it the time he explained that he had received a D in the examination in Effective Living Summary of academic record 213 M. m R. H.P. mm: H.P. 1051‘ n Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's Th9 4 ’1 17¢; 3-b 63—h WISO 6.‘ -1 -8.5 17.5 ii! .5 “'50 1)o-c f P -9.5 +2 17.5 2)6-C 93-9 3-b h'SO T *Frso . ~7.5 -1 16.5 1 h-r ”“5 i J A A 6~b P -8.5 -6.5 18. l 1.3 S‘SI . 3—b CP ~15 +3.5 1?. h)3-C E-" 1:151 " " -F151 h-r m -11.; +22 11; 9-b5 3 “('52 +lO.S -3 18 fl 6—r 6-r 3-r 3'52 15 fl . +7.5 +3 3‘” 3-r 3-r 3-r because he had been forced by illness to leave the examination. He planned to repeat the examination, but he had not done so prior to the term of "Final Warning". He rejected the counselor's recommendation that he stay . - . . . .- . .. . _ .. .. ' - . . . x - . . ‘ _ . . . v ' ' n n o. c e l _ . . . . -... . ---.. . - - . . . . . I I , ' . ' a . . . . I ' I . - . . . -- . . . . 5 I - I ' . u u A ‘ ‘ . . . . . ... . .. . . . . . ' I _ . __ . n . , - . . . .. . . .... , . I ‘ . . . I . . g -I. I u I 4 .u u ' I - n n . . l | a _ . , . l - . , _ , . I I I u u a _ ya - c- o ‘ . . . . . . . .. .. : . .. .- . u . t - ' . - I I . . _ - - . u ' | u . a — . I - v . - .-. . . ' k ‘ . __ c ‘ . . l ‘ . «. ' - . I _ . -- I l . . n . -- a u ' u- - u g ' g -. . .. . . I l ' . . I I . l . ' . I ' u I ' ' — o I I. o ‘ -. . u 4. I c l I I . I I ‘ I I . ,- . — a . ' . . . .. _ I . = ' - ' . oI-v . - n41. .- .0 . ' . I _ .... . -. ....-.._.- .. ... l ... --.. - - v ' ' c . . n I l ' - _ _ I l ' ' . n ' I . . v I . .a - I — . I . -. -~ -. .. .. . -. .- . . .. ' .I . 5 . . . - - . . ' I I . - c ' I l l I . . _. _ . . ‘ I ' . . ‘ I . . . . u . u - - I - . '- f} l, CL) on campus Weekends if only to devote more time to his studies. He carried a full load each term. He enrolled for no clinics, although his reading scores were low. He responded promptly to the Dean's letter however. He was carr-- ”‘3 ing 17 credits. It was suggested that he drOp 3 credits in order to concentrate his efforts on fewer courses. He said that he would do so, if he felt his load were too heavy. He was asked if he had considered repetition of a comprehensive examination. He said that he had done so. He felt, however, that it was unnecessary becauSe he believed he would earn good grades in his business courses which were highly related to his interest and experience. He had requested permission to repeat accounting, but his enrollment officer would not permit it. He did not wish to check on his reading skills or enroll for Reading Clinic. Later in the term the student drOpped one course and requested permission to repeat the examination in Effective Livin . C’Q Follow-up. The student's prediction that he could make up his deficiency by good grades proved to be true. He also received a C in the examination which he repeated. Thus, he entered the Upper School with a surplus of 10.5 points. The following terms he carried 18 credits per term and received 6 credits of D and 3 of F in economics courses. His total point average, however, is approximately 2.1 (152 credits and 31h.5 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. In his reSponse to the questionnaire the student ascribed his academic difficulties to poor preparation in high school. This response indicates that either the student answered he questionnaire without much thought or that he has gained little insight into his academic problems. It is possible that the student's scholastic aptitude is greater than the test data indicated. It is possible too, moreover, that his tremendous drive could have been re- Sponsible for his making the most of his ability of whatever level. In any case, it appears that the student has pushed himself to carry heavy course loads and to gain practical experience in his field at the same time at the expense of both extra—curricular activities, rganized and informal, and academic achievement. As a result the student, unlike most students who have had a history of academic difficulties and have survived Final Warning, had more than enough credits to become a senior at the end of three years of college. It may be asked, however, how truly educated this student will be as a result of his college experiences. Case 26 -- male, non-veteran; Age at admission: High school rank: Preference at admission: Changes of preference: Psychometric data: ACE 218 10 honor points deficient 18 years, L months second quartile, Class A school no preference Business Administration-43inter 1951 3-3-3 COOperative Reading 3-1-2-2 Iowa High School Content Examination English 37(percentile) Mathematics 55 Science Sh History 25 Total L2 Kuder Preference Record Bell Note: Outdoor 27 (percentile) Mechanical 80 Computational 3h Scientific 78 Persuasive 6h Artistic 72 Literary 07 Musical 32 Social Service 69 Clerical 38 Adjustment Inventory Total score average All of the tests above were administered during Counseling Clinic, Summer 19h9. Strong Vocational Interest Blank-~Fall 1950 Group VIII Office man A Purchasing agent A Mortician A Group IX Sales Manager A Real estate salesman A Life insurance salesman A Group XI President, manufacturing concern B+ L6 (standard score) 51 50 Interest maturity Occupational level Masculinity-femininity 219 Family data. The father, who is a university graduate, is an industrial executive. he mother completed high school. An older sister is a graduate of Michigan State College. High school officials remarked that the student came from a home of culture and refinement. His college expenses were paid by the family. High school background. The high school principal rated the student fairly high in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual perform- ance and high in seriousness of purpose. A Kahlman-Anderson administered in the tenth grade indicated an I. Q. of 109. The principal recommended the boy most highly on the basis of his personal qualifications. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's measured scholastic aptitude was below average for Michigan State College freshman and his reading skills Were low. On the achievement test his scores were average only in mathematics and science. Since there was an Opportunity to discuss the test results with the student during the Counseling Clinic, adjustments were made in his educational plane and in his course load for his first term in school, and Reading Clinic was recommended. Extra-curricular activities. The student was on the high school golf and cross-country teams. He was active in forensics and student government organizationa and had leadership reSponsibilities. He was also vice-president of Hi-Y. He had part-time jobs throughout school. He worked for two years in a garage where he not only washed but lubri- cated cars and did some repair work. During his freshman year in college intra-mural softball was his only organized activity. Intra-mural basketball and bowling were added 220 the SOphomore year, as well as membership in a men's service organiza- tion. He attended concerts occasionally and athletic events frequently through both years of college. He devoted no time to part-time em- ployment. Educational-vocationalgplans. The student stated pre-law as his preposed major on his application. During the interviews at the Counsel- ing Clinic the student discovered that this seemed to be a somewhat questionable choice and changed to no preference. The student did not renew contact with the counselor until late in the fall term of his SOphomore year. In the meantime, he had taken exploratory courses in elementary education, Speech, history, and hotel administration. He had done satisfactory work in all of them except history, but he felt little interest in any of them as a major. A Strong was administered and showed high interests in the business contact and business detail areas. He changed to Business Administration that term and remained in that major until he left school. Unfortunately no case notes are available on the interview during which he made the change to explain the basis upon which he made the decision. Summary of and comments on academic record. During the first two years the Basics were the student's principal source of difficulty. Only in English, did he receive C's both in term grades and on the compre- hensive examination. Although he had some C's in term grades in the other Basics, he lost honor points on all the comprehensive examinations. He succeeded in raising all these by repetition of the third term's work in some and of the examination in all of them. His only D was in 221 Summagy of academic record THU! Illa. Ho}. SEJUS Hop. ULINED ‘ Hop. LOST v I. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's 1'19 (L-b -7 2 3 WNTSO -7 +1; )4 31 SO 3)3-D 6—b -3 -lS.9 18. S)3-D 3.5 H'SO *’ Frsu i P -18.5 +13 9—b3 » 9-b5 1 6-b fHH‘SI “ -S.5 -2 l 3-b S‘SI 734D 69b 3—b, -7.5 -23.5 2 6):’>-F o-:- 1.5} .... i “'51 9-b6 ~ . SP -31 +21 9-bh 6—r 3-r T' 51 FW -10 -h 3 7-r ‘W'sz sz -lb -12 15 1 6-r 7-r 3'52 * . Requested to thhdr History of Civilization which he raised from an F. It is interesting to note that his college achievement in history is consistent with his measured achievement in high school history. Completion of the Basics did not bring a solution to the student's academic problems, however, since a.‘ ‘1 - - . l . .1 l I n . u I . . . . n ‘ . I . .. ,. . .n » v . 4 A 222 he began to receive D's in the more advanced courses required for his major. His only poor grade in required courses previously had been in the lastterm of statistics. At the time of dismissal he had lost 23 honor points in courses required for his proposed major. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student did not enroll in Reading Clinic as recommended during the Counseling Clinic. He carried a light course load only the first term. He did not renew contact with his counselor until Fall 1950 the term he was placed on probation. He had already arranged to repeat the comprehensive examinations which re- sulted in his being removed from probation at the end of the term. The student did not see a counselor again. The counselor at Basic College called him when he failed to reSpond to the Dean's letter. He said that he had already seen the assistant to the Dean. He was cordial and stated that he appreciated the call, but he did not feel it was necessary for him to come in. The student repeated all the c mprehensive examinations in Basics in which he earned less than C. He repeated no other "B" courses, however, even when he was granted an extension of time. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Because the Basic College counselor had no contact with the student and because he made no re- Sponse to the questionnaire, little is known in this area. hotes on the Counseling Clinic interview and the one subsequent contact do not in- clude comments on this topic beyond saying that the student seemed to accept test data and to recognize their implications for his educational planning. 223 The high chool principal had been igh in his praise of the boy's character and school citizenship. Follow-u‘. The student repeated no courses the term of Final Harning and lost more honor points in a course required for his major. Then he was granted an extension, he carried a full load of new courses. He increased his deficiency in honor points to 2i and was requested to leave. Why the student failed to repeat courses, eSpecially since he had re- peated comprehensive examinations SD consistently, is cifficult to understand. It is the more so because repetition of courses is regularly recommended by the Basic College official with whom the student con- ferred about his academic status. Counselor juogment and summary. Since little is known about the student as a person, judgment must be based on Very limited information. That the student did not lack interest in remaining in college, at least during the first tWO years, is evident from his effort in repeatin comprehensive examinations. His failure to repeat other courses was not from lack of information about the possibility since he had seen the assistant to the Dean. Neither is it clear why he did not make use of the Counseling Center when he had difficulty. His original counselor had left the staff, but tJiS does not seem sufficient reason since there had been only two contacts. The student did good enough work in many of his courses to indicate that he was capable of succeeding in an apprOp‘iate major. In speech courses, for example, he earned two B's and a o. If he had a strong (1 interest in business, a satisfactory major in Speech with business electives could have been arranged. The stud nt's recori in economics and other requirements for Business Administration was not consistently poor. This anu his failure to make ny uiscernible attempt to improve his status Fall 1951 and Winter 1952 may inuicate that his lack of achievement in his third yea‘ was due to factors which are unknown. An interview or reSponse to the questionnaire might have thrown some light on this supposition. [\J N U 1 Case 27 -- male, non-vs cran; L honor points deficient Age at admission: 1? years, h months Interval of one year between high school and college high school rank: Quartile two, Class A school freference at admission: Pre-law Psychometric data, A E h-3-3 COOperative Reafiing l—2 - 1 Family data; The student's father is an immigrant who had the equiv- alent of a grade school education in his native Italy. He is employed as a cement finisher. The mother was born in the United States and is a high school graduate. The parents do not contribute to their son's college expenses, High school background. Although the student's high school average was B, he was in the second quartile of his class. He was rated average in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and fairly high in seriousness of purpose. He did not enter college until the year following his graduation from high school. During this period he worked to add to savings from his part-time job during high school, since he was to pay his own college expenses. _e Work. The student's {‘1‘ s4 Measured aptitudes and skills for colle measured scholastic aptitude was low, The accuracy of the measurement, however, may be Open to question because of the low measured reading skills, His achievement on both tests may have been affected by his hav- ing been away from academic work for more than a yea . Comments on the case. Information about the student's motivation, his attitudes, and his goals is extremely limited because there is no data about the student beyond that gleaned from his application blank and his academic record. 226 The student had no contact with the Counseling Center or th (I) Dean's Office prior to Fall 1951. He made no response Fall 1951 to the Dean's letter nor to follow-up procedures. Similarly, he made no reSponse to he follow-up questionnaire or to subsequent attempts to elicit a re- Sponse from him. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student was a member of Hi-Y and served as secretary. He belonged to the hi:h school radio unit and played baseball. He also worked as a produce sales clerk in a supermarket. In college his only organized activity has been intra-mural Sports. He attended athletic events, concerts, foreign films, and dances. His attendance at these events seems to have been moderate. He devoted no time to part-time employment. Educational-vocational plans. It is known only that the student stated pre-law as his preference at admission and has persisted in that preference deSpite poor grades in several of the courses recommended for that major. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) It may be noted that the student lost honor points throughout the freshman year and began the SOphomore years with a deficiency of 19.5 honor points. Although he continued to receive D's during the following year, he gained honor points so that by Fall 1951 he was onl“ h honor oints deficient. He accom lished this bv eueatinc 3 P P J 1 C during the SOphomore year any course in which he received a grade of D the term following the poor grade. He also repeated two comprehensive Summary of academic record 227 mm CR. “ H.P. MINE!) $1”. [GET Comps. Repeats B's A's Canps. F's D's Total Term ' D's F's “We * -h.5 16.5 1.5 6-b 'W'so 3"b 44.5 -9 16.5 2 3-b 5 SI 0 I 5 P "13.5 -6 13.5 l)3-C 3-b 3R loo-D 1 5 u'50 * F‘bU . CF -19.5 +1 11h5 2)3-c 1 3-r . 1a.; at ,_b 3gb CF -18.5 +3 3R 8-1. r T31 11.5 3-r 6)3-C SP 45.5 +2.5 6R 6-r 2.5 7)3-D 3-b [1‘51 . SP -13 +9 9 9-b7 3-r 3-r 1'51 15 3-1. ' FW -h +3 3R O-r 3 3-r 'Wisz FW2 -1 -6 18 3-r 9-r 3'52 9 . Uncl -7 +15 3R 6-r 3—r 6 r examinations in which he had received grades of D. Except for military science, physical education, and one history course, the student received no grade above C. The student's deficiency at the beginning of Fall 1951, therefore, was due principally to D's in foreign language courses in the freshman year. 228 The student must have been very serious about his academic work to repeat D courses so consistently and so promptly during the SOphomore year. After such careful planning, it is difficult to understand why he carried 18 credits during the critical term, Fall 1951. Perhaps he became overconfident as a result of his marked gain in honor points. Perhaps the expense of prolonging his college career by numerous repeats, when he was self-supporting, made him eager to earn as many credits as possible. Whatever the reason, the student's heavy course loads Fall 1951 and the term of extension, Winter 1952, seem to have been unjustified by his record, since he had received at least 3 credits of D every term to date. When the student could no longer be retained by the Basic College and was ineligible for the Upper School, he was accepted as an unclassified student. He then carried only 12 credits, including one repeat course, and gained 15 honor points. Thus, after three years of college, the student became eligible for admission to the Upper School with 137 credits and 282 honor points (2.0+). Counselor judgment and summary. The student's giving up a fairly good job as assistant manager in a super-market, his coming to college at his own expense, his repetition of courses throughout the SOphomore year, his persistence in going through the channels necessary to achieve the status of "unclassified" student--all these seem to indicate strong motivation. Yet his failure to make any reSponse to attempts of the Counseling Center to contact him during his long probationary period, as well as to those of the Basic College Dean and counselor during Fall 1951, does not seem quite consistent with other evidence of strong motivation. 229 Possibly the student believes in complete self-reliance or perhaps he has received assistance in planning from some other source. Except for Fall 1951 and hinter 1952 he showed good judgment in his methods of decreasing his deficiency. Assuming that by careful planning of course loads and by repetition of courses, if necessary, the student is ultimately graduated from college, his low measured scholastic aptitude and his record to date make his choice of law as a vocation seem very unrealistic. Whether the student is aware of this and still persists toward that goal is unknown. h’-‘ I H“. I. ‘3 h) b) 0 Case 28 -- male, veteran; 1h honor points deficient Age at entrance: 21 years, 10 months Interval: three academic years High school rank: second quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: Business Administration 3; 8-2-b Fall 19S1 5-2; L-3-S-3 Fall 1951 Psychometric data, ACE h- Cooperative heading 1- Kuder Preference Record Summer l9h9 Outdoor 12 Mechanical 0? Computational 70 Scientific 10 Persuasive 37 Lrtistic 9S Literary Ch Musical 70 Social Service23 Clerical h? Strong Vocational Interest Blank Fall 1951 Group V Social science teacher A Group VIII Accountant A Office man A Purchasing agent A Banker A fortician A Group IX Sales manager A deal estate salesman A Life insurance salesman A Interest maturity 60 (standard score) Occupational level 57 hasculinity—femininity.33 Bell Adjustment Inventory Summer 19h? Home very unsatisfactory Health good Social retiring Lmotional unsatisfactory Total unsatisfactory Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Fall 1951 No deviate scores except elevated HF (71 standard score) ~'\ Family data. The student's parents completed grade school. The father works as a shovel Operator. The parents Opposed the student's desire for a college education, since they felt that he should find a job after his separation from military service. The Bell Adjustment Inventory gives evidence of unsatisfactory family elationships. Military service. Beginning in June l9h6, immediately after his graduation from high school, the student served 33 months with the United States Air Force. He was assigned to a 17 weeks' training program in photography. His principal assignment, however, was as administrative Specialist. He served overseas and was discharged as a staff sergeant. High school background. The high school principal rated he student high in intellectual capacity, fairly high in actual intellectual performance, and very high in seriousness of purpose. No test data were reported. The principal commented that the student's scholastic record improved during the last two years of high school. He added too that the student was "serious about going on to college" and that he be- lieved the young man would be successful in college work. The student gave evidence that he was "serious about college", as the principal stated, when he came from the Upper Peninsula to attend the Counseling Clinic. At that time the student learned that his test scores, if they were accurate, were not indicative of the prob bility of successful college work. He felt, however, that his scores had been influenced by his having been away from school for more than three years This, tOgether with low reading speed, made it at least possible that the test scores were not an accurate measurement of his capacity. Whether 232 this were true or not, the student said that he was determined to come to college and to do his best to "make good". The student made plans to attend "Reading Clinic". He preferred to have a definite preference, Business fldministration, than to enter with no preference. fleasured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's scholastic aptitude, his vocabulary and his reading Speed were below average for entering college freshman. These were in marked contrast to the principal's judgment of 'he student's capacity. If the scores had been affected by the student's non-academic pursuits and by his Speed of reading, it was hOped that with remedial work he might have greater success than the scores alone could predict. A recheck on these tests during the term of "Final Warning", however, indicated little change in these scores over a two year period, except for improvement in the "Q" score on the ACE and vocabulary on the Cooperative Heading.- It is particularly noteworthy that the reading Speed, as measured by tests, was approximately the same, although the student had been enrolled in Reading Clinic and had been doing reading assignments for two years. There was no indication on either occasion of emotional blocking or anxiety over the tests. It must be concluded that the student survived two years of college with limited scholastic aptitude and limited read- ing Speed so far as the usual methods of measurement indicated. Extra-curricular activities. The student's only organized extra- curricular activity in high school was golf. Since he had worked 18 hours a week as a delivery boy, his work hours probably conflicted with the hours of afterschool activities. m \u \u Durin? his first year of college he attended athletic events and college dances. To these he added, during the SOphomore year, member— ship in a church related group in which he took some leadership and attendance at concerts. His activities, then, seemei to be extreme neither in the direction of.ina&xa=ni under- or over-participation. Educational-vocational plans. A though the student was deterni ed that he wanted vocational training through college and that he wished a major in Business fldministration, he did not feel sure,at the time of admission or at the beginning of this third year in college, toward which branch of business he wished to direct his educational preparation. The student has had art as a hobby for a long time, but he felt that he vocational possibilities in the field were too limited. The Strong has indicated very high interests in both the business detail and personal contact (sales) areas. Summary of and comments on academic record. During the first two years the student carried a normal course load each term. It may be noted that the student received C's on four of the five comprehensive examinations on the first attempt. In each of these courses, he had received one D on a preceding term's work. On the comprehensive in which he received a D, he had also received D's in the work of the first two terms. He attended without credit a review section for the course the following term, and, on his second attempt, he passed the comprehen- sive examination with a C. The student's accomplishment on the compre- hensive examinations is significant, because many of the questions require considerable reading. The student had difficulty with the first Summary of academic record “TERH"PROT"HTPT'STETUS‘ . . ; H:P. LOST Repeats" B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's -3Wh9 deb -12 15 6—r WWTBO n f P -12 —-5 16 i a-‘ol .3750 1)3_c T ' CP -17 +b 16 3)3'C l 3-b 5)o-n h'SU FTSU i CP -13 -1 13 h 9-b5 6-u 3V h—r 'Wl SI 12 u A CP -lh +h hR h-r 3 3- 3'“ L)3—c W CP -10 -h 17 6)3-C 6-r h-r D'Sl fl~ c ‘FfiSI 11 FW -lh ~+5 3R 6-r 3 h—r 1WY52 11 3_r FW2 “'9 +6 MI. LL-r 2 3-1. 3'52 a . P x0 +2 15. 3-r 6—r y 7-r x'Three credits of D deleted by the Dean of the Upper School. This ‘7 reduced the deficiency of 3 to O. V Course attended as visitor, for no credit. two terms of accounting, one of which he repeated, but his grade in the third term's work was C. dis grades in economics were C, D, and F. Fall 1951 he 235 repeated the last term with a C. Because the Upper School deleted his credits for the second term of economics, he repeated the course'Spring 1952. His grade was A. Statistics was the only series of prerequisite courses with which the student experienced no difficulty. taps taken regarding academic status. It had been recommended that the student carry reduced loads during the freshman year. He did not do so, however. The student was enrolled in a major with a set curriculum. It is possible that the procedure for changing a prescribed enrollment was not clear to him. He has reported, for example, that he did not realize his freshman.year that repetition of a "D" course was permitted. On the other hand, he may have felt confident that he could carry a full schedule successfully. His enrollment in Reading Clinic, planned for Fall 19b9, was not accomplished until Spring 1950. This may have been due to overcrowding of the clinic. The student's reasons for these omissions have not been recorded, if they were ever stated. The student did not resume contact with the Counseling Center until the second term of school. The counselor recorded that the student would carry a reduced schedule and enroll for Reading Clinic the following term. He did only the latter. His last contact with a counselor was Fall 1950, when he came in to discuss his probationary status. The notes on this contact were only a record of contact. In reviewing the record of the first two years, the student's repe- tition of the comprehensive and of one "D" course seemed to have been his only concession to his academic status. Other than this, he did nothing to make it easier for himself to make an academic recovery. [‘3 b) C \ The student, however, devoted a great deal of time to study. He moved into a private home in order that he might have fewer distractions from study. He also Spent a great deal of time in the library because he found that he studied well there. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Although the student was not aggressive in manner, he was friendly and seemed at ease during the Basic College interview. During his limited contacts at the Counseling Center he had appointments with three different counselors. This was not because the first counselor was not available. Possibly the appointment secretary neglected to ask if there were a certain counselor he wished to see. He apparently preferred the first counselor, since he requested referral to him, when the Basic College Counselor asked with whom he would like to work. .Another instance of what may be called lack of aggressiveness is recorded in notes at the Counseling Center. The stu- dent came for a second appointment with a counselor. Through an error the counselor, at the time of his appointment, saw another student who was also waiting. Instead of letting the error be known, the student left. That these were instances of indifference, not lack of aggressive- ness, seems inconsistent with other evidence of the student's attitudes. The student, for example, came to college in the face of his parent's Opposition and of the prediction of probable difficulty with college work. Moreover, when this prediction proved to be true, he persisted. He has been on probation every term since he entered college, but he has ept trying. In reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire, the student said he had taken a course in methods of study the third term his junior year. He said he would have taken it much earlier, if he had known about it. That it had not been called to his attention must have been an over- Although he student does not appear to be aggressive socially, neither is he withdrawn. He has taken some part in college activities and has taken a chairmanship in the one organized group to which he belongs. The student has reported to his counselor that it has been hard for him to meet peeple, but that he felt that he had shown im- provement. The counselor commented on the gain the student had made in self—assurance in the two years since their first contact. The student told the counselor that he had had some troublesome personal problems, but that he had managed them successfully. Lack of information and lack of sufficient aggressiveness to get the information may explain the student's failure to carry out plans for reduced course loads. On the other hand, these omissions may have been due partially, at least, to an unwillingness on the part of the student to accept the fact that he had academic limitations. For example, the counselor planned with the student a schedule of courses which he might take Winter 1952, if he were granted an extension. This schedule included six credits of repeat courses. Yet when the student enrolled neither of these courses was included. It was one of these which was deleted to permit the student to enter the Upper School. The A which he received when he repeated it later, would have given more than enough honor points to make him eligible for the Upper School. I\) be (“fl Follow-up. The student gained a few points each term of the third year, but he still continued to receive D's in some of his major courses. it the end of Spring 1952 his all-college average was slivhtly C.) higher than 2.0 (132 credits, 235 honor points) Counselorpjudgment and summarg. ‘his student of below average measured scholastic aptitude has persevered toward his goal with greater success than m'ght have been anticipated. The same determination that has made him persist in the face of difficulties has kept him in a major which includes many academically demanding courses. Hiether strong motivation alone is reSponsible or whether an unwillingness to rec05nize his academic limitations has also played a part is not clear. Comments on the student‘s great seriousness of purpose have been made by both his high school principal and his counselor. 239 Case 29 -- male, non-veteran; 33. S honor points deficient e at entrance: 153 rs, 0 months I- _ ,. f" Hi5h school rank: second quartile, Class C school frcfe rence at admission: Forestry Cia.g es of preference: Forest ,Lumoer herchandising Tsychometric data. ACE 3-L-3 COOperative h adin5 l-2-l-l Family data. The student's father, a high school gtrafluate buildin; contractor. His mother attended colle5e for two gee: s. In a letter to the counselor, ai ter 1er so Thad left colle:e she showed consie’w aole understanding of her son's academic cif ficultics. In the principal's comime ts there was ref;rence to the student's vch 5005 home C) Hi5h school background. The student as rated fairly high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual , »Hrf rmance, and seriousness of purpose. A California Test of Mental haturity administered in tie eleventh grade indicated an I. Q. of 10?. The principal commented that the student was not "rapit in understandin5 new sit 1ations", but that he was "persisten nt in questions until he doe 8 see clearly." raiser d aptituo s and skills for colle5e work. Tie stucent's scores were "low avera5e" in the linguistic area of the “on and some {iat lower in the Quantitative area. His lo.-I measured readinr skills may have 4.) been a handicap on the tests, and gave pr wwis 3 of difficult-r with colle5e J courses. The scores seemed particularly unfavorable to the likelihood n of success in his preferred major, Technical Forestry; Extra-Currie ular atmtn tie . The student was a member of his hi h "x .4 \ school's varsity baseball an; basketball teams and band. He also partici- Pated in a class play. His Iplo-mcnt we 3 limited to summers, when he Worked on construction crew . His only collece activity was attendance at athletic events. Neither did he have part-time employment. 4L3 Educat'onal-vocational plans. The student entered 001135; with the intention of becomin a forester. Summer employment with a lumber dealer and interest in his father's busincss of building construction prompted him to change to Li5ht Construction and Lumber Kerchandising. at the beginning of the second term of his SOphomore year. with the scientific courses required for the technical major in Forestry may also have influenced his decision. The student‘s interest in this field persisted. When it became apparent that his continuance in a de5ree pr05ram was not possible, he began to consicer alternate routes to his goal. Summary of and comments on academic record. In his freshman year the student lost honor points principally in the Basics both b; terms and in two of three of the comprehensive examinations. In 17 credits of courses reguired for Forestry, he received only three credits of less. than C. In the SOphomore year, however, he received B's and F's in courses required for his first and second preferences. In Summer 1931 D in the comprehensive examination in History of Civilization, in which he had earned C‘s for term grades, pulled his record down further still so that he entered the "Final Earning" term with a deficiency of 33.5 honor points. Steps taken re5ardin5 acaiemic status. The student carried a full course load each tesm until Winter 1951 which was his second term on probation. He gained honor points by repeating the comprehensive Summary of academic record HQPO mam Repeats D's F's F'h9 “W50 T50 h'50 F750 lS-bl R-b 0-1“ / -b CP C-r 3-b S‘SI 3-r 3-r 'D751 U) "U h-r 3-b' 7'51 20-r W' 52 Requ 3‘52 l l l j - 1 examination in which he had received F. Neither did he enroll in heading Clinic. He repeated no "3" courses, however. 1951, but he succeeded only in increasing his loss of honor points. He attended a summer session in 2L2 The student visited the Counseling Center Winter 1951 regarding his academic status. This was his only counseling contact prior to Fall 1951. In reSponse to the questionnaire he reported that he was disappointed in the experience. Unfortunately, he did not elaborate. what interfered with the establishment of a good working relationsnip between the counselor and the student is not known. Case notes on the contact offer no clues. The student did not reSpond to the Dean's letter. He came to the Basic College Office, however, late in the term after a follow-up phone call from the counselor. He felt there was nothing that anyone could do to help him. his midterm grades were very low. At that point he was right in feeling there was little that could be done, at least so far as his becoming eligible to continue in a degree program. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student was a pleasant, rather retiring young man. He blamed no person or thing for his academic situation. He said he must not have studied hard enough, although he felt he had worked very hard. It seemed as if he had watched his record grow progressively worse and just hadn't known what to do about it. By the time he came to the Basic College he seemed thoroughly discouraged. If he were requested to withdraw from college, his only plan was to go home to work with his father until he were draited. He still hOped that eventually he would be able to work in lumber merchandising. Followbup. There was approximately a two week period between the student's initial interview at the Basic College and the beginning of the final examination period. During that period the Basic College 2&3 counselor had several contacts with the student to attempt to help him to adjust to his dismissal and to make alternate plans. After investi- gating various possibilities, it was found that a combination of Short Courses would give the student rather good practical training for lumber merchandising. After a conference with the director of the Short Courses the student's interest in the program increased. He decided to get the Opinion of some lumber dealers during the vacation period before making a final decision. At the beginning of the following term he entered the Short Course. His grades were principally B's and A's and it is obvious from his responses to the follow-up questionnaire that this experience has done much to restore his confidence. The student was drafted after completion of one term of the Short Course. He has written that he plans to return to complete it after his military service. Counselor judgment and summary. Qne feels that this was an academic casualty which should not have occurred. Although the student's measured academic potentialities were not strong, neither was he at the very bottom of the class with which he entered. His apparently low reading skills may have distorted the ACE scores. The student had grades of C and he was able to raise an F in the comprehensive examina- tion in written and Spoken English to a C when he repeated it. These would indicate some capacity for college work. His choices of major seemed inappropriate because of the requirements in accounting, mathe- matics and other physical sciences. These alone, however, were not reSponsible for his deficiency, since he had a loss of 18 honor points in Basics. h) t- 1:... Since the student had a strong interest in lumber merchandising and since the probability of success in that major was not great, an earlier transfer to the Short Course might have been the happiest solution. ‘Hhcther the student would have considered such a transfer while there was still any possibility of his continuing in a degree program is, of course, unanswerable. If it is assumed that he, like many other students, would have preferred to remain in the regular college program, he could at least have completed a two year program with greater success, if there had been early planning to overcome his deficiences. Such measures as use of remedial services, careful selection of courses and course combinations, reduced course loads, and repetition of courses when grades were poor might have been effective. The counselor felt that this was conscientious, hart—working boy from a small high school who unlike some students from small schools who adjust rather quickly to a large institution, seemed to have got lost. The student was very unaggressive and did not express his feel- ings readily. Seeking assistance was not easy for him. He seemed to feel that one should be able to succeed academically if only one studied hard enough, yet he had studied hard, he believed, without achieving success. Considerable time was devoted to this tepic during the counsel- ing contacts. The student was retiring, but there was no evidence in the interviews of emotional disturbances. His ability to consider other alternatives under trying circumstances probably indicates considerable stability. The followeup gives sore evidence that the student has made a satisfactory adjustment. J'. u R. E .u lumen; an ,2. trig-151355 3 gbm ern‘ in? [11.33 Qirevt VHF-ta; . In.” {NH Case 30 -- male, non-veteran; 12.5 honor points deficient Age at adrissi on: 18 years, 8 months High school rank: second quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: Tusic Changes of preference: he r-eation Edu ca tion—-:all 195 O Fsychewe -tr C data. ACE 5-3-3 Cecierative L3adin~ ” S 2 l 2 , L) Tamils cata. The student's mother is a high school graduate. dis J. ... m father attended a business college and is employed as a fee ‘ dbroker. y a C} He also owns a large chick an farm on :hich the student works during in 1 H m. 4 L. —. -- .. ..- n ... SLJUJE‘IS. L118 SUUULJEU dSeS u eo‘e ScMuUI‘ C'llniles f0 his colle ;C cigprno S. 2:. " A} \r-r ,‘ m‘.-- -‘L- ~1\n V'r‘ high 5 naol baclgrounu. The student Jas ritei fairly 1 gh in intellectual CapflcitV, average in actual intellectual performance and riousness of purpo An Otis and n nrmy Lluha admi 'nistere; during U) (D the ninth grade indicated I. Q's of llh and 115 reSpectively. The principal he as not pA;”zob’J his Opinion of the rcaso n sfor the unler- achieve1ent he had indica a ma. Heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. rreshmen test scores were below the average for Iiichigan State Coll efreshmen. Reading scores indicated that the salient is avrrag sin vocabulary and Speed, but low in comprehension. These scores, if accurate, may not be consicered predictive of probable success in college. High school scores were somewhat more favorable. a-ulrrIPVlJ“ ac Hi ies The student was on all of the major athletic teams in his high school and served as basketball captain. fiw Choir and Hi-Y were his other school-associ ated activities In C04idfle he participated in glee club and chorus, went out for basketball, and :a'mw fre~~« ~ w p, . - mags volhman oaseoall team. Luring the sophomore year he was on the Junior \Hirsity'baseball team and sang in the dormitory choir. activites. He was also active socially and L4 Tiese NOTE his organizer performES frequeitly as a popular singer. Although the student was paging his own college expenses, he had sufficient savings from work on the farm to make part-time employment unnecessary. Educational-vocational plans. The student was much interested in popular singing and in choir in high school. He stated Kusic as his preference when he entered college. He remained in that prefe ence for a year, but he fou-d that he was not willing to devote himself entirely to usic, as the major demanded. Social and athletic interests were 1' also strong. his interest in music, moreover, was primarily in pepular singing. At the beginning of the sophomore year he changed his prefer- ence to Iecreation. He selected this because he was interested in athletics and believed he would like the major. He had no Special vocational goal in mind, He may wish to manage his father's chicken farm. There is also a possibility of his trying for a career in popu- lar singing or profesSional baseball. The student said he was just not concer ed about vocational plans, perhaps, according to his own state- ment, because he knew he had the security of the chicken farm, if other plans failed to materialize. Summary of and comments on academic record. Although the student consistently lost honor points each term from the very beginning, the losses were so small that he was not placed on probation until the Wt acMarnie record «mm 3.1». mm mp. m ' ‘ Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total D's F's 3-b W‘SO 3-b 3-b -3 2-r1 2 3—r l 5 W - -3.5 3—r 2 l)3-C 3-b 2—r 1050 “ i W0 1 -6.5 1 9-b' WI ' P —11.5 1 3-b “3151 CF -13.5 103-1) 6-b 3-b u'51 * 4 CF -22.5 10-:- 7'51 FW 425 3'b 3 1” 1'52 F42 -1o.5 8.1. 7..r 6—b 3'52 . X P +3.5 B-b 3-r l x n 0 ‘ .. \ ‘. . The deficiency of 1.5 was changeo to a surplus of 3.5 b; the oeletion of 5 credits of D which did not apply to the student's new major. SBcond term of the sophomore year. He continued to lose honor points the remainder of the *ear. Br the end of that wear his deficiencr had mounted J J J J to 22.5 honor points. Had it not been for good grades in physical education courses, the total deficiency would have been greater. It was by means of physical education courses that the student gained ten honor points the summer following his SOphomore year. In the four Basics which he completed during the first two years, the student lost 2h honor points by terms. When he took the comprehensive examinations he gained sliehtly, but his loss was still 18 with D's in two of the four exami- nations. Other losses were in music courses required for his first choice of major, military science, and one elective course, Steps taken regarding academic status. The student made no Special effort to improve his status. He repeated no courses or compre- hensive examinations, he carried a full load each term but one, and he consulted no one about his academic status. He came to the Basic College Fall 1951, only after a phone call from the counselor and considerable urging from his roommate. Personal characteristics and attitudes. In reSponse to the follow- up Questionnaire the student stated that he thought that, consciously or sub-consciously, he had relied on his personality to pull him through as it had in high school. He kept telling himself that he should study, but he devoted his time principally to socializing, to athletics, 'and to other activities. when he took examinations he became panicky. That this was due largely to lack of preparation seems to be supported by the fact that when he had had tutoring in one course, he was confi- dent in the examination. Although the student's failure to respond to offers of assistance it seems to have been due, at least might be considered indifference, ‘ in part to embarrassment over his academic situation. He has referred 2L9 in the response to the questionnaire to his sense of pride and to the fact that in the interview he was made to feel "not like a dumb kid, but like a person who had taken the wrong approach to a situation." The seriousness of his status had impelled the student to make an earnest attempt to do some serious study. He had begun to study in the dormitory dining room to remove himself from "temptation". His reading and study techniques seemed very inefficient, however. Thus, even though he was giving time to study, he was handicapped by lack of these skills. Follow-up. As a result of the Basic College interview the stu- dent was referred to a counselor whom he selected on the basis of having had some non-professional contact with him. He continued to see the counselor the following term. The student's study, even though not the most efficient, resulted in his gaining honor points for the first time in academic courses. The following term through earning B's in one "repeat" course and in two "new" courses, he gained nine honor points. A deficiency of 1.5 honor points still remained. A deletion of five credits of D in courses not required for his major by the Dean of his school made the student eligible for the Upper School. The following term the student again gained honor points. Thus, the student had a 0 average or better each to a of the third year, although he had some grades below C. At the end of Spring 1952, the stuient had 132 credits and 272.5 honor points. Counselor judgment and summary. ho check tests are available, Since the student told the counselor that he did not wish to Spend 230 the time to take them. The accuracy of the original test scores seems questionable inasmuch as the student had as much success as he did in the Basics with the limited amount of time he doV'ted to study. The lack of study, moreover, has been verified. The student's interest seems to have been centered on the non- academic aSpects of college. It has been noted too that he had little concern over the vocational applications of his educational experience. Indeed, he seemed to lack any well-defined educational purpose. If there were reasons other than his seeming immaturity in this reSpect, which resulted in his overemphasis on non—academic activities, along With his lack of skill in studying when he did attempt to do so, they were not apparent. Case 31 -- male, non-veteran; 23. S honor points deficient Age at entrance: 18 years, seven months High school rank: Second quartile, out-of-state school Stated preference at dUhlSolOl Agriculture Changes of preference: Business Administration-4Vinter 1951 Psychometric eeta. ACE 2-h-3 q I ‘ l ’ 7 . \ I 'J bOOperathc heauing C-h-n—p Strong Vocational Interest Blank--Fall 1931 Group I Architect 8+ Group VI husician B; Group VIII hortician A Group IX Sales Manager B+ meal estate sales nan A Life insurance sa esnan 3+ Interest maturity he (sta. ard scale) Cccupational level 5L Hasculinity-femininity 38 .Familv data. Both of the student's parents are high school graduates. The father is manarfi r of one of a large chain of retail stores. During the stueent's last term in school, the father came with his son to the Couns ling Center. The counselor commented that there was oov10uslv much parental pressure on the b0“ to succeed at! mhi an state College. The father expressed his disapproval of his son's t3 tati plan to transfer to a smaller institution. Hi;h school b1;Ar round. hi h school officials failee to use the rating scale on the application blank. A report of an Iowa Reading Test administered at the beginning of the twelfth grade ineicated that the student's reading skills were at the eleventh grade leVel. The p only comment was that the student was a "goo; boy, well lihec b; his fellow stuccnts.". i I. 3 I skills score in the linguistic area of Wi 1 Speed and co prpLQI sion were low a he " improved and if selectol a major nah» ’\ Qv'u.i§}d’. i1::31:7t1 at 116 C O vaz“. ‘- ~ rIJ‘: CO. . ’\ " 1.44;: a- C Trio " c1131" at, Uivltl'qb were principally He club. either as a neWSpaper '. In college Te dio not take a p then on, he worki ed 15-20 hours per 1. His undertaking a job, when he hao [-J below C. cance S , d" J.‘ n A .J, ‘ 1.031.;(1call {:qu 8.111;. 1 he ch; term in a freshman course TPe nun nature of his co the ear thr _hout the first two '\; fiducational-vocational plans. 4- U ndicatod was tla of 3.1. II ,_J 1 ‘ ~ prOble choice. student stated a prefe tion and OI‘DO .L 1' C0 the reason for his manginu t"’3 («cw-x ”A "I“- , v, M- .LQ, 114....) hike ...va aJv-a\-_J'V was a member of ijTrl-I’ oL£.v ’ no tes is there any information regarding the basis of Businc \‘ 1 for college work The student's 3 102' apprOpri '3 ujsrt's activities in high school one orc’nina+ion a nature r,proanate1“ \ 1) ”R v p- ...A or as a stock be; art-tine Job until ainter 19~1. _‘ _\«y o N ,‘1. 1 o “ _ we", 0‘ ~ weeA in one cornitorJ Clulhd en placed on "Strict fro. \J 'ust be reccivco no grant .1 1.1....Vp:n ,_- U0 aubcuucznpc a1. list administered fall ¥. 1103; check list the only other 1."- ..1. . _ ‘ y f‘ *0 '1 ,aruirg hi s yo ationai ’1' ’ -3; rence for Agriculture on S appli ca- ” 9-.....“ .. v 3.. ._ - 'CPK: a Lat11utfl‘. 1431.443; " ,1 .1 his choic lnl 53 non stration lat' in (L term of his SOphomore year. Prior to the change, however, he has cceived two F's and one D in agricultural courses. The trong Voca— tional Interest blank administered Fall 1951 showed a primary pattern of interests in the sales area. If this is an apprOpriate goal, as the student felt that it was when he answered the follow-up questionnaire, his choice of major as preparation for that goal, assuming accuracy of his measured scholastic aptitude, seems somewhat questionable, Summary of and comments on academic r3corc, Although the student ”a” had some term grades of D and F in the Basics, his grades in the first three comprehensive examinations he took Were C's. his net loss, then, for the first year was due to the courses in agriculture. During the SOphomore year, however, he received D in the comprehensive examination in Social Science and after receiving F on the first attempt in every term of history of Civilization, he received F in the comprehensi e examination. not until Summer l9gl did the student have difficulty with courses prerEQuisite to his major, His principal loss of honor points was in the Basics. in the second year, therefore, a ‘ A Steps taken regarding acacsmic status, Until Spring 1951 the stuccnt carried a normal numoer of credits. Usually, however, there was a "repeat" of a course in which he had received "F" the preceding term. Both Spring and Summer 1951, he carried reduced loads. he repeated the comprehensive examination in Social Science Summer 1951, in addition to the courses he carried for credit, but he was unsuccessful.in raising the grade, no repeated no "D" courses. he saw a counselor twice his first term in school, when he was questioning his major, he had sporadic contacts With J- IN a .. nNIW; Lanai}? XII-.. ylewurwt‘tauc‘ ‘ . . y .l ut‘ . - t5? 25h Summary of academic record ‘TEEH"PRDT"HTPT'STITUS‘ H.P.‘G£ffiEb'"“ Repeats B's Total Term D's F's F”H9 -S.S WHTSO -5.5 -S l S'SO P -10.5 -1.5 h‘SU ‘ FTSU 4 CP -12 -6.5 l W51 +6 SP -18.S o—b 3151 ' : CF -12.5 -12 h)3-D o-b 3-b? l 3‘51 "" ‘ . SP -2h.5 +1 O-bh 6-b 1 ’ 6~r ‘Figl é-b FW -23.5 ~19 o-r 7-r ‘w'sz Requested to wi 3'52 . “ the same counselor during the remainder of the first two years. His one contact in a term, if he came in at all, was usually late in the term. Fall 1951, the term of Final warning, however, he contacted the counselor early in the term and saw him rather frequently throughout the term. 255 he did not reSpond to the Dean's letter for this reason. During his first interview with the student that term, the counselor suggested that the student drOp some of the "new" courses he was taking and repeat D courses, since his deficiency was so large. The student rejected the idea, however, confident that by carrying a reduced load he could gain honor points on his "new" courses. When he found later in the term that he was not succeeding in this attempt, he returned to the counselor. By this time it was too late to make course adjustments. The student continued seeing the counselor throughout the term. Personal characteristics and attitudes. It has been noted that there was no personal contact betWeen the student and the counselor at the Basic College. The counselor who worked with the student has re- ported after several rather extensive and intensive interviews during the term of Final Warning that there was no evidence that emotional or social problems were contributing to the students academic problem. The counselor felt, however, that the student took an unrealistic approach to his academic problem. He was unwilling to repeat courses, when he was so seriously deficient, and he took the attitude that he had received better grades when he didn't study than when he did. The student had verbalized frequently his strong desire to succeed at Michigan State College. Following. By the end of Fall 1951 the student had increased his honor point deficiency from 23.5 to h2.5 with 7 credits of D and 6 credits of F, including F in a comprehensive examination. Soon after he was requested to withdraw from college, he enlisted in the Air Force. After [\3 U1. (‘ I basic training, the student was to be sent to a technical training school. The student ascribed his academic problems to beginning in an inapprOpriate major and remaining in it too long. Secondly, he said he had made the mistake his last term in school of taking hard "new" courses instead of repeating courses. The student said that he would like to return to college after his military service and inquired whether Michigan State College would accept courses offered by he United States Armed Forces Institute. The coun- selor conferred with Basic College officials regarding the possibility of the student's being readmitted and sent the information to the student. Counselor judgment and summary. In the Opinion of the counselor who worked with the student the major factors in the student's academic difficulties were limited scholastic aptitude, enrollment in an in- apprOpriate major for four terms, apparent insufficient study, resulting perhaps from discouragement as indicated by his feeling that he got better grades when he studied less, and an unrealistic approach in his failure to repeat courses when he was in serious academic difficulty. dis taking on 15-20 hours of part-time employment when he was on Strict Probation also seemed unwise. In terms of his original test scores, moreover , the apprOpriateness of his second choice of major seemed very questionable. Since his stated and measured interests were in sales, several alternate majors which did not require accounting and statistics Were possible. His drastic failure in his final term's Work may have been due to his becoming too discouraged by his situation to work effectively; by 257 the midterm he had concluded that he couldn't achieve at the level he had predicted at the beginning of the term. his father came to the campus two weeks later because his son was "down in the dumps". There was no evidence of hostility between the father and son nor of the son's being pushed by the father into attending college or into any Special major against his will. Case 32 -- male, non-veteran; IS honor points deficient Age at entrance: 18 years, 3 months high school rank: second quartile Class A school Preference at admission: Agriculture Change of preference: Economics--Spring 1952 Psychometric data. ice S-3-h Cooperative Reading 2-3-h-3 Iowa High School Content Examination-~Summer 19h? English 15 (percentile) mathematics 55 Science 38 history 28 Total 33 Kuder Preference Record--Summer l9h9, Outdoor co (percentile) mechanical 56 Computational 02 Scientific 21 Persuasive ea Artistic 55 Literary 02 musical 75 Social science 58 Clerical 08 Bell Adjustment Inventory-~Summer 19h? Home unsatisfactory Health average Social average Emotional average Total unsatisfactory Family data. The student was adOpted in infancy. The foster father, Who completed eighth grade, is an extremely successful business man. The foster mother has had nine years of school. The student has had all the advantages that money can provide-~travel, his own car and boat, a family yacht, etc. The family relationships are a central factor in the case. When the student was placed on probation after his first term in college, he reSponded late in the term to an invitation from the Counseling Center to come in regarding his academic status. In the first interview the student expressed freely his attitudes toward the foster father. The material that follows comes from notes on the first interview and those that followed with both the boy and the foster father. The foster mother had lost several children through miscarriages and wanted children very badly. The child was adepted to please the mother and the father demonstrated little affection for the boy. The father is an extremely ag;ressive and dominant person. His reaction to the student's prooatibn was that if the student had to leave college he would give the boy no part of his preperty or business. The student was expected to conform to the father's wishes. his own wishes and interests were of little significance to the father, the student explained. Even after he had come to college family plans took precedence over his own, even though his arrangement had been made prior to those of the family and to change them would cause inconvenience to other students and embarrassment to him. The student conformed, but he projected the hostility he felt toward the father upon other persons and things. he often drove his car at excessive Speed, for example. On one occasion he was arrested and on another he had a minor accident. He was a behavior problem in the dormitory. He was frequently extremely disagreeable and went out of his way to annoy and to be actively against what others were for. On the other hand, in situations in which he felt secure, he got along well with others and showed capacity for leadership. 260 The counseling relationship was such that the boy brought his father to see the counselor. The counselor felt that the boy's descrip- tion of the father and his attitudes had been quite accurate. The counselor interpreted the boy's problems to the father, apparently with some success. Shortly, thereafter, the student accepted the idea of psychiatric referral. The counselor again saw the father who questioned the need for treatment. He agreed, however, and arranged for treatment in the home community. This was done because the end of the term was ap- proaching and contact with the college psychiatric service would be interrupted by the vacation. The father cooperated, moreover, in carrying out recommendations made for increasing the boy's feeling of security and for letting him learn to take reSponsibility. The psychiatrist felt that the boy's problems in his family rela- tionships in his childhood and the failure of the family to recognize these problems were the bases of the student's maladjustment. high school background. The student was rated as average in intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance. His was considered fairly high in seriousness of purpose. The rater added that the student's attitude toward school work had improved in the last year or two of high school. There is no indication that he was a behavior problem. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's measured scholastic aptitude was low average for Michigan State College L; freshmen. The "Q" scores, however, was average, while the "L" was below average. The student seemed to be slow in reading, and low average in 201 comprehension. host of his scores on the achievement test taken in a Counseling Clinic during the summer prior to admission were low. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student's only organized activities were football and tennis. he was also a member of the cas of the senior play. His activities in college were approximately the same throughout the first two years-~college dances and athletic events, ski club and sailing club. he had no part-time employment. Educational-vocational plans. The student's attitude toward college and his vocational plans were much affected bv his relationship to the father. In response to the Questionnaire the student said that it would have been better if he had not come to college until he had more "self- desire" to attend. It has already been noted that the father threatened to do nothing for him if he left or were forced to leave college. The father wished him to prepare to go into his busi ess. He agreed, how- ever, to the boy's majoring in agriculture as preparation for managing a farm which he had recently bought. Although none of the student's measured interests was high, neither scientific agriculture with its science and mathematics reguirements nor technical business administra- tion appeared apprOpriate to his interests. The student persisted in agriculture for eight terms although he had trouble with the griculture courses themselves as well as with mathe- matics and chemistry. his difficulty with chemistry Winter 1952 seems to have been the final straw which was needed for him to make a change. he decided then to prepare for business through an economics major. The counselor did not feel certain whether this was indicative of a better relationship between father and son or whether it was merely a con— cession by the student to his own interests and to his own limitation in ability in science. he still has a strong interest in the family farm and hepes to enjoy it, if only as a hobbv. The greater possibilities in business for large financial returns are a factor in his decision since he puts high value on material possessions. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student received C's in three of the comprehensive examinations in Basics even though he frequently had poor term grades. he repeated the examinations in the other two Basics and raised the grades to C. Thus, his honor point deficiency Fall 1951 was due to his accumulation of D's in mathematics, accounting, and courses in agriculture itself. Steps taken regarding academic probation. The student repeated no courses other than Basics until he was granted an extension of time Winter 1952. he reported, however, that he planned to repeat "D" courses the term of Final Warning but that his enrollment officer discouraged it. Until that term he had carried reduced course loads since the beginning of his sophomore year. He entered Reading Clinic during his freshman year upon recommenda- tion of his counselor but he did not complete it. That the student saw a counselor his first term on probation has already been recorded. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student's destructive methods of releasing his aggression created additional problems of social adjustment for him in college. His feelings of insecurity were so great, ‘Q ‘H Summary of academic record WW . . '- H.P. Gum Repeats B's Total Term D‘s F‘s Th9 -lO LW50 P -10 -13.5 1'50 CF -23.5 -3 E750 F730 SP -26.5 +10 1 'W'SI CP ~16.S -7.5 "STSI CP -2h -16 W51 "'— SP -30 +25 9-b2 lB-bo 7 l T51 m -15 0 3-r W52 53* FW2 ’15 1'6 3'1" O-r gt . P x0 -3 '— vw ** Courses required for major declared 8'52. x 9 credits of D deleted by Dean as not pertinent to new major. Deficiency of 9 thereby reduced to O. moreover, that he was badly confused. he was receptive to help, however, and the intensive psychiatric treatment during the late Spring and summer and the attempts by the family to improve relationships with the boy to 26h assist in his recovery seem to have resulted in some improvement by the time he returned to school in the fall. The student had only casual contacts with the counselor upon his return. Reports from the dormitory indicated marked improvement in his behavior. Followhup. Except for the first term of his SOphomore year the student's deficiency grew. he returned for the summer quarter at the end of his SOphomore year principally to repeat Basics as preparation for repetition of two comprehensive examinations. he gained 25 honor points in this manner. he was still deficient at the end of the term of extension granted by the Basic College. A deletion of nine credits of D in agricultural courses when he changed his major, however, made it possible for the student to enter the Upper School. he has had two D's in economics courses, but in both cases he has enrolled for the courses without having had the recommended prerequisites. As a result of these grades he was again deficient three honor points (125 credits, 2h? honor points) at the end of Spring 1952. Counselor judgment and summary. Test data indicated just low average scholastic aptitude, a probable reading handicap, and IOW’measured achievement in high school subject areas. If these scores were an accurate measurement, it would be assumed that an apprOpriate major, favorable conditions, and improvement in reading skills would be necessary for satisfactory achievement. The student's emotional problems, which not only affected his effectiveness in study but also his motivation to study, indeed, to be in college, made the conditions distinctly unfavor- able. 265 The counselor who worked with the student felt that his personal adjustment had improved greatly in the two years of college and that the Opportunity college provided for him to be away from home had been one of the major factors contributing to his improvement. The family relationships improved, but the demands upon the student were great. The counselor felt that unpredictive factors in his adjustment were so numerous as to make prOgnosis of college achievement impossible. Further- more, the student has selected a major which is by no means easy. Had he repeated the six credits of D in economics Spring 1952 he would have given himself an opportunity not only to gain honor points, but also to improve his background for future courses. Case 33 -- female; 5 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, 1 month high school rank: quartile 2, Class A school Preference at admission: Business Administration, Retailing Changes of preference: ho preference-—Spring 1950 Home Economics, helated Arts--Fall 1950 Psychometric data. ACE 2-l-l COOperative Reading 2-l-l-l Family data. The student's father, who is a college graduate, is an office manager. her mother is a high school graduate. An older brother is a graduate of Michigan State College. The student's family apparently took a great interest in the student's achievement. On one occasion the father came to the Counseling Center with the student to learn more about the implications of a change of preference. There was no evidence that unpleasant family pressure was being exerted upon the student. High school background. School officials did not use the rating form on the application blank. On the high school's rating form she was rated average or above in mental alertness. There was no indication of whether high school teachers believed that she had worked up to capacity. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. When measured read- ing skills are low, as they were in this case, it is difficult to esti- mate the student's actual capacity for college work. Freshman test scores were low. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student partici- pated only in the band. During college she has been active in no organi- zations, because, she has reported, she has had to concentrate her efforts on her academic work. She did serve on committees for Special events in the dormitory during her first two years. Although she would have liked to participate more, she felt that it was unwise to do so. Educational-vocational plans. Prior to her admission the student had decided that she wished to become a buyer of women's clothing. Her interest in art and clothing seems to have been the principal basis for this choice. A student may prepare for retailing at Michigan State College by taking a major in retailing under General Busin‘ss or home Economics. Prior to admission students frequently select one of these without sufficient knowledge of the course reguirements of the two curricula. This student entered with General Business, Retailing as her preference. She changed to the courses required for the Home Economics major her second term and followed that curriculum thereafter. Summary of and comment on academic record at M. S. C. The student‘s first year's work seemed consistent with her low freshman test scores. Beginning with Summer 1950, however, her record began to show improve- ment. This was the result, as will be seen, of careful planning by the student. By the end of Fall 1951 a 2.1 all-college average made her eligible for admission to Upper School. Ste 5 taken regarding academic status. Verr shortl after receivin p r _; 3 Y g notice of the academic probation which resulted from her first term's work, the student went to the Counseling Center She changed her major to no preference, although she had enrolled for home economics courses that term. The counselor recommended that the student carry a lighter course load and that she attend Reading Clinic. The student carried the lighter load the following term, but she did not register for reading Summary of academic record Repeats B's Total Term D's F's F”h9 ~12 ”W50 P ~12 —2 l S'SO CP -1h -9 H'SO 1 L’ CP -23 +6 6 FTSU . CP ~17 +9 9-b1 '1‘?! SI -8 +7 1 3'51 -1 -h ##751 ___I T! 51 FW -5 +19 9-bh lO-r 'W'SE 5+1}; +13 13-r 3'52 *T . +27 -1 2-I‘ clinic until the summer session. She again sought the assistance of a counselor in planning her summer enrollment as well as in planning for repeat of comprehensive examinations in the fall. Throughout her sepho- more year, the student did not see a counselor, but she continued to carry 209 light course loads and repeated one of the comprehensives. By Spring term she was deficient only one honor point. She then increased her course load and did not repeat the other comprehensive as she had planned. This term she lost honor points for the first time since her freshman year. Fall 1951 She again enrolled for 10 credits and planned to repeat the comprehensive examination as originally planned. She accepted the counselor's recommendation that she reduce her course load to allow more time for preparing for the comprehensive. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The counselor has described the student as an independent person who thinks things through for her- self and plans thoroughly and carefully. She accepts recommendations and is extremely COOperative in attempts to assist her without becoming dependent on another person. Her attitude throughout has been to put her academic work first and to do whatever was necessary to improve her status. There is no record of why heading Clinic was postponed, but it is possible that sections were closed. The student's increase of credits Spring 1951 and her failure to repeat the comprehensive examination as planned are quite understandable. Since she had improved from -23 to -l in the preceding terms, her Optimism regarding her achievement Spring 1951 is not surprising. When she was placed on Final Warning, she responded promptly to the Dean's letter and readily accepted the counselor's suggestion that she resume contact with her regular counselor. Follow—up. The student gained 19 honor points Fall 1951 by means of repetition of the comprehensive examination and ten credits of B. After her admission to the Upper School, the student increased her course load and also served as floor representative in her dormitory. She earned 13 credits of B in home Economics courses Winter 1952. The following term she increased her course load still more and took courses that probably were more difficult for her. In any case she received D's in a business administration course, a technical Speech course, and a physics laboratory. The grades were almost offset by superior grades in art courses. At the end of Spring 1952, the student had an all-college average of approximately 2.2 (lhO credits carried and earned with 306 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. It is unfortunate that only one measurement of the student's scholastic aptitude has been recorded hroughout her high school and college career. So-called objective evidence of her academic potentialities would not permit prediction of probable survival‘in college. Her rank in her high school graduating class, furthermore, would not increase confidence in the likelihood of success. her first year achievement was that which might have been predicted. The usual predictive devices were used. The student's ulti- mate achievement upset predictions, however. That she did so seems to have been due to her tremendous determination, her early recognition of her limitations, and her willingness to adjust her academic and extra- class activities to these limitations. That she knew how to make these adjustments may have been the result of her prompt use of campus re- sources such as the Counseling Center and her acceptance of recommenda- tions. She had, moreover, sufficient initiative to follow through on a 2 ll program of academic rehabilitation, even after she had interrupted regular contacts with the counselor. Light course loads, repetition of courses and comprehensive examinations, use of campus resources, and the expenditure of great personal effort at the expense of extra- curricular and social activities seem to have enabled the student to compensate for her apparent academic limitations. In her reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire, the student has stated that she has im- proved, but that she has to Work continually to continue to improve. With this drive she has survived in a curriculim in which many students with higher predicted achievement have failed or have withdrawn. Case 3h -- female; 7 honor points deficient Age at admission: 18 years, b months high school rank: second quartile, Class 5 school Preference at admission: Speech 2-2 3-1-2; 7-6-7-7 Fall 1951 Psychometric data: AGE 3- COOperative Reading 2- Strong Vocational Interest Blank-4Women Fall 1951 Social worker 3+ Lawyer A Life insurance saleswoma. A Office worker B+ Stenographer-secretary L Femininity-masculinity 55(standard score) Family'data. The student's parents completed tenth grade. The father is a "wholesale dealer" and the mother is employed as a secretary. The parents pay all of the student's college expenses. high school background. high school officials rated the student average in intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance and fairly high in seriousness of purpose. A Terman Group Test at the begin- ning of the tenth grade indicated an I. Q. of 103. A California Test of Mental Maturity administered in twelfth grade showed an I. Q. of 100, with a Language I. Q. of 110 and non-language of £2. heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. Freshman test scores indicated low measured aptitude and reading skills for college work. Scores on a reading test administered Fall 1951 were considerably higher. If allowance is made for marked improvement during two years of college, it is still possible that the original testing was not an accurate measure- ment. Extra—curricular activities. In high school the student was active in athletics and in glee club. She served on the staff of the school 273 publication and participated in numerous Speech contests. During the first two years of college the student held elective _offices in the dormitory and participated in the intra-mural Sports program. She also served on special service committees. During the "Final Warning" term her activities were limited to participation in a drama group, a requirement of her major. There is no indication that she participated to excess in organized activities. Educational-vocational plans. The student had no definite vocational plans, when she entered college. She selected Speech as a major because she liked it. During high school she had won awards in local and district Speech contests. Late in her SOphomore year She began to take the edu- cation and psychology courses required for the major in speech correction. She will thus be qualified to teach speech in high schools or to do Speech correction work. Thus, she has found a vocational application for an interest which developed in high school. Summary_pf and comments on academic record. D‘s in comprehensive examinations in three Basics were reSponsible for the student's academic deficiency. Although at least one term grade in each of these Basics had been C, the student repeated none of the examinations. Since the deficiency Fall 1951 was seven the successful repetition of only one would have prevented Final Warning, or if repetition were delayed until Fall 1951, would have made the student eligible for the Upper School. Steps taken regarding academic status. Reduction of credits carried TVinter 1950 was the only recorded attempt of the student to improve her academic status beyond the required repetition of the first term of Summary of academic record W‘Pfibfim . . '- H.P. mm: 1: Repeats B's A‘s Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's 'TW‘9 h -3 2-r 3—b 3-b ' 1 'Wrso -3 +3 3-r '5)3-D 0-D o -9 ' H750 J. F50 p -9 -9 2)3-D 640'; WEI CP -18 -5 h-r 6)3-D 6—b 3‘51 62-1; CP -23 +16 h U151 "" ‘” 1'51 FW -7 0 W‘SZ FWZ -7 +2 13 5-1“ 3 srsz “ . Uncl. -5 +2 lb 5-? 3 v N Course drOpped; no grade. BiOlOgiCal SCiGDCG WhiCh She failed. This was, moreover, the only term 8}“3 gained honor points until Spring 1951. During the other terms, in- Cluding that of Final Warning, the student carried slightly heavier than 7777? AK 4 IF"! .l. Ivy w Ifiollvar. luihu? | h . u u x . . a . . . . _ _ III! XIWiI" -.Il IV| .v . .. . . . h i- I c. C. s. . . . . . . a ~ . . . . ~ . m . u . . .u . -.. m . a u u . - .. ..v. . . M . . _ a t . 5... ; ...1 wt .....v I. ..-..IIII! 4‘ .I . o n . . _ .. _ L _ m . .r‘“ " Ar 275 average loads. She drOpped one course, however, Fall 1951. The student reSponded promptly to the Dean's letter Fall 1951 and readily accepted referral to the Counseling Center. Personal characteristics and attitudes. both in the Basic College interview and in reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire, the student ascribed her poor grades to lack of effort and concentration on her studies. For a year she was under considerable emotional stress because of a stormy courtship. Prior to Fall 1951 her engagement was broken. The student believed that she had made a satisfactory adjustment and that she was able to do full justice to her academic work. She felt that she could earn enough B's that term to remove the deficiency. She rejected, therefore, the suggestion that she decrease her course load in order to prepare to repeat one of the co.prehensive examinations. She drOpped a course, however, somewhat later. Follow-up. It has been reported that the student accepted referral to the Counseling Center, ostensibly to check on her reading skills. It was hoped too that establishing contact with a counselor might be helpful to her, if her problems were not worked out as completely as she stated. She did not discuss the problem further, however, and in re- Sponse to the questionnaire reiterated that it had been worked out satisfactorily. She indicated also that she had wished for someone to talk things over earlier. Since the student's grades Fall 1951 were C's, she did not remove the deficiency as she had planned. When she was granted extensions of I “time, she reduced her course loads but repeated no Basics. She gained 27s a few honor points each term, but she was still ineligible for the Upper School at the end of Spring 1952 (138 credits, 273 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. had the student's achievement, even in the Basics, not fluctuated so much, it might be assumed that her academic work had been in accordance with her measured scholastic apti- tude and reading skills. The reading scores of Fall 1951 may indicate that the original test scores may have been somewhat lower than the student's actual potential. The inconsistency also makes it difficult to accept the obvious, and the student's own, diagnosis that emotional disturbances made it difficult for her to concentrate on her studies. and that this was the cause of her academic deficiency. In view of her interest in speech, it is not surprising that she received good grades in it, even under unfavorable circumstances. At the same time, however, that she was receiving D's in some basics she was earning C's in others and in literature courses which demand large amounts of reading. If the student‘s explanation is sound, one can only judge that she did prepare for courses in which she had a strong interest and neglected those in which she lacked interest sufficient to hold her attention when she was unhappy. Perhaps it is more likely that other factors were involved which were not brought out in the limited contacts with the student. The student's confidence that she would earn enough B's Fall 1951 to remove her deficiency and her failure to insure gaining honor points 91inter 1952 by repeating a Basic or two seem to indicate that the stu- dent tends to overestimate her academic capacities. Case 35 -- female; 6 honor points deficient Age at admission: 17 years, 10 months high school rank: second quartile in a Class D school Preference at admission: Speecn Changes of preference: no preference--Winter 1951 Art--Spring 1951 Psychometric data. ACE 1-5-3 Cooperative Reading h-3-3-3 Occupational Interest Inventory(Lee-Thorpe) Winter 1951 Personal-social DO hatural {)0 Mechanical 9 Business 10 Artistic 90 Scientific 3O Verbal 3O hanipulative oO Computational 10 Level 90 Family data. The student's father, who is a college graduate, is secretary-treasurer of a manufacturing concern in a small Michigan city. her mother attended Michigan State College for one year. Other relatives have been graduated from Michigan State College. The mother is very anxious that the student should select a definite vocational Objective and prepare for it in college. The student, however, is interested only in a general education. Apparently the family pressure is strong, however, since the student has begun to take education courses, although she has expressed a lack of interest in teaching. high school background. The student was considered average in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and fairly liigh in seriousness of purpose. 27C? ueasured aptitudes and skills for college work. The ACE indicated that the student was average in the linguistic area, but her total score was lowered by a very low "Q" score. Reading skills, moreover, appeared to be at a considerably lower level than the "L" score. These, then, were potential sources of difficulty. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student participated in class plays, in musical groups, and in athletics. In college her only organized activities have been a dance group and a church related organization. She has also attended the lecture-concert series freQuently. She has had no part-time employment. Educational-vocational plans. The student's educational-vocational plans have not been at all stable. mien she made application to M. S. C., she stated dramatics and radio as her preferred major and a career in dancing and dramatics as her goal. During the summer prior to her entrance, however, she requested that her preference be changed to home Eonomics, with a major in textiles and clothing in order that she might become a dress designer. Through a clerical error, however, the change was not made. The student was enrolled by an enrollment officer in speech until Winter 1951. Throughout the first year, therefore, sne was enrolled in Basics and foreign language. why the error was not reported has not been explained in the notes. In any case, the student did not enroll for courses in textiles and clothing until fall term of her SOphomore year. When She learned of the reQuirements of home Economics, liowever, she decided against that major and changed to "no preference". .She still desired to become a dress designer, she felt, and wished to 279 attend a professional school of dress design. her parents, however, believed that she should attend college for four years. After remaining in "no preference" for one term and without having taken any art courses, she changed to a preference in art. This would.permit her to take not only courses in art, but also in clothing and textiles and in the liberal arts in which she was interested. At the time of the Basic College interview (Fall 1951), the student was in her second term as an art major. She had received an A in her first formal art course (art had not been offered in her small high school). She liked the art courses very much and the fact that this major allowed her to take so many electives. She was really interested in a general education. her parents, however, felt that she should have some vocational preparation. Her mother suggested the teaching of art, but the student disliked the education course she was taking and she stated, she had no interest in teaching. She felt that she had not yet had enough training in art to know whether she had sufficient talent to go into art or a related field professionally. Summary of and comments on academic record. This student had no grade below C after the freshman year, yet her poor work the first year resulted in probationary status throughout the Basic College period. her unsuccessful attempt to raise a D in the Written and Spoken English comprehensive examination by repeating the examination was her only attempt to improve her academic standing by repetition of courses. her ‘ultimate removal of a deficiency of 26 honor points was achieved by the gradual accumulation of honor points from better than average grades in Summary of academic record Tam rim. I‘D! o Sfl-IUS “9?. m Repeats B's Total Term” D's F's T149 -7 l 'W' 50 -7 +1 1 I We ab; -6 ~20 } h'50 l FTBU ! - SP -26 +3 3 {97‘ ‘51 * 6-b SP -23 +9 O-bl 3 L S. 51 3-8fi 1 CP -lb. +8 1 i 11751 ' T51 FW -6 ‘ +3 3-P 'WTS2 aw, - 3 +9 S-r 3'52 . F +6 +0 "new" courses. A second extension of time in Basic College was necessary before this was accomplished at the end of Winter 1952. teps taken regardinv academic status. The student visited the CCNinseling Center during Fall 1950 when she was on strict academic proeation. 2&1 She had Sporadic contacts with the counselor throughout the year. Repetition of comprehensive examinations to raise the grade was recom- mended. The student repeated t1 ’4 e written and Spoken English examination, but the grade was again a D. The counselor also pointed out that the student's reading skills might be improved by enrolling in the heading Clinic. She did not carry out her stated intention of enrolling in the clinic, however. Much of the counseling time was devoted to assist- ing the student to explore her interests and aptitudes. Tests were also set up, but the student had not completed them when she changed her major to art. ‘ Personal characteristics and attitudes. There is little evidence in counselor's case notes that the student ever worked very hard at finding a vocational goal. She came from an economically privileged home and her parents expected her to attend college. The student's choices of major and stated vocational goals changed frequently and were in fields requiring Special talent. 'When the choices were made, the student had had little Opportunity to explore her aptitudes for these fields. made on such a basis, the choices seemed to have been based on interests which may well have been immature. The lack of a vocational goal does not seem to disturb this student. She is interested, she has stated, in a general education. It is probably the mother's concern with a vocational goal which forces her to give it some consideration. Follow—up. The student completed her third year of college with 1H1 credits and 29h honor points (2.065). The student has reported in :response to the follow-up questionnaire that she enjoyed her courses 2C2 much more during the SOphomore and junior years and studied more than she had previously. ‘She had begun to carry education courses which may represent a concession to the family's concern that she have a vocational goal . Counselor juhgpent and summary. It was unfortunate that, as a re- sult of a clerical error, in the freshman year the student took no courses which were related to the field in which she, at least, thought she was interested. It is not known whether the student was so naive that she did not realize she was being enrolled in the wrong school, or whether she was so uncertain of what she wanted that it did not seem to matter. The student achieved satisfactorily after the freshman year. The student has stated that she was not interested in most of her fresh- man courses and did not work as hard as she did later. This is perhaps verified by the fact that she did her best work in the dasic, Literature and the Fine Arts, an area in which she has shown continued interest. Her achievement the freshman year also may have been affected by poor reading skills. The impression from the case notes and the interview is of a rather immature youngster from a economically and educationally favored home who had been brought up with the idea of attending college. Her lack of interest in a vocational goal may be related to the high economic level of the home. The change from a very small school to a large institution may have been difficult. and may have contributed to her academic problems of the first year, although at no time has the student stated that this was a problem. Actually her achievement after the freshman year appears to have been at, or above, the level of her measured capacity. Case 3o -- female; 13 honor points deficient Age at admission: lb years, 2 months high school rank: first quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: Elementary Education Psychometric data. ACE S— —33 .3- -b—S Fall 1951 COOperative heading h- h- * 3t- -5-9-S Fall 1951 Family data. The student's mother completed one year of college. The father, who is a college graduate, is partner in a dairy business. The student's sister attended Michigan State College. high school background. The student was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose. A nenmon—helson adminis ed in the tenth grade indicated an I. Q. of 10h. her high school average was B. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Freshman test scores did not indicate strong potentialities for college work. The student's reading Speed was low average, but the comprehension score was average. That the measured reading speed was actually low is verified by the fact that after two years of college, the student's reading speed was just average for M. S. C. freshmen. The large differ- ence between the two "L" scores, however, raises some question regarding the accuracy of the score in the freshman year. Extra-curricular activities. During high school the student participated in athletics and in music organizations. She was a homo- room chairman and held a homeroom office. During the first year in college she participated in no organized activities and did not attend college Sponsored events. During the SOphomore year she belonged to an organization of students from her state 2th and worked as a salesgirl for a campus publication. When she was on Final Warning, she gave up these activities, although neither of them demanded a great deal of time. Since the student had no part-time employment there is little evidence that participation in regular extra- curricular activities was responsible for her academic difficulties. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with the intention of majoring in Elementary Education in order that she might teach. While she was in high school She served as a teacher's aide. She has had no grade below C in courses required for the major. She is confident in her choice. Summary of and comments on academic record. A though the student lost 10 honor points the last term of her freshman year, she had suf- ficient surplus honor points to prevent her being placed on probation. her greatest losses Were on two comprehensive examinations, in both of which she had done satisfactory work during the terms. ther credits were lost in psycholOgy, sociology, and a literature course. She did her best work of the first two years the one term she was on probation. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student repeated neither of the comprehensives in which she had a grade of D and none of her "D“ courses. She carried a normal course load each term. She went to the Counseling Center Winter 1951 when she was placed on probation. mhe possibility of repeating courses or comprehensive examinations was presented at that time, but the student did not wish to do so. She was hOpeful that a B in Literature and Fine Arts would make a repeat un- necessary. She planned to see the counselor again after She knew the Summary of academic record 'TEmI—‘PRU‘. m. . 7. mam . . r: Repeats B's A's Comps. Total Term D's F's Th9 +1 h 3-b 'Wrso +1 +3 3-b “F ' W 1) 3-c 3-‘r: +24 -10 1 505-1) 2 mm f 1 Frso ; +6 -3 3‘? 3-d . 1 b 'W' 51 * 3-r 1 P -9 +7 1 S'Sl ' -2 -ll 2-r 2 6)6-D 6 3-4 D'Sl ‘ fi" 7'51 FW —13 +8 6 5 3 W52 FW2 -5 +15 9-I‘ 6.1?” 3'52 . P +10 +27 1 S-r 22-r' outcome of her examinations. She did not renew contact, however, until she was referred from the Basic College Fall 1951. At that time the student took check lists which indicated that she could probably profit from Reading Clinic. She had expressed the Opinion during the basic c . , r .. . a . . _ A . . ... - I , . . . . .. _ . . ‘ r ‘ V ‘ > I _. m . l . . . College interview that she Was a very slow reader. When it was sug- gested, however, that she enroll for heading Clinic the following term, she was reluctant to do so. A follow-up indicates that she did not enroll in Reading Clinic despite her own Opinion that she was handi- capped by lack of readin: Speed. Personal characteristics and attitudes. In some cases the student's failure to follow the envious way of making up a deficiency seems to have stemmed from a rather strong hostility which apparently arose from a misunderstanding. her unwillingness to repeat a comprelensive exami- nation seemed to be related to her feeling that the course was in con- flict with her own beliefs. Once she was through with it, she did not wish to go back to it. her reluctance to enroll in Reading Clinic may have been associated with her annoyance at having been reguired, through an error, to enroll in another clinic, even though she was soon released when the error was discovered. That this had irked her greatly, and perhaps alarmed her, was evident from the fact that she devoted con- siderable Space to it in her response to the follow-up Questionnaire. It may be that there was more basis for the student's attitudes in these two areas than is apparent. The student's feelings seem to have been rather strong in both cases. Follow-up. At the end of Winter 1952 the student became eligible for the Upper School. With the exception of repeating one "F" course, the deficiency was made up entirely by gains on new courses. Spring 1952 the student carried her heaviest course load and her achievement was the highest of the three years. her all-college average was slightly above 2.2 (lh2 credits, 321 honor points). 5* 37;? -..; _. - ' , .vt', 2:17 Counselor judgment and summary. The student was on probation only one term, Winter l9jl, prior to Final Warning. her choice of major eems to be apprOpriate in terms of her strong stated interest and her satisfactory achievement in required courses. Her academic difficulties were in Basics in the social science area, non-basic social science courses, and courses in literature. All of these demand extensive reading. It seems likely, then, that the Stu- dent's deficiency, measured and stated, in reading Speed contributed to her poor grades in these courses. The student's attitude toward certain of these courses appears to have affected the amount of effort she expended. Probably both her slowness in reading and her attitude were reSponsiole for her failure to complete assignments. In her reSponse to the questionnaire the student has said that she believed she was working very hard, but in retrospect it seemsto her that she had not put forth too much effort. These factors then, limited reading skills, somewhat rigid and negative attitudes toward certain courses, and, in the student's gudg- ment, insufficient study.seem to have been reSponsiele for much of her difficulty. Furthermore, it may be observed that, although she worked with a counselor on her academic problems, she did not carry out any of the methods planned for improving her status, reduction of course load, repetition of a course or a comprehensive, or enrollment in heading Clinic. Case 37 -- female; 23 honor points deficient Age at entrance: lo Qears, 7 months high school rank: second quartile, out-of-soate school Preference at admissioa: no preference ’\ Change 01 preference: home economics—-Hinter 19:1 Psychometric data. ACE 5-3-h Cooperative heading 2-l-l-l Family data. doth of the student's parents had one year of school- ing oeyond high scnool. The father is manager of one of a chain of stores. The mother works as a bookkeeper. The student felt that her family had been very indulgent. She said that she was Spoiled and that she could usually win her parents over to her point of view. The stu- dent paid part of her expenses from savings from summer 3003. high school background. The student was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance and hirh in seriousness of purpose. A Henmon—helson administered in the seventh grade inticated an I. Q. of llO. The principal comma ted that her grade average had improved from a C in tenth grade to a 3‘ in the senior year. heasured aptitides and skills for colleie work. Although the stu- dcnt's "a" score was average, her "L" score was below average. her reading skills were very low. In the basic College interview, the 1 student said these scores were not an accurate picture Oi her aoility. She had just marked answers, because other students told her the tests were unimportant. Although the student said that she would like to take check tests, she did not do so. thra-curricular activities. In high school the stu ent was a member of the Girls' Athletic Association, Y-Teens, and Photo Cl C. 2L9 thhough she intended to participate in intra-mural Sports in college, her only activities were atterdance at football games, concerts, and dances. She reported in the interviews that she did a great deal of dating and just "socializing". yiucational-vocational plans. During one summer wiile she was in high school the student workec as a saleSperson in a department store. The student stated her intention of preparing for the field of retailing. She entered college, however, as no .reference, and during the first four terms of college vaCillated between courses in business and courses in home economics. Both Business Administration and Home Economics offer majors in retailing. The student chose Home Economics after this period of exploration. For a time she considered dietetics as a major, but she soon returned to her original goal of retailing. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student received six credits of D during the first two terms in courses not reguired for her major. She did not repeat these, and this deficiency torether with a grade of D in at least one Basic each term was sufficient to keep her continually on probation from the end of her second term of college. A D in physics and an F in chemistry were her only poor grades in courses required for her major prior to Fall 1951. Despite several D's in Basics, she received only one D in a comprehensive examination. Steps taken regarding academic status. The studen repeated no courses or comprehensive examinations, nor did she take any other steps' to improve her academic status. Summary of academic record “umnmr'Inuxr H.P.‘G£INE5A‘ Comps. Repeats B's D's F‘s ‘F7E9 WW'SO '3150 is? h'50 F'SU CP h)6-c '1W‘5I 1. ' CP ‘3?51 CP 3 o)3-o D'Sl CP '1fi352 Personal characteristics and attitudes, The student made no reSponse to attempts to contact her the term of “Final Warning" until the W'ek before examinations. She said that until she had been away from college for the Thanksgiving holidays, she had thought she didn't want to come back to .ollege. v . . . . . . .. . r . . .I . . . . u . . . . . . . . . . . . . I ....a . . .. . . .. u . . . - I I . . . . . . p — . .. _ . _ _ . _ _ . . . n n I . . i p . ‘ I u I In! 0 - I l I . - lo. I. l I ‘ .. \l 'rI. I I II . . . . _ u a . . _ m . . . . . n a . o - I u u u . . . u u . . .. . . .. 2.....- . . . -.....o . . .. . . .. I u . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . I I ll . n u . . . .. . . 9 .... . . ... n . . .. .1 .... . In. . . .. .. .. .. . . . . . x . . . . . . n u . . . . . _ . . . . n . _ . . . v I . . . .. . _ .. . . . . . .... I . II .0 . .. I. I. .. . . . _ . . .. . . a . _ . . . . . . . I I V c I I. I I . | ~ . O . . . . . _ I . . .V . a I u . . . . . . . .. ... .. u. . .. I . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . L .I . u. . . .. u v I . . . . a . . . . . . _ . . ~ . . . . . . o n . l . . . . n . u . . . . 2 . n n v to . . _ . _ _ _ . - . a . 291 During the first two years of college she had "run around with the wrong gang." host of them were on probation and didn't bother to study. he had been easily led, she felt, into their pattern of behavior. ood resolutions. She She had returned to college that fall, full of g had carried only 12 credits and was determined to study. During much of the term she had missed her old companions. hot until recent weeks had she made new friends, That, she believed, was her reason for not ‘ caring. If it weren't too late, she honed sle might be given another 5. chance. When she was given an extension. by sasic College officials, it was recommended that she carry all "repeat" courses as her only hOpe of removing the large deficiency of honor points. She did so. When the student came in during registration, she said that she had decided to change to business Administration for retailing. The c unselor suggested that she check on her aptitudes for the specialized courses in that field. She said that she would like to do so. The counselor did not hear from the student again while she was in college. Three messages to call were left with the householder. (The student had moved into a private home with the stated purpose of devoting more time to her studies.) A letter also was sent to no avail. Follow-up. On 10 credits of "repeat" courses the student lpgt one honor point Winter 1952. She was requested to withdraw from college. The student reSponded to the follow-up questionnaire immediately and included a letter. She had taken a job as saleSperson in a large department store She was enjoying the work and was very eager to get into the training program for buyers. She planned to take appropriate R) \f.) l\) courses in a city university to demonstrate to her employers that she was capable of doing the work. She apolOgiZed for her failure to reply to my calls, saying that she regretted it very much. In the questionnaire she reiterated her statement of Fall 1951 that her difficulty had been "running around with the wrong crowd of fellows and girls," Counselor judgment and summary. Although there was only the one interview with the student, she expressed her attitudes rather freely. There was little Opportunity, If it is accepted that her behavior during the first two years was that of an immature, "spoiled child", as she described herself, who was "easily led" by the wrong kind of companions, supposedly she had made new friends and was genuinely eager to make an academic recovery. her failure to carry out her plans and to continue contact with the coun- selor may have been the result of discouragement or of failure to keep her good resolutions. her letter implied that it had been the latter. The student stated, it has been reported, that she made no effort on the freshman tests and that the scores did not represent her academic capacity accurately. If she studied as little as she has indicated, this seems possible since she had satisfactory grades in most of the basics and in other courses as well. however, to learn the bases of the attitudes . CHAPILK VII THE CASE STUDIQS: CASES THIRTY-EIGHT TthUdH FIETI-ONE Cases thirty-eight through fifty-on are those of students whose ACd total score fell in deciles four through ten and who were in the second quartile of their high school class. Cases thirty-eight through forty-six are men. Cases forty-seven through fifty-one are women. Case 36 -- male, non-veteran; ll honor points deficient Age at entrance: 1? years high school rank: second quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: no preference Change of preference: Business Administration-—Spring 19:0 Rsychometric data. ACE 7-h—5 Cooperative Reading S-S-b-b California Test of Mental Maturity Fall l9h9 Language I. Q. 10h Non-language I. R. 120 Total I. Q. 110 Bernreuter Personality Inventory Fall 19h? 51h A well balanced emotionally B28 31 tends not to be self-sufficient BBI l extroverted 540 61 average in dominance Strong Vocational Interest Blank Fall l9h9 Group VIII iccountant 5+ Office man d+ Purchasing agent A Group IX Sales manager 8+ Interest maturity 53 (standard score) Occupational level 52 Masculinity-femininity St Family data. Both parents are college graduates. The father owns and Operates a restaurant. The student lives at home. There was no evidence of dissatisfaction with this arrangement on the part of the student. The student has worked in the restaurant since junior high school and pays all of his college expenses. It is not known whether this is because of financial necessity, because it is expected of him by the family, or because he wishes to make his own way. High school background. The high school principal rated the stu- dent as fairly high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual per- formance, and seriousness of purpose. A Henmon helson administered in the junior year indicated an I. Q. of 109. His high school rank should be considered in light of his working 25 hours per week while attending high school. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's ‘5 measured scholastic aptitude was average with some variability between "Q" and "L" in favor of the former. His reading scores indicated no reading deficiency Extra-curricular activities. Throughout high school the student worked at least 25 hours per week in his father's restaurant. He was working at the time most high school activities were going on. The student is paying all his college eXpenses from funds he earns by working in the restaurant a minimum of four hours per day. He re- ported that during the first two years of college he-had usually worked an average of six to eight hours per day and had done much of his studying late at night. Obviously then, his other extra-curricular actiVities have been limited. In the freshman year he participated in none. In the SOphomore year he joined the Ski Club and a business fraternity. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college as a "no preference" student. During the first two terms he enrolled for courses in mathematics and English, which he had stated on his applica- tion were his preferred subjects in high school. In the meantime, he had taken an interest inventory which showed his interests to be similar to those of men working in business and sales. Spring term he enrolled for the first time in courses required for business Administration. Although he has remained in that preference, the student is uncertain of his vocational plans. Beginning in junior high school, the student has worked part-time in his father's restaurant. In Fall 1991 the student made the statement that restaurant work was the only field he knew and he was sure he didn't want to make it his life work. Summary of and comments on academic record. Despite a heavy load of part-time employment, the student carried a full academic load all terms except two. Those two terms, moreover, are the only ones in the first two years during Which the student earned a term average of C. The student lost honor points by receiving D's in two comprehensive examinations. He lost almost as many honor points in statistics courses and in two.other courses required for his major. That these losses were not due to lack of ability seems evident since he earned A on one of these courses, when he repeated it. Furthermore, he earned B's in economics courses which are more difficult for most students than these more elementary courses. Summary of academic record M. m . . H.P. mm ‘ Repeats B's Total Term D's F's W9 ‘ -S.5 W50 3_b -9.5 +0 3 1 .3'50 +.S ~15 . h'SO FTBU P -lh.5 +8.5 9-r .2.5 W51 -6 -6 S‘SI ' 3-r P -12 -2 1 h'Sl CP -1u +3 3-r '3" 51 * 7-r FM ‘ ~11 +10 3 W'SZ “[2 -1 +3 3'1‘ 3'52 . P +2 0 3 %* Courses required for ultimate major taken while "no preference". Steps taken regardinggacademic status. During his second term in college the student enrolled for a course in methods of study. The student repeated neither of the comprehensive examinations in which his grades were D‘s. 'When he was placed on probation for the first time in Fall 1950 he reduced his course load and repeated three credits of D. is a result of that term's work he was removed from probation. That same term he conferred with a counselor regarding both his vocational and academic problems. The following term he enrolled in heading Clinic. When he had been placed on Final Warning, he reSponded promptly to the Dean‘s letter. he decreased the numoer of hours of part-time employment, but he carried a full load of new courses. he reSponded readily to the suggestion that it might be helpful to establish contact with a new counselor since his former counselor had left the institu- tion and referral was made. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student expressed the feeling that he had not taken college work seriously enough. He felt that he had been inclined to neglect his school work for his joo. The job was essential financially, but he believed he could have made better use of the time he had. On the other hand, the student showed concern for his academic work, when he enrolled for a course in methods of study and in Reading Clinic to increase his efficiency. Follow-up. With the exception of the gain he made by earning an A on the repetition of a three credit "L" course, the student made up his 1h.5 honor point deficiency by earning B's in new courses, prin— cipally in his major field. He has received one D since Spring 1951. he entered the Upper School after an extension of one term with a margin of only 2 honor points. At the end of Spring 1952 he had earned lhh credits with 293 honor points (2.0+). 1‘ l\) \O C“) Counselor judgment and summary. This student Of at least average ability for college work seems to have undertaken more than he could adequately manage during the first two years Of college. In a major with relatively difficult course requirements he carried in most terms a full course load and a minimum Of 32 hours Of employment per week. Additional time was consumed in commuting since the student lived at home several miles distant. In the student's own Opinion, he did not, at first, make Optimum use Of the time he did have available. Since the student is paying his own college expenses, the necessity Of work is Obvious. his desire tO carry a full course load and his reluctance to take time to repeat courses is understandable. By doing so, however, the student ran the risk Of becoming ineligible to continue in college. In the third year with slightly decreased course loads, with a somewhat lighter work schedule, and With, in his own judgment, more effective use Of his free time, the student has received no less than a C average in any term. Although the student has been uncertain regarding his vocational goal, this uncertainty seems not to have greatly affected the motivation which brought him to col age with the knowledge that he would have to work tO pay his expenses. It was probably such motivation that took him to Reading Clinic and a course in study methods tO attempt to learn tO make more efficient use Of his limited time. [\3 \(J \0 Case 39 -- male, non-veteran; h honor points deficient Age at entrance: lb years, h months high school rank: second quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: hotel Administration Psychometric data. ACE 3‘5‘5 Cooperative Reading 6—3-6-: Family data. both parents are high school graduates. The father is a store manager for a national chain of retail stores. The student hOpes to work for this same firm after his graduation from college. high school background. The student was graduated from a small city high school outside the state of hichigan. high school officials considered him average in intellectual capacity, fairly high in actual intellectual performance, and high in seriousness of purpose. A report of an undated Pintner Verbal test indicated an I. Q. of 105. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. ACE scores indi- t‘ ". cated at least averawe "college aptitude". Although his Speed of read- ing seemed to be somewhat slow, his subsequent academic difficulties were not in areas in which reading Speed plays a major role. Extra-curricular activities; DeSpite 20 hours per week devoted to employment the student was active in intra-mural Sports in high school as well as being a member of the track team, publications staff, and student council. he continued participation in intra-mural Sports from his first term in college and attended Spectator Sports and the lecture-concert series throughout his college career. he has also been an active member of the MSC Hotel Association. Fall 1951 he became a member of the "dorm council" and increased his social activities. hot n I " ' 1 ' ' ‘ ' ‘ 1 1 a , .1- ,v. i .. ‘ _ ', i .- ‘. -. -" - ‘ -9— (1" ,3 “v- \ - (x r —u,‘ ‘~ {3 ~4 _ ‘ :,,4. I .A I». In v 1 I5 ’1‘»: until wUuu telfl did he Adv; Uuib Linc a his Ash” at the all e, 300 to gain additional practical experience. he began then to work 22 hours per week. With his extra-curricular prOgram considerably in- creased and his course load only slightly decreased this student had his most successful term academically. hducational-vocational#plans. During the high school years the student had worked 20 hours per week as a busboy in a restaurant. Through this experience he learned much about restaurant work, and his employer talked to him frequently about the advantages of that field. Because his father is a store manager for a national chain of stores, the student believed he would have an opportunity for employment in food service for this chain. At no time has he considered any other field. he came to £30 because of its course in hotel adminisuration. That he had difficulty with and disliked some of the preliminary courses required for hotel administration did not change his decision. Summary of and comments on academic record. (hefer to the follow- ing page for the summary.) Except for a D in one comprehensive exami- nation, the student's grades of D and F were principally in chemistry and mathematics, courses prerequisite to his proposed major, hotel Ad- ministration. In the major courses themselves he earned B's. Although he repeated the two courses in which he received F's, he made up his honor point deficiency primarily by earning better than average grades in new courses. At the end of Fall 1951 he was admitted to hotel Admin- istration with slightly better than a C (2.00) average. Steps taken regarding academic status. at no time did the student reduce his course load or repeat a course in which his grade was D. .- ...- 301 Summary of academic record Ina! 11m. 1101. snoIUS HOP. m D O ‘ Repeats B's A's Comps. D's Total Term D's F's 'F7h9 +2 3-r 2 3-r 'W' 50 3-‘0 +2 -10 3-r 3-r i 1 3'50 -5 +9 3:b _ 3:r £750 - J FrBU 3—b! +1 -12 >1 5.r u-ru ‘W'SI‘ ’ ' P -11 +3 o-r 3-r 5751 3_P -5 +u l 6-r 3)3-D 3‘0 h‘51 * - 1'51 3_b FW -h +12 9-r w'52 Bib +8 +9 3-r 3'52 . £17 +7 3—r h-r The student made no use of the Counseling Center or other clinical services during his first two years. he explained his failure to reSpond to invi- tations to consult a counselor by saying that he had sought assistance on one occasion from a faculty member and had merely been told to study harder. is a reS* t of this experience, he stated, he concluded that seeking assistance from others regarding his academic problems was not a profitable use of time. he resoonded to the counselor at the basic College only after a personal phone call. Personal characteristics and attitudes. host of this student's honor point loss resulted from poor grades in 9 credits of chemistry and 9 credits of physical science. This difficulty he ascribed partly to lack of background in this area in high scnool and partly to his intense dislike of these subjects. That chemistry was required for his major offered no incentive since neithe~ at the time nor now can he see any good reason for chemistry being reguired. he did not, t v-V" 1erefore, devote the extra time he now feels was needed for these difficult courses. This student was in a college of his choice and upon his own volition. he was working toward a vocational goal in which he was in- tensely interested. he was paying all his college expenses from sav- ings from high school and summer employment. After initial period of homesickness he was enjoying college activities and experiences. hot until the "Final Warning" term, however, Were his grades all C's or better. This status" put the pressure on" him, as the student stated. his academic situation had never before been a source of concern. had, to be sure, been deficient in honor points at times but only once (Winter 1951) had the deficiency been great enough to cause him to be placed on probation. "Final warning", as he put it, brought pressure from the institution, from the family, and from the draft board. For 303 the first time according to his own judgment the student made good use of his time. he apportioned his time to organized extra-curricular and social activities, to his campus job and to study. In the student's opinion the possibility of dismissal from school with the likelihood of being drafted soon after dismissal was the major factor in his "getting down to business". Follow-up. Twelve credits of B Fall 1951 permitted the student to enter the Upper School with a comfortable margin of honor points. By the end of Spring 1952 his all college point average was about 2.16 (1h? credits carried and earned, 322 honor points). by carrying a normal load successfully he should be eligible for graduation with his class. Counselorgjudgment and Simmary. Since the basic College interview was the only personal contact between the student and a counselor, the diagnosis must of necessity be done in retrospect and is based largely on the student's own analysis of the sources of his difficulties. He did, for the most part, the average or better work that might have been predicted on the basis of his ACE scores. In clemistry and the basic, Physical Science, however, he had principally F's and D's. his records erify that he had no science except biology in high school. Furthermore, his Q score on the ACd probably indicates less aptitude for these sub- ject areas. Because of his negative attitude toward these courses, the student's tendency was to expend a minimum of effort on them. ”here is no indication from the student's redord of extra-curricular activities and employment that lack of time was a problem. his own interpretation that failure to make effective use of his time was responsible seems 3054 more likely. The student had a definite goal in which he felt a strong interest, but apparently lacked sufficient maturity to expend the addi- tional effort needed in prerequisite courses for which he could see no good reason. It seems that the external motivation provided by Final Warning with its accompanying pressures was mainly reSponsible for his marked improvement. The fact that he had completed the prerequisite courses against which he rebelled and was taking courses which he liked and whose relationship to his objective was clear nay also have contrib- uted heavily to his more effective use of time The student himself felt that it was the former. Case to -- male, non-veteran; 17 honor points deficient Age at admission: It years, 1 month high school rank: second quartile, out-of-state school Preference at admission: hotel Administration PSychometric data. ACE 3-9.5 COOperative heading 9-5-9-b Family data. both parents completed eighth grade. The father is an inepector. high school officials indicated that the expense of college was likely to present financial problems. The parents were able to givcathe boy some financial help, however. hish school background. The student was rated fairly high in intel- lectual capacity, but only average in intellectual performance. A Ternan administered in eighth grade indicated an I. e. of 115; an Otis in the twelfth grade an I. Q. of 110. his seriousness of purpose was considered high. ho comment was made on his rated underachievement. heasured aptituCe and skills for collece work. The student was at least average in scholastic aptitude and in Speed of reading. His level of reading comprehension was high. The low "q" score on the ACA, however, was not favorable to his choice of major, hotel Administration, with its requirements in science, mathematics, and accounting. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in football baseball, and track in high school. he was very active in musical orwanizations, band, orchestra, dance band, and glee club, and was out- standing in school plays. He was a member of student council and of youth organizations outside the school. A high school official reported that he was liked and that his opinion was reSpectcd by groups of which ‘ he was a member. In addition to these activities, he worked twelve hours a week as a stockboy. The student's in erest in dramatics continued and he was a member of Studio Theatre during the first two years of college. he attended concerts and athletic events frequently. According to his own statement he devoted far too much time to "college life" during the first two years. Although he was to a large extent self—supporting, he had no part-time employment during the school year. Educational-vocational plans. The student selected Michigan State College because it offered Hotel Administration. He disliked many of the required courses, and did poor work in them. This did not cause hhn to change his plans, however, and he persisted in the major. his vo- cational interest was confirmed by part-time work at the college hotel during the term of Final Warning. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student received three C's and one B in comprehensive examinations in the basics. his term grades were usually C. He had 13 credits of F and 19 credits of D in chemistry, accounting, economics, and foods courses required for his major. DeSpite this he did not consider a change of major. He was re- quested to withdraw because of eXCGSSive absences and poor grades after Winter 1951, out he was reinstated. he repeated the 10 credits of "F" courses the following term and gained honor points. V\ Steps taken regarding academin status. The student repeated no "u" courses and carried a full. or even a heavy load each tarm. Except for the last term of his freshman year and of his SOphomore year he consistently Summary of academic record Wm ' “11.19. MINE!) ' Repeats B's Total D's F's Th9 1.5- Two -1.5 A f "S 50 3_b T2,; 1.5 D'SO FTSU' +7 ‘W‘SI P -9 O-r WI 4 _ v ySP -3o.S 131: 31f 1'5 3'51 'FISl FW -17 -b-r 1Nr52 Requested w w v W y Reinstated after having been requested to withdraw. lost honor points, out he was not placed on probation until the winter term of the SOphomore year. This did not serve as a motivating force, however, since his term of probation was marked by excessive cutting and extremely poor grades. The student made no use of the Counseling Center or other Special services during the first two years. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student made no re- sponse to the Dean's letter Fall 1951. he did make and keep an appoint- ment as a result of a phone call from the counselor. He had not replied to the Dean's letter, he said, because he had returned to college full of enthusiasm and determined to "settle down" and achieve a really good record. he had not carried out his intentions for long, however. he had done the same thing several times before, he reported. Each time as soon as his grades improved, he "let up". he wanted to continue in school and knew he had to study, but just did not do it. Instead he Spent his time in social and extra-curricular activities and often cut classes.- Why he did it, he did not know. The term of final warning he was further disturbed by the culmination of serious problems in his relationship with a girl he wished to marry. She lived out of town and the situation necessitated, he felt, going to see her frequently, even at the expense of his attendance in classes. The student was obviously disturbed both over his inability to account for his own behavior as well as by his immediate problems. he welcomed the idea of making use of counseling and was referred. The student kept the appointment with the counselor and an apparently satisfactory relationship was established. Yet, this was his only contact. he made other appointments with the counselor, but canceled them each time because, he explained to the counselor when he made the cancellations, he found it necessary to leave town. ‘ 4v. l‘ ..i u . ‘. II. a n. .. ‘V, I.‘.¢V.d ‘ :IJu1A V 9“; .. .L..W. t L \m‘: II$JVs. mo‘davkdy M .~_\.|451MMJ\.AW .. ...“...ww. 1F. 3N»?! iflnwgrwd. , pm. I . h : Follow—up. Toward the end of the term the student saw the assist- ant to the Dean of the Basic College to explain that his absences were due to trips out-of-town and to request an extension of time for im- provement of his grades. It was agreed that if he could manage to pass all of his courses, he would be permitted to contine. He did not accomplish this, however, and he was requested to withdraw. Counselor judgment and summary. Insufficient contacts with the stu- dent and lack of reSponse to the questionnaire make any judgments of questionable validity. Both the Basic College interview and the one contact at the Counsel- ing Center gave evidence that the student was emotionally disturoed. Whether this had been true throughout college or whether it was the product of a combination of his precarious academic situation and serious personal involvements is not certain. The counselor indicated that the disturbance did not appear to be chronic. In previous terms the student seemed to use poor judgment in the amount of time he devoted to non- academic activities. both disinterest and seeming lack of ability for most of the courses in which he received poor grades could account for his unsatisfactory achievement and his lack of application. In the Basics which called principally upon his linguistic aptitude. his achieve- ment was average or better. The difficulty the courses caused him, his disinterest, and his unwillingness to consider any other major could certainly explain his good intentions which were soon forgotten. This conclusion does not coincide with he student's explanation that it was when he began to improve that he stepped working. even if only lack of interest in the courses had been involved, the student did not recognize this as an obstacle to achievement of his goal wnich necessi- tated either working on the uninteresting courses because hey were means to his goal or finding a new goal on a different route to his goal. The student‘s stated overparticipation in non-academic activities may have been due to his lack of interest and success in his proposed major. Perhaps insufficient maturity to give both academic and non- academic activities their place was responsible. In View of the student's limited measured aptitude for the pre- requisite courses Optimum conditions of interest, motivation, applica- tion and freedom from distracting factors seemed necessary to give any hope of success. The conditions were by no means conducive to such achievement. A counseling relationship earlier in his college career might have helped the student to understand the relationship of these factors to his achievement. As it was, a student of sufficient scholastic aptitude to succeed in an apprOpriate major became an academic casualty. Even without the acute personal problems which were present in the tend of Final Warning his course schedule that term made a substantial gain in honor points very unlikely. "i .‘IJ Case bl —- male, non-veteran; 17.5 honor points deficient Age at entrance: 16 years, 5 months high school rank: second quartile, Class A school Stated preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Police Administration--Spring 1952 PSj’ChOIr’Letr‘iC data. ACE 5—6—6; :j—{j—"f ha,- 1530 Cooperative Reading 3-2-3—2; h-3-3-3 hay 19,0 Strong Vocational Interest blank August 1950 Group III Production manager 5+ Group IV Aviator d+ Carpenter 3+ Printer A Policeman.a ' Group V '.h.C.L. physical director 3+ Group VIII Accountant 3+ Office man.h Purchasing agent a hortician A Group IX meal estate salesman b+ Croup XI President,l¢fg. concern 5+ H. Interest maturity 50 (standard score) Occupational level Lu Masculinity-femininity 50 U) Family data. The student's father, a graduate of h. . C., Operates a dairy. The student's mother is a high school graduate. The student‘s only comment in regar“ to his family was that he felt he would have to keep up with his father's record. his family has paid all of his college expenses. High school background. The high school principal rated the student fairly high in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Although his measured reading skills were low, the student seemed to be average in measured scholastic aptitude. The effect of his lack of equally good . . . . a“ r-,..fl _ . a.“ a ”a _ b reading skills, however, might prove to be a handicap in his collebc worn. 312 \‘I‘ y 1,. 1 0 - . 1 . . a. . . - On ChoCK teats aoministered in tne Spring of his ireSnman year, the an scores were at a somewhat higher level. Although the student had enrolled in Reading Clinic the preceding term the tests revealed little measured improvement in reading skills. extra-curricular activities. In high scnool the student partici- pated in band, deoate, and track. do also spent aoout ten hours a week delivering neWSpapers. In his freshm:n year in college he attended football games and became a momoer of the Ski Club. During his SOphomore year he drOpped the latter, but he oegan to attend college dances. he was eager to become a menser of a fraternity which he had been invited to join, out he was at no time acalemically eligible to do so. Eeucational-vocational_pla:s. The choice of a major was a source of concern to the student throughout the basic College period. On his A‘ application he stated that he preferreo chemistry to his other high school subjects ant that he planned to major in chemistry. he was un— ('1‘ certain , at that time, however, of his vocational goal. he student 1 entered college as a "no prgference" student. he enrolled for the IiTSt to three terms in courses required for Business administration. he en- rolled moreover in no chemistry course. During the third term he .9 3 visited the Counseling Center to discuss his vocational plans. he had five contacts with the counselor during the remainder of the term. The Strong shOWed highest interests in the "business detail” occupations in Group VIII. His interests were also rather similar to those of people working in the technical level occupations of group IV. It may be ob- served that his interests Were largely in occupations for which college pd IV . n- I f ‘ . ,IJ. I‘ .I ‘ ‘u ‘ \.a, ‘ d5 [(W)l ILA, n V ,, , ‘ . . lint t 1 5|. 4 v i _ D, .i . ..A 1?.1. .I h ‘4, ...H . u I . . .. .__ ‘1' (film. W a [711.qu “Li. J. .V n.}.fl‘“3d} 4!. (Wu. . inflchr My « . . w? »’.. ”a. ‘. s W in}? J. . . . Q”... Ma v .r. m o ‘ . : , 1 c. . , {M ‘ m, » a ‘U ‘ . \. w‘ ‘ I.” t training was not essential. After considerable investigation of various fields through reading and contact with people in the field and with members of the college staff, the student, felt that Business Administration, Hotel Administra- tion, and Landscape Architecture were the fields he wished to investi— gate further. By'the second term of his SOphomore year, after taking an exploratory course in Landscape Architecture, he had eliminated that field and adced Police Administration for consideration. From January to October 1951 the student bad no further counseling contacts, 6; that time he had decided on Police Administration. There is, however, no record of the oasis of this decision or his degree of certainty or satisfaction with it, Despite his concern the student at no time took advantage of the Opportunity to enroll prior to the registration period when the selection of each course, could have been carefully weighed in terms of its value for exploratory purposes. Consequently, the student sometimes took courses required for a possible major rather than courses that were truly exploratory. Summary of and comments on academic record. By repeating the com- prehensive examinations in two of the Basics, the student had better than a C average in the Basics. his performance was inconsistent since his grades on the comprehensive examinations in two of these courses were inferior to his term grades and superior to the term grades in the other three. host of his deficiency at the beginning of Fall 1951 was due principally to "D‘s" in courses he had taken while he was attempting to decide on his major. Summary of academic record 31h l V “TERH"PRDT"HTPT'STETUS‘ H.P.*G£IfiEb I! Repeats B's A's Comps. D‘s Total Term D's F's "FWE9 1 3-u -7 2 6 WNTSO -7 -8 l 3-b 3-o 3 3'50 3_b 3_D P -15 -1.5 1.5 l)6-D 3 HTSO , Fr” CF —16.5 +16 9—bl 3-13 3-23; . 1 ‘W151 ’ -.S -9 6 B-d 8'51 1 J P ~9.S -ll b o)6-F 6-b 3 h‘Sl 3-n CP -20.S +3 0-b6 3ee -T“51 3_b FW -17.S +15 12 h)9-s '3ee ‘wvsz fl, Fw2 -2.5 +3 in 3 Bee *3‘52 . ” . P w+.S -l 16 2 3-r ** Required for major, Police Administration, declared Spring 1952. Steps ‘7 _A—)_ taken rerardinr academic status. course loads every term after his first term in college. The student carried reduced On some occasions he enrolled for a full load, but dropped a course during the first month .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . I I - I u t . I . I . u I . . .I . . . V . I. I. 1 .l .. . . .I. . . . . .. o . . . . .. . . . . . . u . . . I I ~ u I I I I I o n. 0 II I I I III II I l I . . . . 1 .. . . . . . . . . . . h _ . n . . . . _ . . .. . . ~ . . _ . _ . . . . . . . I . I u U n I . . I . . . I I I II III I I ‘1 lI '. III I- l I‘l‘ I'll. II . I. . . .. . . . . _ . . n I . _ . _ . . . . m _ . h _ . c I a I u I J U u .1. . . . . ...: ...... .. . .. . . . . n I _ I I o . . . . . n n u I . . . . . I I .. ...! .. . . - ... I .. o:.l..1f. I I I I . .I. . I . .11 . . u . . . w I . . I. I . u . L . . . . n . w — _ . . ... _ I n I . . . . . a . . . I . . . .I .I I . II . . .I .. II a I I... .I. II . . .....Illa ... ..III a . I. | . I. . n . . . . . . . . _ . u . . . . . I . . . n .. a . . . . . . . u . fl . . . . I I II II . I I I | I l I l I I I I I ...I III I I . n .. u . . . . . . . . . . . . I I I I I I I I. I . . . . .1 ... 11 . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . I I l . . . . .. I. . . I . I I l I II I I h o . . . . .. . 1 .I 1 .. .. a u . . . . . . . . . . I II I~ I I I I I . . I. . .. ... . . .. . . . . . . . I .. . . . I 1 . . . 1 a . d I . . . . u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I I . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . u . I a I . a . u _ . _ I u I . . _ a . D . of classes, usually because he felt he did not have sufficient time to do justice to all his courses. The student enrolled for Reading Clinic his second term in college. his reading skills, at least so far as they could be determined from tests, had not increased greatly, however, as a result of the Clinic. From spring 1950 through Winter 1951, he visited the Counseling Center at intervals in regard to both his academic status and his vocational planning. he die not reSpond to the Dean's letter Fall 1951, but he saw a counselor twice during the term. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Since there was no inter- view with the student at the Basic College, data regarding his personal characteristics are limited to those available in case notes. Responses to the follow-Up questionnaire are freQuently a rich source of informa- tion in this area, but the student's reSponses were merely phrases written on the question sheet itself. Some questions were omitted al— together. Due to changes in personnel at the Counseling Center the student saw several different counselors during his first three years of college. In the early interviews, the counselor commented‘on the student's nervous mannerisms, his concern over his choice of major, and the great difficulty he seemed to have in making such decisions as whether to drOp a course, in addition to more critical decisions involved in choosing a major. The student did not verbalize his apparent eel- ings of insecurity, but seemed to make use of the counseling situation to worn out a decision, when he was concerned about something. Whether the interruption in counseling contacts after January 1931 until October 1951 was the result of his becoming more self-dependent 316 or for some other reason is not known. his contacts in October were with a different counselor who also commented in his notes on the student's nervous mannerisms. In October he believed, but with not too great certainty, that Police Administration would be his major, although the basis of the choice has not been recorded. his purpose in seeing the counselor seems to have been principally to verify that he had enrolled for the prOper courses for Police Administration. Follow-up. At the end of Winter 1952 the student became eligible for admission to the Upper School and entered Police Administration officially. Of the thirty credits he carried in courses required for his major during 1951—1952, he received nine credits of D, eight credits of B, and C‘s in the remainder. At the end of Spring 1952 he was one—half an honor point below a C average (139 credits carried, 136 credits earned, 277.5 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. This student of average or better measured scholastic aptitude was handicapped, if reading tests provided an accurate measurement of his skills, in reading. his measured skills, moreover, did not seem to increase greatly as a result of enrollment in Reading Clinic. The student's Opinion was that the Clinic had helped "some". his lack of improvement may have been due to his reading dif- ficulties springing from emotional problems rather than from lack of knowledge of the mechanics of reading. Repeated comments on his "nervousness" and insecurity make this a strong possibility. In his third year, except for political science, the student has done satis- factory or better work in courses requiring extensive reading. 317 The student apparently made little use of the Counseling Center except as a source of vocational and psychometric information and as a place for_working out rather minor acadeaic decisions. his lack of cademic success, his inability to arrive at a vocational decision when \J O) he seemed to have strong feelings that he should make a decision, his difficulty in making minor decisions, his nervous symptoms all point to the need for counseling in the area of personal adjustment. 31b Case h2 -- male, non-veteran; l9 honor points deficient Age at admission: 1t years, 0 months high school rark: second quartile, Class a school easis of admission: entrance examinations Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Business Administration-~8pring l9LO ACE 10-L_7 Cooperative Re ding 3-6-3-h California Test of Mental haturity--Winter 1950 lion-lamruage I. a. 135 Language 1. Q. 119 gotal I. Q 125 Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test Minter lypo manual horm: freshman engineering students —- 52 percentile Iowa high School Content Exam'nation -- Winter 1950 English h3 percentile fiathematics 95 Science 69 history 52 Total 73 Occupational Interest Inventory (Tee Thorpe) -¥Hinter 1950 Personal—social hO percentile natural 10 hechanical 20 Business 90 nrtistic hO Scientific YO Vernal 70 hanipulative 3O Computational 90 Level ' 90 Bell Adjustment Inventory-4Hinter 1950 home very unsatisfactory health average Social average Emotional very unsatisfactory Total unsatisfactory 319 Family data. both of the student's parents are college graduates. his father is an office manager. The parents are paying the student's college expenses. The Bell.Adjustment Inventory taken during the fresh- man year indicated that the student felt his home relationships were not satisfactory. If the student discussed this topic with the coun- selor, case notes in this area were not placed in the student's folder. High school background. The student was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity and in actual intellectual performance. he was rated average in seriousness of purpose. The principal commented that the student was a fine young man, but he had not worked particularly hard. he wrote that he felt it would be good for the student to take entrance examinations. As a result of this reconmendation the student was required to take entrance examinations for admission. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's scores in the quantitative area of the ACE placed him in the highest ten percent of entering freshman. In the linguistic area, however, his scores were low average. Although his measured Speed of reading was high average, his comprehension was below average. On the baSis of test scores alone, one might assume that the student had average or better capacity for college work, with special aptitude in the quanti- tative area. The principal's Opinion that the student had "under- achieved" in high school, however, indicated the need for caution in predicting the student's college achievement. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student partici- - pated only in golf and in the school's varsity club. he devoted no time to part-time employment. 320 In college, the student reported, he attended dances, lecture- concert series, and athletic events whenever he felt interested and had the time. he was not active in organizations, he said, because he did not have a C average, although he had "many offers". Part-time employment, moreover, demanded none of his time. Educational-vocational plans. At the time of his application for admission the student had no specific educational or vocational plans. When he entered college, he enrolled for courses required for engineer- ing. This tentative choice seems to have been based principally on the result of tests which he took at a private testing service prior to entrance. The student has stated in reSponse to the follow-up question- naire that the tests showed that he was "good in engineering" and al- though he "wasn't interested in much of anything", he was encouraged to take engineering as his major. The student implied that his lack of achievement in engineering courses was due to lack of interest. When the student saw a counselor for the first time during his second term in college, he requested tests, saying that he was considering Business Administration, GeOIOgy,and electrical Engineering. Later in the term he rejected Geology and Engineering and selected dusiness Administration as a field in which he felt most interested. The counselor commented that the student made the decision without actually investigating the three areas in which he had originally stated an interest. The student did not see the counselor for a year after his change of preference, when he renewed contact because of his status of Strict Probation. he stated then that he was very satisfied with his choice of major. his difficulty b J IR) with Some of the courses required for the major was due, he felt, to inadequate study. At the time of the Basic College interview, the student was enrolled in his first accounting course and liked it very much. In reSponse to the questionnaire he reported that he had de- cided to major in accounting and expressed his enjoyment of the courses in the area. his progress in three terms of accounting has been satis- factory. The choice seems appropriate on the oasis of the student's measured interests as well as his liking for the courses, althoujh how much he actually has investigated the field itself as a vocation is questionable. Summary of and comments on the academic record. Since he had re- peated successfully one comprehensive examination in which his grade had been D, the student's only loss in basics was that due to receiving a D in a comprehensive examination at the end of his sophomore year. His principal loss was in courses he had taken when he was considering engineering as a major and also in nine credits of prerequisites for his major in Business Administration. Steps taken regarding academic status. When the student was placed on Strict Probation, he renewed contact with his counselor. by repeating the comprehensive examination ianritten and Spoken English in which he had received a grade of D two terms earlier, as well as the economics course which he had failed the preceding term he gained 1h honor points. he repeated no other courses, however. Reduction of his course load the following term did not seem to affect favorably the quality of his Work. 322 Summary of academic record W. H.P. cum mp. LOST Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's D's F's 'TFlfig 3-o 2.5 ea “W'so y 3_b 2 3‘” éa* 1 T3 50 3-r 3-b P 1.5 l)6-D o—r u'so ‘ * FTBU CP 1 é-r 'WNTSI SP 9-bl o-r 3-b 3‘51 f 3—o CP 1 6)3-D 3-r 2 h‘Sl - 1'51 5w 3‘1) V 3-r é-r W152 FWZ 6-r 3-o 3'52 . P .x +2 3-b x ' w "0 V ‘ - 9 credits of D and 3 credits of F deleted oy the Dean. bxploratory courses in engineering whicn were deleted. when he saw the counselor at the basic College Fall 1951, he hOped that he would be able to maintain A's which he had to date in Biological Science and accounting. ‘Ihe former fell to B, however, and the latter to C by the "K r _ I V v - n. . .r .v v _ a 3 . . ‘ (J '0 , v. . a v c- f _ a, V 1. it .. l I E i . L . . i A . d ,_ I“‘ p a . M {4| ‘ - x x .c. . _. ~ ~ . . L C . s a H. - , .1: . . . . _ . w , _ . l :1 . . i i V . i} . . . fl . _ . _ . « ..ri3 . $1 . u A l H ~ ~ _ _ % _ a m . V . . t 18: LI 1. w! h _ . . _ .. .. a :-..:|-+v!i . . a .... i .a . . U u _ . . -.. v... 5...;"1. M. .. n » v _ . u . n -41.. o.) I ‘ u . . Id. 1 . l I. V. a u s u .. ’3‘“ u V D! X \lfit .t‘ . u u I _ I vnl..,|u.| n. n 1%. “mug ., . .. . y. , 1 . _ . _ i . . .u r..- . r m “ cl : 2 . ~ . n- 1 i . . - _, c . . 1 — u . o I U n w a I A - .. 0‘ A . r AA VIM . i ‘ H _ w - ... . . .. _ i -. . .1 x. 1 . .n v { \« .«livl I alenlm.‘ . .. ._ .1 , p. .. a w . . . o i . __ u . ~ . _ . -.....hmt--._ i I]? ‘( kk’ M KA} y- ’3 13 ‘ . A f ,. w , , , end of the term. he felt that he had at last really learned to study. The study methods he reported were excellent. Since the student felt it was unnecessary for him to go to the Counseling Center, tentative plans wgre made to repeat "L" courses the U) be if (L) W :4 ,3 p— 4 following term, inasmuch a not done so to date and the possi- bility of making up 19 honor points on IS credits of new courses was not great. because he felt he lacked time then to p epare to repeat the examination in history of Civilization, he preferred to postpone it until Winter Term. t was suggested that he consult with the Basic College Counselor or his former counselor when he was ready to plan his winter schedule. The student did not do so, however. Personal_§haractaristics and attitudes. The dell Adjustment Inventory administered in the freshman year indicated the possibility of emotional disturbances as well as problems in family relationships. There is no evidence in case notes of eroalization of these proolems during the counseling interviews. It is possible that the student felt such ur ency regarding his vocational decision that the two interviews were focused on this area. Even in this area the counselor felt that the student made a rather hasty decision. During the Basic College interview there were no observable symptoms of emotional disturbance. The student seemed concerned but not anxious about his academic status. In both the interview and in his response to the questionnaire he ascribed his academic difficulties mainly to lack of effective study. He had hardly "opened a cook" in high school. As a result, he felt, he had to learn how to study after he came to college. A secondary factor, . . . . . . D l .1... [44311 ‘0 .o‘ r k. . 4 \ J\‘1.r.‘ . v . . I $ t. 1 I14. 1 , .t 1!, . . . . 1...! .. . . n, A .2 .u. ”GNU-“ 4ti1.qJA.lv‘. .3?“ L n. v1 .1! 1‘; V . V. .0 5r. 4. J ..., . I ..CJv‘ 3 , . .V I . a . .vl..~ ; .. 4 , v .D 2.. ;V v y _ , t of .. . VP. WWW» ‘ j «a.» l he felt, was lack of interest in several of the courses he took early in his college career, while he was trying to decide upon a major. Although there may have been other factors involved in the student's academic difficulties of which he was unaware or which he preferred not to mention, there was no evidence of them during the interview. Followhup. Although the student gained no honor points Fall 1951, he repeated only two "U” courses the following term. he did not repeat the basic as recommended during the Basic College interview. Either he did not give sufficient thought to the planning of his schedule, or he was optimistic about what he could achieve. In any case, he was still deficient at the end of the term. It was only by deletion of credits in chemistry, engineering drawing, and mathematics courses which he had taken for engineering the freshman year hat he became elinible F5 or the Upper School. his first term in the Upper School he attained grades of C or better in all his courses. At the end of the term he had 126 credits and 257 honor points. he felt, confident, moreover, that he was in a major in which he had a strong interest and in which, With con- tinued improvement in the effectiveness of his study, he would succeed. Counselor summggy and_;udgment. To assume that emotional and family problems contributed to the student‘s academic deficiency cannot be justified on tie basis of test evidence alone. Test data indicated that his poor grades in engineering courses seemed not to be due to lack of aptitude. In these courses, as in the early courses in business Administrat'on, there is little to contradict the student's diagnosis that lack of interest and of awareness that "college is rough", as he has put it, was reSponsible for insufficient 325 V effort to earn good grades. When he was ready to studg-he had to learn how to do so. had not the student earned satisfactory or better urades in subse- Quent terms of economics and history, it night he assumed that his dif- ficulty in such courses was to be expected in terms of his lesser capacity in linguistic areas. In Spring Term 1952 this student of high average scholastic aptitude with special capacity in the quantitative area earned grades of C or better in all "new" courses for the first time. Case h3 -- male, non-veteran; 6.5 honor points deficient age at aimission: lo years, 5 months nigh school rank: ‘econd quartile, Class A School Preference at admission: Civil Engine ring PSTChomstric data. 305 Q_: a I ~_~--.-.- / v COOperative heading h—h-S-h ramily data. The student's mother completed high school. his father, who is a machinery deale_, completed grade School. he was, in the boy's terms, a self-made man. The student felt his father had held this up to him since his early childhood and eXpected his son to emulate him. In his last year of high school the student, with his parents' per- mission, took the physical and mental examinations required for admission to the Eerchant Marine Academy. He passed the examinations and was accepted. Since he was under age, the parents' written permission was -necessary. Although they had permitted him to take the examinations, they then refused to give their permission. The boy was extremely disap- pointed. This antagonism was directed toward the father who, he felt, had been extremely unfair. The father was willing for the boy to attend college, but he wished him to attend a local university. 'When the boy refused to do so both because of the Merchant harine incident and his desire to get away from home, the father said he would give him only the amount of money equivalent to his expenses for attending the local institution. It was on this basis that he entered Michigan State College. High school background. The student was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance and high in seriousness of purpose. He had had a backcround in mathematics, the i? 327 .Diqrsical sciences, and engineering drawing in high school which was a~IDjpropriate for his prOposed major, engineering. Aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's scores which were average in the linguistic area and above average in the Quantitative area appeared favorable. his measured reading skills, however, were somewhat lower. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated only in glee club in high school. Since he worked 2h hours a week in a store, he had no time for organized clubs which met after school. In his fresh- man year of college his only organized activity was Sailing Club., he also attended Sports events and occasional danceS. In his SOphomore year his activities were the same except that he withdrew from the Sailing Club and attended the Lecture-Concert Series. Except for Fall 19:9 for which his savings paid the expenses, the student has worked a minimum of t anty hours per week. Educational-vocational plans. In his senior year in high school the student believed he had his vocational plans settled and ready to carry out. When these plans did not materialize because of the intervention of his family, hehad little idea of a substitute goal. when he came to college, he Selected engineering not because of any Special interest, but because he had liked the physical sciences and mechanical drawing in high school. He found that he liked both the engineering courses and the mathematics and science courses, although he found the latter diffi- cult. By the time of "final Warning" he was intensely interested in engineering, despite his difficulty with the prerequisite courses. He kt) C“: Qfimcided that ii engineering would not accept him, he would go into as (D Clxasely a related major as possiol , repeat the courses in which he i1: g- done poor work and apply again for admission to Engineering. Summary of and comments on academic record. ’hefer to the follow- }_J in"r page for the summary.) The student consistent f.) y lost a few honor points each term from Winter 1950 on, until he was placed on probation Spring 1951. he did above average work in civil engineering courses, but he received F's and D's in several mathematics and physics courses and in one term of chemistry. His only less in Basics was in history of Civilization in his SOphomore year. An extension of time was neces- Sary to permit him to qualify academically for the Upper School. Steps taken regarding academic status. Prior to Fall 1951 the student had no definite program to improve his academic Situation. Although he consistently had difficulty with courses required for his major, he neither made adjustments by reducing course loads, by repeating "D" courses, by increasing the time Spent in study or by decreasing his hours of work. When he was placed on probation for the first time Spring 1951, he did decrease the number of credits carried. he made use of no campus services prior to the Basic College interview. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Academic career seems to have been influenced considerably by his disappointment over not being per- mitted to enter the Merchantliarine Academy and by his attitude toward his father. Because of the terms of the financial agreement made with his father, the boy continued to work, even when he needed more time for study. The student stated that he had little doubt that his father Smmnary of academic record W H.P. MINE!) Repeats D's F's Th9 'W' 50 “3‘50 {USO FTSU W31 h-r 3-r U151 TI 51 'W'sz ‘ 1'52 would assist him, but he was too independent to ask for aid. That attitude of self-dependence may be related to his failure to seek assistance with his academic problems. his initial attitude toward the Basic College counselor was somewhat ambivalent, perhaps because he associated the ,n - "'i -13 U'J [311‘ '71, L r; I . . W . v ...nl“.lIO._( ..II‘I- I. .« II (I‘LTI..I.I file- \Iviivo ‘..u'.l4$la..llnl9rull :1 lo\ 1 - A w . ._ ,. _ . . l . _ . a _ m _ “ rr, ~ * m .. _. . . a . . w. a... 1 «IL cl‘ . . o-..) I‘ll. vl . Jr}. A n 9. I it I I . .33 . w- I... . ii \ ~ ~ . . v — n p . . l u n . a i . . a . rt ‘ I'l- pdh .1ka p...) Antll. t Pram... 1"!th .- u . t! ynpsflflnal. it u XHIL 2L .2! r L. n1 ..."... . A i _ , l . , .. a . _ l . V _ ., _ . i . . U . a . .. ._ V . M . u . . a . u , , . — . . . -n .2. n - .....- -..!I:x.l p . i - i . - - 5. r i M . w . . . w. . l M . . . m _ a . . A l v f - 1 - .. FA..- ‘ - A - 4 .l -..“..I. . . , i . . a . r H . .. _ i i L . n d ... m . H .. l w . . H n . a I Inf! 11...! u a- . :11: ..);t..ll-ls,. I . ..l- . a ‘1‘ . l. . _ l . . . u f . n _ .u . . h i . ‘ hint I A- Yl Y b 1| AI. i. 'IIIV"' a . I a W . w _ l m . . . . a . . i a p r .v 5 «7 dI ‘- '13:)! wing...utl!l.tlnn..v ullHrnw . Q . H . . fl . ., w s V. . .. .. a M 1 m . . . t _ H _ a 4 m .. . . ~ . . r . . . . ”tr 0 _ --....i - -ta: l n n CCNinselor with authority, Follow—up. The student had enrolled for 15 credits of "new" courses Fall 1951. He was unaware that Engineering set certain standards for admission beyond the all-college 2.0 average. The counselor called the engineering department for their recommendations. The student de- cided to follow these recommendations only partially, namely to drOp one course and add a repeat of a fundamental mathematics course in which he had a D and which was, both in his own Opinion and in that of the engineering department, probably reSponsible for his difficulties in calculus. By the time he reached his enrollment officer he had decided against drOpping a course and merely added the repeat, contrary to the strong recommendation of the enrollment officer. Later in the term he reSponded to a phone call from the counselor regarding his mid-term grades, He felt he would not make up the entire deficiency and questioned- what he could do about it. His attitude was much more COOperative and tentative plans were made for the following term.' he carried out these plans and made up the remainder of his deficiency, Before the beginning of the nextterm the student talked his situation over with his father. The father was very willing to give him more financial support so that he might devote more time to his studies, By the end of Winter 1952 the student was eligible for an Upper School and had been accepted on pro- bation by Engineering. At the end of Spring 1952 he had earned lhl credits and 265.5 honor points (2.0+). Counselor judgment and summarV. The student came to Michigan State College with little interest and enthusiasm and with a preposed major aibout which he had very limited information. Although he was inte estec ill the mathematics courses, when he had difficulty with a problem he tended to "let it go". In addition, he did not devote the time his stud- ies demanded because of his work, extra-curricular activities, and lack of genuine motivation to do so. The latter seems to have Sprung from his early indifference to college resulting from his disappointment over his inability to carry out his plans for herchant harine Academy. his situation gradually grew worse. Although by the end of his SOphomore year he was genuinely interested in his prOposed major, he did not take any constructive steps to improve his situation, partially through ignorance of what to do and partially because of what might be called extreme self-dependence. Even when he did reSpond to the Dean's letter, it was difficult for him to accept recommendations. This boy seeded to 1ave to learn "the hard way". his extreme self-sufficiency had been consciously encouraged by the father and still further developed by the boy's reactions to his father‘s attitudes. The boy did learn, however, how to deal with his academic problems and to make more effective use of his capacities. And, as he put it in reSponse to the questionnaire, he "gained a better mental attitude toward college". he learned too, it seems, to accept assistance from others. 332 CElse hh -- male, non-veteran; 12 honor points deficient Age at entrance: It years, 1 month nigh school rank: second quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: distory Psychometric data. ACE t-e-7; 9-8-9 Fall 1951 Cooperative heading S-3-6-h; E-Y—t-b Fall 1951 Strong Vocational Interest Blank Fall 1951 Group IV Farmer 5+ Printer A hathematicsxteacher A Agriculture teacher 5+ Policeman 3+ Group V Social science teacher A Group VI musician o+ Group VII Senior Accountant A droup VIII Office man b+ Interest maturity 55 (standard score) Occupati01al level h3 masculinity-femininity 5h dell Adjustment Inventory Fall 1951 home good health average Social average Emotional average Total average hote: The validity of the measurement is doubt- ful because of the excessive number of ? responses he made. ‘ Family data. The student's father, who conpleted eleventh grade, is an accounting clerk. his mother completed grade school. Although the student has worked summers, his family has paid most of his college expenses. According to the student, he entered college only because his parents insisted upon it. When he threatened to leave college to enlist, his father convinced him that he wouldn't like military life and persuaded him to remain in colleg . The student dislikes living at home. he feels he has not been allowed to make any decisions for himself, including 333 Vflxether he should attend college. These attitudes appear to have had a-Inarked effect on his college achievement. high school background. The student was rated by high school offi— cials as average in intellectual capacity and fairly high in actual intellectual performance, indicating that in their Opinion the student had overachieved somewhat. The rating of capacity, however, was not based on psychometric data. he was rated "average" in "seriousness of purpose". Aptitudes and skills for colleee work. Scores on the ace indicate at least high average scholastic aptitude. Indeed, it appears that both the student's high school and early college record might be considered underachievement, eSpecially since the scholastic aptitude test scores may have been lowered somewhat by slow reading rate. Extra-curricular activities. College social and extra-curricular activities have not provided compensation to this student for not being able to afford to live on campus. Attendance at athletic events and occasional foreign films have been his only college activities. nor has he been active in social organizations or groups in his community. he has been a player on a softball team in the summer. During high school baseball was his only activity other than participation in an Operetta. Educational-vocational plans. On his application for admission the student left "expected major" blank and stated that he was undecided about his life work. he indicated that history and chemistry were the subjects he liked best in high school, and he requested admission to . L‘y‘fi.hn., ‘ - “Gk tJie School of Science and Arts with a prOposed major in history. he \ ilas remained in that major. He has felt no great enthusiasm for the history courses in college, but he has liked them better than other courses and has earned C's or better in them. At the time of the basic College interview, he still had no vocational goal in mind, nor was he attempting to come to a decision. he considered enlistment Fall 1951 for the stated purpose of saving money and giving himself time to decide what he wanted. his father had persuaded him, he stated, to re- turn to college to get the degree even if he postponed vocational plans until after college. On this basis he has remained a history major. Altho gh he does not want to teach, he is taking education courses so that he can teach if he "can‘t find anything else to do". When in high school he had considered law, but gave up the idea because family and friends discouraged it by pointing out the length and the expense of the educational preparation. Of the few fields in which he shows interest at the A or b+ level on the Strong, only social science high school teacher has college train- ing as a prerequisite. There are no primary or secondary patterns of interest. Only in the technical group (IV) and in the business detail group (VIII) is there more than a single vocation at the.A or B+ level. One may note also that lawyer, the only vocation in which the student had eXpressed some interest, was at the 8- level and the remainder of the verbal group was still lower. Summary of and comments on academic record. (Refer to the follow- ing page for the summary) During his first term this student earned no 335 Summary of academic record Mm. . -. H.P. GRINED Comps. Repeats B's Total D's F's Th9 W50 . P 46.5 3'50 136—o _ C: 2)O—D SP 25” Lad-C i E'SO Fish 349 . SP -2h.S 2.5 'W'SI CP -19 3-r 1 ‘ t l S 51 5,04, ‘ 3_b CP -19 )3-s 1 1:751 1'51 m -12 6‘1" wvsz FVJ2 '6 6‘1" 3'52 “ . P 0 3-r 6—r grade above D, was placed on probation at the end of the term, and remained on probation from that time on. he continued to lose honor points in course work throughout the freshman year, principally from D's in BiolOgical Science and in 15 credits of German. Although he lost honor points in the Spring V Italy .. ‘V . i V Inf. V r . . . 1H|.411.U14. WP .s V ill. I --ldv :n ;V ‘I, . 1. ”Idol. I V . r. VV|.( ~V¢w Wk; :4... - . ..mf t ...-u}. .1‘ l: .. Hindu...“ IV rail-IV.“ LV. ...Hi'l'lhrtf'utfi.’ ‘VI. 1 33C") term course work, this student achieved a C average for the term, due to an honor point gain on the comprehensive examinations. After the first two terms in college during which he accumulated an honor point deficiency of 25.5, this student had no less than a C average for any term. Yet, this student, thanks to his work during those terms, was a chronic "probationer" and was ineligible academically for admission to an Upper School after six terms. .An additional two terms passed before the student gained enough honor points to qualify for admission. F'H Steps taken regarding academic status. The student repeated no courses in order to gain honor points, even though after three terms of achieving a term average of C or better, he had gained only 5.5 of the 25.5 honor points he lacked. he did decrease his course load slightly during two of the first six terms, and it was during these terms that he made his greatest gains. During his first two years, moreover, the student made no use of the campus resources available to students. In the followeup he explained that he had not done so because he had had no experience in high school with such services and had no knowledge of what they offered. Only when the counselor at the basic College succeeded in contacting him by phone did the student reSpond to any of the efforts made to offer him assistance. The student came to the interview with reluctance, if not with hostility. After he had expressed his negative feelings rather freely, he listened to the counselor's explanation of the functions of the Counseling Center about which he had acquired a considerable amount of misinformation. The student said that he would think these things over and come back if he wanted an appointment at 337 the Counseling Center. He returned several days later to request referral. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student's academic achievement and lack of expressed concern about a vocational objective seem intimately related to his attitude toward the family situation and toward college itself. Although the student was for the most part reticent, he Spoke freely, indeed vehemently, about these tOpics. The student felt that great paternal pressure to get a college degree has been brought to bear upon him. he stated that he was pushed into college before he knew whether he wanted to attend college. fie had been sure, however, of one thing. he did not want to attend M. S. C. He had always thought of it only as a good "Ag" school. Furthermore, he did not wish to live at home during college. His negative attitude toward college and toward M. S. C. itself has changed, he said, but he expressed re- sentment against his lack of Opportunity to think for himself. Except for moderate summer earnings he has remained dependent on the family financially. Despite his expressed resentment, he quoted the father on almost every topic. he saw no solution to the family situation except intervention from some outside source such as the draft. Followeup. After eight terms in the Basic College, the student gained admission to the Upper School with exactly a 2.0 average. By the end of Spring 1952 he had earned 137 credits and 263 honor points (2.07). During Fall 1951 the student and the counselor to whom he had been In these referred worked together on academic and vocational planning \. I areas the interviews were probably helpful to the student. A check 336 reading test indicated that, if he had been handicapped earlier by slow reading (3, he had now overcome this disability. Vocational information and examination of his measured interests offered an Opportunity to consider various vocational alternatives related to his stated interests in the social sciences. The counselor felt, however, that little was accomplished in the personal area. The student approached his personal problems, but after some expression of his feelings, avoided further discussion. After two contacts, the student discontinued the relation- ship and had not reestablished it prior to Spring 1952. In the follow-up questionnaire the student ascribed his earlier academic difficulties to failure to study sufficiently due to lack of interest and lack of motivation and to living off-campus and at home. In answer to what he did about them, he said that he tried a little harder, built up some interest, and began "to see the light". Unfortu- nately, there was no further explanation of this statement. Although he felt that the counseling interviews had not been of direct assistance, he stated that they gave him encouragement and that, if he had had them his freshman year, he felt they would have been of great value. There is little indication here of insight into what appears to be rather severe non-academic problems. Counselor Judgment and summary. This student of at least high aver- age scholastic aptitude may have been handicapped for a time by slow reading. Far more handicapping, however, it appears, were his attitudes toward almost everything related to college. he was doubtful that he wished to attend any college, least of all Michigan State College. he wished to live away from home, but finances did not permit. he ex— pressed resentment at the authoritarian attitudes of his family, but he took no positive steps to decrease his dependence upon them even to .9 the extent of getting a part-time job to decrease his financial depend- ence. If the home were as authoritarian as the student has indicated, this lack of initiative is not surprising. Even when the student de- cided that he did wish to remain in college, he was content to take courses he liked without any serious consideration of a vocational goal. There is little evidence that he has established social contacts on campus, at least through activities which are often used for that pur- pose by off-campus students. There does not seem to have been even a compensatory interest in good scholarship. Thus, there has apparently been little to give this student incentive to achieve in accordance with his academic capacity. In his third year the student gave the impression of being really e- sirous of completing college and had begun to show some concern for determining what his own objectives for such an education were. As yet, however, he appeared to have made little progress in the more basic problems of family and social relationships and personal insecurities, beyond rather painful verbalization of some aSpects of them. There is little evidence that he has as yet rec0gnized the need to face these problems and to seek solutions or more positive adjustments to them. 3&0 Case LS —- male, non-veteran; S honor points deficient Age at admission: lb years, 6 months high school rank: quartile 2, Class C school Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Food Distribution—-Fall 1931 Psyclmo me ric data. ACE Cooperative Reading 0‘ U1 -7 —t -h Family data. Both of the student's parents were graduated from college. The father died when the student was eight years old. The mother is a teacher. A brother attended college for two years. his reasons for leaving are unknown. While he was in hi gh school, the student worked 25 hours a week as a meatcutter. Apparently his earnings were saved for college, since he has stated that his savings and his part—time employment in college have enabled him to pay his own college expenses. high school background. high school officials rated the student high in intellectual capacity and in seriousness of purpose. An Otis administered during the senior year indicated an I. Q. of 120. The stu- dent's actual intellectual performance, however, was only average. The principal commented that the student showed greater application to his studies as graduation approached. The principal did not give his Opinion of the reason for the student's underachievement, but inSpection of his record of extra-curricular activities and part—time employment offers at least one explanation. The principal described the student as clean-cut, modest, and a fine boy. heasured aptituNes and slzills for college work. Freshman test scores indicated high average aptitude for college work with significantly stronger aptitudes in linguistic than in quantitative areas. Hi5 Speed of reading, however, was only low average. Extra-curricular activities. The student was active in high school in athletics, dramatics, and in a class-related club. He was also a member of the Student Council, ‘aptain of the football team, and president of the senior class. In addition, it will be recalled, he worked 25 hours per week during at least part of the high school period. In college he has attended college athletic events and some of the concerts and has participated in intra-mural Sports. According to his own account, he devoted a great deal of time, "too much time" to his fraternity and the related social activities. Except for the first term he worked 12 to 15 hours per week during the first two years. He alternated between the jobs of busooy and meat clerk. During the critical "Final Warning" term he increased his hours of work to 25 in order to take the job of steward at the fraternity. Dur- ing the Basic College interview he commented on the many trials of such a job and said that he wished to give it up as soon as possible. Later in the year he "broke all ties" with the fraternity, because, as he stated in his reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire, he felt that his fraternity activities were a major cause of his academic deficiency. Educational-vocational plans. At the time of his application to T college, the student stated that he was uncertain of his goals. he entered college as a "no preference" student and continued in that cate- gory until Fall 1951. During the first year of college he took courses required for agriculture. he received grades of D in all of these courses. There is no evidence from his records, moreover, that he had "hwy an. 342 ever had an agricultural experience. Fall 1950 he began to take courses required for the major which he declared a year later, Food Distribution, a major in the School of Business. his interest in this area stemmed from his experience in work in food stores during both high school and college and from his belief that it offered excellent vocational Opportunities. DeSpite his poor grades in many of the courSes required for this major, he felt confident that it was not lack of abil- ity for the courses which was reSponsible for his academic difficulties. In his reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire the student reaffirmed his belief that he was in a field that was I'right for me". Summazy of and comments on academic record. The student received a grade of C in each of the comprehensive examinations. During his soph- omore yeai he was eligible to take the Social Science comprehensive after the second term. his term grades also were, with two exceptions, C or better. The student was on probation only once prior to "Final Warning". During that term he had no grade below C, h.5 credits of B, and 3 credits of A. he began the following term with an all-college aVerage of C, but by the end of the term he was again deficient in honor points. he re- mained deficient from that time. Steps taken regarding academic status. each term following one in which he lost honor points the student made some adjustment in his schedule. On two occasions he reduced his course load by three credits, on a third he repeated a "D" course from the preceding term. Although he was a "no preference" student, he did not go to the Counseling Center during the term either to discuss his academic status or to consider 313 Summary of academic record W . H.P. GAIfiED Repeats B's D's F's “We 3_b 3 .5 'Wrso l 3'50 E750 F'SU ‘ 3-b . P 1.5 'W‘SI l OS 3751 f 3%* l D‘Sl J" 51 Fw WVSZ W2 ll-I' 3'52 , . U ncl. O-r 5-? i_i 3 ** Courses required for preference statedfiFall 1951, Food Distribution. his choice of major. In his reSponse to the questionnaire he says that he did not do so because the Counseling Center seemed too impersonal. He added that it could have been because he was too independent. It could x . I l' | I . .u a a o a e . u a. . _ . - n g n a . . a , a I D. . . A . . . _ _. . u a . - . - . . s . u . u - . . . . _ . . a _ . . -..-....-fiv. c.|.L v V ‘ ll I 'I u I III ’ A..- '- II .IIII I v - u . . u . . . . . _ _ i . . . . _ . ~ . — . . i . . 'I . a. l l I ‘III ‘ I I. . I. - Al... . . c. 11 . Id} ... u _ w — . . w . . a . . . . . . ~ . ~ I . '5 L... «1. v... 2.1...- .H . Infltuu .c . . ... _ . _ a . _ u n u _ . i n . . I n . . _ _ . _ . . u . . . . _ . v. u -.., L: n r ‘. pl ..... | I 0 0| I . a u . I r a . . a . i . m . _ h . u n . . a . - I . . . - - 4“ . . a - — o n s . . . u o . o H - . .. t .v - - . o v . _ . . _ _ v . - . . . . u - . u . - u . . m 2: . u ~ ~ .. _ n w p . . . _ _ a. . . . . . . . . -. . . ... . .. _ m . H a . a . i . . i . . . . . . N . i . .. . . . . i n . _ . _ _ ... _ T . 3hh have been too because the student had never been there except for en- rollment purposes during the turmoil of registration. The student re- sponded promptly to the Dean's letter and arranged to go to the Counsel- ing Center to consider his academic situation further. The student did not keep the appointment and made no reSponse to attempts by the counselor to whom he had been referred to contact him. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Information in this area is limited because the only contact with the student was the Basic College interview. It is further limited by the fact that the student did not carry through the referral, since the nature of the Basic College inter- view varied with whether or not the student wished to be referred. Referral was suggested to the student not only because of his obvious failure to achieve at the expected level, but also because he seemed extremely disturbed over the problems associated with his fraternity stewardship. It was not clear whether it was the reSponsibility the upset him or some unknown factors in the situation. The student's sub- sequent break with the fraternity seems to have been an unusually strong measure. If he left the fraternity solely because he felt it was largely reSponsible for his academic difficulties, he shows very little insight into his own role in his academic difficulties. Follow-up. The student‘s course load was decreased to 13 credits Fall 1951, when he dropped algebra to allow more time for accounting. he failed the accounting, however, and received 3 credits of D in econom- ics. Thus, his deficiency was increased from five to sixteen. Although he carried only 13 credits the following term, and four of these were a if“ 3:) "repeat" of the accounting, he gained only one honor point. When he was ineligible to remain in Basic College any longer, he secured Special permission to enroll as an "unclassified" student, he repeated only three credits, the pSychology course in which his grade had been D the preceding term. he failed to raise the grade in that course, but he did earn 8 credits of B in other courses. At the end of Spring 1952, then, the student had 131 credits and only 252 honor points. his de- ficiency of ten still made him ineligible for admission to an Upper School. Counselor judgment and summar'. This student with good potentiali- ties for college work was considered an underachiever in high school. At the end of three years in college he had failed to attain eligibility for an Upper School. The student ascribed his difficulties to over- participation in fraternity activities and to uncertainty regarding his choice of vocation. Both of these may have contributed heavily to the student's lack of achievement. .Although the student apparently had sufficient interest in college to pay his own expenses, he seemed to lack the motivation or the maturity to take a constructive approach to these problems. Furthermore, although he made definite arrangements to see a counselor, he failed to keep the appointment or to reSpond to efforts to contact him. His approach to the fraternity problem was to give it up altOgether. It is difficult to judge the appropriateness of the student's major, since there is no evidence that he has worked up to capacity in the required courses. Test scores would indicate that mathematics and accounting might be difficult for him. That he was weak 3Lo in arithmetic is attested to by his enrollment in Arit‘xmetic Clinic. Students with less quantitative aptitude than he, however, have managed these courses successfully. The st dent's great concern with his reSponsibilities in the fraternity, his method of dealing with fraternity problem, his seeming lack of insight into his own role in his academic difficulties seem to indicate immaturity or the strong possibility of the presence of unknown factors causing emotional disturbance. 3&7 Case Ls -- male, non—veteran; 10.5 honor points deficient Age at admission: lb years, h months high school rank: second quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: Journalism, Advertising--Spring 1951 Psychometric data. ACE lO-lO-lO Cooperative heading 9-9-6-9 Family data. The parents were graduated from college and an older sister was graduated from Michigan State College in June preceding the student's entrance. The father, who had been a sales manager, died the latter part of the student's SOphomore year. Because of this and his going home weekends after his father's death, the student reported, his grades suffered. High school background. The student was rated fairly high in intel- lectual capacity but only average in intellectual performance and serious- ness of purpose. his scores on a Detroit Advanced administered in the twelfth grade were at the eighty-seventh percentile. The rater commented that the student had only recently awakened to the importance of prepar- ing himself for college training. heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. On the basis of freshman test scores alone the student might be expected to make an out- standing academic record. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in no activi- ties in a large urban high school and had no part—time employment. In college the student participated in Forestry Club when he was apparently considering that field as a possible major. Softball and service as social representative in his section of the dormitory were the 3148 organized activities of his SOphomore year. he attended athletic events often and attended concerts occasionally during the first two years. He worked approximately eight hours a week each year. Formal extra-curricu- lar activities and employment seem not to have demanded an excessive amount of time. Educational—vocational plans. The student entered college as a "no preference" student and remained in that classification for five terms. he made no use of the Counseling Center, however, except for en- rollment. When he left "no preference", he did so during registration period when it is possible only to issue a change of preference at the student's request without an interview regarding the change. During the "no preference" period he tried out courses in English, Speech, forestry, art, business, history, journalism, and psychology. he chose advertising as his major, but during the Basic College interview he expressed no strong interest in it. Furthermore, he disliked economics, which is a requirement of that major, but he had not considered its relationship to his choice of najor. Because of his apparent lack of enthusiasm for his major, the Basic College counselor suggested that it might be helpful to explore vocational possibilities further with a counselor. The stu- dent accepted the suggestion readily and an appointment was made. The student failed to keep the appointment, however, and continued in the major he had selected. Summary of and comments on acadenic record. The student had no grade C) better than C in the Basics. In Effective Living his grade ras D. His other grades of D were scattered since he had taken only one term of most item: . l. 1.3.3.1.... . .... ... XL; .. . . ..1. ‘.1...,.. u. “.r a . 2. \\., :1 ...U. I . it» ct. . . . A. . u 2.9.. .s... at”... . .m «..,r . L d ‘30 1 «u Summary of academic record 3&7 M.m . . mammal) Repeats B's Total Term D's F's Th9 -3 TWO -3 —.S 2 5'50 -3.5 -7 H'SD ' *FTSU P ~10.S +8 3-b 'W‘SI -2.5 +2.5 2.5 *5151 ' o -io.S 1.5 H151 "" ‘FTSI FW -1o.5 +5 .3-r W'SZ aw, -S.S -11 3'52 6 . Uncl; -16.S +15 6hr 3—r COIlI‘SBS . all were D's. *a-Courses required for ultimate major, Journalism w The last three were requirements for his major. Forestry, history, economics, English literature, and psychology-- Only in art, military science, and physical education were the grades better than C. n I I. I . . .. t. . . . n . l , . n I I. I It. I t I .. A _ . _ . . . . _ l 5 n . . . . . c .. I I u I I I v I I . _ _ .. . ~ . .. _ _ . . . . m . 5 I I . I . 1 I J: I . . . . . . . m . v . u . . I .r I (I l . I. . .. . I. .. I - I In J. . _ a . I . . . . .. . . m . . .. . " fl _ . . _ ... .. . I .. c I I . I . . . . . a u u . . . p . I 4 . m s . . . n . _ . . . a [all . ' I». III‘ ' III I- N . u . _ . a . _ u . m - . . .. I I III II II IIIIIIHIVI’JO I} I n h! I‘dnn .IJMMCM .J‘ .4 .tavbki..r toll-III! .' . .' u5fidw§~1ngsdbl n :4»? why} .nw. v D . . k. ll.‘ b.) V“ L- C was the grade in the single journalism course which he had taken. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student carried a normal course load each term. he repeated no courses. He sought no assiStance. His reSponse to the Dean's letter Fall l9Sl was the only discernible evidence that he had some concern for his academic status. It has al- ready been remarked that he failed to complete the referral made from the Basic College. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Since the student failed to reSpond to the questionnaire, this source of information too is lacking as a supplement to the meager data from the Basic College interview. Follow-up. Although he was 10.5 honor points deficient Fall 1951, the student enrolled for lo credits of new courses. by the time he arrived at the Basic College Office it was too late to make any change of courses, had he wished to do so. The student gained honor points that term, but he was still deficient. Although the following term was his last Opportunity in Basic College to remove the deficiency, he en- rolled for 17 credits of new courses. he received D's in four of six courses. not until he became an "unclassified student" Spring 1952 did he repeat six credits of D. Although he earned 3's in these and in an economics course, he still lacked 1.3 honor points at the end of the term (lh3 credits, 25h.5 honor pointsQ. Counselor judgment and summary. The father's death may well have contributed to the student‘s poor record Spring 1951. Other factors, however, must have been involved in his underachievement both in high school and college. His selection as social representative in the 351 dormitory may indicate that social adjustment was probably not a prob- lem. he was relaxed during the Basic College interview and showed no outward manifestation of emotional disturbance. The high school‘s comment that he had "just waked up . . . ." seemed apprOpriate, only it seemed that he had not yet "waked up" in college to the significance of his academic situation. One had the impression of immaturity. he seemed to have given thought neither to his vocational decision nor to his academic status. he appeared to have no particular interest in advertising, the field he had chosen or to know much about it. hecognizing that there may be more basic problems which did not become apparent in the single interview, one felt that this was a bright youngster who had always "got by" with very little effort and that he had not strong enough educational or vocational interests to motivate him to make use of his capacities. In spite of poor grades in college he had continued to "get by". he had been on probation only Fall 1950 and had earned enough honor points to be removed at the end of that term. Only when it was necessary for him to become an "unclassified student" in order to remain in school did his record show any marked improvement and this was due principally to "repeat" courses. It must be emphasized that this diagnosis is based on extremely little evidence and may be quite unfair to the student. 352 Case h? —- female; h honor points deficient Age at admission: lb years, 3 months high school rank: second quartile, Class 3 school Preference at admission: home Economics, Vocational Education Psvchometric data. ACE 7-h-S; 5-8-6 Fall 1951 Cooperative Reading 7-b-h-7; 9-b-lO-y Fall 1951 Strong Vocational Interest blank-Jflomen Fall 1951 housewife A Elementary teacher 5+ Office worker 5+ StenOgrapher-secretary 5+ home economics teacher A Dietitian.A Occupational therapist A Femininity—masculinity‘ ho(standard score) dell Adjustment Inventory Home - good (6 ? reSponses) health - average (9 ? reSponses) Social - aggressive (O?re5ponses) hmotional - excellent (17 ? responses) Total - average (3h ? reSponses) Family data. The student‘s parents completed grade school. The father, a farmer, has retired. Two sisters preceded the student in the School of home Economics at Michigan State College. In counseling inter- views she expressed considerable hostility regarding the family situation. She resented her sisters being held up to her as examples by parents and teachers. She wanted to be treated as an individual, not as the younger sister of her siblings. She had not wanted to attend Michigan State for this reason. her parents were willing to assist her financially as they had her sisters, but she preferred to work for room any board. This financial independence, which her sisters did not achieve, seems to serve as an expression of her individualism. 353 high school background. A California Test of hental Maturity admin- istered during the SOphomore year in high school indicated an I. a. of 103. One awniniSLered a year later gave an I. Q. of 121. Aer intellect- ual capacity and actual performance were considered average by high school officials. her seriousness of purpose was rated fairly high. heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. Freshman test scores indicated average aptitude for college work with some variance ills '2': oetween the quantitative and lihgiistic areas. heasured reading 8 also seemed adequate although the level of comprehension was considerably lower than measured reading Speed. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in varie‘ activities in high school--dramatics, Special programs, musical organi- zations, and Future domemaker . She was president of the latter and was delegate to the state convention for two years. She was also president of the dramatics club. In addition to these, she worked l2-lt hours a week as a telephone Operator. Since the student was entirely self- dependent for payment of her college expenses, she worked 16-20 hours per week for room and board in a private home. During the freshman year she participated regularly in a church related group and in the home Economics Club. She also attended Sports events, college dances, and the Lecture-Concert Series. The following year she continued all these activities except the church group. Educational-vocational plans. high school officials reported that the student decided during high school to become a teacher of home economics and that she was very definite in her decision. Counselor's - I . . § . ‘l 0" “, x . Q . _ - ‘ .. _ . . ‘ . \ . . 5' ‘ x ”I I l hI . . I: . - .. .. . 0‘ I“ I I fi‘ : ' l o ‘ ~'_ v " ' I a}. i. ., 1' > . -" I“ I ‘3: I 2 D I x h ‘I 3511 notes indicated that her difficulty with chemistry had not discouraged her in her vocational plans. Thus, vocational plans seem to have been established early and definitely. Summary of and comments on academic record at h. S. C. (nefer to the following page for the summary). Three credits of D and three credits v F in chemistry which was requ'red for home Economics, a D in the D O.L comprehensive examination in Social Science and an F in the third ‘erm of Dasic were the principal sources of the student's honor point de- ficiency prior to Fall 1951. She received no unsatisfactory grades in home Economics courses. J- Steps taken regarding academic status. When tie student was placed on probation at the beginning of the second term of the sophomore year, she went to the Counseling Center early in the term. She went not be- cause she felt she needed assistance, tut because she believed it was required. She was repeating the chemistry course in which she had re— ”_\ ceived r the preceding .1. term. She gained 15 honor points that term. When she again became deficient as a result of poor grades the following term and was placed on Final Warning, she again went to the Counseling Center on her own initiative prior to the basic College interview. She also reSponded promptly to the invitation to see the counselor at the basic College. Furthermore, when she enrolled for the term, she decreased i her course load to ten new credits and three "repeat" credits. Personal characteristics and attitudes. Ihe student's attitude toward her family and her desire for independence and an identity of her own have already been noted. This attitude was reSponsible for her 355 Summary of academic record mm . . ‘ - “11.13. CHINE) . . Repeats B's A's Comps. D's Total Term D's F's T119 -3 3—b "W' 50 3-b -3 +1; 1 3'50 ' f l)3—c £1 -l 2 l 3*? h’SO * F'SU O -10 6-r h-r ‘WTSI * P «10 +15 9-r 6-r i S‘SI +5 -9 6-r h)6-D 5-b 3'b h'51 -—' PI 51 PW “'14 +3 6.1) 3-r 75152 e W2 -1 +6 6~r 3'52 . P +5 +7 6-r 2-1‘ continuing to work for room and coard when she probably could have used the time to good advantage on her studies. Her lack of desire to attend hichigan State for the same reason affected her interest and effort for some time, she felt. L « ‘u‘. ‘ - --.. ~~-I*~ Th ‘. 717v? ‘\ 5?“: .1 , l . ....H _ H ‘.v 13" 1.11 ...: fi4 kw V _ w . , .. A. l . _ I . . . . n II I n i . till}; ,x. »\ 1-1.-..‘1. ILUC II}? . . .. . l . , v a . . u . . a O . . a . H.h tail)... 1. YWWL- .hur ”PM; ...uvl..h-va.u.. i dun. . , . . . m l . r . u . . — l . . u if t L-.- lit .i..- . . . s . H . _ w . . . . .7 i . _ v v i — - i, r y I _ l 5 _ . . r? r - -..: _ .. r . -.Iif .T q , n . . , r .. i . ‘ a . a . . . .4 . ;. I 1..» _ . . M A ..J V SJ . . ,. .. l c . U m”, £22.. W . _ . . M u .v. . a- r M v . . . h n _ ll?! L1H: - fr..- 9. A m r , Soxlflliw v}: III] M l _ M . m ‘3‘ w-.. L -- t W l w . ..... .., A . v .. l . _ h w . . ...; ¢ ...". . _ w . .7 M _ . . . .. Ian \' . \1’. I .‘ . .. “ . n r. .. . — c r l . _ - . w . vvvvvvvv _ 1..“ I. ll.‘ .- .. . .. w . - w . a .. . .... x a. o M , . v s _ m V . Lu \J‘ 7. (J \ She was not anxious about her academic status, but she was eager to do everything possible to become eligible for the Upper School. The counselor found no evidence of other problems which might have contributed to the student's academic deficiency. The large number of question reSponses on the Bell provokes interest in their significance. The counselor's notes do not incicate whether this point was brought out in the interviews. Follow-up. Chemistry caused the student further difficulty Fall 1951, and an extension of time was necessary to permit her to become eligible for the Upper School. She completed the requirements in chemis- try that term and since then has had no grade below C. by the end of Spring 1952 her all-college average was almost 2.1 (137 credits, 2C3 points). Counselor judgment and summary. how much the student's resentment at unfavorable comparison with her sisters actually affected her achieve- ment is difficult to determine. Since her reaction seemed to be aggres— sive and independent in regard to financing college, it seems likely that if it affected her achievement, it probably served as a stimulus rather than as a deterrent. The student's lack of enthusiasm for attendinejhichigan State College did not prevent her attaining a C average for the first year. In the SOphomore year she carried no more credits, but the number of laboratory courses was increased and she carried several courses which demand con- siderable time. It is possible that the combination of these courses 357 with her employment and extra-curricular program was too heavy or that she had to learn to make more effective use of her time. Lack of interest in some of the courses was a factor in the student's opinion. Case L8 -- female; 13 honor points deficient Age at entrance: lb years, 9 months high school rank: second quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: business Administration Changes of preference: ho preference--Spring 1950 hnglish-—Fall 1950 Psychometric data. ACE 6~5—S COOperative Reading 6-u-u—e Iowa High School Content Examination English 36 percentile mathematics 63 Science 03 history and Social Studies 30 huder Preference Record Outdoor hO Mechanical 50 Computational 2? Scientific OS Persuasive 70 Artistic 52 Literary hS husical o5 Social Service 3h Clerical 65 Sell Adjustment Inventory home good Health good Social average Emotional excellent Total average hote: All of these tests were administer at the Counseling Clinic at Michigan State College during the summer l9h9. Family data. The student's father who is a college graduate, is a manufacturer's representative. her mother completed high school. An older sister is a graduate of Michigan State College. The student lives at home. So far as can be determined, this arrangement is satisfactory to her. high school background. high school officials considered this student average in intellectual capacity, high average in actual intel— lectual performance and very high in seriousness of purpose. An Otis administered in the ninth grade indicated an i. Q. of ion. The assistant principal commented further that the student had a fine attitude and worked very hard. On the Iowa high School Content her low achievement scores in science were partly due to her having had only chemistry in high school. She also had had only two years of mathematics, however, in contrast to four in English and three and one—half in the social studies, yet her highest score was in mathematics. It may be noted that her achievement scores, for the most part, were low. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's measured scholastic aptitude was average for M. S. C. freshmen. her reading Speed and comprehension were only low average, in contrast to a high vocabulary score. The student's low achievement scores, if they were accurate, and her somewhat inferior reading skills indicated that she might have difficulty with college work. On the other hand, her average scholastic aptitude and her rated seriousness of purpose were more favorable indications. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in only two group activities during high school, I-Teens and Future homemakers of America. She served as secretary of the latter. She was also assistant producer of the senior play. She joined no organizations her freshman year in college. During her interview with the counselor her second term in college, however, she said that she had attended all the concerts, dated a lot, and participated in other informal activities. As a result, she felt that she had not studied enough. She was eager to improve her grades, because she wished to join a sorority. This desire was not achieved, however, since the student's academic standing continued to make her ineligible. She participated in no organized activities her SOphomore year. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with a preference for Secretarial Administration under General business. When difficulty with courses required for that major caused her concern, she visited the Counseling Center during Winter 1950 to discuss the wisdom of her choice. 'When she learned that it was possible to take a combined curriculum in English and secretarial courses she was much interested. She was not positive, however, that she wanted to make a change. At the beginning of Spring term she changed to "no preference". At thebegin- ning of Fall 1950, encouraged by a B in the written and Spoken English comprehensive examination, she changed to the major, English-Secretarial Science. She has continued in that major, with her original goal of secretarial work. In Fall 1951 she told her counselor that she was confident that she was in the right major, although she had had both good and poor (D's) grades in English courses. Summary of and comments on academic record. brades of D in two comprehensive examinations represented a loss of only three honor points from her term grades. Six credits of D in requirements for Business Administration, six credits of D in literature courses required for her major, and five credits of D in foreign language account for the Summary of academic record~ IEIHI IIEOO “OI a Sfl-IUS ' HQPQ GLINED Repeats B's Total Term D's F's ‘FTh9 -12 WNfso P -12 -3 «Fs'so - CP -15 +h 3‘0 h'SO CP -11 +6 6 2-r h§FrSU ‘ -3 -11 “W151 P -1u +5 10 1 3151 ‘ -6 -7 h'Sl P -13 0 'F351 FW -13 +lb 6-b 6 w152 +5 -5 3152 . o -1 7 remainder of her deficiency. The student's grades in writing and grammar courses were average or better in contrast to her poor grades in literature. It should be Observed too that she has earned grades of B or better in I: o. Is I . . .l . _ . _ . . l I. .lp. . m . ~ . , . . .. Speech courses during the sophomore and juhior years. Steps taken regarding academic status. because of her scores on the reading test during the Counseling Clinic the summer prior to her entrance, it was suggested that she might improve her skills by enroll- ing in Reading Clinic. She did this her first term in college although she was under no compulsion to do so. She visited the Counseling Center when she was placed on probation. Her change of major was directed partially toward improving her academic record, since she felt she lacked sufficient interest to work hard in the courses required for her original choice of major. The student attended summer session at the end of her freshman year and repeated one "D" course. She repeated only one other "D" course although she had a total of 35 credits of D. During Fall 1951 she reSponded promptly to the Dean's letter, accepted referral to the Counseling Center since she had not been there since the second term of her freshman year, decreased her course load to allow additional time for preparation for a comprehensive examination, visited extra classes and obtained student tutoring in the course in which she was to take the comprehensive examination. Personal characteristics and attitudes. According to the student's own report in counseling interviews both in her freshman.year and during the term of Final Warning, and in her reSponse to the questionnaire, she felt that her academic deficiency was due primarily to lack of sufficient study and to her lack of familiarity with good methods of study. There is no evidence that this lack of study was do to concern with other problems or even to dislike or lack of interest in her courses. EEEE£EZZHEJ The pressure of Final Warning impelled the student really‘lKD expend a great deal of effort on her courses. That term she had for the first time in a regular session no grade below C. In addition she earned 6 credits of B and achieved a C on the comprehensive examination in a basic in which her term grades had been D, D, and F. Thus she became eligible for the Upper School. The following terms, the student increased her course load to 16 credits each term with unfavor— able results. ny the end of Spring 1952 her second term in Upper School, the student was deficient one honor point (1&2 credits carried, 139 credits earned, 253 honor points). Counselor judgment and summary. That the student attended Counsel- ing Clinic during the summer and enrolled for heading Clinic her first term of college would seem to indicate that she entered college with serious intentions of doing good work. Test scores were satisfactory, and if she had a reading disability, Reading Clinic should have helped to overcome it. There has been no evidence of distracting personal problems or dissatisfactions. From the student's comments in the questionnaire on interviews with her counselor and from the counselor's notes, it seems that the student related well to the counselor and would have been likely to discuss during their contacts problems about which she was concerned. The student expresses liking for her courses and, under pressure, has shown ability to get satisfactory grades. The poor grades seem to be due in large part to lack of application sufficient to achieve satisfactory grades, eSpecially when it is observed that with the exception of Winter 1950 the student has done her best work when 3621 she 1nas“beeq1 on probation. If lack of sufficient study is primarily— responsible for her grades, the heavy course loads (lb credits) of Winter and Spring 1932 seem particularly inapprOpriate. In view of the student's poor achievement in literature courses it seems likely that she would be more successful in a speech major in combination with secretarial courses. She has earned 5's and A's in Speech courses in contrast to D's in literature. She was not at all interested in considering a change of major Fall 1951, however. r i. K .I .4. .I . . a \. _ .v . Case lfii --.female; 5 honor points deficient Age at entrance: lb years, 2 months high school rank: second quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: English Change of preference: Speech-—Fall I950 Psychometric data. ACE S-E-7 COOperative heading 9-c-7-c Strong Vocational Interest Blank-Jdomen Fall 1951 AFtiSt A Author A %Lawyer 5 *Insurance saleswoman B Femininity-masculinity 35' (standard score) the 9+ scores bell Adjustment Inventory Fall 1931 home average dealth average Social aggressive Emotional unsatisfactory Total average Family data. Ths student's father who completed eighth grade, is a factory worker. The mother completed eleventh grade. The student has stated that she pays her college expenses from summer earnings and part-time employment. She indicated to the counselor that the family could assist her, but she felt that she should not ask them to do so. This seems not to have been because of feelings of hostility toward the family so much as a feeling that she should not impose the financial burden upon them. let, in a letter to the counselor the mother refers to the sacrifices the family has made to send the stu- dent to college. Thus, the parents' contribution to the student's college expenses is not at all clear. In the letter the aother expressed her concern over the student's academic status and asked the counselor what the family might do to help fiWg StUdBTfi;. .A copy of the counselor's reply has not been filed in the student's folder. The student is an only child. 1 A high school background. high school ofiicials neglected to rate the student or to comment on her high school career. her rank in the second quartile of her class, however, seems to indicate underachieve- ment when one notes the level of her scores on freshman tests at Michigan State College. Measured aptitudes and skilla for college work. Test scores gave evidence of high average or better scholastic aptitude, particularly in the linguistic area. Reading skills were above average. Thus, there seemed to be no handicaps in scholastic aptitude or Skills. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student partici- pated in Latin Club, Glee Club, and dramatics. She also worked approxi- mately ten hours per week as a "baby sitter". The student became a member of no college organizations. She attended athletic events frequently and concerts occaSionally. She did little dating on campus, but she was engaged to a man in military service. It has already been noted that she went home very frequently. She also was employed 12 hours per week. Educational—vocational plans. The student planned to prepare to become an English teacher. After the first year, however, she changed her major to Speech. Actually, the student seemed not to be strongly motivated vocationally. She was eng ged, it has been noted, to a young man who was in military service. They plan . to be married after his military service. to \7 L8? nuaasured interests were in verbal fields. her high interests, it may Ema Observed, were not in social welfare areas, although she planned to prepare for teaching. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student's record appears to be one of consistent underachievement. Only in the last term of the sephomore year were all her grades C or better. Although her grades in all the comprehensives save one were C's, she frequently had grades of D in the term's work. She raised an F in the comprehensive examination in Biological Science to a C without repeating ary term of the course. Ten credits of D in Spanish, three in a political science course, three in the beginning education course, and an F in physical education were reSponsible for the remainder of her deficiency. Diffi- culty in these courses for a person of the student's level of agility would not be anticipated. hereover, the student received 13 credits of B in other academic courses. Steps taken re:arding;acacemic status. The student repeated no D courses. She went to the Counseling Center during her third term of probation, but she saw the counselor only Sporadically. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The counselor's notes are the only source of information on this topic. The student did not reSpond to the Dean's letter nor did she return the follow-up question- naire. The counselor felt that underlying emotional problems may have prevented the student from achieving at a satisfactory level, out their nature was not revealed. The Bell Adjustment Inventory indicated un- satisfactory emotional adjustment. The counselor did not have an of Summary academic record 'WmsnfflfiflfifiIXTPT'STTTUS‘ H.P. GRIfiED" ‘ Repeats B's Total Term D's F's "F‘h9 -6 “WNTSO -6 -7 l 5'50 P -13 -1o 2 h'SU *FGU CP -23 +12 ' lS—b2 3—r “WTSI CP -11 -9 2 5151 , f 0-1“ CP -20 +15 D‘Sl “'— 'F151 Fw -5 -13 ‘w'sz FNZ Withdrew db 3'52 . 3 0. ' Fw2 -15 +10 3 6 .7 fie %* Repeated comprehensive without repeating course. Opportunity to use this as a possible approach, however, since the student failed to return to go over the results of the tests she took during the term of Final Warning. At the midterm she had a C average. B; the end of 5 c . OI I 'l o \‘n O. ‘ -l ‘I t ' ~|DI I- . . _ . . _ . . . . . a l . A I. t 1 n . v: u . v I 0.53 . Oor u.I ... 5 . . . . u . l. . _ . . ~ « _ . _ . . l . . . . m . s ‘..|,, - Ilr- I ..o- . (1.. - 0.. \ .‘s. _ . . l _ . . . _ . _ . . M . . n _ . . _ . u ‘4. 4 II I I 0. '6'! ll 1 .II.). -.x .‘ A . _ _ l . . m u i . . . . U . .I . . »t. I .. . . ., I1! . l I a . 11:! I, l ‘1. I tn? . . .. . . . . . . n . . — q . . _ u n . . u . . . . v _ . w (Ill . nl. n. 4 -r .c K- c - : I .. I? I . . . . c s .l. . r - . o v - u u . n .. a . . c _ I I t. V . . . _ e . V . ‘ I - 3 6,9 the tfiflmxtfide had five c-edits of F and five of D. let the student expressed a stronz desire to stay in school and said that if she were asked to leave Michigan State, she would try to gain admission to another institution. She wished to do this even though she planned to be married in June. Ths counselor felt that she really wanted to remain in school. The student ascribed her academic difficulties to three factors. One was that she did not feel Sufficiently challenged or stimulated by any of the basics except one to devote much time or effort to them. Secondly, she felt that poor study conditions in the dormitory were not conducive to serious study. Thirdly, she was having serious financial problems and it was questionable from term to term whether she would be able to return to college. It has already been noted that there was conflicting evidence as to whether the student was entirely selfe dependent financially. That being in college meant financial problems for her or her family or both did not motivate her to get the most out of her educational experience, even though she might have become eligible to pass comprehensive examinations early and thus make faster prOgress with a little extra effort. The student expressed satisfaction with her roommates and with dormitory life. The counselor felt, however, that the student's social attitudes were affected by the fact that she was greatly overweight. The student's weight raises the possibility of a physiological basis for a lack of energy output. Also the student withdrew from _ v \ :1 that] , C“ school Wi ter 1952 upon a physician's recommendation. Unfortuna . r. . ... . . .. 3.33% V. I. i ‘ . O . .a v. 1. WA”... r to ~ xhfigireasorus.for the recommendation were not stated. The student returned to school the following tent. The student's very poor grades Fall 1951 and mediocre achieVement Spring 1952 when she returned to school leave many questions unanswered. Follow-up. The student's record Fall 1951 was the worst of her collere career. She gained honor points Spring 1932 by repeating 10‘ credits. She raised the grades in three courses to C but she failed a one credit Speech course and physical education. She had no contact with the counselor when she returned to scnool. At the end of the term She was requested to withdraw from school. ' Counselor Qudmment and summary. The counselor who had three inter- views with the student over a period of several months felt that it was not possible to furnish an adequate diagnosis of the case. If the stu- dent was disturbed by problems other than financial she did not discuss them with the counselor. hor did she show Symptoms of emotional dis- turbance. The counselor felt that she was more strongly motivated to remain in college than her grades would indicate. The picture is further obscured by conflicting evidence regarding the financing of her collexe education, her stated satisfaction with her social relationships with girls in the dormitory, yet her frequent visits home(since her fiance this could not have been the attraction), the was in military service, 0 marked decrease in grades Fall l9Sl'between the midterm and the finals, as well as the possibility of physical or enotional concomitants of her overweight being involved in her underachievement. (3 p: U) f \ Psychometric data. Family data. automotive engineer. lives with her parents. her mother completed high school. .371 50 -"-.female; 5 honor points deficient .Age at admission: high school rank: Preference at admission: 17 years, 9 months second quartile, Class B school Business Administration, Secretarial Acministration ACd 6-6-7 Cooperative Reading h-s-s-S Iowa High School Content dxamination English b3 percentile hathematics t9 Science 3t history and social studies 15 Kuder Preference Record Outdoor 02 mechanical l3 Computational 67 Scientific 13 Persuasive 55 Artistic 0 Literary b3 husical bl Social service 97 Clerical t5 bell adjustment Inventory home good health average Social average Emotional average Total average note: All of these tests were administered summer 19h9 in a hSC Counseling Clinic. The student's father, a college graduate, is an The student She seemed satisfied with this arrangement since she was free to live in the dormitory if she wished. The student's lack of vocational motive may be related to the high economic level of her family. ‘l‘ t luvat I}: ‘5‘ ‘I High school background. The student attended a local high school from Which more than ninety percent of the graduates attend college. The academic competition, therefore, is keen. An Otis given in the ninth grade indicated an I. Q. of llh. She was rated by the high school counselor as fairly high in potential intellectual capacity and actual intellectual performance and high in seriousness of purpose. The Iowa High School content showed above average achievement in mathematics, low average achievement in English and science and low achievement in history and social studies. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. Scholastic apti- tude and reading test scores indicated that the student had at least average potentialities for college work. Even her high school rank could not be considered unfavorable when the selective factors operating in the high school were considered. ner achievement test scores were for the most part, low in comparison with her measured academic poten- tialities. The above average "Q" score on the ACE, above average measured achievement in mathematics and her strong measured and stated preference for computational and clerical activities seemed apprOpriate for her prOposed major, Secretarial Administration. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in no extra- curricular activities in high school. She was rated fairly high in social mindedness and popularity, however. Until Fall 1931 the only college activity the student reported was membership in "Town Gi._“. an organization for local girls living off—campus. Fall 1951 she began to work irregularly in the office of . . L7 2 ‘ $10 . a . Y « i I .‘ 4 F __.— A 373 the student newSpaper and on the college humor magazine. She has re- Ze activities. According to ported no participation in informal colle her own report in the questionnaire she had an active social life, however. “he has had no regular part-time employment, but she sometimes works in a department store on Saturdays. nducational-vocational_plans. The student was interested in secretarial work at the time of admission and has continued to work toward that goal as a major in Secretarial Administration under Business Administration. During the Basic College interview she was asked if she had considered the possibility of a different major with appropriate business courses as electives to prepare for her chosen vocation. It was pointed out that Business Administration was heavily weighted with economics and related courses and that to date she had not done well in these courses. She answered that she had thought of it, but never had done anything aoout it. It was suggested that she consider the advisability of such a step and that she discuss it in more detail with her regular counselor. The student has continued in the same major, however. This seems strange since she did not seen to have a strong vocational motive.' It appeared that she wished merely to have some vocational preparation so that she might be prepared to do something after four years of college. Summary of and comments on academic record at Michigan State College. (Refer to the following page for the summary). ‘With the ex- ception of Summer 1950 the student lost honor points on each term's 37a Summary of academic record W mp. W Repeats B's D's F's Th9 WW'SO 3_b 1 3'50 P h'SO CP F’50 lS-b2 CP 15-b5 l “W' SI 3.;0 CP 2-r ‘3‘51 '— CP 6-r l h‘Sl T' 51 FW h—r “W732 O-r FW2 3-r 9-b 3'52 . J P x Became eligible for Upper School by'deletion.ofw§ credits of D. courses and was continually on probation beginning Spring 1950. Ultimately she achieved grades of C on comprehensive examinations in the Sasics. her primary loss of credits, therefore, was in courses required for the preposed major. . . u . , Steps taken regarding_academic status. Although the student had attended the summer Counseling Clinic, one of the major purposes of which is to acquaint the student with the services and staff of the Counseling Center, she did not visit the Counseling Center until Fall 1950 when she had become seriously deficient in honor points. That was her only contact with a counselor until she was referred to her counselor during he basic College interview. She reSponded promptly to the Dean's suggestion that she see the Counselor at the basic College. There is little evidence in the student's record of any concerted effort prior to Fall 1951 to improve her academic status. She carried a somewhat lighter load Winter 1951, but she did less well that term than during the other terms of that year. She repeated only "F" courses until the Final Warning term. She then repeated a oeginning accounting course in which she had received D a year previously and which she had not continued deSpite its being a requirement for her major. When she was referred to her counselor Fall 1951, she asked for help with study methods and for referral to the student tutoring service. The counselor felt that her motivation and confidence had increased in the year since his last contact with her. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The high school counselor remarked that the student seemed shy and retiring. The college counselor's notes from the interview in Fall 1950 also noted her shyness. The student verbalized no feelings of insecurity, however, and the interview was focused on her academic difficulties. It is possible, therefore, that her W6...AI¢1.¢ i grim JUAN“ a)...” r..‘ {M‘F-I \A) N] C . failure to make greater use of the Counseling Center may have stemmed from shyness rather than indifference. In her reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire the student reported that during the first two years of college she just didn't "settle down and get to work". She said that she had gotten fairly good grades_in high school without too much effort and she thought that she could do the same in college. "hy will power isn't too strong and I would see other kids out having a good time so I joined them". She reported that during the last year (1951-52) she had really tried and had shown im- provement winter term. Spring term she had fallen down again, out she didn't know why. The student gave no indication that she took into consideration the marked difference in the course loads which she carried the two terms. Follow-up. lhe student‘s grades Fall 1951 included an F in the third term of Literature and Fine Arts in which she had had C's in previous terms and a D in the third term of economics in which she had grades throughout. Winter 1952 she carried a reduced course load had poor b which included nine credits of "repeat" courses. She made up all but one honor point of her deficiency and was admitted on probation to the Upper School by a deletion of three credits of D. The following term she increased her load to 16 credits of difficult courses. She received grades of D in eleven credits. At the end of Spring 1952, then, she had earned 123 credits and had a deficiency of nine honor points. Counselor 'udcment and summarv. Although the student does not lack a _J academic capacity, she apparently has lacked sufficient motivation to 377 "get in and dig from the ceginning", as she has put it. In reSponse to the questionnaire the student indicated that she had not been greatly concerned about staying in school. her recent desire to remain in school seems to be more related to the fact that she is "pinned" to a student who is anxious for her to continue in collece than to any strong educational purpose. She felt that she had really studied recently and was very much disappointed in the results of her work Spring term. She seemed convinced that "settling down" would be the complete remedy for her academic problems without recoinizinx the relationship to satisfactory achievement of course load, course difficulty, and the handicap of poor work in preceding series courses such as accounting and economics. Efigr she has continued in dusiness Administration is not known. She has stated no great interest in the courses and she is aware of the possibility of preparing for her stated goal, secretarial work and a college degree, in \A) N] C." Case Sl -- female; lo honor points deficient Age at admission: 1? years, 7 months nigh school rank: second quartile, out-of-s ate school Preference at admission: home Leonomics, clotiini—i xtiles Changes of preference: no preference--fiinter ly;O Fsychologv-Jflinter 1951 rsychomeoric data. ACE *;rativ 7-j7-J -O-;)-C) \r\in C) C) O T’ \U (L) r adin: (I) Kuder Preference hecord--Fall lyhy mechanical 3O Computational 33 Scientific Oh Persuasive 9O Artistic 70 Literary 10 husical 93 Social Service L9 Clerical 5v Family data. The father a college graduate, is an electrical engi- neer. The mother attended Katherine Gicos. A brother and sister Were attending other institutions. The parents sent the student to college to learn to earn a living. When she was placed on probation the parents told the student that she woulc not oe permitted to continue in colle 3e unless her grades improved. They allowed the student to return Fall 1951, however high school background. The student attended a large urban school. She mas rated ave rage in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual per- formance, and seriousness of purpose. An I. Q. of 111 on an Otis administer- ed in eleventh grade was reported. The comment was added that the stu- dent's attitude and application had alraJs been satisfactory. heasu ec apti tLLGS and skills for college work. The student's sclolastic aptitude was high average and tests showed no re adingc c isahility. The lower ";" score need not he considered a handicap for the science courses required by her original preference, home economics, since research (ll) has shown that for women at hichiaan State College the "L" score has a higher correlation with achievement in chemistry. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the student participated in many varied activities including musical and dramatic groups, athletics, the dance, and several social groups. She was elected to office in two of the organizations. In college the student was a memoer of a sorority, participated in intra-mural Sports, and belonged to a musical organization each year. She attended athletic events often as well as some concerts and foreign films . Educational-vocational plans. Although at admission the student declared Textiles and Clothing as her preference, she was not at all definite in her educational plans. After learning of the science require- ments and experiencing four weeks of a course in physical science, the student went to the Counseling Center regarding a change of preference. Since she had no alternative major in mind, she changed to no preference. She saw a counselor only at intervals, once to change to "no preference" and to consider possible majors, again in the spring, and in the fall of her SOphomore year to change from "no preference". She was sure that she wanted a personal contact occupation. She had worked as a waitress in a summer hotel and had eswecially enjoyed the experience of meeting so many peOple. At the end of her freshman year she believed she would spend two years in college and then attend Katherine Gibbs. In the fall 3:0 she changed from "no preference" to psychology. She remained in this major, but Fall 1951 she took principally business courses, prosadly to secure some vocational training prior to her marriage at the end of the term. Summary of and comments on academic record. The student had better than a C average her first two terms in College and carried lt credits one of the terms. Spring Term of her freshman year she began to receive grades of D in courses in which she had previously earned C's and 5's. Thereafter, she was deficient in honor points each term. She received only one D in a comprehensive examination. her poor grades were not limited to courses in any one department and her achievement in courses offered by a department was inconsistent. She received D's in the only two psychology courses she took and received C's and 5's in speech courses. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student took no Specific measures to improve her scholastic record so far as can oe observed. She did have one contact with the counselor late in the term, Spring 1951, when she was on probation. She reported then that she had been working so that her parents would not send her to Katherine Gibbs. She was confident that she would earn 3's in her courses and hOped for a B on the comprehensive examination. Actually she received three credits of 8, three of C, and D's in the remainder, including the comprehensive examination. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student made no reSponse to the Dean's letter. When the counselor reached her by telephone, she |||l 3L1 3mm of academic recoIE TERM PRO. H.P. STfl'US" H.P. GAINED Repeats B's Total Term +D's F's Th9 . +o 3’0 3-r 3'50 3-b +6 +h l S'SO +10 -10 1 11'50 F'bU 0 —S W'SI -5 -11 3751 f P —16 -6 3 I051 .— ‘3" 51 * FW -22 -3 3 W‘SZ Requested o wit' 3'52 l . '1 w ** Courses required for eventual major, Psychology. said that she was to be married at the end of the term and did not plan to return to school. She was cordial, but she was obviously not concerned about her academic status. . . . _ a _ . i . u . . u. u .. . w .. ( ..I o v ....n a . ... 5.3!}..- _ _ _ . _ . _ . w .l .l. I c It! .I + t ... I. _. . .i . t . _ ~ “ u p . _ u _ — . . y . . ~ . V . I) I o .. . m m .a . - w . . _ . h N . .. it , a i .. _ n . a . . i . .i ~ , i‘ I! .‘H C 332 There is nn'evidence in the counselor's notes of personal problems which might have caused her grades suddenly to become unsatisfactory. The comment was made that she seemed immature. The student's membership in a sorority and other organizations and her plans for marriage gave evidence of probably satisfactory social adjustment. Follow-up. 'rhe student's academic record Fall 1951 was somewhat improve‘. She increased her deficiency, however, and was requested to withdraw. Since the student made no reSponse to the questionnaire, it can only be assumed that she was married as she had planned. Counselor Judgment and summary. The student demonstrated her ability to do college work during the first two terms in college. Her statement to the counselor Spring 1951 that she had started working may be a clue to the basis of her academic deficiency. That her achievement in courses within a department and in related courses varied does not indicate difficulty with certain types of courses. The student appeared to lack strong educational or vocational purpose and demonstrated no concern about it. Possibly the social aspects of college life and marriage became her principal interest and perhaps she began to devote more time to them than to her studies after a satisfactory beginning in college work. Without personal contact with the student and without a reSponse to the questionnaire in which she might have expressed her attitudes, it is necessary to rely entirely on the counselor's notes which indicated no problem areas to account for the student's stated lack of study. ||||| CMAPTLR ViIl The CASE STUBle: CASLS FIFTY-TWO TfihObdh S vTY—FIVE Cases fifty-two through sixty-five include all those in the study whose high school rank was below the second quartile and those Who Were not high school graduates. Cases fifty—two throuqh sixty-one are men. Cases sixty-two through sixty—five are women. Case 52 -- male, non-veteran; lO honor points deficient Age at entrance: l9 years, t months nigh school rank: third quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: business Administration m Psychometric data. ACE l-l Cooperative headinv 2—1-3-1 D Family data. The student's parents are high School graduates. The father is a sales manager and the student plans to become a member of his father's staff. high school background. The high school principal rated the student as average in intellectual capacity, actual intellectual performance, and seriousness of purpose. he further commented that the student had seemed to apply himself a little more dilegently the last year of high school. he mentioned his leadersnip in school activities and recommended him highly as to qualifications for college, saying that he would be a valu- able addition to the campus. This recommendation seems to have been based on the student's high personal qualifications rather than on his actual academic rank. 3th measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's measured aptitudes and skills for college work seemed to be very low. These made the assumption that the student's low high school rank had been due to overparticipation in extra-curricular activities seem less likely. Extra-curricular activities. The student’s participation and leadership in extra-curricular activities during high school was very extensive. He held office in almost every activity with which he was associated. He was president of the freshman class, vice president of the junior class, captain of the football team, vice-president of the Varsity Club, president of student council, and vice-president of Hi-Y. he was a member of two other athletic teams, the debate club, and two other school clubs. In his freshman year of college he got off to an active start as chairman of a dormitory committee during the first term, and member of Student Congress. and pledge of a fraternity the second term. His subsequent academic record made him ineligible to go active in the fraternity or to participate in activities like Student Congress which require academic eligibility. His only organized activities since the freshman year have been in the dormitory. Educational-vocational plans. The student enrolled in Business Ildministration his first term in college and has remained in the prefer- €3nce throughout college. On his application he stated that he was un- CEtrtain of his occupation. During the interview at the Basic College, lhatever, he said that he planned to go into sales work with his father. fillle student expressed no doubt regarding tie wisdom of his choice, although he had had considerable difficulty with courses required for his major. he was unwilling to consider any other major as an alterzate route to his goal. Summary of and comments on academic record. With th exception of Summer 1950 and the following term, the student had at least one D, and usually more, each term. These have been both in basics and in courses required for his major. his first term was his most successful in total honor points based on the courses he was carrying. he gained more two other terms, but these gains must be credited to "repeats" of comprehensive examinations. Steps taken regarding‘acidemic status. The student enrolled in Reading Clinic the last term of his freshman year. During the summer session of that year, when he was on probation for the first time, he saw a counselor regarding his academic status. Unfortunately, the notes are very brief, indicating only that the student planned to repeat two comprehensive examinations the following term in order to remove his deficiency. The student repeated the "F" examination, as he had planned, but the other grade was left as nine credits of D. The student did not repeat any course in which he had a grade of D throughout the first two years. He decreased his course loads during the latter part of the SOphomore year and enrolled for a course in methods of effective studv. Personal characteristics and attitudes. In both the Basic College Zinterview'and in his reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire the student iJldicated the presence of "problems" as a factor in his academic achieve— .nnent. In the former he referred to difficulty in "settling down" and in Summary of academic record M. H.P. mm p: Repeats B's A's Comps. D's D's F's THE? 1 3‘b 2 P-r l—r 'W'so 3_b 2 3-r 3-r 8'50 1) 3-c -b 3-r 1 B343 3"b 3‘1‘ 12-F -5 11’50 P c 1 FTSU 3 CP lS-bS l , T'SI 3-‘0 CP 2 h)6-D 7-r J3 STSI * , 6—r l CP 9-bh l 2 3-r I h'51 ' 7151 Fw h-r h—r h-r W152 W2 3-I‘ h-I‘ 5'52 . ) Uncl. 3-r o-r the latter he reported that he had let things build up in his mind without talking about them and without looking; at them objectively. In the inter- view the student did not discuss these problems nor wish to make use of COUIIBeling services. He said that he talked things over frequently with a friend who was stucyine for an advanced degree in psych0105y and did not feel the need of further assistance. he felt, moreover, that he had the situation in hand. The student felt confident at that time that he would make up the deficiency. Later in the term he phoned to verify a midterm grade. He seemed upset about the grade. The counselor asked if he would like to come in, but he did not wish to do so. The following term he came in during examination week. He had just earned that he had received a grade of D in his first examination. he had helped other students study and he was sure he would get a good grade. That he had not done so made him anxious about the other exams still to come. It deveIOped that the D in the examination was actually an improvement over his grades in tests during the term. The counselor used this fact as a means of reassurance since it seemed imperative that the student‘s anxiety be decreased before he went into his next exami- nation. That the student seemed to expect to raise D's and F33 in the course to a C by the examination seems somewhat unrealistic. This lack of realism extended to his choice of courses. When he was granted an extension by Basic College Winter 1952 and when he succeeded in gaining permission to become an "unclassified" student the following term, he carried all "new" courses, although he had 1y credits of D on his record. Itt the beginning of the latter term, the counselor encountered the stu- Chent by chance in the building and invited him to come in. he did so aJld discussed his previous term's achievement and his present courses. Iii; that time the counselor sugg sted it might be well to repeat some slat: Jr.”- A—-A‘1‘- . 3% "D" courses to make removal of the deficiency more certain. The student said that he thought it was a good idea. When the grade reports came, the student had repeated no courses. Whether the student overestimates his ability or just cannot admit to himself that he may be somewhat limited in academic ability is not certain. The latter seems a strong possibility. The contacts with the basic College counselor could not U8 judged successful in terms of having been able really to help the student. When he reSponded to the questionnaire, the student said in re;ard to the Basic College interviews that he felt he had someone to Speak with aoout his troubles, if he felt like it. The last phrase seems significant. Follow-up. It has already been noted that the student failed to. remove his deficiency in the time permitted in Basic College and that he became an "unclassified" student. The student began the year with a deficiency of ten honor points. At the end of Spring l752 he still had a deficiency of seven. Counselor judgment and summary. With apparently limited acadehic potentialities, the student had selected and persisted in a major with whose course requirements he had difficulty from the first term in college. Although he has a definite vocational goal, sales, a nusiness .Administration major is not essential. Persistence in this major and .failure to repeat courses, even when he was granted extensions of time, xsrobably increased his academic difficulties. Whether these were sympto- rnaidc of an inability to accept his acad mic limitations has not been CleJCemined. '. ur‘1‘1‘ ‘uul , It, 0‘. .1 ' llll yu:l.|l. Lu Cr. \C; neither is there any knowledge of the problems to which the student referred both in the interview and in his reSponse to the questionnaire. There seems little doubt that they were of great concern to him and, in his own judgment, contributed to his academic difficulties. \.u \L. O Case 53 -- male, non-veteran° 7 honor points deficient Age at entrance: 17 years, 10 months high school rank: quartile 3, Class 3 school Preference at admission' no preference Changes of preference. Elementary dducation--Spring 1951 Psychometric data. ice Y-Z-h; lO—h-t (April 1950) COOperative heading l-l-l-l ”amily data. The student's father is a high school graduate. his mother completed grade school. The father has been successful financially, and both parents were eager for their son to have the educational advantages they lacked. The boy worked at his father's service station during high school and has continued to work there during college vacations. his savings from this employment have been supplemented by his father in order to defray his college expenses. high school background. An I. Q. of ll? was recorded for the stu- dent on the Otis Group Intelligence Scale administered in December of his senior year in high school. He was rated fairly high in potential intellectual capacity and average in actual intellectual performance and in seriousness of purpose. hptitudes and skills for college work. The student's low high school rank and apparent underachievement could not be considered predictive of college success. His low reading scores make his academic capacity diffi— cult to estimate. A check ACE in the Spring of his freshman year showed only a low average linguistic score after almost a year of college work. The wide variance between the Q and L scores is evident in both tests. Extra-curricular activities. In high school the stident was active in athletics and served as business manager of publications. In college, )1 however, he has participated in no organized activities nor, according to his own report, in other college sponsored activities. neither did he have part-time employment during his first two years. Such partici- (L en difficult during the freshman year, because the pation would have b” student went home every weekend. He did not increase his activities, however, when he began to remain on campus more during the SOphomore year. Lafic of participation seems not to have been a source of dis- satisfaction to the student, however. Educational-vocational_plans. The student entered as a "no preference" student. he remaiied "no preference" until snrin: term of his sophomore year. When he entered college, he had, he reported, no idea of a major, nor indeed whether he wished to attend college. he came, he reported, because his parents wished him to attend college. he had little interest in college during the freshman year. By the beginning of the sophomore year he was desirous of continuing in college, but he was uncertain re- garding a major. His high school principal seems to have been the primary influence in his selection of elementary education as a mayor. It was the principal who pointed out to him, when he was at home on vacation, the advantages of elementary teaching and administration and, in the principal's opinion, the student's fitness for the field. Summary of and comments on academic record at N. S. C. (Refer to the following page for the summary.) ihe student did not receive a term average of less than C after the first year. his poor achievement that year, however, resulted in his being continued on probation for four more terms. basiCs were the principal source of his deficiency. as repeated (0 neither of the comprehensive examinations in which his grades wer D. n. E A. e r m. ..r. ... E ‘ ‘u .\ )Q\l L ... 392 Summary of academic record TERM“ PRDI'HTPT'STETUS‘W H.P. GRINED Repeats Total Term D's F's "F“H9 -6.S 'WHrso -6.5 -2 3'50 P ~8.S -5 £750 F‘ 50 CP —1u.s +3.5 “W151 CP ~11 0 0? ~11 +b D151 ‘F‘Sl ‘ FW -7 +lh ‘W‘SZ +7 +5 3'52 +12 +2 Good grades in courses required for his major ultimately enabled him to enter the Upper School with slightly better than a C average. Steps taken rejarding academic status. The student's disinterest in college during the freshman year was not so great that he ignored his innings 1* v ' . ”--....” .,_ H. . .. . . » .... AIL"_&.-._‘ - academic status. he visited the Counseling Center during Spring 1950, when he was placed on probation for the first time. At that time he took an alternate form of the AC5, but rejected a prOposal that he attend heading Clinic, because he felt it was unnecessary. An instructor, he said, had told him that if he would do a great deal of reading, the clinic would be unnecessary. During the Basic College interview Fall 1951 he rejected the suggestion that he take a check reading test, say- ing that he was confident that his reading skills were adequate. his satisfactory grades in history and in other courses demanding consider— able reading and his achievement of satisfactory grades on the comprehen— sive examinations during the SOphomore year offered support for his belief. During the first two terms of the SOphomore year the student carried a lighter course load. he did not see a counselor again except at enrollment until'winter 1951, when he came to change his preference and to discuss his academic status. At that time it was recommended‘ that he repeat a "U" comprehensive examintion in order to gain honor points. During spring term, however, when he enrolled in his prOposed major for the first time, he resumed a full course load and did not allow time for preparation for the comprehensive. The student's comments on Comprehensive examinations lead one to surmise that the repetition of a comprehensive, and Reading Clinic too, were things he just preferred not to do. As a result, he may have found reasons satisfactory to him for not doing them. On the other hand, he took the positive steps of seek— ing counseling assistance, reducing course loads, devoting more time to study, and reSponding to the Dean's letter. 39b Follow-up. ‘This student for whom one could not predict a very bright academic future on the basis of his low high school rank and his freshman test scores increased his honor point average considerably dur- ing each year of his college career—-l.7 for the freshman year, 2.1 for the SOphomore year, and 2.7 for the junior year. my the end of Spring 1952 he had carried and earned lhl credits with 296 honor points. his better than average grades have been for the most part, in courses re- quired for his major. Counselor judgment and summary. The student ascribed his unsatis- factory achievement to his initial lack of interest in attending college and to his lack of an educational-vocational goal. Unfortunately, coun- selor's notes on the one counseling contact during the student's freshman year are not available. Thus, the counselor‘s diagnosis is unknown. It seems likely that, at least during the freshman year, a reading deficiency was a contributing factor. The student's unwillingness to repeat compre- hensive examinations may have been due to lack of sufficient motivation to expend the necessary effort or to lack of confidence that he could do better. Later he felt that he could not repeat the examinations without repeating the course, and this he was reluctant to do. he felt confident, moreover, that he could make up the deficiency on new courses. This proved to be true, although his academic probation was prolonged thereby. Although the student has not participated in college activities, ,there has been no indication in interviews or in the follow-up that this has been a source of dissatisfaction to him. 39‘ The student's obvious pleasure during the Basic College interview with having found a major satisfactory to him and with taking courses efinitely related to that major made it evident that this problem had been of considerable concern to him. horeover, the student's strong desire to become eligible to remain in college to reach the goals he had so recently established apparentlr gave the motivation that had been lacking. ) u! .. . .._ ..l ..J.QV.H1.J_va ,. a!" A” . ..r 1 -ulylt..-mu1, ting Lam: t\ . up..- . , . t . ff... . Pb... ..u . - fl... . Case Sh -- male, non-veteran; l7 honor points deficient Age at entrance: 1? years, 2 months high school rank: third quartile, out-of-state school Preference at adnission: Veterinary hedicine ) Psychometric data. ACE .2-S-h Cooperative heading 2-3-2-2 Family data. The student's father is a veterinarian. his mother completed high school. His sister attended M. S. C. for two years. The father was very much concerned with his son's academic progress. During the summer prior to the term of "Final Warning", the father and son came to the campus to confer with administrative officials regarding he stu— dent‘s academic future. High school background. The student attended military academy. His intellectual capacity was rated low average. A Terman-Mcuemar administered in tenth grade indicated an I. Q. of 107. His actual intellectual performance was rated slightly higher average and his seriousness of purpose was considered high. The school director reported that the student was absolutely unstinting in his devotion of time and effort and that he worked faithfully and with determination. r‘, fleasured aptitudes and skills for college work. The hCE indicated that the student's scholastic aptitude was low average. his scores in the linguistic area Jere average, but the quantitative scores were low. Low reading skills appeared to be a potential source of difficult". In view of these scores, the student's prOSpects for admission to the highl selective School of Veterinary M dicine did not appear very bright. Extra-curricular activities. In military school the student was a member of the varsity basketball team and a member of the reserves 397 for crew. These were his only activities. In college his activities were limited to attendance at athletic events, some of the college dances, and some of the concerts. During the sophomore year he was a member of a church-related group. Educational-vocational plans. The student has had one goal as long as he can remember, to become a veterinarian. he accompanied his father, as he worked. and, as he grew older, assisted him. If he were unable to qualify for admission to a school of veterinary medicine in two years, he was determined to try until he could qualify. 'When it eecame definite that he could not qualify at Michigan State College, he transferred to a southern institution to attempt to achieve his goal there. Sumrary of and cohments on the academic record. (Refer to the following page for the summary). The student received C's in all the comprehensive examinations, except one. His principal difficulty was with chemistry and physics courses required for Veterinary Medicine. In Spring 1950 and Fall 1950 he carried 17-lC academic credits plus physical education, much heavier loads than required by his curriculum. During these terms he had his most serious losses in honor points. Steps taken regarding academic status. The student carried normal course loads or heavier each term. He repeated no "“" courses. The student consulted a counselor Winter 1951 when he was placed on pro- bation for the second time. What methods were discussed for improving his academic status were not recorded. The student attended heading Clinic his second term in college on his own initiative. '71.“... - 4 b.) \Li. Cr Summary of academic record W. m H.P. W Comps. Repeats B's Total Term D's F's Th9 -1 l 'W'so 3_r -1 -ll 1 l 3'50 3-C ,, )3-c P '12 +3 )3:£ * M D'SO F'sb ‘ -7 -ll 1 WiSI 3-b P -18 +8 6-r 3-r 5151 I CP -10 -7 3-r D'Sl ""— T751 3-r FW ~17 -2 [1 W52 Traanerre%to arpthen institution .— ‘ w Personal characteristics and attitudes. The counselor has met few students with such dogged determination to achieve a goal in the face of great obstacles. At the beginning of Winter 1951, the student's enrollment officer told him that he should find some other major, but the student, In 1~v .fw‘ac, " , _. l - - --w- 4' .‘t‘i"- ,I...0.ot.¢ ll . _ . . . . _ . I G . ., «1 a I..- a m M _ . . w .... ,- y u sold“. u . . ..V . m h T - I‘M:- — a T37 . . _ . . M .-....i. - ...... i... ..-. «2....- --.--. _ .. . H _ . .. ., . . w a . ._ . . .....u 9 L13 hyulbtuo:l; ...... "finale. . . _ . n . . . . — N .. u . .. ._ . u . .. .. . . i .... -....- .. ;, 21-4... . . a .u _ _ _ V x :91. .. . t g, . _ . w. . _ m , . . .4 ,. , _ . . . m m . a .0. i . . v.1- .. _ . . v . . _ . _ m . o . . - a - a ..- -m- . . . w ... . . ~ . . h _ .. [:7 .0". .A.’ I9- ‘ . r1 .11 In... . . . . | ,. _ . .. l . 399 when he saw a counselor that same term, was unwilling to consider alternatives. During the summer of 1951 administrative officials told the student that he would have to attain B's in a chemistry and bac- teriology course the following term, if he were even to be considered for admission to Veterinary hedicine. The student was discouraged by this, but he was determined to try. So far as Michigan State College was concerned, his determination to achieve this goal was, in the light of his record of the first two years, unrealistic. neither the ooy nor his father felt he should give up, however. Follow-up. The student could have returned to Michigan State College Winter 1952, repeated courses, and probably could have qualified for admission to one of the non-professional schools. Instead, he trans- ferred to a southern institution which offers Veterinary Medicine. In his first term's work there he had a 3 average. he liked the smaller school very much. he felt he was getting much more out of his courses. he concluded his letter by saving that he was determined to continue his efforts to become a veterinarian. Counselor_Qudgment and summer . The end of the term was only three weeks distant, when the Basic College counselor succeeded in contacting the student through followeup procedures. he had not reSponded to the Dean's letter because he felt it was unnecessary after the summer con- erence with the Dean and other administrative officials. The counselor would have liked the student to take check tests. There were enough d's and C's in the student's grade record to indicate the possibility of his o ,.l.||u3 IVIJIL|3 kill 1 o ‘3“ . I- I ['4 CU original tests having underestimated his capacity, particularly in view of the measured reading skills at that time. harked over-achieve- ment was, of course, another possible explanation. The student felt he had insufficient time to give to testing, since he was under a great deal of pressure in his courses. His course loads were far too heavy certain terms. These alone were not reSponsible for his deficiency, however, since he had D's when his loads were lighter. his failure to repeat D courses lessened his chances of gaining honor points and improving his background for sub- sequent courses. That the student's intense interest in becoming a veterinarian was based on actual knowledge of the work, rather than on a name or an irealistic picture of a profession probably made it more difficult for him to consider alternate goals. In View of his tremendous drive, his decision to change to another school seems to have been the only solu- tion he could accept at this point. his progress to date in the new institution gives hOpe that he may attain his goal under these seemingly more favorable circumstances. ..f LL01 J. Case 55 -- male, non-veteran; e honor points deficient Age at admission: 17 years, 7 months high school rank: third Quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: Floriculture I) Psychometric data. A05 6. 7-7 COOperative he eading 6—4 ‘ -2- h Family data. The student's mother, who was a high school graduate, is deceased. his father, who completed grade school, is a commercial florist. The student came to college to prepare to go into business with his father. v .4— high school caeng ound. The hizh sc1xool coun33lor rated the student very high in intellectual capacity. his percentile rank on a Detroit Advanced administered in the twelfth grade was 91. his actual intellectual performance and his seriousness of purpose, however, were rated only fairly high. During eleventh and twelfth grade the student earned princi- pally 5‘s and A's. The counselor comme ited t1at the student did not always apply himself. heasured aptitudes and skills for college worc. The student's measured scholastic aptitude was high average, perhaps higi er since he may have been handicapped somewhat by only low average re ading Sp sad and low comprehension. Extra-curricular activities. Although he attended a large city school, the student participated in no extra- curricula r activities. lhe high school counselor remarked that he was a very quiet boy who read a ...—1 :9 great deal. student had no part-time employment while he was in high school. Although he was not permitted ey phJSicians to participate in Sports in high school, he was active in intra-mural athletics in college. A position on the inter-dormitory council his SOphomore ;ear was his only other organized activity. he attended concerts occasionally and athletic events frequently. he seems, therefore, not to have devoted excessive time to college-Sponsored activities. he had no part-thus employment. Educational-vocational_ylans. Lhe student entered college with a Specific goal, preparation to join his father in the wholesale florist business. his difficult; With some of the prereQJisite courses did not influence his decision, nor wa. he interested in the Short Course, Commercial Floriculture. a -l . :~ -.3 ,. . . n ,4 ‘- n r. - 1 .1- - '- Shflhafy oi and con on.s on acaqulC FsCOFQ. marine the first two years the student'earned C's on iour comp‘ehensive examinations in Basics. he had poor grades consistentlJ, however, in history of Civilization and received a D on the comprehensive examination Fall 1951. his loss of honor points was gradual and he was not placed on probation until the last term of his SOphomore year. He had poor grades in sotany, mathematics, and accounting, all requirements for his proposed major. taps taken regarding academic status. The student took no discern— ible measures to halt his gradual but continual academic losses until he was placed on probation the last term 01 his SOphomore year. he then ‘ 1 carried only 13.5 credits including three credits of F whicl he was re- O peating. dis decline continued, however. he returned to summer session to repeat a chemiscry course in which his grade was F. Carrying only Summary of academic record “TERI—PRU? H.P. m Repeats B's A's D's F's The 1 .5 “W?50 . 2 .5 5'50 E750 Frso 2.5 "W7* 2 .5 3751 P é—b D'Sl F3 9-r 2 "F' 51 FW 3-r l 'W‘S? 3_r rw2 3-bé 5 3'52 . P x Four credits of D deleted by the Dean of Agriculture. this course and two credits of physical education, he reduced his 17 honor point deficiency to six. he had no contact with the Counseling Center and he VaS enrolled in no clinics. '11 . I, . . T d _ ~ _ , _ . l l l _ . p m , H . a 1...: -...z-.... - . ‘ Personal characteristics and attitudes. During the basic College ‘ r in erview the student seemed undisturbed by his academic status. he e‘pressed confidence that he would make up his deficiency Fall 1951. he was not familiar with the course requirements in his major in the junior and senior years or with the possioility of two fields of specialization. The prOSpect of more chemistry and biological sciences did not cause him concern, even though these had been his principal source of difficulty. The student appeared absolutely certain that Floriculture was the major he wanted, yet there was little manifest interest in what the major itself actually involved. The student felt his reading scores were probably accurate since he considered himself a slow reader. {he expressed interest in taking a reading test as verification and in enrolling in heading Clinic, if it seemed indicated- Arrangements were made with a counselor, but the student failed to follow through on the referral. This night be inter- preted as evidence of lack of interest or motivation to do very much aoout his situation. Follor:pp. Instead of gaining honor points on his comprehensive examination Fall 1951, as he had believed he would, the student received a grade of D. D's in soil science and botany further increased his r_/ deficiency. The following tenn he carried 1; credits with only three "repeat" credits. In adcition to this he took the final examination in the Basic again. Despite this rather heavy load the student gained ll honor points. he was still ineligib e for the Upper School, however. Only by a deletion of four credits of D was the student admitted on . . . . .. I. .. (Alf..- $.81... {I . L‘ a \ . ll \ i" ‘1..lv" . probation. The following term he again lost honor points resulting in a deficiency of six at the end of Spring 1952 (130 credits, 266 honor points). Counselor jujinent and surmc:y. necause of the stunent's reticence in the sasic College interview, his failure to complete the referral to the Counseling Center, and the lack of reSponse to the Questionnaire. information is very limited. Even though he found courses required for his Lajor difficult, the student was not interested in considering any other route to his goal. Yet his lack of information aoout his proposed major gave little evidence of strong interest in the major itself. It seems possible that his interest was in the vocation more than in academic preparation. Lack of ability to do the academic work appears not to have been a factor in his deficiency. It seems more likely that it was a problem of lack of interest or motivation or perhaps a problem of social or personal ad- justment. The fact that the student had very little to say and his "quietness" which was sufficiently noticeable to provoke comment from the high school counselor may have reflected problems in the latter. It may have been, however, only an indication that the counselor was not successful in establishing good rapport with the student. ... Aux-42... .4... _ hOo Case 56 -~ male, non-veteran; 20.5 honor points deficient Age at admission: 17 years, ll months High school rank: fourth quartile, Class C school basis for admission: entrance examinations Preference at admission: business Adndnistration Changes of preference: Journalism, Advertising-~Hinter 1950 Specch--Sprinq 1951 Psychometric data. Ace 5-7-7 Coop rative heading S-B-L-S Family data. The student‘s father, who completed eleventh grade, [11‘ is a photOgrapher. his mother completed high school. he student indi- cated in reSponse to the follow-up questionnaire that finances had been a problem at times, but that the financial situation at home had improved. The student worked no more than 12 hours per week. he was also a member of a social fraternity. From these two facts it seems that the financial problems may have been problems of inconvenience ratler than of extreme seriousness. During the first term of his SOphomore year the student was married. It was to this change in his life that he ascriued the drOp in grades which occurred that term. During Spring 1951 marital problems seem to have reached a climax and separation followed. The student‘s grades fell again due largely, he felt, to this factor. high school backfiround. high school officials rated the student fairly high in intellectual capacity. An Otis score of 120 was reported. His actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose, however, were rated low. The only comment offered was that the student wasted time. Because his high school achievement was below the standard set by the school for recommendation for college, the student was required to take entrance examinations for admission to Michigan State College. . . .I v v‘-“%‘tg‘.i H “1'. ):\(‘Itl(l'""d-cl "l . '7 y .53 ‘b‘uvv 03‘: - ‘ . J . . ,"3345—1-‘1 L07 heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. The student's freshman test scores indicated high average aptitude for college work with somewhat higher scores in the linguistic area than in the Quantita- tive. his reading skills were average. These scores also indicated that the student had been a marked underachiever in high school. Extra—curricular activities. The student was extremely active in high school affairs. He participated in athletics, band, chorus, junior and senior plays, and an Operetta. he was also on the staff for the school's yearbook and served as a class officer. In addition, he had worked in a bowling alley and had played in a dance band. he attended national Music Camp during one summer and a summer theatre school for two summers. His activities, therefore were extensive and varied and may 9 have taken precedence over his academic work. In the freshman year of college he joined a fraternity, played intra- mural Sports, and worked on a college publication. he also worked six to twelve hours a week. During his sophomore year he continued the first two activities and substituted a class reSponsibility for the publi- cations work. The same year, it will be recalled, he was married. he worked ten to twelve hours a week the first two terms of the year. During the "Final Warning" term he added a choral group to his activities. he did not resume his part-time work which he had given up Spring term. In view of his academic deficiency and the new reSponsibilities of marriage the student's extra-curricular activities and employment during the sophomore year, at least, seem excessive. boa, r.glv’t’iODal-vocational l " ' f ‘ *4” r anv _ of n p ans. at the time oi apoliCauion the student stated landscape architecture as his field of interest. before enteriflé1w3 Gluinged his preference to business Administration. During the first'benmn he changed to Advertising in Journalism. During Winter 1951 he changed to Radio Speech. he has remained in that major. There are no records to indicate his reasons for these changes. It may be recalled that he had participated in dramatics and had attended a drama school during two summers while he was in high school. There is no in- dication in the student's reSponse to the questionnaire or in the case records that uncertainty regarding his vocational goal had been a source of concern to him.‘ Summary of and comments on the academic record. The student had little difficulty his freshman year and received C's on three compre- densive examinations. Yet his losses the second year were due primarily to D's in Basics, both in the term's work and on the comprehensive examinations. he had F and D in economics courses which were required for Journalism and D in a beginning Journalism course. he had satis- factory grades in all Speech courses and in electives. hlthouah he has had grades of D since Spring 1951, his term average has not oeen below C. Steps taken reearding academic status. The student has carried a full academic load each term he has been on prooation. he repeated one comprehensive examination Spring 1951, out he again received a D. he repeated no other courses in which his grade was D during the first two years. During the term of "Final Warning" he carried no "repeats" and did not attempt to raise the grade in the second basic in which he had L109 8mm of aficademic record W “~P- 'S'FTUS‘. Hm. mm M Repeats B's A's Comps. D's Total D's F's | 1 150 3-b +1 1.5; l '3'50 * 3-b ~15 [USU 1 i J F5” 6-b 3-b! -1.5 6—r 3-r' "W'SI 3-b P -l9.5 6-r 1.5 B-q he 6. CP -12 0-b6 3 7:751 Ti 51 FW -21 h—r 6—r 3-r ‘52 6- 8 W2 ‘11-!» B-b r 3'52 . Uncl.-l3 6—r 3-r o-r lO 3-r received a D. The student went to the Counseling Center regarding his academic status only during his first term of probation, Winter l9;l. he seems to have gone mainly to satisfy his parents. he was Optimistic about the outcome of his term's work and felt there was no real problem. th . W31 uo ~ -. , .- . t . , unaprincll' .xe 0f the interVIew was to Change his preference to Speech. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student reSponded to the Dean‘s letter Fall 1951. Through an error in appointment scheduling, he saw the assistant to the Dean rather than the counselor. n0 notes on the interview were recorded except that the student had been referred to the Counseling Center. The student, however, did not keep the appointment at the Center. Comments on the personal characteristics and attitudes of the student, therefore, are based on his reSponse to the questionnaire and to notes on his previous interview at the Counseling Center. At that time, it has been noted, he was not concerned and was confident he would soon make up the deficiency. he made a substantial gain, moreover. The student's attitude toward the institution seems rather hostile. Because he was given an extension of time by the Basic College to try to become eligible for the Upper School, he looked on the "Final Warning" letter as having been only a "bluff". let the letter which notified him of the extension explained that it had been made possible by a new provision by the Faculty. In reply to the questionnaire he stated that his remedy for his academic problems would be to attend a different college. The latter seems to be a somewhat thoughtless statement, since he has just remarked that his academic difficulties were due to financial and marital problems and lack of effort. ‘ull uld 1t 51m? kKB observed that deSpite the somewhat aggressive attitude he expresséfli in tdne questionnaire toward the institution, he returned the questionfiaire promptly and reacted favorably to the Special program of Fall lyfil to contact "Final Warning" students. Followeup. During Winter 1952, the term of extension of "Einal Warning", the student carried 17 "new" credits and repeated three credits of D. DeSpite this heavy load, he managed to gain one honor point. ‘he following term, when he became an "unclassified" student, he carried 17 credits and repeated only one course. The student seems to have used poor judgment in that it would prooably have been wiser either to carry fewer credits, if he were reluctant to repeat courses, or to carry more repeat courses Winter 1952. At the end of Spring 1952 the student, still deficient ll honor points, failed to become eligible for the Upper School. Counselor judgment and summary. The lack of information usually available from the Jasic College interview and the student‘s very limited contact with the Counseling Center make evaluation difficult. As a result, the questionnaire is the best supplement to the college records. The student who has good academic potentialities, particularly for a non-technical major, has continued to fail to achieve at the expected level in college as he did in high school. ‘With a fairly heavy load of extra-curricular activities and employment he achieved at an almost satisfactory level his freshman year. Hhat caused the tromencous slump at the beginning of the SOphomore year may well have oeen the comoination of his marriage during the course of the term and more difficult courses 001—106 ‘L ‘ .' 1 v : <, - . -. nbrated Study. he apparently made no adjustment, however, demanding in'mnaanmfilnt of extra-curricular activities and employment. his only afljustment seems to have been a somewhat lighter course load. If there were marital problems Winter Term when he did somewhat better worn, the student's report that this problem was largely reSponsible for his poor grades the following term might be questioned. There is no evidence from other sources either to prove or diSprove the statement. There is no information, moreover, on the causes of the marital discord which might increase understanding of the student. The only indication that the student gave that he has had any direct reSponsibility for his academic problems was his statement that the Basic College prOgram of contact was good, but his was a personal problem of effort. Later when he discussed causes of his academic difficulties, there was no mention of this. Rather the causes were the girl, financial problems, and the comprehensive examination System. is blamed the latter for his loss of honor points although he had D's in the term's work as well as in the comprehensive examinations. As a result of these attitudes, one is dissatisfied with the stu- dent's diagnosis, yet tangible evidence is lacking to validate any other assumptions. If only the scholastic status of the student were considered, some- what wiser planning of his courses during the terms of extension would almost surely have aken care of his deficiency. The student's attitudes expressed in the questionnaire seemed symptomatic of problems of personal adjustment, however. These may well have made a contribution to his academic deficiency. , a nonrveteran312.5 honor points deficient “he a» aiflflSSiOn: l) ‘ears, S.months Interval between hi5 chool and college : one academic year ith school rank: third quartile, Class A school Preference at admission: Chemistry Changes of preference: Speech-~h ’int er 1950 . , male Case 57 " . Psychometric data. Ace 10-9-9 COOperative heading 3-3-c-t Strong Vocational Interest Blank Fall 1951 Group V Personnel director 5+ Social science teacher A Group VII Senior accountant 5+ Group VIII Accountant A lffice man A Purchasing agent A banker A Lortician A Pharmacist 5+ Group IX Sales manager A heal estate salesman a Life insurance sale 1anxl Interest maturity 5; (standard score Occupational level LO masculixitw-iomini it‘ he hell Ldjustme nt Inventory Fall 1951 home average health average Social aggressive smotional good Total good penile data. The student's father, who completed sixth grate, is a tool and die-maker. his mother is a registered nurse. ihe student is not dependent on his family financially. high school 030:; round. ”1e stu der t was rated fairly high in intellectual capacity, low average in actual intellectual performance, and average in seriousness of purpose. During the tenth grade a California Test of Mental haturity was administered. It indicated an I. Q. of le. hlh , ate . ”H n , -~ 9 .3 1 fine Taber.1 0 comment on pOSSiole reasons ior tne student's uncer- achievemeffi9° 119 was in the third quartile of b—vd ,. 5.). '1! Lu class. The student innmelf commented on the application that he felt his attitude toward higher education had improved as a result of having worked in a factor; D ior a year following high school. Measured aptitudes and skills for colleee work. The ACE, like the California in high school, indicated good academic potentialities both in the quantitative and linguistic areas. Measured reading Speed and vocabulary appeared to oe low. Extra-curricular activities. During high school the student played baseoall and footoall and was a memher of hi—I. he did not have a part- time job. Thus too heamy a schedule of extra-class activities does not seem to have been reSponsible for his underachievement in high school. Similarly, over-particioation in orranized activities has not seen responsiele, it appears, for the student's underachievement in college. During the first two years he plajed in intra-mural Sports and he was a member of the council in his dormitory. he also attended college dances. he had no outside employment until Fall lyfil, and this did not deter him from earning his test grades that tent. Educational-vocational nlans. The student stated chemistrv as his 9") pre erence with the intention of going into pharmacy. During the first term, however, he drOpped the beginning chemistry course and changed his preference to Speech. He has continued in that major in the hope that ) est in radio C he may become a Sports announcer. he demonstrated his inter‘ work my obtaining a part-time joo at one of the local stations at the Of hi - . . . . . beguunlv’ 8 third year in college. he has none his nest work in ‘ . '1: - .7 ° 1 3 ~ courses~ ( COLMp e1 ensives. -'r LJV '/ . ‘1‘“ 1 > ‘2 _. _ _o o n . . f) . . Eolfil.69 13' ear repetition 01 a comprehenSivez Ckahinatlofl and earr‘u‘" éjfii erectits of s the student "became eligible for Upper School at 4( L \‘rj ‘ fl --~ r-‘ -‘ 1 1 ‘ 1 ' tie emiCDir fall. 1731. me had no grade below C. ihe following term, althOdgn lxls afinarage was better than C, he had six credits of D. Spring Term 1952 :LhS'term average was asain below C with three credits of F and three credits of D, both in business courses of his own choice. There is little indication, therefore, that the completion of basics has brought to an end the student's unsatisfactory achievement. At the end of Spring l932, the student still had an all-college averaae of C (lhé credits carried, 1L3 credits earned, 300.5 honor points). 7 Counselor judenent and sumnary. The reasons for the student's self- ‘1 ! styled "lazy attitude toward studying" are not apparent. He has paid his own college expenses from savings and earnings during vacations. he enrolled in Reading Clinic, although it was not required. he wanted to stay in school enough to seek reinstatement, when he had been requested to withdraw, and to repeat comprehensive examinations in Basics to furnish sore basis for the reinstatement. These give evidence of some motivation certainly. It may be that h had ixterest only in courses directly related to his objective radio work. In these courses he earned ’ 5's and A's. That he did not lack ambition and initiative in Other re- Spects was also apparent from his securing part-time employment at a Lansing radio station. What kept him in college in preference to Specialized training in radio is not clear. It may be merely desire for a degree or the attractiveness of the non-academic ashects of college life. Since his attitude toward military service has not been expressed, it is not known I’loy ”a’wn-‘V. ‘13.. MPG I wlc-?§m1.t3 L19 Whether has was a factor. These are nothing more than conjectures, however, With no concrete evidence to support them. "I . ,~ ... s\:|r- 42 Case 56 “ malfi, lhon-veteran; 10.5 honor points Geficient R58 art admission: 1? years, 2 months ljédx school rank: fourth quartile, Class d school Admission by entrance examinations reference at admission: no preference Changes of preference: hecnanical Engineerinfi--Hinter 1950 ho preference-4Winter 1951 Speech--Fall 1951 'Psychometric data. ACE lO-t-9 Cooperative headinq 5.5-2-5; 7-9-10-10 Fall 1950 California hental haturity Fall 1950 Language I. Q. 128 hon-languaxe I. Q. 121 Total 125 Strong Vocational Interest Blank Fall 1950 Group III Production manager A Group IV Aviator A GrOUp V Personnel director A Croup VIII Purchasing aqent A hortician :1 Group IX Sales manager A Real estate salesman A Life insurance salesman A Interest maturity D9 (standard score) Occupational level 55 hasculinity-femininity SS Cuilford Zimmerhan Temperament Profile Fall 1950 ho extreme scores Family data. The student's father, a high school graduate, is vice president and general manager of a manufacturing concern. His mother is also a high school graduate. The parents have sent the boy to private schools for his education. Both of the parents travel a great deal. The student once said that he did not feel close to his fmnily because he had seen so little of them. The father planned that his son was to become an entineer. The student went into enqineering for that reason. When the father learned of his change of preference, he was displeased. L21 The Student felrt that the father had accepted‘the Change after a period of time. The Eitudent put high value on famil;*.1ife which he felt he has missed. When he investigated various vocations} he made the Opportunity for family life one of the factors to be considered. high school background. This student had the dubious distinction of ranking ch in a class of so in a private preparatory school. he had been required to repeat the tenth grade. his high school grades were principally D's. he was rated as average in intellectual capacity and low in actual intellectual achievement. dis seriousness of purpose was rated between low and average. On an ACE administered during the senior year 3a of the 65 students who took the test surpassed his scores. This explains the rating of "intellectual capacity" as "average", even thouéh his I. Q. on the test was 123, according to National Independent School horms. The headmaster commented that the student was COOperative, but that he neve appeared to be putting on much pressure at least academically. V3 With such a record, the student was able to qualify for admission only by passing entrance examinations. heasured aptitudes and skills for college work. There seemed little doubt that the student had the capacity to do satisfactory work. his low achievement in preparatory school, however, made satisfactory college work seem less likely, unless the reasons for his previous underachieve- ment had been corrected, or he had succeeded in making a more satis- factory adjustment to them. Extra—curricular activities. In preparatory school the student was ’\ active in two Sports, on the stafis of two publications, and in three Special interest clubs. In college he has been active in dramatics since Lu.tcl!‘..v'lw “I D ‘3. V it». ..I . 1!! F. 97lf:: 3 a} A22 , . his fir5“ ter“! aquj has attended college athletil: eVents and dances. r was also aIWfiMQer'of the ski club during the first two years. The latter involved several weekend trips to ski resorts during winter terms. In view of his academic capacity, these do not seem excessive. It is known, however, that the student devoted a tremendous amount of time to dramatic activities Fall 1951 and Winter 1952 and that in some cases he neglected his class work for them. It is possible that he may have done so in previous terms. ducational-vocational plans. At the time the student applied for admission to college he stated that he was uncertain of his major, that it might be Veterinary hedicine or Engineering. he was admitted, there- fore, as a "no preference" student. When he enrolled, however, he selected an exploratory course in landscape architecture. he found that he did not do well in the course, however, and did not like it. During the term, therefore, he changed to one of his original preferences, Engineering. he remained in that najor for th— next three terms during which he received D's and F's in several of the required courses. he then took courses required for Hotel Administration for one term with equally poor results. The student was sufficiently interested in drama- tics to become associated with Studio Theatre, a group consisting prin- cipally of students majoring in Speech, his first term in college. he had considered drama as a major earlier, but he felt that success in the field was elusive. Furthermore, his father Opposed it strenously. After five terms of indecision and unsuccessful achievement in each of the areas he tried out, he began to take courses in speech. he enjoyed f" the «toursCD arl =i Ineceived 5's in them. he inveittifiated the field of radio speech afKi decided that he would major ill that area. he has con- tinued to es enthusiastic about his major._ If it is not possible for him to secure employment in radio, he feels that his major will serve as good background for sales for which he has a secondary interest and in which he has shown a strong measured interest. Summary_of and comments on academic record. Although in some basics the student received term end grades which were unsatisfactory, Lis grades were C in all of the comprehensive examinations. His grades were unsatisfactory in courses required for his preposed major of the moment every term until he began to take courses required for a Speech major. During Spring 1951 he received D in foreign language which is a require- ment of the School of Science and Arts. he repeated the course twice and each time received a D. U) tops taken regarding academic status. The term the student was placed on probation he reduced his course load and carried a reduced course I load throughout the iirst two rears. h repeated no courses in which he (I) had grades of D. When he decided to change from enaineering, he went to the Counseling Center to request aptitude tests. he had several contacts with the counselor that term, but the tests and related data seem to have been of little help to him at that time in making a vocational decision. So far as is known he did not make use of the Counseling Center for pur- poses 0ther than receiving objective information, planning courses related to a preposed major, or changes of preference. 1422.! SW Oi academic record W ' V . HOP. GRINE W ‘ ‘ Repeats [B's {A's D's D's F's 'fifi9 3 ”$0 b-b 1 -r J: r s 50 3_r 1.5 {USO FY50 F151 1.5 6-b $151 5% 1 1'51 . 6%} S H“ 51 O S-r 1f! 52 O 9-r 3'52 . 3-v h '7 w W %* Courses reguired for ultimate major, Speech. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student did not veroalize his feelings readily. his attitude toward his family relationships were ex- pressed on one occasion when he was sneaking aoout his reasons for selectin5 engineering and on another when he was talking about vacation plans. he .- A W"! m + V W» nu T1 . w... . Wu W. .. W W x 1% 4 m I. 3 7 l . Y. .1 .. . I}-.vatiloluu*0oltl1rr l _ . _ 7 _ — . l a _ . . . c l . _ . .. . .... . l.| lairtlrl... Eli: i..- I .IA 4! fl ; . _ _ , w _ v . . m - n w .. . a r _. . . .. . . . .. . . m l..l|.‘ ' r IC'I I: .\v ..I .Iul-‘llvflll‘!|" . a I. ‘ .lv ,. .A __ H ,1 _ . w m . . . . * . H N . m 0 . m .., . .... u.” a. 1 - ‘ my”. - i. w.;nw.nfll.nhW..le.uhuvuuP11!w¢o.Ude MW.) in. . A . m . — . u a . , . . w . _ . . . . . _ a . _ . a R . .. . . .. c. - ... I I ..., i 1... .§( .- O1... Cvtiu‘lu l- V _ . n W . l l. u “m a L I: 3 - . v _ i U - u . l . . l n I . . .a. v- I ya | . - , p, . . , u 9 1 o ~ sporze ratxer lIWaelf of his lamily Situation on ‘the one occaSion, out 1' 1 3‘ f1 .L. W ‘e t o . .7 A '3 1 5‘ _. ‘ _,'l _v_‘ a f, t ,‘ r. .1. , _;- . ‘ Chanbou bu Opic when he Spoae oi his lather s reaCtion U0 his cnan3e of major. his attitude toward his family relationships may have oeen connected with his poor achievement in preparatory school and to some extent, at least, in college C!" The studen se emed somewhat immature in judgment on some occasions. fl ror example, n Fall 1951 he neglected a French course which he was F). repeating to gain honor points and upon which his continuance in school might depend in order to devote more time to extra-curricular or“ aclcs {i.s reasoninj was that the latter was his major and, therefore, should oe given the maximum. Only an extension of time prevented his failure to raise the grade resulting in a request that he withdraw from school. his intense interest in dramatics, however, also gave him an enthu- siasm for school which he had hitherto lacked. It may have compensated too for some of the lacks he seemed to feel in other areas of his life. Follow-no. i‘he stuoent did good work in his major fielo fro: the rginnin:. 3e also participated frequently in dranatic productions, alwajs in small roles, and in radio work curing the re maint er of his third year in college. hxcept for foreign langua3e and on> elective course he tooh.only courses in his major field. In ooth of the former, moreover, he received D's. At the end of Spring Ierm 1952 his avera3e was sli3htly over 2.0. he had earned only 12$ credits. ’— (L 0') C?— S; . CL (C; :3 C*‘ }--i Counselor juo dgnent and summarg. ollowed in colle3e the pattern of uncerachievement which he had estaolished )FiOT to his admission to college. he felt that his lack of achievem<:nt was due to 1441) r Oi ~ 3 1 . " f‘ ’5. fi-L ' ,-_, ‘ ' -'r l - _l_ ‘3 __’, ' _ 1 n o - - - RUB Hawk lLfiflércst in the courses he was taxing. 'Altnouhh e attrioutcu ...... ,- Eds poof Exadfims in engineering courses to disinterest in the field which reputedly had been seiected for him by his father, this lack of interest extended to courses he selected himself. his interests fluctuated rather rapidly. his course selection in some cases, was not h lpful, since he took prerequisite courses rather than exploratory courses that would have given him some knowledge of the field itself. Finding a major for which he had a great deal of enthusiasm provided only a partial remedi, ‘l 7 since he expended a maximum of time and energy on speech courses and on related extra-curricular activities to the disafivanta e of other courses. fhe student recognized this lack oi balance verbally and resolved to give his other courses at least a minimum of attention. _He did so for a period of time, out neglected them, when he wanted to give more time to ”I his field of interest. ihis may be an indication of immaturity in the student. It may he a well-established pattern of behavior. fhe student's relationship to his famil; has apparently seen a O :3 U) p. C H (0 source of dissatisfaction to him and ma; he in large measure resn for his consistent failure even to approach a level of achievement con- parable to his acility. Unfortunately, 'er; little is known about this critical area and other aSpects of the student‘s personal adjustment. There is no evidence in case notes that the student made use of counseling in this area, f\ althou3h the counselor, who has now leit the staff, ma; have had pe ‘sonal notes. The student seemed reserved , not withdrawn, and reference to personal matters were given almost as an aside. Thus there is too little . .\. . . \ .i‘."ii. c 1 I‘ll. . . o .ovtl . 1‘ 1.9.... 1’ l'oivl.‘r. I‘v‘ . ll... .|~.t.v. .l .Utnti “Ah... - ‘_.--.“ Ix- m J-‘ .rpvlo’ +—~ _ . « - ,. .. . ,. . . . . . _ jgjgfmd 1‘ DU gorOVioe oasis for OLQCHOSLS 01 the origins of his under- achievafitmfi. 113 has progressed beyond his secondary school situation to the point of having one academic area in which he seems to haVe a genuine interest, but his achievement in other courses is not promising. .l‘ 3}}, .fl. or. I .I DQC Camefva -"'1?ali3, veteran; 2s honor points deficient {$83 Elt entrance: 2n ye1rs 10 months iii ’51: school rank: not 1i,r:11 sc11ool FI‘dLh t3 ~m18is of ad nis sion: Ge ral Lo ucation Development Tests PITLference at ac sion: Lngi 1e ering Clmniges of reference: no fl'fpr‘an--Pall 10m folice auninlstration--oyrinq 1752 «I r y .1 _ ‘ Psychometric data, ACE L -; Cooperative Reading l-2-o—251-n-1-3 rall 1750 California Test of Lental naturity Fall 1750 Eon-language I. Q. 1&3 Language I. g. lCl Total I. #1.. 11¢ sennett Lechanical Comprehension-bi Fall )50 Lanual norms: fresnman engineering students—- ln percentile Linne sota Pap Form board Fall 1950 Lanual norms: freshman engineerinr stude1rts-— C3 percentile Cardall Arithmetic Reasoning Fall 1950 Lanual no as: freshman magors in Business Administration - 79 percentile Luder Preference necord Outdoor El perce"tile Lechanical 05 Cozputational On Scienti1'ic O2 Persuasive b3 Artistic to Literary ' Cl 1J1sical 1n Social Service 9o Clerical 30 Family data, The student's parents are high school graduates, The father is a truck driver. The student was married when he entered college, Fall 1950 the first child was born. TLe attitude of the wife toward the student's college career is not known. H‘ ' [31“ 0‘11 "l’ (1 _ _‘ 1 I. ’z),~___*;252£¥ round. 1he student lelt school alter completion of the Eflymgntdl grade. As soon as he was old enough he entered military serviceo LJTter serving L9 months with the Army Lngineers, he was dis- charged in 19L? vdth.the rank 01 Private, First Class. ‘Hhile in military service his only Specialized trainir* was a six week course in Diesel engines. In Septemne r l9Lt the student souvht aduission to L. S. C. oy entrance examinations. When he did not pass these, he entered Lansing Veterans' Institute where he earned grades of C and d in mathematics, science and history. On the basis of these courses and the deneral Educational DevelOpment Tests he was admitted to h. S. C. Leasured,aptitudes and sLills for college work. thhough the student's quantitative scores on the ACE were above average, his linguistic scores .we re oelow average. his reading Speed was low. Test scores, then, were not predictive of probaole success in college, particularly in view of the possible handicap of lack of high school education. Extra-curricular activities. The student participated in no collera Sponsored activities his freshman year. At the beginning of his SOphonore year, despite his status of Strict Prohation, he tried out for football. The follworing Spring he gave up active participation and tried out for the position of assistant manager. Throughout the sophomore year and during the term of "rinal Jarning" he student worked tt enty hours per W861i as an equipment manager in the athletic department. It should be noted that he carried reduced course loads these terms. L30 EEEEEEQEESEEELTVOcational plans. The student's military service in theiguflineerTi‘prohaoly'was reSponsible for his choice of Civil Engi- IEBYlhg as 1ris preferred major. lack of measured interest in engineering, and low measured mechanical comprehension prompted him to reconsider his choice. he chanfied to "no preference" prior to the oeginning of his SOphomore year. he took eXploratory courses in landscape architecture, business, the social sciences, and police administration. 3y Summer lQSl he had decided on Police Administration, out he remained "no preference" until he was admitted to the Upper School. The student expressed satisfaction with the major, both in terms of interest in the courses required and in the job Opportunities in the field. [71‘ Summary of and comments on academic record. 1Le student was placed on probation at the end of his first term in college and remained on prooation thereafter. Lithough he received an F in one comprehensive examination his freshman year, he gained by earning a B in Written and Spoken English. His principal loss of honor points, therefore, prior to Fall 1930 was in mathematics and science courses which were required for his prOposed major. Even though he repeated some of the "F's", his grade on the "repeat" was frequently D. His losses the sophomore year were ooth in basics and in courses he took for exploratory purposes. Spring 1951 was the only term in which he had no prade DelOW'C.I At the end of Summer 1951 he received D in a comprehensive examination. he raised the grade to C, however, Fall 193l. his average in basics was C. Difficulty with mathematics and science 9 r W . O o ’. FR. Hop. m Hop. WT Comps. Repeats B's A's Comps. F's D's Total Term D's F's -l£ l} o-r 0-0 W' O .- 5 I), 3-0 1’ -12 -TJ 3-I‘ STSO a A 1‘” 31 —1 -3 12 1;y—n 3-h h)c—F 1—1 I h 50 ‘2' 3-1‘ 5'50 c1 —11 -c t. c- 3 3—fi 1 *F'SU g: " 01 -27 +12 )11 ;«-. j c *9 W'Bl 3 . cp —l~ -1° 1; e *‘O ,1 J +J 14in S'Sl 1) :41; -;. +14 .3.- 5 ) .-t t3 h'51 I: __ ‘l ._l ; '2 ’. 1 _‘ 3—D s- ___.J g ,_ f.‘ I I , D 3%.):- F'Sl 1.; — , 4: 12 ._ '3 — w'52 1'. -l , +11 114‘ 3': 13'52 . P X +) +3.; 1; ll-I‘ lej‘r 't- to 1.11 - .- .1 . >l-l IJ{VIIV. L32 "however 9 to try again. he went to the Counseling Center early in the term'ifi-Vfldxfll he Immiteen reinstated on Strict Probation. he changed to no‘pfefEJTfllce, took aptitude and interest tests, began to consider other majors, and.discussed plans for improving his academic status. he began to carry a reduced course load and gained honor points for the first time that term. he did not resume contact with the counselor until Spring 1951 when he was again on Strict Prohation; It was recommended that he use the summer term to repeat D courses in which he felt confi- dent he could do hetter work. Perhaps oecause he made such a substantial gain Spring 1951 he enrolled for all "new" courses in the summer. Fall 1951 he enrolled in heading Clinic for the first time, although it had been recommended by the counselor on several occasions. In re- Sponse to the questionnaire the student commented that he went to the Center, but he did not follow through on such recommendations as clinics and repetition of D courses, other than the basics. he added "Thy is unexplainable". Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student had tremendous desire to succeed in college deSpite very discouraging circumstances. Prior to the beginning of Fall 1951 he had attended college the equivalent of eight full terms to earn the minimum numuer of credits to tecome a junior. he had returned to college for the SOphomore year in the face of a most discouraging record and contrary to the recommendation of sasic College officials. That he did not carry out such recommendations as enrollment in Reading Clinic and repetition of "D" courses seems somewhat inconsistent with his strong desire to remain in college. h33 'EEiEEEE:ng. Although the student gained twenty honor points Fall 1951 ajgi‘dirfixar 193’, he still lacked six honor points for eligibility for Police Ailxuzinistration. In View of his good achievement in Police Administration courses, particularly Winter Term when he earned 13 credits of B in Police Administration courses, his credits of D and F in mathe- matics courses taken for Engineering were deleted. He had no grade below C during his third year, indeed his point average for all new courses which he carried was 2.h.' At the end of Spring 1952 he had only 12o credits for 11 terms' work (200 are needed for graduation), out he had completed a year of satisfactory college achievement. The student felt that he had at last overcome his initial academic handicaps, had learned how to study and read effectively, and was "over the hump." Counselor judgment and summary. Although the student was of average measured scholastic aptitude he seemed weak in the linguistic area and 3 handicapped by poor reading skills. Much of his academic difficulty might have been avoided had he started out gradually with reduced course loads and made use of remedial and other Special services for overcoming his handicaps. As it was, he started out with a full load of engineer- ing courses and persisted, deSpite poor grades, for four terms. .Only when withdrawal from school threatened, did he reconsider his goals. Although this quality of persistence was a detriment in some re- Spects, it was also probably his strongest asset. When he failed to gain admission by entrance examination, he attended a Veterans Institute and L3b then t‘fj‘ed‘ again for admission. When he was reguested to withdraw, he persufllfiad afihministrative authorities to let him try again. When he was placed_CHl‘W?inal Warning", his attitude was that if he were dismissed, he would get a job in Lansing and seek readmission later. Lack of high school background was a handicap not so much oecause of content perhaps as because of lack of academic experience and the development of scholastic skills. Whether the student's football manaéership and a twenty hour per week job as equipment manager in addition to his home and family reSponsi- bilities delayed his recovery further cannot be determined with certainty. he did his best work the first term he had these reSponsibilities, but it is possible he would have done better without them. On the other hand, they may have raised his morale and thus aided his recovery. The student overcame definite handicaps and did not let himself be discouraged to the extent that he gave up in deSpair, although he was sometimes ready to do so, he has reported. Often too he could have avoided some of the difficulties he experienced. His work in the last year, however, indicated tiat he probably had a good chance of achieving his goal of completing college successfully. L35 Case 60 -- male, veteran; 7 honor points deficient Age at admission: 20 years, 10 months hot a high school graduate: admitted by entrance examination Preference at entrance: Police Administration Changes of preference: Public Administration-AWinter lySZ Psychometric data. AC5 t-s- Cooperative headinz 7-5- I KL) \n -5; 9-9-5-t Fall 1951 California Test of hental haturity Fall 1951 Laneuage I. Q. llh non—language I. Q. 97 Total I. h. 107 Strong Vocational Interest blank Fall 19;1 droup IV Farmer 5+ Printer 0+ Group V Personnel director A Public administrator A Social science teacher A Group VII Senior accountant a Office man 5+ Interest maturity' CO (standard score) Occupational level- he masculinity-femininity L5 r711 Family data. ll i=nt's father, who is an electrician, com- E6 U) (F 9 pleted grade school. dis mother is a high school graduate. Although the student lives at home, he is not financially dependent upon his family. he has paid his college expenses from savings accumulated dur- ing military service, the benefits of Public Law 3&6, and part-time employment. high school and military nackground. In lyhé, at the teainning Of his senior year, the student left high school to enlist in the nrhy. he served in the Infantry and had no Specialized training. A month after his separation as a private, he entered college. A nenmon nelson administered in tenth grade indicated an I. a. of 101. The hieh school principal rated his intellectual capacity averare, out his actual intellectual performance and seriousness of purpose were rated low. He was not retarded in his program through high school heasured aptitudes and skills for colleee work. The student's ACE scores indicated average aptituce for college work. dis reading compre— hension was somewhat low although the speed was average for hichigan State College freshmen. Extra-curricular activities. The student reported no participation in high school activities. his working thirty hours per week in a service station would have made participation difficult. The student has not participated in organized activities in college. his interests have been centered on dating to which, according to his response to the questionnaire, he devoted an excessive amount of time until Winter 1952. The student did not begin part-time employment until Winter l);l and 12 hours per week were the maxim n. Educational-vocational plans. The student entered college with F?) a pre erence for Police Administration. her persisted in that prefer- ence throughout basic College. During the SOphomore year he began to worry that he would.not be able to qualify physically for Police Ad- ministration because of defective vision. A counselor recommended that he contact the department to get a definite answer. he did not do so, however, for several months. When he found in his seventh term of collere that he could not qualify, he changed to Public Administration. ’Ihe change was a forced one. The new'major was in the same school and I:- U) K] involved similar courses. his achievement in the nor rajor has seen satisfactory. It seems apm»ro riate in terms of nea ‘ Jdd int; arests and aptitudes. Summary of arid co1m nts on ac a1emic r cord. When it is noted that (1‘) this student, who had had a poor hiqh school record, carried an exce sive load of 15 college credits per term plus five class hours a week in mathematics, his freshman record cannot be evaluated fairly as under- achievement. Furthermore, during the f' st two terms he was enrolled for a sophomore course in economics. One D was in this course. It may be observed too that he reci,ved C's in all the comprehensive examinations. During the six wem< summer session which followed he carried a maximum course load of rather difficult courses. The one D he received was sufficient to place him on probation. The student was not on probation all terms during the second vear. an extension of time was necessary defore he qu ualified for admission to an Upper School. "\ Steps taken regarding academic status. The iir st time tle s ULEHt was placed on probation he reduced his course load to 12 credits. 'Ihis was verv light in comparison with the credits carried until that point. He gaim c lhonor points and was removed from probation. When he was ag“'n placed on probation Spring Term 1951, he reduced his course load somewhat and repeated an "F" course. he rope eated no "L" courses, however, priO' to Final Warning. he consulted a counselor Winter 1951 and Spring 1951. Personal c11ara cteristics and attitnu . “ihe content of tJO c0insel— ing interviews prior to Fall Term lyfil was much the same. A Summary of academic record L3t %* 5 hours per 3 chool ulas worrieil 3et he could each time. tlat both 1CllClGHC‘ not bring himself to investigate. he would not qualif; counselors tried to help him face the situation, but p13sicall 3 for Police AIVQFJSLFEthH, 1 \’ Axe Comps. Repeats Comps. F's D's Total Term. D's F's Th9 ‘ } O 15. 1 i "W 50 33m 8‘50 . 3-C E -6 0 15% 0—0 B-fi. 0-0 3 i h'SO { -6 -3 10 3» 4 1'" 5b ' P "9 +3 12 i 'W' 51 1 i -6 -12 1 5)3-v O-r' 3~ S‘Sl * 1 49 3; E P -18 +11 ' )O-C s-r i D‘Sl ._1 F‘Sl PM "7 ‘5 1 (0‘1“ 3-1" 1‘ W'SE _ ti EN -12 +20 3-r C‘T 3‘52 f’ +8 0 15 3-r ‘—_ weeko of no credit mathematics courses to remove a high He saw a different counselor [:— K») c:: not seek a definite answer until late in the sophomore year . ‘7 rs n-Ln-L,‘, ‘. ,‘ _: ._ n ‘ ‘ , . 1 ' ‘ erView he stated that he JUSL had not been mOtivateu to stuu3 occa se his work might ea in vain if he were unable to achieve his de- ln res onse to the Questionnaire, however, the student made no "1 mention of concern over his vocational plans and their eftect upon his achievement. he ascribed his difficulties to lack of study, but he reported that it was because he had devoted too much time to eating. he had planned to oe married in Decemher lBQl. out the engagement was broken shorti3 oefore the weddine was to taae place. Since then, he reported he had done no eating and had concentrated much more on his studies with good effect. Follow-up, After an extension of time hy the Sasic College the ...—H. student became eligible for bpper School at the end of Winter li;2 with a 2.06 average. he maintained a C average Sprin 1952 (137 credits, \ ,‘ IJI] 25} points). The student made no comment in the follow-up regarding his satisfaction with his present vocational plans. . . _: 1 ‘,1 ,~ J- . .7 y. .. n " .' ' , 4-..!-. ,J- l J o- ». Counselor 3uigmens and summar3. hltnoagh the Student nae average capacity for college work, the excessivel3 heavy course load he carried throushout his freshman year and during the following summer would in itself be sufficient reason for the deficiency in he or points which placed him on prooation at the beginning of the sophomore year. With a decreased course load Fall 1931 he gained honor points for the first time. Winter 195l he suffered his most severe low of hon r points. it (C was this term that L sought vocational information from a counselor th Since he was afraid he would be forced to change his major. Whether had just learned of the possibility at that time is not definitely ...-l ,1, (L) \ known. his apparent difficulty in facing the problem of a change in major and his postponement of seeking definite information regarding his status would indicate that it was a source of considerable dis- turbance to the student. when he saw a counselor the following term, it will he recalled, he gave lack of motivation because of this situation as the reason for his poor grades. Eat the student ignored this in his response to the questionnaire and blamed his deficiency entirely on excessive dating. That alone, however, does not seem to Ho explain his very poor achievement Winter 1951 since, according to h 5 report, the excessive dating occurred throughout the first two years. It seems possible that these two factors together with 12 hours of employment for the first time affected his achievement greatly. The circumstances were the same Spring 1951 except that he carried a'lighter course load. It may be that he began to accept the change of major sometime after he saw the counselor early in the term and was less dis— turCed by it. Possibly probation provided some of the motivation he felt he lacked the preceding term. During the first two years the only other term in which he gained honor points was Fall 1930 when he was on pro- bation. . his poor achievement Fall 1951 may have been due to enrollment for both beginning accounting and 1‘eginning; statistics. dis "Q" score, it will be recalled, was just low average. In addition, ooth his engagement and the cancellation of his marriaee occurred that term. These may well have been reSponsible for his return to poor grades after satisfactory achievement Spring 1951. The student's detailed comments indicated that he had been rather badly disillusioned and probably tended to project the blame for all of his difficulties on his courtsnip problems. bu2 Case 5 -- male, veteran; h honor points d ficient Age at entrance: 21 Tears, C months nOt a high school graduat U3; admitted ey entrance examination Preference at admission: no preference Change of preference: ousin; ss Administration-efiinter ly;2 P°”ChOqurl" data 103 7_7_7 Cooperative deadinq 2-9-5- 3 California l‘est of hental naBu.lt/-*ulhbtr I331 Langua ‘e I. a. 139 non-language I. Q. 119 otal I. H. 129 Strong Voc tional I;terest slauh--'iht r lj3l group v Fe rs onnelr r actor A Public ac ministrator s+ Social science teacher n Uroup VIII Accountant 3+ Office man A Purchasinw agent 3+ hortician h+ Group IX .Sales manager A heal estate salesman A Life insurance salesman A Uroup X Advertising man 3+ Interest maturity 36 (s tancard score) Occupational level 32 hasoulinitg-famininity h2 Familv data. The student's father who is deceased was a hie J1 3 3 -- school graduate. his mother is a college graduate. The student was sent to a private school until he reached sixth grade. fhe family then moved to a small community, possibly after the father's death, and the student attended public school. The student reported that he had part- ime does to pa, for his clothilg and spending money. Why the student left school during the tenth grade has not been recorded. It may have ‘ceen related to possiole financial problems or to his mother's re- marriage, the date of which is unknown. 10 wlifiq is kno own of the faxily relationships a bLB high school background and military service. The student left high school during the tenth grade to join the Lavy. his high school grades were principally D's. While in the Navy he studied literature, composi— tion, historv d, civics, biology, and algebra through U. S. A. F. I. courses. he was discharged from the havy with the rank of Storekeeper, second class, in November 19hb after almost four years of service. He attended Detroit Veterans Institute from January 19h? to August l9h9. He did not complete requirements for a diploma, however, and was ad- mitted to Michigan State College by entrance examination. his grades in courses taken at Veterans Institute were principally 3's and A's. He was rated as high average in potential and actual intellectual performance and average in seriousness of purpose. Measured aptitudes and skills for college work. The ACE indicated high average scholastic aptitude in both the quantitative and linguistic areas. Reading Speed was high with average comprehension. It seemed possible that his lack of successful formal secondary school experience might be offset by his probable greater maturity and apparently good academic potentialities. *1 extra-curricular activities. The winning of a bronze medal for the decathalon was the only high school activity reported by the stu- dent. He worked 26 hours a week to contribute toward his support. During the first year of college the student was a member of Ski Club and Sailing Club. These activities were discontinued the SOphomore year. During both years he attended athletic events and concerts. he worked seven hours per week in the dormitory his SOphomore year. educational-vocational_plans. At the time of his application to college, the student stated his intention of majoring in Business Administration. he followed that curriculum throughout the freshman year as a "no preference" student. After he had difficulty with accounting during Fall 1950, he went to the Counseling Center to reconsider his choice. There is a paucity of details regarding these interviews in case notes. The Strong supported the student's stated interest in the business area and his Special interest in sales. His motivation in selecting sales has not oeen described. The student indicated his intention of majoring in economics, presumably to avoid accountiie in which he had received a D. The student did not make the C) change, however, possibly because his grade in economics that term was k.) I 1 D. During the dasic College interview he expressed indeciSion regard- ing choice of a Specific major. He was referred to his counselor to consider alternatives further. he selected Marketing in Business Ad- ministration as a major. The counselor noted, however, that it was possible that the student might change to a major in economics, The student's goal, sales, has remained constant, but he has vacillated as to the educational route to his goal. Summary and c0mments on academic record. The student earned C or better in all the comprehensive examinations in the Basics. After a grade of D in accounting Fall 1950 he did not continue accounting. Although his grade was D in one term of economics, he earned satisfactory grades in other terms of economics. The stuccnt's maximum loss any single term was seven honor points. Summary of academic record MT ".. v. I' ' H.P.'EP.INED I Comps. Repeats B's Total Term i D's F's F'u9 : -3 12%% .‘WHTSO 1 -3 -6 15 I 3'50 1 3-c P -9 +5 1141304: 1 3:0 .i 11750 l 1 i I F'SU ’ -3 -7 15 ! 'W‘SI § P -10 -s 15 i 1’51 1 , )6-13 CP -16 +12 16 ()3-0 3-b [1'51 : F 51 13 j o-r FW -h +10 hRi h-r I *W'SZ , +6 -7 18 J 43 3‘52 E -l ‘Withfrew iuring tie term. v ea Also carried geometry for no credit, six class hours a week. Steps taken re:ardin:_academic status. When the student was placed on probation for the Spring term of the freshman year, he reduced his course load. The number of credits was not greatly reduced, but one course was typing which had no outside assignments. he gained sufficiently to be removed from probation. he also enrolled in Reading Clinic. When he was placed on probation again winter term of his SOphomore year, he went to see a counselor for the first time for purposes other than en- rollment. he saw the counselor three times during that term regarding his academic status and his choice of major. Although he was still on probation the following term and still had not declared a preference, he ‘id not renew his counseling contact. He reSponded promptly to the Dean's invitation to see the counselor at the basic College office. he had made provision that term for making up his deficiency of four honor points by repeating the four credit accounting course in which his grade was D. Since he had not yet declared a preference and was still rather un- certain regarding his major he was referred to the counselor whom he had last seen Winter Term 1951. The student saw the counselor the following day. Personal characteristics and attitudes. The student was confident that he would make up his deficiency. He felt that his main problem academically had been learning how to study. Although he had not declared his major, it was not because of vo- cational indecision, but because he was uncertain of whether he preferred Business Administration or Economics. ‘here was no evidence in the Basic College interview or in the counselor's case notes that personal problems contributed to the stu- dent's academic deficiency. L14 If, .1 "‘ " ‘1‘“ f“ ’ ‘ "J 1 r""" 1 "1 Yt‘ -. n - .‘ ‘. ° teller-up. 1he Student Jained mo1e than enou n honor pelnts to (3 become eligible for the bpper School at the end of Fall Term 1951. he declared Business Administration as his major. The following term he carried a very heavv load and again lost honor points. The course- load may not have been solely reSponsible for his deficiency, however. The student had been harried when he returned to college in the fall. During the spring term the student withdrew from college because marital problems made it difficult for him to concentrate on his work. It seems likely, therefore, that these proolems ma; also have affected his achievement winter term. Counselor Judgment and su nary. There is no evidence that the student's explanation of his scholastic deficiency, lack of academic experience and the need to develOp effective methods of study, is in- adequate. his enrollment in heading Clinic even though his measured reading skills were satisfactory indicates his desire to improve his academic efficiency. If there were other factors involved, there was no indication of them in the counselor's notes or in the nasic College interview. Since the student failed to reSpond to the Questionnaire, that source of information is unavailable. ht; Case 62 -- female ll honor points deficient Age at admission: it years, 3 months nigh school rank: third Quartile, Class B school Preference at admission: home Economics, Child Development Changes of preference: Elementary hducation--Yinter 13,0 Psyphometric data. ACE 1-3-13 l-Y—3 Fall l/fil Cooperative heading 5—6-2-3; c-t-9-9 Fall lyfil ("3. QUrO nc Vocational Int res t olanh-éflomen Fall 1951 housewife 2+ Office worker a Ster O'rapher-secrctary o+ Physical education teacher 5+ Elementary teacher a“ La or) Femininity-masculinity ht(standard score) sell Adjustment Inventorv--Fall 1951 home excellent health good Social aggro ssive emotional good total good Family data. ihe stun ent's parents are college graduates. the father is a banker. The student is the eldest of five children. The school official who recommended the student observed that the parents Were very cooperative and in te rested in the school prog ress and general welfare of their children. \ Lign school background. The assis *Maxt principal rated the student average in intellectual capacity and averane plus in actual intellectual ['1] performance. LNG principal commentei that the stude nt '5 work inproved .N‘ during the senior year and that her average for the year was a. one was rated fairly high in seriousness of 1)u ose. e;e wor; The student's Cecile o heasured aptitudes and skills for colle 1 aCC and five in vocaoulary on the b——‘ (L) rarik of three in "L" score on t (0 C) >1 (1) Cooperative heading raises question re “ruin” the accuracy of the Md "L" score. neasurcd reading speed was high average, out comprehension was low. Later tests showed even greater div vergcnce between quantitative and.lin1iistic areas of scholastic aptitude, The increase of forty percentile points in "L" score may indicate that the original "L" score was somewhat low. Extra-curricular activities. ‘fhe student participated in six Sports - 7 during her high school career. She was also a member of a school social club and of a choir. On one occasion she had oeen chosen queen for homecoming footoall game. In colle1e she pledged a sororit; d ning the first rushing period. This has seen her only or anizad activity. Lducan01al-vo ational plans. l‘he stuae nt stated on her application that she planned to teach young children. In the summer following Lei senior year in hléu school she organized a so-cal ed nursery school for the children of people who frequented the resort at which her family had its sumher home. She develor; ed a program of supervised play on the beach, organized games, and rest periods for the children. She had also worked in a city recreation program. She was most enthusiastic accut her e periences and felt confident of her vocational decision. She stated Child DevclOpment in dome Economics as her preference vhen he entered college. W hen she learned of the nature of the curriculum during the first tezm of college, 1mo ever, she changed to Ll Icntarv L<:mu ation. She apnea ed happy not only with her vocational decision out also with the major that would lead to her 1oal. In view of her attitude toward her chosen vocation, her measured interests were not strikingly similar to those r O _.,, Summer; of and cc~mcils on aca‘>1ic recorr Ihe stuoent's scholaStic dcficienc; was due largely to he: cifficu u» in the Basics and particularly to the comprehensive examinations. In no basic in which she received a final srace of D had she done D work in both terms precedinx the comprz- 7.1‘ . J""" y‘/:: “‘W ~ . ‘1 .h ‘V r‘ ' v- . n «flbucn ano spoken eh lis1 she La- receivei F? hensive examination. a and d in the first two terms out she earned onlv a C on the comrrcIen- ,9 u _ sive examination. The studJnt Cali 1 da f ll course load each term. tens taken retardinc acafiemic tatus. Although the stuccnt's :rget ( U} est loss of honor points occurred as a csult of he 1raflpo¢ Mo peeing QQHQDHM maoxu axe 2H mHzflQDBm Mm mMHaH>HBU< mmqDonmzunmSHHm ? NH uqmde onedeoHBflmm attended; 68 percent of those of lower aptitude did so. Less than half (hS percent) attended lectures and concerts during the first two years. Again more (73 percent) of the students in deciles four through ten attended than those in the lower deciles (hO percent). host of the stu- dents who participated in no organizations attended these college Sponsored activities. About one half of them attended only athletic events, however. Employment. Although differences in participation in organized extra- curricular activities between students in the two levels of scholastic aptitude were small, Table X indicates greater variation in the prOportion of each group who had part-time employment. Less than half of the entire group had any part-time employment. Furthermore, only four of 22 women worked part-time. It may be observed that a much larger preportion (bl percent) of the group higher in academic aptitude was employed. Eight in the higher group and three in the lower group worked five or six terms. Only twenty percent (5:2) of the employed in the lower group in comparison with 37 percent (h=7) of the higher group worked less than three terms. Activities in relation to employment. Table XI indicates that about two thirds of the students who were employed participated in one or more activities. This is approximately the same prOportion of participants as in the total group. The numbers are small, but the employed students in the lower aptitude group seemed to go more to the extreme. That is most of them were either in no activities or in two. About half of the higher group was in one activity. v . 4 , . . - i . TABLE X PART-TIME EMPLOILEHT OF STUDEMTS IN TH; ‘dOUP STUDIAD hours per Week ACE Employed Terms bean 11d. A_ Number Percent Kean Number Range 10. Lo. 1-3 10 29 3 .9 5-25 151: S h-lO 19 e1 3.6 h-32 lh.8 l2 \Jl Total 29 L6 3 .7 h—32 15 l L92 till-5.31415 XI IEfiTICIPATION IN EXTnA—CUthcULflh ACTIVITILS BI EMPLOYED STUJJWTS IN RELATIOH TO LEVEL OF SCHOLA TIC APTITUDE ACE Deciles l-3(N=lO) h-io(w=19) Total(n=29) deer Percent Number Percent Number Percent A 4:11.11 0 h hO 6 32 10 3h 1 2 20 9 h? ll 39 \ [\3 .C‘ F O Lu) 1...: C .\] p 3 £_. MB Table XII indicates whether the number of hours employed was related to the extent of participation of working students. Only activities dur- ing the terms employed were considered. Fourteen hours was selected arbitrarily as representing an average of two hours a day devoted to employment. Twenty-three percent of those who worked lh or more hours per week engaged in no activities in contrast to forty—four percent of ‘those who worked less. The proportion participating in two or more activi- ties was no less for those employed more hours (31 percent) than for those ‘working less (25 percent). half of the lower aptitude students who worked lh or more hours per week participated in no activities, but a third participated in two activities. All of the higher aptitude students work- ing lh or more hours participated in activities, most of them (71 percent) in one. Examination of the table reveals no consistent relationship be- tween level of scholastic aptitude and hours of employment and extent of participation in extra-curricular activities. It is possible, moreover, that some students devoted an excessive amount of time to dating, movies, and other informal social activities. In reSponses to the follow-up Questionnaire and in counseling notes there was evidence that this had been true in certain cases. Such instances have been noted in the individual case studies. Summary of Quantitative Data Sex. The prOportion of men and wemen placed on Final Warning corres- ponded to the sex ratio in the total class. o H m.x H -u u- u: -u m mH m m.m H cm W Hm 4 mm N mm m m Hm m mm 4 mm H «.4 mo Hm m ,5“ H H e: a om 0 mm H mm m -- u- om m o a .o: a .02 a .0: a .0: e . a m .0; .poa HpHnZVOHuH AmHuevoHuz AquevmuH HmHuzvoHlH AeneVOH-: euavmuH m 4 age woe woe mom woe mhdog JH Sawfly mmmH UGLAOHQEMM mcHOE ho thHHOJ :H fimHCHQEM we PE and OH amjowlom ..Hb ,5.qu 92d. ,H_,..,§H.wflQHmefl mo mmzom OB onemqflm 2H mHBMQDBm mmwoqmfim wm mMHBH>HBO¢ fidHDDHmXDUIdfiexa 2H EOHHdeOHBMdm H HN aqmme r‘ rrt . r _ . 1 . ave. th group as a wnole was not extremely over- or uncer-age. Seventy-seven percent was in the age range 17 years, 6 months to nine- teen years. /’ Educational level of the father. Approximately c5 percent of the fathers had completed high school or more. Twenty-eight percent had completed college. high School rank. More than eighty percent of the group was in the upper half of the high school class. One third of the group was in the highest quartile. Measured scholastic aptitude. The ACE scores of only 25 percent of rp‘l these students were in the upper half of their class distribution. The scores of fifty-two percent were in the lowest three deciles. Relationship_between high school rank and ACE scores. Comparison of high school rank gave indications of probable over-achievement and under-achievement in high school. Thirty-five percent of those with ACE scores in deciles one through three had been in the highest quartile of the high school class. Only 29 percent of those in deciles four through ten had been in the tOp quar ile. Twenty-one percent of those in deciles four through ten, moreover, had been in quartiles three and four. heasured reading skills. The reading scores of 83 percent of the group were in the lower half of the distribution. Twen y three had reading scores two or more deciles below the level of the.ACE "L" score. Only 12 (18 percent) of the total group attended heading Clinic. First year college achievement of the group. Seventy-two percent of the group was deficient one to 16.5 honor points by the end of the I , I ‘7/‘ V first term. By the end of the first year 69 percent was deficient in honor points. Only 19 (29 percent) were not on probation during or by the end of the first year. Probation history. Although these students were deficient in honor points, only four of them were on probation the maximum of five terms during the first two years. The mean number of terms of probation for the group was 2.5. E‘oent of honor point deficiency. The mean maximum honor point deficiency for the group was 19.9. The range was 8.5 through forty. The mean for Fall 1951 was 12.1 with the range extending from 3.5 to 33.5. Differences between students in ACE deciles one through three and four through ten and between the sexes were small, the maximum being 2.6 honor points. Participation in extra-curricular activities. Differences in extent of participation of students in the two ACE levels were very small. Twof fifths of the total group participated in no activities the freshman year. The total number of participants changed only 3 ightly the sephomore year, but the number who participated in two activities increased consider- ably. Employment. About half (hS percent) of the total group was em- ployed. Sixty-one percent of the group higher in scholastic aptitude was employed. Only 29 percent of the lower aptitude gr up had part-time jobs. Only four of 22 women were employed. Extent of participation in activities in relation to employment. About the same preportion (to percent, 32 percent) of the lower aptitude Ly? and higher aptitude employed students participated in no activities. More of the lower aptitude students who worked less than 1h hours per week engaged in extra-curricular activities than did those who devoted more time to employment. ‘The same tendency was not apparent in the group with ACE scores in deciles four through ten. Thirty—one percent of both groups who were employed 1h or more hours per week took part in two activities. Qualitative Data In order to achieve some understanding of the factors which seemed related to the academic achievement of these students it is necessary to refer to the case studies themselves. It becomes apparent that the same factor may have been involved in several cases but that it contributed to varying degrees and with diverse effects. For example, strong vo- cational motivation may have been largely reSponsible for a student's working to the very maximum of his capacity. In at least one case, how- ever, the student was so engrossed in acquiring vocational exrerience while he was in college that he neglected his academic work. he regarded his college experience only as a means to his vocational goal. Despite the obvious limitations of such generalization, there follows a list of some of the conditions and characteristics which appeared in the case studies and seemed to affect the achievement of ‘hese students. Quanti- tative data from the preceding section may be referred to in regard to the first three. Limited Scholastic aptitude. Limited academic skills Probable excessive participation by some in extra-curricular activities and employment. Choice of major inapprOpriate to level of measured scholastic aptitude. ‘fwenty—four of the 3h students of low academic aptitude were enrolled in academically demanding majors such as Business Administration, Home Economics, and pre-professional programs. Economics, accounting, mathematics, and sciences were frequently the source of difficulty, even though the student did well in the major courses themselves. Lack of Special talent or aptitude for majors such as art, music, and engineering. ChOice of major inapprOpriate to interests or e perience. Concern over vocational indecision. Choice of goal on the basis of Opportunity for employment with- out considering personal interests and aptitudes. Limited educational motive. Lack of desire, uncertainty, or unwillingness to attend college; lack of interest in the academic requirements or in— ability to see their relationship to the major; .esire for strictly vocational education; attainment of a degree as the major goal of college; unwillingness to consider ideas different from one's own. 1 iustnent. 1U 10. Problems of personal and social ac Difficulty in adjusting to a large institution, to being away from home, to newly found independence, or to group living. Dissatisfaction with social life, excessive social and extra- curricular activity, or too little social activity. Unaggres- siveness in seeking assistance from others. , ll. Severe emotional disturbances. 12. Problems related to the family. Family relationships which have affected adversely the personality develOpment of the individual. Problems or con- flicts over finances, choice of school, choice of major, marriage plans, mores, or academic progress. Problems associ- ated with living at home while attending college. Marital problems and reSponsibilities. 13. Problems of heterosexual adjustment. 1h. Necessity for part-time employment because of financial need. 15. Failure to rec0gnize, inability to accept, or slowness in accepting and making adjustments to limited scholastic aptitude, to lack of Special aptitudes necessary to achieve a goal, to poor health, and to other limitations. Just as some students were handicapped by these factors, other stu- dents had particular strengths in these areas. Such students often achieved at a level higher than might have been anticipated. Thus, strong educational motivation, vocational drive, constructive attitudes and emotional stability, recognition of limitations and provision for or correction of them, use of sources of assistance, a feeling of family interest and support, and Similar conditions and characteristics were frequently assets to the student. So too good scholastic aptitude some- times enabled a student to survive academically although he was handi- capped in other reSpectS. Study;of subjgroups classified in reSpect to ultimate disposition of the cases. It may be recalled that some of‘these students became eligible to enter the Upper School Winter Term 1932 and other the follow- ing term. Some students,however, were still deficient in honor points at the conclusion of the second term of extension granted by the basic College. Part of these were accepted by the Upper School on probation after a deletion of credits of D and F. The remainder was requested to Withdraw at the end of the fall or winter term. It is possible to com- pare these groups on Specific points, some of which we have called "Steps taken regarding academic status" in the case studies. If differ- ences between the successful and unsuccessful students are found, it may be of significance for institutional procedures which relate to aca- demic deficiency. The total number is 6h instead of 65 since on student withdrew voluntarily. high school rank. Table XIII presents background information about these students. Only 13 percent of those who were reguested to withdraw were in the highest Quartile of their high school classes; 75 percent were in the second quartile. There was very little difference (35 to to percent) among the other three groups. One of the veterans who had not completed high school was in each of these three groups. VJf \ V’ \J HHHN flqn<9 mmflsfl>flpom pm ioflhedonwLPXQ eemflcwmho I ouma mpfleepo mo zoflpcflcp Loewe Hooaom page: op peppflap< I Qmsflmmm .Om ma Hm m pa m we Q 0c 3 omam onea 2H pmefids ma b.mfl Hm m.ma m.ma .0: Men meson w.m m.m a ®.m :.m .0: M.I mshme as am om Q am m Mt a 0e s passed pcalénodya m m.m J m m .04 get: weave .3 am an nm em .2 w. - Eta. soapmnopd mm gm me OH 3 m S w m S mud s m m. m 4 .eg m.a m.s H.m m.e H.a w flea as am me NH 04 m as a mm a HH acme .m .2 an em ma m cm 4 mm b on w H “imam .m .z a .0i a .0; a .0; a .0; w .oa ‘11 Aeouzv Asa-zv AHH-:V “Nauev accuse smpozpw: mmsflpam msflpmm pepCHB Hmpoe op emama Hooeom page: toe mapamaaa Shea goosom team: are tom MHHanHoHAm oa.BQQLmq: 2H mmflmammaqo mafiaapn_ use mo mMH9H>Heo¢ muq ,_4 ‘A ( ',* 1 j\/(_ measured scholastic aptitude. The difference in means in measured scholastic aptitude was very Small. The median and percentage in decile one through three Show those reguested to withdraw to have been least favored as a group, yet 37.5 percent (i=6) of this group was in the upper half of the distribution. The "Winter Group" was by no means superior to the other groups. The similarity between those who entered the Upper School Spring 1952 without deletions and those for whom deletions were necessary may be observed. Terms of probation. Those for whom deletions were necessary for admission had the highest average and median number of regular terms of probation. The "Withdrawal Group" differed little in this reSpect from those who became eligible for the Upper School with no deletions necessary. The range was one through four for the "Winter" and "W thdrawal" groups, one through five for the we Spring groups (four students were on proba- tion all five terms of the first two years). The lack of difference between these groups in reSpect to high school rank, scholastic aptitude, and terms of probation, is more striking than are the differences. Most Significant perhaps is that the "Winter Group" had the advantage in none of these areas and was slightly inferior in some. Extra-curricular activities and employment. ‘With this information as background the activities of the groups may be considered. Only three of the eleven (27 percent) in the "SpringD" group were employed at any time during the first two years. In the other groups forty to 53 percent had part-time employment. The differences in mean number of terms U]. C \ .) employed was not great. Three students in the ”Jithdrawal Group" and one in each of the others worked all six terms. Those in the"SpringD" group worked the greatest mean number of hours, but the small number of cases must be taken into consideration. In all groups those who worked the greatest number of terms were among those who worked the greatest number of hours. Referral to Tables IX-XII will recall other details regarding the work and extra-curricular activities of the total group. half of the employed students in the "Winter Group" participated in extra-curricular activities, 67 percent of the employed students in the -"Spring Group", 67 percent of those in the "SpringD Group", and b3 per- cent of those in the "Withdrawal Group". Honor_point losses and epetition of courses. Table XIV presents a summary of the relative losses from grades of D and F and indicates the number of students who repeated courses and the number and percent of credits of D and F repeated. of D. About forty percent repeated 6’} All students had some grade some courses before Fall 1951. The differen es in the groups in this resocct wer .L (I) slight. host of the students who received grades of F re- peated the courses, usually the following term. The differences in preportion of "F" courses repeated is not great, but the "Minter Group" and the "Withdrawal Group" were most conscientious in this reSpect. r“he differences Fall Term 1951, however, were striking. Seventy percent of the "Winter Group" repeated 2h percent of their credits of D. Seventy percent of these credits of D "repeats" were in comprehensive examinations. host of them, moreover, were not in comp ehensive X w.~..~_\‘\.7 .w.m cw: 0:3 mpcecspm mo ma pceopea x .HmmH Hawk op LOHpm H mm as moa me On me me :5 3m mm em . esmpflesto r» 0m 0m OOH OH on 3 Op 0 Om m *.oenmp:mc5pm memedm: me as me OH am OH am 0H 0m 0H .oe-mpemespm m.@ 3.5 $.0H J.m m.m wmoa psfioa_w m mo mesmeo MH Cam w mm m 0H a ma em NQH .oenmpaweeo as am mm : em a em a Ca ea .onampeeespm Huma Hamanmpemdme aa mam mw 2m NH :4 0H mp ma HHH .ozlmpflempo we em cm s mg m as e mm a .oe-mpemeasm HQOHemumpwedmz H.0N m.0m m.mm o.mm e.mw mmoa peace M Q mo mmempo e .o; R .05 e .oa m .03 e .o; Aesuev AOHIZV Aafiuev Aaa-av Acmuav zmpenpfls chflndm mumpmm 3 pmpdflz Hmpoa op emxmd L Hoozom poems pom maemueflm Emma doomom fia%m3 axe mom MEHAHmHUHgfl >HN mamda OB Boagmflm 2H QflHmHmm¢qo meHQDem Wm membOo LO ZOHBHeflmflx 93¢ WHZHOM fiOZO: LO mmoq 505 examinations taken Spring 1951, but were Basics in which the students had received D's at the end of the freshman year. Students in the other groups, although they also had a Substantial number of D's in comprehen- sive examinations as well as in courses, made little use of this method of gaining honor points Fall Term 1951. Reduced course loads, Table XV indicates that there were no marked ‘v C differences in the extent to which the groups carried reduced course loads prior to or during Fall Term 1051. Fewest in the "Spring Group" reduced their course loads. Those in the "Withdrawal Group" carried reduced credits fewer terms on the average, Use of reading clinic. Arbitrarily all students with ACE scores in the three lowest deciles whose reading scores were also in those deciles have been considered deficient in reading skills. It is not known to how great an extent these students' scores were representative of their academic capacity and to what degree they were handicapped in their test performance by poor reading skills, Those for whom the latter was true could probably have profited from reading improvement training. Those students in the higher de ’les have arbitrarily been considered 0 i“ 1 deficient in reading skills if their reading score was two or more deciles .- below the level of the ACE "L" score. Two of the students release 'Winter and Spring Terms who enrolled in Reading Clinic were higher aptitude students whose reading scores were equal to or better than their LCE "L" scores. Therefore the number of deficient students who took he ding Clinic was actually one less in each of these groups, The "Ninter Group" and the "Withdrawal Group" were « .pepcvo ueflammCSOQ pm mpompzoo e mQCmHOHmoc mmozp mo pooopom m mmflaflam mcflbmop CH paoHonoo mags; mowed peozoeh omflanwo ox: omozp Low x H ’\ . )u‘ .) \l He He mH ooH HH OOH aH ooH em . e,,.:OHHoa as an a mm 0 mm a 0% sH tmpsoH Hmma Hawm emzoammfi Q.N H.m m.m m.m a.m .oe mwmaompeoo me me OH ma s Ha NH ma mH .oeuHmaH HHea whoama om Hm m on a H: a on oH .oe-.ota emLHe emzflaemcdoo HH cm m om N on m new a .oeuoaeHHo am me DH em 4 as s c NH mpemHoHaoe .os mcHeemx mm a: a me . m He a 0m 0H .oa-mseoeapm HmmH Hflmm H.N N.H H.m n.m m.m H.oe MImEpme pm me HH no N pm a Cw NH .osumaceodpm Hmma Hamm mmowmn mpfloepo omosoex . oz. mm . 0...“, wt. . o: m . on". “on. . oz. a-ev AsH-av AHH-ev AaHaev Acm-ev Smaozpfis QmCflme wcflaom pepsflz Hmpoa op oexmd Hoozom poem: pom efloflwwam Save Aoomom imam: HEB mom waHHHaHeHaa 0H aquamae 2H :quHmmzHo manageam we HmmH :maa Haas meeaenHmma as zeeeoea nsmaqoo onem nee ca unzoimme new .mmoHseum HaHoaam mo mm: «maOH emesoo mo eoHeosoue >N agate 0 most deficient in measured reading skills (65 and 63 per ent resnectivelg). Very few students (29 percent), however, made use of heading Clinic. Counseling contacts. Included in the formal notice of probation sent by the Dean of the Basic College is the suggestion that the student see his counselor regarding his academic status. After a cepy of the notice of probation has oeen received at the Counseling Center, a card inviting the student to come in is sent as a follow-up to the suggestion in the probation notice. The largest percentage (50 percent) of reSpond- , ents the first term on probation was from the "Winter Group". Few- t (u U) (31 percent) of the "Withdrawal Group" went to the Counseling Center the first term of probation. By the end of the sophomore year the maximum in any group was 75 percent with the "Withdrawal Group again lowest (63 percent). The differences between the groups were small. Only seventy percent of the total group had been to the Counseling Center at least once. That these students were not :aoitués of the Counseling Center is evident from the mean number of contacts for the group (2.t). The range was from one to approximately ten over the two year -eriod. L Resnonse--Fall Term 1951. A letter was sent by the Dean of the \a - legs earlv in the term of Final warning to suggest that these fl Co :1: 03 Ho O O O H students see the counselor at the dasic College. Differences are again noticeable between the groups. Ninety percent of the "Ninter Group" reSponded to the letter. Approximately 55 percent of those released Spring Term and only hh percent of the "Withdrawal Group" did so. A phone 1 call was made by the counselor to the students who failed to reSpond ‘ after the interviews with the others had been nearly completed. nearly 30L! all the students reSponded to this personal contact. All those who did not were in the ”Jithdrawal Group". ApprOpriateness of major. The relationship of the students' majors to their success in gaininc eligibility for the Upper School must be considered. Perhaps larger numbers of the successful groups were en- rolled in less difficult majors or had changed to such majors after hav- ing academic difficulty. Although a large portion (75 percent) of these students were in the lower half of their class in academic aptitude, at the beginning of Fall Term 1951, two-thirds of them were in scientific and technical majors or in majors requiring science and mathematics as prerequisites. Engineering, Business Adiinistration, Police Administra- tion, Hotel Administration, Physical Sciences, Forestry, Agriculture, Home Economics, and the pre-professional programs are such majors. Some of these had been changes after lack of success in one major, a change, for example, from Engineering to Business Administration, from Business Administration to Home Economics, from Engineering to Police Administra- tion, but these students usually continued to lose honor points in the new preference. About half of those in the non-technical majors had changed to them from such majors as Business Administration, Chemistry, Home Economics, and Engineering after lack of success in those majors. InapprOpriate major would indeed be an easy explanation for the academic difficulties of many of these students. Examination of the summaries of the academic records of these students in the case studies, hOWever, demonstrates that requirements for such majors were not always'the principal source of difficulty. It is clear, however, that many of these 509 students were in extremely demanding majors. Although a few Changed their majors during the period of Final'Warning, many were unwilling to con- sider other alternatives. The following list shows the preportion of each group in the majors listed: "Winter Group" :77 (Ii-13) "Spring Group" 59% (h-lO) "Spring Group" 85% (N-9) "Withdrawal Group" 62% (N-lO) Summary. For the most part very little difference has been found 'between these groups. The group which became eligible for upper schools at the end of Fall Term 1951 did not have the advantage in high school record, measured scholastic aptitude or reading skills. In he latter this group seemed at a marked disadvantage and made relatively little use of the Reading Clinic. It was not highest in number of students employed, nor was it the lowest. Its employed students worked about the same mean number of hours as those in the group which was not released until a term later. ho more of its students carried reduced course loads or repeated credits of D prior to Fall Term 1951. They did repeat a larger percentage of their F grades, however. liore of the students in this group went to the Counseling Center the first term they were placed on probation. The difference from the other groups was not great, however. In two reSpects, this gr Lp differed markedly from the others. A much higher percentage (70 percent) of them repeated a much greater percentage (2h percent) of their D courses Fall 1951 than did those in the other groups (2h-36 percent of the groups, four to eight percent of the credits of D). Seventy percent of these "repeats" were in com- prehensive examinations. Some of these students enrolled for Special 7-. .A. oyv 1w. all. Cw . A, MM Lv ”X 1/4. F . . . r’f «J :rt 0% .x. 5; .ln 7.. n 5.» “J . . .V . c u. .1 ‘ o r .. 3 10b it . . VI ‘ .Lv A ». . u r». r n\ i . O .n i . .. . _ “5.. O . a . “A Sm J a .3 . ,4 E o ‘ SlO review sections, others Visited lectures or took advantage of a student tutoring service, and several prepared independently for the examina- tion. Secondly, a greater proportion of these students reSponded promptly to the Dean's invitation to see the Counselor at the basic College Office. There may be a relationship between these two facts. Repetition of comprehensive examinations and "D" courses is recommended as a method for gaining honor points. That these students reSponded promptly gave them more time to plan and to prepare for the repetition f comprehensive examinations. Specific instances can be recalled by the Basic College counselor also where arrangements were made for stu- dents to substitute repeat courses for ano her course. There is no Way of knowing definitely whether these students would have repeated the examinations in any case. The greater reSponse to the first probation notice and to the Dean's letter and the repetition of courses probably are a reflection of strong motivation on the part of these students. In some cases, however, there seemed to be the need for the urgency of Final warning to provide this motivation. Case notes show that repeti- tion of courses and Reading Clinic had been recommended to some of these students previously. Regardless of whether their motivation needed the impetus of Final Warning, many more of these students took prompt action Fall Term 1951 than did those in the other groups. The "Withdrawal Group", on the other hand, repeated courses prior to Fall Term 1951 as much or more as the "Minter Group". Fewer of them (31 percent) went to the Counseling Center the first time they were placed on probation and reSponded to the Dean's letter (hh percent). (W (‘3 . -1 Ar Jaw" .. .i. .4. -V'A Ell Only in this group did any of the students fail to come to the Basic College Office eventually. The possibility of less tangible differences between the groups may be gathered from a review of the case studies of these students. A list of the cases classified as to their diSposition is included for conven- ience in the appendix. For example, among the students who were released there were more students who gave evidence of very strong educational or vocational motivation or both and more who did not appear to be handi— capped by anxiety, emotional disturbances, or acute personal or family jproblems. There were students in this group of whom this was not true also, but the contrast in the two groups in these two reSpects was rather marked. More students in the'Withdrawal group, for example, gave indica- tions of problems of adjustment of various kinds (Cases 1, 7, 8, hO.). Several of these students, moreover, were unwilling or unable to make use of counseling resources. Similar cases may be found in other groups, but the number in this group cannot be overlooked. It is evident that the miinter Group" had no advantage in terms of being in less academically demanding majors. The difference in majors in the two Spring groups who were very similar in most reSpects may be related to the greater mean number of terms of probation for those re- leased with deletions and for their need for deletion of credits. Some of the latter group changed their majors during the term of Final Warning and thus made deletions possible. One or two schools deleted required courses in which the student had grades of D and admitted him on proba- tion with the requirement that he repeat these courses. These two. 5:1 571' .L... 5l2 groups, unlike most of the "Hinter Group", relied on B's and A's in some of their courses to compensate for their poor grades. hany of them, moreover, were successful in the non-technical courses and the major courses themselves which were accompanied by the more troublesome mathematics, chemistry, accounting, and economics. Physical education and military science grades were a source of assistance to many of these students. A summary of the B and a grades of these two groups indicated a mean gain by this means of l9.b in the "Spring Group", of ll.2 in the "SpringD GTOUD" by the end of Winter 1952. Some of these students, moreover, used their term of extension to repeat courses in order to gain additional honor points. half of the "Spring Group" repeated courses Winter Term. Less than a fourth of the "withdrawal Group" did so. Review of the case studies shows other differences between some of the students in these two "”pring" groups. Group differences Were in the same direction as those in the "Ninter" and ”withdrawal" groups. Academic followhup. At the end of the Spring term 1952 two of the students from the "Winter Group" were deficient one and two honor points reSpectively. Five of the students had a surplus of more than 25 honor points. half of the total group had a surplus of ten or more honor points. One student in the "Spring Group" was deficient ten honor points. hine were more than ten honor points above a C average and four of these had a surplus of more than 25. Three of the "SpringD Group" were three to nine honor points deficient. Only one, the student who had completed seventh grade, had a surplus of more than ten honor points. A: .; . S. A no i . +u Nine of the students who were requested to withdraw secured per- mission from higher administrative authorities to enroll as "unclassified students". Only two of these students had succeeded in earning a C average ty the end of Spring Term 1952. Sunma X- Although these students were not markedly different in scholastic aptitude, there were discernible differences in methods of seeking to remove their academic deficiency, in reSponse to offers of assistance prior to the term of Final warning and Fall Term 1951, and, in some cases, in the proportion in difficult majors. Review of the case studies, moreover, indicates possible group differences in educa- tional-vocational motivation, personal adjustment, and other non-academic characteristics and attitudes. Follow-up has demonstrated that most of the students who gained admission to the Upper School were achieving at a satisfactory or better level. ChAPTER X STUDENT ATTITUDES TOEARD THE PROGfiAM hesponse togtue questionnaire. A questionnaire was sent to the students late in Spring Term 1952. Due to unforeseen circumstances it was badly timed since it reached the student just prior to final exami- nation week. DeSpite this handicap 53 percent of the students returned the questionnaire promptly. A follow-up was unavoidably delayed for six weeks. An additional twenty percent reSponded to a second letter.‘ Fifteen percent more returned the questionnaire after the third letter. hany of the students expressed their regret at the delay caused, thev reported, by their being on vacation or in.military camp, by having been inducted into the armed forces, or by working long hours in their summer jobs. Only twelve percent made no response. half of these were students in the "Withdrawal Group" who had not come to the Basic College during the Special program. Seventy-five percent of the remainder of the "Withdrawal Group" reSponded to the Questionnaire. Only two from the other groups failed to reSpond. The "Minter Group", as in previous efforts to contact them, made the greatest reSponse (65 percent), to the first letter. The "SpringD Group" was next (55 percent), then the "Withdrawal Group" (h3 percent) and lastly the "Spring Group". The last group, however, was the only one which ultimately made a one hundred percent reSponse. J. Divided on the basis of reSponse CO the original Dean's letter or to the follow-up phone call, sixty percent of the former group, US per- cent of the latter made prompt reSponse to the questionnaire. One purpose of the questionnaire was to secure more precise informa- tion regarding employment, extra-curricular activities, and use of services. Secondly, the student was asked to express his reaction to his academic difficulties, his diagnosis and his Opinion of services he used or failed to use. Such information was requested as a possible source of further insight into student attitudes. These made important contri— butions to the case studies. The third purpose is the concern of this section. The program to contact these students Fall Term 1951 represented a Special effort by the administration of the Basic College and of the Counseling Center to reach students in academic difficulty. ‘To know the student's reaction to such a procedure would be of assistance in the continuous effort of the administration to provide as much assistance as possible to students. It was felt that the students might express their attitudes more frankly when they were no longer in the Basic College and that their later re- actions would be less likely to be colored by the emotional concomitants Of the academic crisis of Fall Term 1951. Thus a follow-up questionnaire .L seemed desirable. That the reactions are in all cases the complete and frank expression of the student's feelings cannot be assumed. The ex- pressions of Opinion can be reported only as they were given. nany of the students wrote letters in addition to the reSponse to the question— H naire. Several, unsolicited, expressed thei willingness to furnish any other information desired. Some have written subsequent letters. These seem to indicate that the reSponses of many, at least, were more than a routine fulfillment of a reguest. The original intention was to study these reflies in terms of their favorableness and unfavorableness in relation to the original resuonse of the student to the easic College program, to reactions expressed at the time, to the nature Of the problems of the student, and to the outcome of the case. Since the attitudes expressed toward the program were almost 'unanimously favorable, no such major divisions appeared. Only one (case b3) was definitely unfavorable. "The interview did nothing but dampen my Spirits. Instead of trying to help, the person I talked with seemed almost sure I was going to flunk out." This student reSpondeT to the Dean's letter, accepted referral to the Counseling Center, and broke the relationship after one contact. She expressed no Opinion of the counseling contact. She was a student of low measured scholastic aptitude who was admitted to home Economics Spring’ Term 1952. At the end of the term she was deficient ten honor points. Further discussion of the possible implications of the student's attitude has been included in the case study itself. A student Of high scholastic aptitude (case 5?) who was released at the end of Fall Term 1951 after having been on strict propation throughout the SOphomore year reported: "The interview itself was a waste of time as far as I ”as concerned. however, it may be helpful to others. I knew what I had to do and the recommendations were the same as mine. . . . I think h. S. C. could have assistec me if, when they had kicked me out, they had made me stay out a term to give me time to think over my lazy attituie toward study." he last reference is to the student's having been requested to withdraw at the end of Fall Term 1950 because of poor grades. He applied for reconsideration of his case and was readmitted without ary inter— ruption of his college work. The student had one counseling contact the term he was readmitted and saw a counselor twice the following tern. his college record indicated marked iderachievement as did his high school record (third Quartile). He had a strong interest in radio announcing, but was disinterested in other Speech courses and in general education. A third reSponse did not express disfavor but raised some doubt as to how helpful this student of aeove average ability (case 17) found the experience. "It made me more conscious I was below aver ge in my grades." This student's difficulty was principally with mathematics and chemistry required for his major, Agriculture. he had had no counseling contacts and felt he needed no Special assistance. There were no appar- ent problems other than his attempt to do too many things, to go home everr weekend to work on the farm and still be active in organized and informal social activities. his record beginning'winter 1952 has been excellent. The remainder of the 57 reSponses range from an expression of feel- ing that the progr n and Le contacts were satisfactory to marked enthusi- asm. ho attempt will be made to quote the students' comments extensively. Samples of reaction that the program was satisfactory followg. ‘ fl. .._1 "It was somewhat ben~11CWal. It helped my morale to know someone had n interest." "’ll rL 1t. Everyone was doing his best to help, but the problem was mine (heterosexual) and I had to work it out for nySt lf The college was more than generous." f1ere we re eight res of this type . The reactions oi 21 students were some hat more favorable. "It gave me more incentive to help myself." "The recommend tions were fine. A good system." "It makes you feel as though someone cares enough about you to want to help you out. It helps you attain peace of mind." "It made me feel I was not alone, that the college was behind me willing to 'lend a hand." The reSponses of twenty other students might be classified as very favorable. "It was of great aid and made me feel I was more tlan a student number." "I acquired the i1ea that at least someone in this institution had my interest at heart. This encouraged me to give voice to my problems and bring them out in the Open where they could be ex- amined and solved. Four reSponses seemed to be more enthusiastic, although their separa- tion from the preceding group is probably questionable. Two quotations follow: "The recommendations were most helpful in nyb etting off proca— tion. I can honestly say~t1 at I gained a better m ental attitu e toward college in general." "One of the most progressive moves hichigan State College has made toward helping its students. This special procedure proved to me that h. S. C. was interested in its students of lesser acae e1ic standing. This gave me a feeling of being intw est ed in per- sonally which, believe me , has helped me a great deal." bl) Some students including "chronic probationers" and those who had been placed on probation only recently felt that such a procedure should have been followed earlier in their academic careers. Student recom- mendations, however, will be considered in the final chapter. Certain attitudes were outstanding. One that was very frequent was the satisfaction with this evidence of interest of the administration in students and particularly in academically deficient students. This aSpect of the pregram was emphasized in each of the interviews. In the first few minutes of the interview it was explained that the counselor's presence in the Dean's Office and the invitation to the interview was an expression of the Dean's concern with their academic problems and of his desire that they receive as much assistance as possible. A second was appreciation of the recognition of the individual as an individual in a large institution. "It helps one feel he is not such a small fish in a big pool." "It helps to have personal interest shown on a campus the size of ours." "It also gave me a chance to see that even in a school as large as this there can be experiences with the college and its staff which are personal." The pregram appears, then, to have had an effect on the morale of at least some of the students as it attempted to achieve some of its more tangible purposes. Summary. highty-eight percent of the group reSponded to the question- naire which provided valuable expression of student attitudes as well as m re objective information for the individual case studies. In addition it provided a means of learning students‘ reaction to the program itself. U1 m C) host of the students found the experience helpful to some degree. “ aajority expressed more than average satisfaction. The program seemed to increase the morale of many of the students as Well as to provide concrete kinds of assistance. CHAPTER XI SUhhAnY, CCNCLUSIChS, ANQ IhPLICATICHS FOR FUmTHdh nessarcu This was a study of a selected group of academically ceiicient stu- dents at Michigan State College. It had as its goal increased under- standing of scholastic problems through description and analysis of the dynamics of the individual student in relation to his academic difficul- ties. The case study was employed as the technique which seemed best suited to this individualized approach. A second purpose was to determine by consideration of the cases in aggregate whether there were character- istics common to the total group or to sue-groups of these students which might have significance in relation to institutional procedures for J assisting students with scholastic problems, Fall Term 1951 a counselor had been assigned to the Office of the Dean of the Basic College to carry out an intensive program of contacting and interviewing probationary students, A primary purpose of the program was to encourage these students to make use of the sources of assistance available to them if they had not already done so. To seek a better 3 understanding of these students and their problems, to determine to what extent they were making use of campus resources, and to learn whether there were provisions that could he made to reduce academic deficiency or to give greater assistance to those in scholastic difficulty were also important goals of the pregram. The present study has sought to achieve these latter goalS. $22 Case studies were mace of as probationary students. These students had entered Michigan State College as freshmen Fall Term l9h9, they had been on probation one or more terms, and at the beginning of Fall Term 1951 they were academically ineligible for admission to the Upper School. Data from college records of many kinds, from the basic College interview, from counseling interviews, from special diagnostic reports from counsel- ors, and from a follow-up questionnaire were used as materials for the case studies. Included in the case study was a counselor judgment of the problems involved in the case and a follow—up report on the student. Data from the cases were then studied in an attempt to determine whether there were common characteristics. The attitudes of the students toward the Special program as expressed in the questionnaire were also investi— gated. Summary of the tudy Quantitative data. A great quantity of objective data was available for each of the students. In consideration of the cases as a group there were included those data which, in the light of previous group research, might prove fruitful. These data were gathered for the group as a whole and for two classifications of sub-groups. The basis for the first classification was measured scholastic aptitude, those of lower aptitude (ACE deciles one through three) and those of higher measured aptitude (ACE deciles four through ten). The second was based on ultimate diSposi- tion of the cases in terms of time of admission to the Upper School or of requested withdrawal from school. The major findings follow: l. dost of these students were not inferior in high school achieve- ment. Kore than eighty percent were in the two highest quartiles of their high school classes. 2. Only 25 percent of these students had ACE scores in the upper half of the distribution for their class. Tie scores of approximately half were in the three lowest deciles. 3. A large preportion (t3 percent) of these students were below the average for Michigan State College freshmen in measured reading skills. Only lb percent, however, attended Reading Clinic. h. Seventy—two percent of these students h d less than a C average their first term in college. Seventy-one percent of them were on pro- bation during or by the end of the first year. Most of them were deficient in honor points throughout the first two years of college, although they were not on probation every term. 5. As a group students of lower scholastic aptitude were not more academically deficient than those of higher aptitude. The degree of academic deficiency varied greatly, however, within both groups. 6. Differences in extent of participation in extra-curricular activi- ties between students of low and higher academic aptitude were very small. Two thirds participated in at least one activity during the first two years and in most cases the extent of participation increased during the second year. 7. Sixty percent of the higher aptitude group had part-time employ- ment, in contrast to 29 percent of the lower aptitude group. Only a third of the students who were employed participated in no extra-curricular activities. Students of lower scholastic aptitude regulated their participation in accordance with heir hours of employment more than did those of higher academic potentialities. 6. On the basis of diSposition of cases the lack of difference between the groups in reSpect to high school rank, scholastic aptitude, and number of terms of probation was remarkable. The group which became eligible for the Upper School first had the advantage in none of these areas and was slightly inferior in some. 9. There was little difference in the extent to which these groups were employed. Fewer of the "Winter Group" who were employed, however, participated in extra-curricular activities. 10. Little difference was found between the groups in the extent to which they carried reduced course loads. ll. Fewest of the "Winter Group" and of the "Withdrawal Group" en- rolled in heading Clinic although there was the greatest number of students with low reading skills in these groups. 12. The group which became eligible for the Upper School Winter Term differed most from the other groups in three reSpects. Fall Term 1951 seventy percent of these students repeated 2h percent of the credits of D which they had accumulated. The maximum for any of the other groups was eight percent. 13. More of the "Winter Group" went to the Counseling Center the first term they were placed on probation. This represented only fifty percent of the group, however. lh. Almost all (ninety percent) of the "Winter Group" reSponded to the first invitation to consult the counselor at the basic College. The maximum for any other group was 55 percent. A telephone call to the remainder brought all but three into contact with a counselor. Qualitative data. The qualitative data from the case studies could not be subjected to any form of quantitative summarization. Study of the cases demonstrated that the same factor appe red in several cases, but it often contributed to varying degrees and with diverse effects. One point was outstanding. Twenty-four of the 3h students of low scholastic aptitude were enrolled in majors which seemed inapprOpriate to their level of academic aptitude. Others had changed from more diffi- cult to less demanding majors. In other cases, students of relatively high or high ability received poor grades in non-technical majors. The case studies often revealed other influences upon the achievement of the students. The effect of such factors as educational-vocational motivation, personal-social adjustment, presence of severe emotional disturbances, family relationships, readiness to accept assistance, and adaptation to personal limitations was apparent in the cases. attitude of the students toward the Basic College program. The attitude of the students to the basic College program was overwhelmingly favorable. host outstanding was the satisfaction they felt with this oemonstration of the interest of the administration in students and particularly in academically deficient students. Appreciation of the rec0gnition of the infividual as an individual in a large institution was also expressed. Only two students felt that the program had not been L... 52s helpful to them in some way. Some were most enthusiastic in the expres- sion of their feelings regarding its effectiveness. Follow-up of the student's academic record. Of the he students who were released to the Upper School h3 were maintaining a C average at the end of Spring Term 1952. Some of these had received credits of D, but better than average grades in other courses had compensated for the low grades. Some had a comfortable surplus of honor points. Conclusions The conclusions drawn from the findings regarding the characteris- tics of this selected group of probationary students follow. Their implications for institutional procedures and practices are considered in a final Chapter. 1. On the basis of measured scholastic aptitude and academic skills alone more than half of these students might be engected to have diffi— culty with academic work in general. In addition, however, the fact that many of these students persisted in the more academically demanding majors made their survival remarkable. Some of these students were con- sidered over-achievers in high school and might be considered as such in college, even with their academic deficiency. 2. Some of the high ability students were also in majors which were judged inapprOpriate on the oasis of special aptitudes required, lack of interest or needed experience in the field. 3. The case studies verified finding of previous research in regard to the contribution of other conditions or characteristics to the academic achievement of students. In some cases both favorable and un- favorable conditions existed. Their relative weight or the attitude and adjustment of the student to them seemed related to his scholastic achievement. h. There was little evidence that level of scholastic aptitude was greatly related to the degree of the student's academic deficiencv. 5. Employment or participation in extra-curricular activities to an extent which would usually be considered excessive was not common among these students. They failed, for the most part, to adjust the number of such activities to their academic status. Indeed, there was a tendency toward an increase in activities in the second year. That a much smaller preportion of the lower aptitude students had employment and that those 'who were employed the greatest number of hours tended to participate less in extra-curricular activities seemed to indicate that these students made a greater adjustment than did those of higher scholastic aptitude. Employment and participation in two or more activities by approximately a quarter of the group appeared excessive in view of their academic records. 6. The inadequate use these students made of campus sources of sistence was striking. This was true even for several who were strongly U) a motivated to succeed in college. Approximately forty percent of these students‘went to the Counseling center the first time a probation notice was received. Almost a third of the group had not even a single contact before the end of the sophomore year. Yet the use of the Center had been recommended in probation notices and encouraged by cards or letters from fl“ the Counseling Center. The contacts of some, moreover, were Sporadic or were single contacts. That so many of these students had selected ex- tremely difficult majors and persisted in them demonstrated the need at least for consideration of other alternatives or for information regard- ing other academic routes to the same vocational goal. Although there was a fairly high incidence of parsenal-social-emotional problems among these students, several of them made no use of the Counseling Center. 7. There was even less utilization of the services of the Reading Clinic by these students, the majority of whom were low in reading skills. 8. hany of the students had failed to reSpond to written invit tions or ecommendations that they visit the Counseling Center. Even the Dean’s urgent letter Fall Term 1951 elicited no reSponse from approximately forty percent of the group. Yet nearly all of them reSponded to a tele- phone call from the counselor. Despite the tardiness of many of them in reSponding to efforts to contact them, the vast majority expressed satisfaction with the Special program of assistance. In some cases the most reluctant were most enthusiastic and felt that they should have had counseling sooner. It appears, then, that more effective ways of com- municating with students must be devised. 9. The greater success of the "Ninter Group" in gaining admission to the Upper School demonstrated the value of repetition of courses as a means of removing academic deficiency. host of the successful students ultimately used this method of regaining lost honor points. A substantial i fl number of these students had earned no less than a C average for several 1 terms prior to Final'Narning, out earlier lOSSes kept them on probation. Others had D's in the first of a series of courses and continued to re- ceive D's in the series. In both of these situations e rlier repetition of "D" courses might have oeen beneficial. l0. hore than half of these students carried reduced credits for one or more terms. The case studies showed that this was usually related to better achievement. Some students, however, increased their course loads after poor achievement the preceding erm. both of these approaches to the proolem provide evidence of the importance of wise enrollment to the student having academic difficulties and indicated its probable role in the prevention of scholastic deficiency. ll. motivational differences were reflected in group data as well as in the case studies. More of the "Minter Group" visited the Counsel- ing Center during their first probation, reSponded to the Dean's letter, and carried out recommendations for repetition of courses. The "With- drawal Group" was least reSponsive to offers of assistance. 12. The Special program Fall Term 1951 not only succeeded in reach- ing most of these students, but appeared to have a beneficial effect upon their morale. They saw it as a demonstration of administrative concern for them and as evidence that a large institution could overcome the im- personality frequently associated with size. Evaluation of the Case Study as a Technique for Research Regarding.ncademic Deficiency The case study approach made evident some of the reasons for the low lorediction value of group studies as well as for the conflicting findings . Ramayana)”. ‘ . - , -. .' at’ 100m. _' -.V 3115“)" ; in no], u I , . . 2311013“- ; _- . . . ., Wm ’ . c'V . 2.:wa an. - v ~. .' :;r.,;;c;w;ooers ". W a '2355'11 m f . 4 43-1 .r'cgo'xq ,‘r ' - z ,,7.mm3$n. . - ";' 1; . ail J'i. V38 __ _ __ 4 $3, .9. N43 OW‘)‘ . '.. 'A' . 4 , V r , - _ In: . .uk .I~.,.::a<:aez tw- . ..;-.7.”~ ':-,;.'. .L’ELW'TL’ . r as I‘L’. “:30 9M 1b 1 1233315.; 1).". an“. 3311;" ”“16. ‘. V“ I ' _ A." 2"..." cu': 'rcl anoaae': 9:1: 10 w“: drzsbbre» “has: ((0 ~, zyJEMI autoznxxoa em "c1 :2 LEA! as asthma .-'~-.;F 50 or the lacx of si 91 ificant findings when groups are studied in rcsnect 3 1 to stated craractcristics. The case studies have shown that the same factor may have a positive or negative effect upon a student‘s achieve- ment in relation to the attitude of the student toward that factor. For example, strong vocational motive may be an asset or a liability academically dependent upon how it ai ffects the stucent's attitude toward educational reqUL mements and how realistic the goal is in terms of t11e interests, aitituces, experience, and Opportunities for train 1 Still more confounding to wroup st Mi tics is the effect of the interrelation- ships of factors wit11 one weighin: heavily in one case and having little apparent effect in another because of compensating or more disturbing concomitant factors, The pres sent study had several lL mitations, most of which were reCOg- nized at the outset. It is felt that much gre ater understandingo of the individual could have been achieved if the investigator might have 1 ad all the counseling contacts Jith they ‘ erscn whose case was ceing studied. Exact transcripts of counseling interviews would have been another alternative, al t1ou 3h somewlfi t less desirable than the first. Some of the students had too few counseling contacts, moreover, to permit anything more than a most tentative diagnosis. There were limitations of data such as lack of information re3ar1ing the extra-class activities of many stu- dents beyond the extent of formal extra-curricular activities and employ- ment. Kore details regarding family attitudes and other influences mirht have clarif:ied the reasons for students' persistence in majors in Which they consists ntlJ had difficulty. A further limi ation was that or y a few cases of a certain group of probationary students were in- cluded and could not be judged typical of all probationary students, The information accumulated can, however, be used as a basis for adjust— ments in institutional procedures on an exploratory basis. DeSpite these limitations it is felt that such an approach offers great promise for increased understanding of the problems of academically deficient students, A counseling staff could, for ex*eple, design a COOperative study of this type in which each counselor becomes an in- vestigator; Over an extended period of time case studies of students in various kinds and degrees of academic difficulty might be made, Implications for Further Research 1. The present study has given evidence of the effectiveness of the case study as a technique for research into factors contributing to academic deficiency. Suggestions for further refinement and means of ex- tending its use have been susgested in the preceding paragraph. 2. Further validation of the technique.may be accomplished by follow- up of the group which has been studied. MOW’many of them reach gradua- tion, how they accomplish it, their attitudes toward their academic careers and their choice of major represent the kinds of information needed. Stud; of those who fail to achieve graduation are of equal im- portance although collection of information about them is more difficult. 3. The fact that many of these students progressed so far in majors which appeared to be too difficult for them makes a studJ of those who complete successfully various scientific and technical curricula essen- tial for effective counseling. It is not known Whether the students of G32 r this study were exceptions or whether more students of lesser academic aptitude than we assume are being graduated from these majors. h. The value of retesting of individuals who are working on edu- cational-vocational planning is limited because local norms are avail- able for the freshman year only. Such diverse results reported from research at other institutions suggest that the degree of change is at least partially related to the nature of the institution. vi . In the present study there is no information regarding the edu— cational history of other students who were placed on probation at the same time as were these students, A follow-up study of the academic careers of students placed on probation during the first term or the first year of college to determine differences between survivors and non- survivors might be most fruitful. It is assumed that intensive effort would be made to contact these students during or before their first probation and to encourage utilization of sources of assistance avail- able to them. Through such an approach, moreover, the situation would lend itself to the use of the case study as a resesrch technique. CHAPTER XII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FIEDIRGS.FOh INSTITUTIOhAL PnOCdDbnES To learn more about their problems and needs while attempting to assist students with their immediate academic problems was a purpose in- herent in the Basic College prOgram of Fall Term 1951. It is essential, therefore, to consider the significance of findings from the present study for institutional procedures and practices. Limitations of present .practices, possible changes of procedures, and develOpment of new ap- proaches have been considered both by the.Administration of the Basic (Jollege and by the Counseling Center. Therefore, suggestions that are made are frequently not original, but their apprOpriateness and the need for them have been emphasized by the findings. Questions are raised to which no answer has been found. The recommendations'that have been made need to be evaluated in terms of administrative feasibility. The develOp- Inent of adequate procedures, moreover, requires a concerted effort both for planning and implementation by those who are most concerned regard- ing the problem. heed for a cooperative approach. The Basic College and the Counsel- ing Center have already begun a COOperative attack on the problem of academic deficiency through the program of Fall Term 1951 and subsequent terms as well as through joint study of related student personnel prac- tices. It is suggested that a small committee be formed to study the total problem more intensively. How the units may work together most effectively and how each may make its contribution individually with a view to avoiding duplication of effort need consideration. Specific recommendations and methods for their implementation must be provided. Representatives from the administration of the Basic College, from the Improvement Services, and from the Counseling Center might be members of such a committee. Suggestions for the expansion of the committee to include representatives from the schools and other administrative units are presented later. That the initial committee Should consist of representatives of these units who have demonstrated their great con- cern with the problem of academic dificiency in the Basic College seems most apprOpriate. The questions which are raised and recommendations which are made in the following Jages might serve as a point of departure for such a committee. The investigation showed the existence of problems of a general nature which are basic to any attempt to resolve more Specific problems. Consideration is given to these first. The need for more effective communication with students. The study demonstrated in numerous ways the limited effectiveness of present methods of communication with students, Lack of reSponse to the recommendation for counseling included in the probation notice, the failure of sixty percent of the students to reSpond to follow-up cards from the Counseling Center, the lack of use or delayed use by a large proportion of the students of services such as the Counseling Center and the heading Clinic, the attitude that this is a big institution and that, therefore, \ f: M) I\; ‘1. the individual student is not important--all these indicate that in many cases attempts to reach the student have been ineffective. written communications. Two studies conducted by the Counseling ,— Center found a maximum reSponse of Ed percent to a probation notice and a follow-up post card from a counselor. Only 56 percent of the total group of Final Warning students Fall Term 1951 reSponded to the Dean's letter. A first step recommended is that the forms of probation notices as well as of written communications from the Counseling Center be reviewed and that consideration be given to whether changes in form and wording Inight be improved. It is believed that present communications do little to convey verbally to the student that there is interest and concern for him as an individual. Neither a formal notice nor a post card is likely to break down an impression of impersonality, if that is the attitude of the student. Secondly, it was found that some students had received as many as five post cards, identical or nearly identical, from the Counseling Center and the same notice of continued probation during a two year period. Students in the interviews referred to such communications as "just another notice" or "just another letter" and said frankly that they paid no attention to them. It is suggested, therefore, that there be variety in approach and tone of the communication in terms of whether it is the first or one of a series. Reasons for lack of student response. Whether such suggestions appear trivial and whether follow-up procedures to be suggested seem "‘3. UV! 93:; _ A’s;- acti _ 1.. .m amen-Ci , . .‘ 33?. :mn 1.;-:1... .i - wnw 10%| “'4 - S'T': ’lénfi'.‘ MR ‘1“. ' L .rsvnqml 0d 81“ . . . .- glam" pmfl’. . ,1 '..' gamma .zbudm \ ".Z'Jvr: am: “that ’ -’b. '1': at 3mm). ." to "0013m ‘ ., Lu} ..urn: 03 co m '1‘: u .Lt-t'zra s 10 91:0. 30‘ . worth the expenditure of time involved depend upon one's judgment of the reason for students' failure to reSpond. If one feels that only the students who are sufficiently motivated and "ready" will come, whatever approach is used, or that assistance can be of value only to such stu- dents, then the procedures recommended here are of no value. The recom- Inendations, however, are based on the belief that there is a variety of :reasons for students' failure to take advantage of resources available to them. Secondly, the study has indicated that it is sometimes possible 'to overcome a student's doubts sufficiently to arrange at least one :interview. Through the interview it may be discovered whether the student can be given or will accept assistance. During the.Basic College program a few were discovered who appeared to need help but rejected any idea of initiating counseling. Encouraging, however, was the fact that two of these students returned to request counseling. Whether they would have sought counseling in any case is unknown. “he following are believed to be some of the reasons for students' failure to reSpond to offers of counseling assistance. Some students, it is felt, have not yet reached the point of assuming a high degree of self—reSponsibility or are unaware of the seriousness of their situation. Some who have had a great deal of direction from the parents are still floundering somewhat or are enjoying the experience of their first independence. These students may reject anything that seems to represent authority or they may merely procrastinate. Some students in the group studied revealed complete lack of understanding of the nature of counseling and expressed hostility toward it. It was possible to clarify the role of a counselor and to correct misinformation .\ 5*.qu . ., . a..." ”mourn , _: f: 1' .lua ("m W .;... . - _:- ':c .6681: at .. _ . . . , 'u-‘ll‘; mi: 8*? .- r:v-=:on' Q86 - ' with?!) 1:71 v , p 1.:0068 .“ '2 V. I, . run a sanctum"! .u-‘y'ni'r .Vm)!‘;, ' . ;.(j.v 10 amt! at ‘ . . -- crewman -' I . . . ' . ..nifeeawoo a.” . " ‘3 i. r ~ 5 I . ‘ ' .7 "wl'thB'X 33w my: . ' g _ ' . .. ..--' 2; 351.5268”; ' 7 r .- :* ‘ IL I ‘ ', f'g'JJLS‘5'1 M; -h _ _ '.':C .mmm (”f-W" p.» ~..‘sT.a;nimuI¢ " 1‘ ' Misc} 3d: in the interview. One student felt that seeking assistance was an in- dication of personal weakness. Another was ashamed of his academic record and was reluctant to discuss it. It is believed, moreover, that there may be an attitude in regard to consulting a counselor for the first time much like that expressed by some peeple in regard to seeing a ;physician. These and other such attitudes either may not be a problem to the person who reSponds to offers of counseling assistance or his Inotivation, his concern, or his sense of reSponsibility may be so great that he overcomes any misgivings. The need for more extensive use of follow-up_procedures. If one accepts the possibility that such factors are frequently reSponsible for lack of reSponse from some students, the use of a follow—up procedure seems worth-while. Try-out of different methods of follow-up is recommended. A strong personal bias is reSponsible for the suggestion that a telephone call may prove to be most efficacious. On the other hand, a program at the Counseling Center Winter Term 1951 used both follow-up letters and telephone calls with as much success as was achieved by the use of tele- phone contacts alone by the counselor at the basic College Office. There is no record in the previous study to what extent each method was used. In an informal study Fall Term 1952 the counselor achieved best results by means of telephone contacts. Students seem to reSpond to tie personal approach, even though reluctantly, and a definite appointment may be made. Such a procedure involves no more time for clerical staff tkan the writing of cards or letters and taking subsequent requests for .I. '_. U .M-Lv n . .., L: 10M“; 10"- i :11". an! In: "3}? :13 :6 w :2 Ti; Arms: and". WHAT mum. h “ -...1~’ acre-141; flit.“ . - -. -_ 21x1 mount“; ..--nr.('-"!~VO all I“ 4 . . ‘_A' Man; 048m . — , g , Jbfi" .‘10 to“: Mi, . nits-Mm ”11 ‘1 _ t. . . '."L;L:v 'ID JWypfl" . ..c. r“: at. 81115" I. 3.1m: '0 to! I‘ll» ‘ - — ‘ V 7- - - i‘nii’ 10:11:90 mu 21132.: 2111‘ - 1 82’ mini ILL“ T I " f I r J ‘5 r r'“ _ q , A — , , ‘1 ‘ . 2'1 ' k ‘ - '1 . , ’ 3.; .L.- " 5:" . Linn: Llffl {Mn . ) , 3_ .. ', ,. A . . ‘ ¢ ' .11"... L-: .c 7‘. J.-'-- a , ‘ .-A _ H- . ‘1'}. W‘. .... Var—~31 w) 5123:2924 ..rr-w'c; a: _.F~JL:.:£'\: has a t) «... f,” h d O eqapointments. It does involve more counselor time. The use of a 1oersonnel clerk to make the telephone calls is also a possibility. ‘This lacks the advantage, however, of establishing an initial counselor corfiact to carry over until the appointment. Anassumption basic to the entire program of follow-up, is that ‘there be sufficient staff to carry out these procedures and to take ‘ :ff. .. "6' 11'» ’ "L3 .. ' find {an missuufle oim‘ - {'5} l flu“; ‘I' A I 5! I v. O (U "S cf‘ \) l...J U from some who would not ordinarily have replied. -y, some were somewhat hostile and had negative feelings toward counseling. let through the interview these feelings frequently were mocificd and successful counseling relationships were established. Mention has been made in the study of one such student who ccommgnded that all students should have an interview with a counselor in the freshman year. Many students recommended that "this should have been done earlier", referring to the basic College program. Perhaps all these students would have responded earlier to intensive follow-up procedures even though they _paid no attention to written communications from the Dean and the Coun- seling Center In any case, it was possible to overcome hostility, correct misinformation, and refer the student for further assistance. 'This was not true in all cases, however. Whether enough students would react favorably to a required interview can be discovered only by ex- perimentation, perhaps with a small group. 'fhe other factor which allays disapproval of such a plan is aware- ness of the serious problem of students who make no plans to promote academic recovery. The wide difference between the group released to the Upper Schools at the end of Fall Term 1951 and the other groups in the repetition of "D" courses and examinations provided striking evi- dence of the possibility of recovery by a rather simple remedy. All but two of the students who had a deficiency of 15 or more at the begin— ning of Fall Term 1951 and were released at the end of the term had some "repeats" that term. Only two of those with a similar deficiency in the group released at the end of Winter Tern did not repeat courses. host :_ ‘ :5 l I. ‘Z ‘ , ' a '-' '3 17 sh: (29.1.: .' our um.) _. ' 380‘: .RS'B‘WE-D again! ...:5 A 9 Lawn: NJ ‘9 I L .2 was int... .. ;_. . ig- _‘u a 1.52: n}. M‘ -,...:i .xz ,csd rm ’ meow and“ " (J \icnfi 0‘“ at - , v " 3"!“ Jam“ unfit-“9.28 on bl.“ i. «must; glam . 1.:52. ' finish: 3m. . . a . -' um; Jon any Ma. r. ' 'J .jf il'xemwyS -. : mq .acz:M-¢, wrist. m'ioafl‘ 3" ' '. 1.1"" rte-a mtg}; . 'f' If): L 8.: .mwm; ~ 1 ‘ v . 3“ .T5 mana- gr. w as an; a 5. '_ u" [‘7‘ '06 ...Ziudnm fit ; r; emanate -~ . .C '. "91: ran HQ); .- " .r.':?‘l‘ qulnlh' '10 bag :7 - : . In" ' , \‘1 I“ O of these students had merely delayed the repeats one term. Line of the lelstudents who were requested to withdraw repeated no courses either jFall or Winter Terms. Some who were transferred to "unclassified" status failed to repeat courses even then and remained deficient. There seems little point in granting students additional extensions of time unless they have some definite plan of action, whether it be repeat of courses, change of major or some other proposed.method. lhe literature reports successful results from required study Inethods courses and counseling (113,9), Pennsylvania State College (ht) instituted a Special program which included required psychological testing and counseling, Another institution required testing and coun- seling before readmitting academically deficient students. All felt their programs were effective. Whether there is a place for at least a required exploratory inter- view with seriously deficient students who reSpond to no other approach should be considered further, Its effectiveness with students using readmitted might be explored. At present there is some referral of such students from the Dean's Office to the Counseling Center, The same question arises regarding required use of the Reading Im- provement Service. In both the Counseling Center and Reading Improvement Service the problems of staff have made emphasis on assistance to those who seek it or who reSpond readily a necessity. Sumolementarv methods of corm'r1u_nication. l‘lmuerous attenwts are L 1 I already being made to give students accurate information about the nature of the services available to them, Brochures are availaole, orientation u; ~ ‘ um um. ‘ ' "31091!“ . 'zm’mT 103“ V " ' V '3 3.19m “'1: n1 :1}: 35M" .1 ' 1‘. '3 em . l 2. '33 1%.“ 1:." n.1‘5'rcufl no.‘ , . , . , J :1 usa‘woo. I 4‘ 4-2951}?! . M’ Jr“ ‘ i t 7 ....2' M‘JJC‘G m _'V «Luz; iii-'1 1103‘ "_; ;—!w m. ,3 ., , -"": Paip'xmw'w I“ . ' _ .f - £35451: piano?!“ ' 1': f. .‘ 7., . . , v". IzwusbIM' v - .--, . ‘ 54 f .l’ 11 r ' ‘ ' " . “vi-7.09 ed 3” ‘ “.2 J: 3"“: _- , .‘ng’ [fill A w , g smug “13 . 7" If 5:“ V ‘ “It, { :3" 3 r“ v > - . ', ' . . 1:. ‘ "L" Carjam ..“I' .. a w : . _ g: 1 ' ,H _ ",7 ' . H 41" .. ,JC.) “I 'n V " 1 ‘ ix. .' .l m _ «m» 315;: ‘10 mm ‘ ‘ . "u. rr . : ‘1'; w": :noqm - , . wmux: rd: :Lmds n-'L;u:m=o 41.1 9351:1095 LJnemrJa 9v.“ ' rm Bi'nniCO'tB .mw 0: ~ . \fl t... F" techniques are employed, descriptive material is included in the Syllabus for ommunication kills even radio has been used, although with ques- J tionable effectiveness. Since all freshmen students are enrolled in Communication Skills, the possibility of using that course more effec- tively for informing students regarding available services may be explored further. Discussion in Communication Skills of academic problems, use of campus resources, means of assistance from instructional staff and departments, and similar topics might be particularly effective immediately after freshmen have aken their first mid-terms. Counselors might well COOperate in such a venture. There is little quarrel with the students' common criticism in the study that "this should have been done earlier". Better methods of communicating with students, both personally and by group methods, needs further study. The continuance and intensification of the Counseling Center program for screening application blanks for potential problem cases and of the program for contacting freshmen with poor grades in their first mid-term examinations, should enable prevention or earlier treatment of academic problems. ‘Lrollment as related to_prevention and remediation of academic problens. The study showed that there were many students both of low scholastic aptitude and of higher aptitude with preferences for majors requiring courses in which they consistently did poor work. They continued to enroll in the same major term and term, however. Relatively few ever repeated a "D" course which was basic to the next course in a series or reduced course loads to allow for more concentrated effort on '1 7.16?” " ”va” - . 5.. .i-Io'vq ; ‘3: 1m 4 - ' f.‘ .--:Jiibtali - _,:. ...L'w 3:311 ' ' .' .3 .1. "3:fo "- 371mm; m0 mil ".10 has W7. . a ? I ‘ . . . ' ; " 'T-.J«J..7ZL'Z,J".111 M1" . J A-‘ a; -r ." "j' 5&2 difficult courses. Some students increased course loads after a term of unsatisfactory achievement to make up for the losses of the preced- ing term. Some carried two courses of a series at once for the same reason. Continuance in seemingly too difficult majors and questionable enrollments are frequently related to academic deficiency. This is, Inoreover, a problem which is not easily solved. Although students are in the Basic College (1* ring the first two years and their academic record is the concern of the basic College, all students who have a school preference are enrolled by the school, a separate administrative unit. One can envision the develOpment of an excellent system of referral for counseling regarding an inapprOpriate major, standard en- rollment recommendations to students who are academically deficient, referral to Reading Improvement Service of students whose reading scores are low, and similar methods of attacking academic problems in their early stages. do such UtOpian system exists, however, and its develOpment is not easily achieved. The need for closer relationships with schools and departments. ‘— Mere recommendation of remedial measures by the basic College via admin- istrative channels would not be likely to be effective. Reference was made earlier to an expanded committee. It is felt that an evolving program of attack on academic problems would include the possibility of inviting chief enrollment officers to join the 00mmittee to consider the problems, and to discuss how the Schools and the basic College might work together more effectively in combatting academic deficiency. The difficulty of implementing recommendations from such a group in the nous ”£11 31:51:: i: ' . I‘ .ZL‘VOU'IW 52‘. .;;>:. no "a; infinite-z 1.. L '1 Jimmy! 4: LL)? .. 5..) 13116}?! ,‘zc-i. 978 m . - t '--8 {£189 M v; a: .1er .I; '1'.) iC-ut‘. C11? “4...; ~‘ '~-‘5‘1'94mm%{2 , .l J..‘ . cl (Ludo a?” ..‘tpir‘ ill-3 OJ SOLEW’ L "-r- 1:0 was“ 13 Lit-ms 18W. wash, cat bag. 9 a": a1 M'MT- Locum . 3.22m: \J'l I“ \x) Schools themselves would vary considerably since enrollment procedures differ greatly in the schools. Cooperation between the B sic College, the Counseling Center, and the individual schools or departments in a training program for enrollment officers might ultimately be accomplished. Since the counselor serves as an enrollment officer, there is an aware- ness that recommendations to the student may often not be accepted. There is no implication, moreover, that enrollment officers are un— enlightened. There are, however, the suggested methods which become very obvious to the person who has worked with numerous academically deficient students. These may not occur, however, to the person who has relatively few academically deficient students in his group of enrollees. a second group of people who may play a key role in prevention and treatment of academic problems are representatives from the living units. Since the administration of the residence halls has recently been changed to the Dean of Students Office and since there is a known concern with academic problems, a more effective program of COOperation should not be difficult to achieve. Counselors are invited to the dormitories to Speak to small groups of students and, since the change in administration, referral is much improved. As yet, however, there is no organized program regarding academic problems. The dormitories are obviously a strategic point for referral not only of academically deficient students but also of those with the personal-social-cmotional problems so much related to academic achievement. Inclusion of repre- 1 sentatives of housing in the committee, therefore, seems desirable. \fl. 133 .. 1:” Effective methods of referral. In relation to referral it is sug- gested that the committee consider and recommend the most effective methods to be practiced in re errals to and from the dormitories, the basic College, the Counseling Center, and the Improvement Services. The importance of the method of suggesting referral to the student, procedures for making referrals, and follow-up on referrals cannot be overemphasized. Appointments made by telephone in the presence of the student Fall Term 1951 proved most effective. Since the basic College and the Counseling Center are housed in the same building a personal introduction of the student to the counselor is frequently possible. Further considerations. Three rather diverse points are presented for consideration. 1. Most of the students in the group studied were on probation one to three terms yet many of them were consistently deficieit in honor points. Some had not been on probation for several terms prior to Final Warning. One may ask whether the removal of the student from probation prior to attainment of a C average gives the student a false sense of security. 2. Many students gave lack of study skills as one reason for their academic deficiency. This is obviously a reason which may be a rational- ization. There is little doubt, however, that it is a real problem to many students. Whether there is a need for an area on study skills to he included in the improvement services is another question for study. 3. There we e some students in the group studied who appeared to 2 ' " x e s' e ' 'the tivitie ‘emvii vvr l o 'E ' partiCi ate e c 5 1V ly in e1 r act 5 oz ploy ert or otx in 'ternus of their level of measured scholastic aptitude and their college afifluievement. It is believed that extra-curricular activities should IMIt be closed to probationary students. Perhaps, however, there should txa some limits, particularly if it is necessary for the student to have part-time employment also. Values and limitations of screening interviews withpprohationary students. The use of a single counselor to contact, screen, and refer students to the Counseling Center was an interim measure used because of the remoteness of the Counseling Center at that time from the Office of the Dean where the program for contacting probationary students was initiated. The program had certain disadvantages. The contact with one counselor and then referral to another for more intensive work was inconvenient to the student. he actually went through an initial inter— view with each counselor even though a report was sent of interview con— tent to the counselor to whom the student was referred. Much duplication was avoided thereby, but time for establishment of rapport and the other initial stages of counseling was necessary. Secondly, although some of the students had taken adequate measures to deal with their academic problems, rather serious personal problems appeared to exist. The interview schedule of the Basic College counselor was such it was not possible to carry counseling cases on a prolonged basis. host of these students, once they had discussed their problems, accepted referral willingly and an effective counseling relationship was established. There were some instances, however, when the students accepted and com- pleted referral but failed to make use of the counseling to work on personal problems. This break might have occurred even though the student had returned to the same counselor, but it may have been due to the unpleasantness of taking the initial steps again. Because of these disadvantages, therefore, screening programs do not seem to be the most effective method of contacting probationary students. The program of screening at the basic Coll ege office had the ad- vantage of demonstrating to students administrative interest in their academic problem. This was proeably due to the by the Dean and the interviews occurring in the L In addition, it was emphasized at the beginning program's being initiated Basic College Building. of each interview as a means of establishing rapport that administrative concern and interest were reSponsible for the program and for the counselor's presence. A great deal can be done by counselors and instructional staff as Well as by administrative officers in their contacts the feeling so common in the group studied that with students to offset the institution is too large to have much concern for individual students. t is believed that continuous COOperative effort may result in the reduction of the incidence of academic probation. The existence of the inexorable grading curve along with the almost innumerable factors which may affect academic achievement assure that scholastic deficiency may be decreased, not removed, even with most effective provisions and procedures for dealing with the problem. (— ‘ummarv. Attention has been directed to the need for improved methods of communication with students and for follow-up procedures. The question of required use of campus services has been considered. 5 [L7 The relationship of enrollment to academic deficiency and. the desir- abilit;r of referral from enrollment officers as well as from residence halls has been indicated. Consideration has been given to the jJ'sipOI‘JQ- ance of referral procedures. Finally the values and limitations of screening interviews have been considered. Emphasis has been given to the fact that basic to any improvement of institutional procedures is a COOperative approach and a concerted. attack on the diverse problems associated with academic deficiency. BIBLIOGRAPFY 1. Achilles, P. 8., "Vocational Motives in College," Occupations, 1935, 13: 62h—628. 2. Alexander, N. and R. J. Woodruff, "Determinants of College Success," Journal of Higher Education, l9hO, ll: h79-h85. 3. Alter, D., "Students Whose Academic Work is Inferior," American Association of Universitnyrofessors Bulletin, l93h, 25: 333-336. h. Anderson, I. H. and W. F. 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Jones, 3., "Counseling with the Failing Student," Journal of ‘a Higher Education, 1951, 22: 153-155. /\ Kendall, W. E., "The Occupational Level Scale of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank for'Men," Journal of Applieg Psychology, 19h7, 31: 283-287. Kilby, R. W., "Relation of a Remedial Reading Program to Scholastic Success in College," Journal of Educational Psychology, 19b5, 36: 513-53h. Knox, J. E. and R. A. Davis, "The Scholarship of University Students Participating in Extra-curricular Activities," Educational Administration and Supervision, 1929, 15: h81-h93. Laird, D. A., "A Study of Some Factors Causing a Disparity between Intelligence and Scholarship in College Students," School and Society, l92h, 19: 290-292. Langlie, T. A., I'Personality Ratings: Validity of Teachers' Ratings in Predicting Scholastic Achievement," Pedagogical Seminar, 1937, 50: hOl-h26. 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Pressey, L. 0., Chap. 1. "What are the Crucial Differences between Good and Poor Students?" Chap. 2. "A Class of Probation Students." Pressey, S. L., Editor. Research Adventures in University Teaching. Bloomington, In Him ma: Public School Publishing Company. 1927, 152 pp. 85. Prosser, M. R., "A Study of Scholastic Performance of’Freshman 'Women," University of Iowa Studies, Studies in Educatioh, 5, No. 2. Ames, Iowa: University of Iowa, 1928. 86. Rausch, O. P., "Effects of Individual Variability on Achievement," Journal of Educational Psychology, 19h8, 39: h69-h78. 87. Read, C. B., "Effect of Time Between High School and College," Journal of Higher Education, l9h1, 12: 388-390. 88. Reeder, C. W}, "Employment, Scholarship, and Physical Fitness," Educational Research Bulletin, 19h1, 20: 9h-98. 89. , and S. C. Newman, "Relation of Employment to Scholarship," Educational Research Bulletin, 1939, 18: 203-21h. 90. Reeves, F. W}, and J. D. 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College of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. Minneapolis: The University of’Minnesota Press, 19h2. 110. Volpel, M. C., "A Study to Determine Why Freshman Scholarship Students at M. S. C. Fail to Renew Their Scholarships." Unpublished Ed.D. thesis. Michigan State College, 1951, 250 numb. leaves. 111. 112. 113. 11h. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 'Wallace, W. L., 556 "Differential Predictive Value of the American Council on Education Psychological Examination," School and Society, 19h9, 70: 23-25. “[9115, F 0 Lo , "College Survivals and Non-survivals at Marginal Test Levels," Pedagogical Seminar, 1950, 77: 153-185. Whitmer, C. A., bationers, "Study of Scholastic Progress of College Pro- " Journal of.Applied Psychology, 1933, 17: 39-h8. Williamson, E. 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P., "Note on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Scholastic Difficulties," Educational and Psychological Measurement, 19h6, 6: 269-272. Zorbaugh, G. S. Motive," and G. F. Kuder, "College Grades and.Vocational School and Society, 1937, h6: 62-6h. 4\. / Arm-11:31}: A U1 \J‘: -\J CASES ARRANGED 31 QULBLR IN RESPECT TO ,imi DISPOblllCN OE Ths ASE ADLITTED TO THE UPPER SCHOOL Winter Term 1952 (“=20): Cases 2, 3, h, 5, 13, 1h, 15, 18, 21, 22’ 23, 2S, 33’ 39, LAC, 53, 57, 01, 0h, 05 Spring Term 1952 (h=17): Cases 6, 9, ll, 12, lo, 17, 33, 36, 35, Al, L3, uh, A7, 5o,«13,_ ,_ ___,g p _ "wum____*_ sew aamdaen! “i I f n -.. i - - -4 ! .v r m -~ 3. I) ' -" 'W- *I v f’ . - v ’ 1 , - sen (Iu‘ 59:19::5 U02 uczdw zeiffvttoa be~ 3 ‘ .31.: :s;;;w- szeeiq .eqidanem1iadc no so} he .s: 3:2 I (.-tsmdifmA doeeqa ,3n1311fl , . ( meet) me? . ( not) . me’r ’. (asst) meT t(u)oznixc on: . 5 9 Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper, indicating each question by number: 6. Last fall Dean Erickson arranged to have a person at the Basic College Office to talk with you. He then wrote to you urging that you come in for an interview with this person (Miss Fessenden) to consider your academic situation and ways of removing your honor point deficiency. You were also encouraged during that interview to make use of the. various resources available to you on campus (Counseling Center, Clinics, conferences with instructors, etc.), if you had not already done so. a. What is your opinion of this special procedure that was set up to contact you, of the Basic College interview itself and of the recommendations made? b. Do you feel that the services (e.g., the Counseling Center services, the Clinics, etc.) of which you made use either fall term or previ- ously were helpful to you? Are there ways in which you feel they could have been of more assistance? 7. Knowing that what you say can in no way affect your own situation, but may be of help in understanding and assisting other students, please answer the following questions as frankly and completely as possible: a. As you look back upon them now, what do you consider were the princi- pal causes of your academic problems? b. What did you do about them? 0. Profiting from your experience, what would you do about them if you were to live your first two years of college over again? d. If you did NOT make use of the services available to students (such as the Clinics, the Counseling Center, conferences with instructors, etc.) during your first two years of college, will you please state why you did not do so? o. Are there ways in which you feel that Michigan State College could have been of greater assistance to you? If so, will you please explain what these ways are and what you would recommend? 8. Please make any further comments that you wish. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION IN ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS non.) of. m throw 356w Julia?" n . ',:.uciu 1:22.: {1 'iv servicemen ,1edn00 W eesuiq no“ Iltw ,ogolloo to 8150‘." my; Mum egerof) egaia nephew ted: lest urn-ism steal; Joy; Jim .0: 'n' Yuan of minimum minim {are e no tsunami!” : V sum: 2 6V3“ OJ b9 ' ’ ..m; v a: '«J’C‘XV nod: Ci ‘vcr' :e -3 C°'M) maniac. 24"?” 'JC-';: '5sz 'm'! h - Us" ‘ ...; "mm; Hid: $111M ‘r.' were .sc not: 03 Of r ...-u ”1:" 'i.‘ .:.n.ra ,M :1 : Jana-in J“.IOBC}R at!“ ’9 ’ are, Medal 9;,6H00 018‘ f 1 .~, - an. s) scum 1 ». r new not do!“ is. *7. 4:3. mad: 01A 9m ’i‘eonafliou m ’ m." .1 min was on at no. may» }-_-"L'J';:ie:.s has 3111”“ «an: .‘ Orr-é '51-.131‘1 as we “nu-'1 1.9,; on :sdw ,won m ?éms£do1q o ‘ .zdaifsva sen-iv”: ed: to j 5,”. S‘bnammooo‘t bfuow not 3 i _ .n‘elw not it!!! e _ u‘ \ 0 _{n ~OJJ l’ a 3.: r - -_- _( v .‘l"_— "- _¢3"\ . g ’ C _ '. J A ' '3‘ .- v ' t .- — ‘: ."" "l::i MICHIGAIISTATE COLLEGE 570 EAST LANSING COUNSELING CENTER June 1952 Dear John: It was a great pleasure to learn that you had been admitted to an Upper School. I have followed your progress with considerable interest since we met fall term at the Basic College Building when you came in response to a letter from Dean Erickson to discuss your academic situation with me. After devoting my time almost exclusively this year to talking with students who were having some sort of academic problem, I am extremely interested in trying to understand better the causes of scholastic difficulties and particularly in learning how we can help students to prevent academic difficulties or to deal with them effectively, if they occur. This is not purely a personal interest, however. The Basic College and the various student personnel services are concerned with discovering in what ways their services to students can be improved. This brings me to the point of this letter. As I considered this question, it occurred to me that the opinions of a person who had recently experienced some academic problem could be of very great value. That is why I am asking you, John, to reply to the enclosed questionnaire on the basis of your own personal experience. The first questions are factual. Those which follow ask for your opinion. These are the questions to which your answers, if carefully and thoughtfully given, can help us to be of greater service to other MSC students. Your constructive suggestions and criticisms can make a genuine contribution. What services or procedures do you consider good? What needs improvement? Are additional services needed? Can you suggest how we can let students know more about the resources that are available for their use? Please be absolutely frank. I assure you that your comments will be kept anonymous. Furthermore, there is no pressure upon you to answer the enclosed questionnaire. Whether you do so will have no effect whatsoever on your status as a student. I am making a study of this problem with the hope that we can be increasingly helpful to students. I can only urge you to cooperate in this study in order that your experiences and Opinions may benefit other students 571 Since it is very easy to tuck a letter like this away and forgot it, may I ask you.to write your answers to the enclosed questionnaire right now, if you possibly can. I know that this is a busy time for you, but please, John, do reply at your very first opportunity. Very cordially yours, 1First paragraph adjusted on the basis of whether the student had been admitted to the Upper School or had been granted an extension. Letter to accompany questionnaire to students still in school MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE EAST LANSING COUNSELING CENTER June 1952 ar James: It has been several months now since you.left H S C. During hat time I have wondered nany times what you were doing. I re- member that you were undecided about your plans when we last met.1 have wondered too how we could have been of greater assist- ance to you while you were at M S C. Ihave been thinking a great deal about scholastic difficulties-what causes students to have academic problems, and sepecially how we might be of more help to students. I thirk you.probably have some ideas on this subject as you look back upon your experiences here. For this reason, I de- cided to write to ask you to answer several questions that have occurred to me. I have put them in the form of a questionnaire so that I may send them to you and to some of the other students whom I met this year at the Basic College Office. will you.please answer these questions with complete frankness, James? By doing so you.can help me to learn not only how I personally can be more helpful to students, but also how all of us at M S C can do a.better job. Please don’t limit yourself to answering the questionnaire. You undoubtedly have some additional ideas. Please tell me about them. I hope too that you will tell me what you have been doing since last harsh, what your present work is and how you are enjoying it. I am looking forward to hearing from.you. With very best wishes, Sincerely, I First paragraph adjusted to the individual case. MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE EAST LANSING counsmme omen July 1952 Dear John: I sent a questionnaire accompanied by an explanatory letter to you at your MSC address the first week in June. That was a very busy period for you, I know, and I assume that you did not then have time to complete the questionnaire. As a student, your frank Opinion of what services students want and need and of how the effectiveness of the existing services may be increased can help us at Michigan State to learn in what ways we may be of greater assistance to students. Therefore, I an writing to ask if you will reread my original letter, then rnswer the questionnaire and return it to me. It will take only a short time to complete. Your cosperation will be very much appreciated, I assure you. If, by any chance, you.have mislaid the questionnaire, please send a postcard to me at the address above and I will gladly send you a duplicate and a stamped envelope for its return. Best wishes for a very pleasant summer. Sincerely yours, First follow—up letter MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE EAST LANSING COUNSELING CENTER AUQIILSt 1952 Bear John: I am enclosing a duplicate copy of the.questionnaire I sent you early in June. I did not realize that you.were in ROTC camp in July when I wrote you.about it. I hOpe now that you are back from camp and have Lad a chance to relax a bit from the rigors of military manoeuvres that you will find time to answer the questionnaire.1 It will take only a few minutes to do. .A good prOportion of the selected group of students to whom I sent the questionnaire have filled it out and returned it to me. Their work and mine, however, will be so much more worthwhile, if I receive the completed ques- tionnaire from all of you. I am so anxious to get your reactions so that I may learn not only how I can be of more assistance to students, but also how all of us at M S C can do a better job. I am enclosing a new stamped enveIOpe with my August adress. I do hope I will hear from you soon. Very best wishes, 1This paragraph was adapted to the individual case. Second followeup letter 0c 9 '53 W Ifil‘f 'JanVSG 5;; 18 v 30 '57