AN EXAMINATION OF PROBLEMS RELATING TO STANDARDS OF VALUE JUDGMENT
AS EXPRESSED BY A SELECTED GROUP OF BASIC COLLEGE STUDENTS

By
James Preston Orwig

A THESIS

Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
Department of Guidance and Counselor Training

1953

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ,3
i'iie author wishes particularly ho thank Dr. Walter F. Johnson who,
as his Major Professor and Guidance Committee Chairman, provided invalu­
able counsel and encouragement throughout the course of this project.
In addition, he desires to express M s appreciation to the other members
of his Guidance Committee, Dr. Milosh Muntyan, Dr. Harry H. Scales,
Dr. Cecil V. Millard a.nd Dr. Henry S. Leonard, for their helpful criti­
cisms and suggestions relating to the thesis.
The author wishes to thank Dr. Chester A. Lawson for substituting
for Dr. Millard at his Oral Examination. He also desires to express his
appreciation to Dr. Donald Marshall for so willingly taking Dr; Leonard’s
place on his Guidance Committee . At the same time he wishes to express
his regret that D r . Leonard was unable to continue after having providedvaluable help and criticism in the early stages of the writing.
Tiie writer gratefully acknowledges the important part played by
Dean Clifford E. Erickson in granting permission for the carrying out of
this study in Basic College. He also wishes to thank Dr. Leo A. Hank,
Head of the Department of Effective Living, and a number of other
colleagues in that department for their cooperation and assistance in
the gathering of the data, for this study. He is also indebted to
Dr. Arnold L. Form for a number of helpful suggestions.
Finally, to M s wife, Katharine Cook Orwig, the author wishes to
express his gratitude for assisting with the coding and other operations
involved in preparing the data, for tabulation, and for providing the
less tangible but more vital moral support without which such projects
as this are impossible.

VITA

James Preston Orwig
Candidate for the Degree of
Doctor of Education
Final examination:
Dissertation:

J u ly 20, 1953. 10:00 A. M ., 17 Morrill Hall.

An Examination of Problems Relating to Standards of Value
Judgment as Expressed By a Selected Group of Basic College
Student,s .

Outline of* Studies
Major Subject:
Minor Subject:
Cognate Field:

Education (Counseling and Guidance Emphasis)
PII glier Educ ation
Philosophy

Biographical Items
Born, H a y 30. 1919, Philadelphia., Pennsylvania.
Undergraduate Studies, Lawrence College, 1937-1951, BA degree.
Graduate Studies, University of* Wisconsin, .1956-1959, MS degree.
Michigan State College , 1959-1953 .
Experience:

M i l i t a r y Service, United States Army, Infantry, 195-1-195-5
Program Director for Badger Village Branch of University
of Wisconsin Student Union, 1958-1959; Student Personnel
Counselor, Central Michigan College of Education, Summer
Session, 1959; Instructor in Effective Living, Michigan
State College, 1959-1953 .

Member of Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa, Pi Gamma Mu, American
Association of University Professors .

TABLE OF CONTENTS
C Hi-FT ER

I

II

PA Gill

THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM ANDITS IMPORTANCE...............

1

Introduction....................
Statement of the Problem...............................
Definition of Terms....................................
Some Limitations of the Study..........................
The Plan of the Thesis.................................

1
6
7
11
12

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE..................................

13

Introduction...................
Studies and Summaries of Student Problems..............
Studies of Sources of Guidance.........................
Summary of Literature Review...........................
III

IV

13
lU
21
21j,

METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES................................

25

The Construction of -the Questionnaire..................
The Selection of the Student Data....................
The Value Problems Check List.......................
The Sources Check List
............................
The Comparative Importance Scale..............
The Sample ana Its Analysis............................
Delimiting and Drawing the Sample......
Analysis of the Sample..............................
Tabulation ana Analysis of the Data....................
Tabulation Procedures...............................
Analysis of the Data......
Summary of Methodology and. Procedures...............

25
26
31
U2
b-5
66
66
69
52
52
62
o2

ANALYSIS OF THE GENERAL RESULTS OF THE CHECK LIST SURVEY OF
STUDENT PROBLEMS RELATED TO VALUE STANDARDS............

66

Introduction...........................................
The Pattern of Analysis.................
Number of Problems Checked.............................
Number of Problems Checked in Each Area.................
Most Frequently Checked Items..........................
Significant Items in the Area of Truth..............
Significant Items in the Area, of Good..............
Significant Items in the Area of Beauty.............

6o
67
69
70
7o
79
81
82

TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued
CHAPTER

¥

PAGE
Significant Items in the Area of Right..............
Significant Items in the Area of Religion...........
Summary..............

86
66

ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSES TO THE VALUE PROBLEMSCHECK LIST
WITH RESPECT TO SIX CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS........

90

83

Introduction..............
90
92
Value Problems
and the Sex Factor.....................
Value Problems
and the Factor of College Class........
98
Value Problems
and the Factor of Scholastic Ability
103
Value Problems
and General Academic Areas............. 109
Value Problems
and Religious Participation............ 116
Value Problems
and Occupation of the Student'sFather... 123
Value Problems
and Farm Background......................130
Suinm ary............... ,
135
VI

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF THE SOURCES OF GUIDANCE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE VALUE PROBLEM AREAS............................ lUO
Introduction........................................... IJ4O
The Results of the Degree of Concern Scales............ lii2
Sources of Guidance Students Feel Should Beof Help
lU?
Sources of Guidance Students Have Found to Be ofHelp... 15k
A Comparison of Sources as Potential and Actual Sources
of Guidance.......................
139
The Comparative Importance of Value Standard Problems
163
Among Student Problems in General...........
Summary................................................ 166

VII

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...................................

169

The Problem............................................ 169
Methodology and Procedures.............................. 170
The Findings.............................................173
Conclusions and Implications........................... 178
Implications for Further Research....................... 182
BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................

183'

APPENDIX

188

LIST Of' TABLES
TABLE
I

PAGE
A Comparison by Percentages of the Sample, the Effective
Living Group and the Basic College Popula.tion on the Basis
of the Factors of Sesc, Class, School and Course T e r m . 51

II ’ A Comparison of the Catholic, Jewish and Protestant Denomi­
national Groups of Basic College Students on the Basis of
Frequency of Aittendance at Church Religious Services......
III
IV
V
VI

58

The Size of Home Town of Thirty-Seven Students Whose
Fathers are Farmers or Far Managers
..................

61

Summary of the Data Regarding the Relative Frequency with
Which the 522 Students Checked Each of the Five Value Areas

73

Number and Percent of 522 Students who Placed Most of Their
Problems in Each of the Five Value Areas.............
75
Value Problems Check List Items Checked By Ten Percent or
More of the Sample......

78

VII

A Comparison of Men and Women Students on the Basis of the
Mean Number of Problems Checked in Each of the Five Value
Areas.................................................
92

VIII

A Comparison of Men and Women Students on the Basis of the
Number and Percent of Individuals Who Placed Most of-Their
Problems in Each Given Area...............

93

A Comparison of the Percentage of Responses of Men and
Women Students to Check List Items in Which the Difference
Between Percentages is U.5 or Greater.....................,

95

A Comparison of Freshman and Sophomore Students on the
Basis of the Mean Number of Problems Checked in Each of the
Five Value Areas..............................

98

IX

X

XI

XII

1

A Comparison of Fresliman and Sophomore Students on the
Basis of the Number and Percent of Individuals Who Placed
Most of Their Problems in Each Area...................
99
A Comparison of the Percentage of Responses of Freshmen and
Sophomores to Check List Items in Which the Difference
Between Percentages Is h.S or Greater.
................

LIST OF TABLES - Continued
TABLE

AGE

XIII

A Comparison of Student of High, Average and Low Scholastic
Ability on the Basis of the Mean Number of Problems Checked
in Each of the Five Value Areas........................... 103

XIV

A Comparison of Students of High, Average and Low Scholas­
tic Ability on the Basis of the Number and Percent of
Individuals Who Placed Most of Their Problems in Each Given
Area...................................................... 10ii

XV

A Comparison of the Percentage of Responses of Students of
High, Average and Low Scholastic Ability to Check List
Items in Which the Difference Between Percentages is Five
Percent or Greater.'.......................................

106

XVI

A Comparison of Students Classified According to the Four
General Academic Areas of Sciences, Social Sciences, Human­
ities and No Preference on the Basis of the Mean Number of
Problems Checked in Each of the Five Value Areas .......... 109

XVII

A Comparison of Students Classified. According to the Four
General Academic Areas of Sciences, Social Sciences,’
Humanities and. No Preference on the Basis of the Number and
Percent who Placed Most of Their Problems in Each Given
Area.................................... ................. 110

XVIII

XIX

XX

A Comparison of the Responses to Check List Items of
Students Classified According to the Four General Academic
Areas of Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities and No
Preference................................................

113

A Comparison of Students According to Extent of Participa­
tion in Church Religious Activities on the Basis of the
Mean Number of Problems Checked in Each Value Area........

117

A Comparison of Students According to Extent of Participation in Church Religious Activities on the Basis of the
Number and Percent who Placed Most of Their Problems in
Each Given Value Ares.....................................

118

XXI

A Comparison of the Percentage of Responses to Check List
Items of Students Classified According to Extent of Parti­
cipation in Church Religious Activities................... 120

XXII

A Comparison of Students According to the General Level of
Father's Occupation on the Basis of the Mean Number of
Problems Checked in Each Value Area....................... I2h

LIST OF TABLES - Continued
TABLE

PAGE

XXIII

A Comparison of Students According to General Level of
Father's Occupa.tion on the Basis of the Number and Percent
Who Placed Most of Their Problems in Each Given Area....... 125

XXIV

A Comparison of the Percentage of Responses to Check List
Items of Students Classified According to General Occupa­
tional Field of Father...................................... 127

XXV

A Comparison of Students with Rural Background With All
Other Students On The Basif of the Mean Number of Problems
Checked in Each Value Ares................................... 131

XXVI

A Comparison of Students Whose Fathers are Farmers With All
Other Occupational Groups on the Basis of the Number and
Percent who Placed Most of Their Problems in Each Given
Area........................................................132

XXVII

A. Comparison Between Students of Urban and Rural Background
on the Basis of the Percentage of Responses to Individual
Check List Items........................................... 135

XXVIII

A Comparison of the Degree of Concern of h&5 Students for
Five Value Problem Areas as Reflected in Their Responses to
the Areas Stated as Bread Problems......................... 153

XXIX

k Comparison of the Ranking in Importance of the Five Value
Areas as Based on the Results of the Value Problems Check
List and: the Degree of Concern Scales of the Sources Check
List........................................................15U

XXX

A Comparison of Students 3 Grouped ivccording to Number
Signifying Concern With Each Broad Problem on Degree of
Concern Scales 3 on the Basis of the Percent of Ea.ch Group
Placing Most of Their Check List Problems in Each Given
Value Area
......

lU6

XXXI

Sources of Guidance Students Feel Ought to be of Help to
Them in Five Value Problem Areas Summarized by Number and
Percent of Sample Checking Each Source in Each Area........ 158

XXXII

College Courses Students Feel Ought to be of Help to Thera
in Five Value Problem Areas Summarized by Number and Percent
of Sample Checking Each Course in Each Area................ 152

LIST OF TABLES - Continued
table

XXXIII

XXXIV

XXXV

XXXVI

XXXVII
XXXVIII
XXXIX
XL
XLI
XLII

page

Sources of Guidance Students Have Found to be of Help to
Them in Five Value Problem Areas Summarized by the Number
and Percent of Sample Checking Each Source in Ea.ch Area.

156

College Courses Students Feel Have Been of Help to Them In
Five Value Problem Area.s Summarized by the Number and
Percent of the Sample Checking Each Course in Ea.ch Area

156

A Comparison of the Percentage of Students Indicating
Sources Which .Should Be of Help With the Percentage Indicat­
ing Sources Which Have Been of Help in Each Value Problem
Ares Based on the Percentage of the Former Which Also
Checked the Latter
..................
lol
Summary of the Responses to the Question of the Importance
of the Types of Problems Dealt With in This Study When Com­
pared With Other Problems Faced by the Student in College
and Life....................

16U

Number and Percent of Sample Checking Each Item in the lirea.
198
of Good......
Number and Percent of Sample Checking Each Item in the Area
of Beauty..................................................

199

Number and Percent of Sample Checking Each Item in the Area
of Religion................................................

200

Number and Percent of Sample Checking Each Item in the Area.
of Right................ '...........

201

Number and Percent of Sample Checking Each Item in the Area.
of Truth...................................................

202

The Method of Combining the Two A.C.E. Scoring Schemes in
Establishing the Three Categories of High, Average and L ovj
ScholasticAbility................................... .......PI4

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE

PAGE

1. Distribution of 522 Students Based, on the Number of Prob­
lems Checked Out of 100 on the Value Problems Check List...

71

2 . Comparative Distributions of the Numbers of Problems
Checked by the Sample in Ea.cli of the Five Value Aress.....

72

CHAPTER I
THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Intro due tion
In the field of higher education in recent years there has been
growing a marked trend towards an increased interest in and concern for
the personal development of the college student.

This personality

development point of view in educational thinking has gained a prominent
position among the more traditional views that college education should
train one’s mental capacities, should produce scholars, should give a
person "culture” or prepare him for a particular specialized vocation.
One might sum up this growing stress on the individual student in terms
of an education that not only produces an individual of competence in a
given occupational field, but also a person with a way of life adequate
for the times and embodying the fullest possible realization of the
potentialities of the individual in a free society.
Concrete signs of this trend have become increasingly apparent
since the end of the Second World War and are evident particularly in
such developments as expanded student personnel services and widespread
initiation of programs of general education.

In the student personnel

field the interest in student personality is manifest in a variety of
counseling services, comprehensive student activities programs, remedial
services of al 1 kinds, and the adoption of more democratic policies and

2

practices with respect to student discipline.

General education programs

reveal this concern for the personal growth of the individual in a curri­
culum calculated to provide a common, enriching experience for all
students .

One of the aims of such a program is that of helping the stu­

dent achieve a more creative adjustment to the common demands of life in
a democratic society.
The spirit and fact of this broadening concern for the personal
life of the individual in higher education has been most eloquently and
explicitly expressed in the reports of The President*s Commission on
Higher Education and The Harvard Committee on General Education in a
Free Society. Among groups such as these and others seeking to define
the role of American higher education in today's world, there appears
to be a universal agreement that, along with other important outcomes,
college education should engender in the student a heightened awareness
of the role of values in personal and social living.

In the words of

the Harvard Report the place of values in education is identified with
a need to develop a trait of mind enabling one to "discriminate among
values".

(12:65)

The same report further clarifies the issue in declar­

ing that " . . . the objective of education is not just knowledge of
values but commitment to them, the embodiment of the ideal in one's
actions, feelings and thoughts, no less than an intellectual grasp of
the ideal".

(12:72)

The President's Commission has stated the case as

a need on the part of our nation for a college-trained leadership which
can only come from those who, among other things, "know the nature,
career and consequences of human values".

(26:71)

A further important

3

statement regarding the place of values in higher education was made by
a committee of the National Conference on Higher Education.

In seeking

to define the function of higher education in our society, this group
stated "three functions of higher education as related to human values
and the individual11 as being:
1. To seek in the light of reason a basis for value judgments.
2. To achieve acceptance of a higher degree of responsibility
for individual and group action.
3. To integrate the religious, moral, aesthetic, social, cul­
tural and intellectual values to effect the fullest develop­
ment of the person, individually and socially. (l5!73)
That there is a need for a greater emphasis on values and their
relation to the individual student has been more or less evident for a
number of years.

Recently, however, the issue has been made clearer by

several objective studies of the outcomes of education with respect to
values and other factors.

One of the most important of these studies is

Pace1s well-known survey of 951 former university students.

This

investigation disclosed two outcomes of importance to the present study.
In the first place it was found in the area of personal living, involv­
ing such aspects as life goals, life philosophy, maturity of responses
to life problems, participation in cultural activities, etc., that there
was no notable difference between the college graduate and the student
who had not completed college.

In the second place the character of

the personal life of these college people, typified by a self-centered
emphasis on security and happiness in the home and on the job and a
general lethargy with respect to social and philosophical issues, was
felt by a large body of college teachers to be a highly -unsatisfactory

h

result of college education.

(23*77)

Pace concluded that in the face

of such outcomes ”it behooves educators to take more specific, direct,
and active responsibility for the life goals, philosophies, personalities,
cultural interests and recreations of the young people with whom they
work.”

(23*78)

The most recent survey of the outcomes of college education, and
by all means the most comprehensive in terras of sample, was sponsored
by Time Magazine and reported by Haveraan and W e s t .

(li±)

It was found

that while the great majority of the some 10,000 graduates surveyed were
satisfied with their college training (and this mainly on the basis of
factors relating to vocational success) , a
felt that it had largely failed them.

sizeable and vocalminority

The report

of a series of sample

comments of this latter group revealed a rather substantial agreement
that college had failed to produce graduates who were creative citizens,
who could think clearly and critically, who were truly cultured in terms
of the arts and who were able to cope with life problems with any un­
usual degree of proficiency.

(lU*2U5-25l)

with the observation that ” . . .

Haveman sums up their comments

educators themselves have been worrying

for years about the same thing— the whole question of what education is
really for, how it can be integrated into the rest of modern life, the
kind of living philosophy and character training that should go with
the classroom facts.”

(lU*250)

The implications of the findings of these studies for the issue of
values in higher education is obvious.

It is the

individual1s own

system of values which sets the tone and level of his living.

If there

5

is lethargy in regard to significant social issues or complacency with
respect to the performance of democratic duties or narrowness and in­
consistency in life goals and objectives, the standards by which these
and other similar crucial activities are guided are unquestionably
inadequate.

These standards are the values of the individual, the guides

of his personality.

There are sound reasons, thus, for the assertion

that m o d e m higher education must forthrightly face the problem of how
to be of more effective service to the student with respect to his
intellectual, moral, aesthetic and spiritual development— in a word, his
values .
That this challenge has been taken up has already been pointed out
in this discussion where it was intimated that the general education
programs and student counseling services in the colleges encompassed
these ends.

These activities, however, may well fail to achieve results

of any appreciable merit unless there is a comprehensive grasp on the
part of educators and counselors of the status of the student with respect
to value issues and value standards as they relate to the individual.
Yet there is at present a paucity of objective information in this area
such that student needs and concerns may be overlooked or misunderstood.
What, for example, is the extent of the student?s concern with values?
Does the student have any significant problems with his value standards?
What specific types of problems does he recognize as being crucial in
this area?

What is the effect of the college experience on his value

standards?

What aspects of the college community are most effective in

assisting him with problems relating to his value standards?

These and

6

many other such questions remain largely unanswered.

And yet in such

answers may lie important avenues to more effective policies, programs
and practices in general education and student guidance with respect to
the student's system of values.
It was out of such questions and problems as these that the study
reported in this dissertation grew.

In delimiting the study and design­

ing the research it was decided to focus upon the problems of students
as they relate to the valuing process and in addition to survey the
sources of guidance relating to such problems.

Though the problem itself

is of universal significance in higher education, the focal point of
the study was established as the student of Basic College in Michigan
State College.

This group, consisting of the freshmen and sophomores

of that institution, were undergoing a program of general education and
thus seemed to be an appropriate group from which to derive information
bearing on general educational programs, as well as counseling services.
Statement of the Problem
The problem. The objective of this dissertation is twofold.

The

first purpose is to gain information concerning the types and frequency
of problems students have relating to their standards of value judgment
in the value areas of truth, good, beauty, right and religion.

The

second purpose is to examine the sources of guidance in the college
community (a) where students feel they should be able to receive help
and (b) where students feel they have received help in regard to problems
relating to value standards.

7

The significance of the problem. The broader implications of this
problem have already been discussed in the introduction.

However, it is

well to indicate at this point the significance of this problem as it
relates to more specific situations.

Since this research is calculated

to provide information about personality in general and values in
particular its outcomes are of potential importance to all professional
workers in higher education who are concerned with the student as an
individual.

Among such individuals, the following bear mentioning.

Deans of students or student personnel administrators might find this
information useful in dealing with problems of student morale and
discipline.

Administrators of general education programs could make use

of such findings in planning those aspects of the curriculum involving
values. Student counselors becoming aware of the problems students
experience with value standards might well provide more adequate guidance
for students with problems of life adjustment and planning.

College

instructors who are interested in the individual student or who may be
concerned with the planning of more effective general education courses
might find such information of importance.

Finally, data resulting from

this type of study might well contribute in a small way to a better
understanding of the more philosophical problem of the nature and meaning
of value.
Definition of Terms
The theoretical nature of this research and its use of axiological
terminology has posed several problems with respect to definition.

Out­

side of the obvious necessity of defining these terms in a manner broad

8

enough to be generally acceptable, there was the additional requirement
of satisfying two somewhat antagonistic demands:

the one was to define

the terms in language understandable to the student and the other was to
define them in a manner sufficient to establish their meanings in a more
technical sense . In striving to meet the demand of clarity of communi­
cation on one hand and precision of meaning on the other it was found
expedient to adopt an eclectical position.
The essential task in defining terms for this research was not
judged to be that of a critical inquiry into the ultimate nature of
v a l u e R a t h e r , the aim was to establish concepts which would be meaning­
ful in relation to the problems and requirements of this particular
investigation and which would also meet the demands of axiological
inquiry.

As has been pointed out, this study was concerned solely with

an examination of the problems associated with the universal process of
choosing between alternatives in several important fields of choice; it
was not concerned with the content of these choices . Thus the objective
of definition became that of identifying an area of human psychological
activity and some of its aspects.

This area was the field of values

and the aspects were truth, good, beauty, right and religion.

The ob­

jective of definition was thus not that of describing what things are
valuable. It Is against this background that the following definitions
are stated.

1. In a study inquiring into the foundations for the measurement of
values Friedman cites over UO current definitions of value. (ll:L|l-li8)

9

The concept of values. A value is something that is of worth,
importance or interest to an Individual. One establishes his values and
chooses among values on the basis of value judgments. These judgments
are made with reference to norms or value standards which are aggrega­
tions of attitudes, beliefs and convictions that predispose the
individual to make given choices in various situations .

In the valuing

process reference is always made to some norm or standard, whether this
be a conscious or unconscious process.
The primary concern of this study is with the valuing activity as
it discloses student-recognized problems and difficulties resulting from
some inadequacy of the standard of values . These problems are referred
to as value problems. The term value problem as employed in this stucfer
refers to difficulties identified directly with the value standard, and
not to the problems incurred in the normal activity of choosing between
alternatives . While it is to be admitted that the value problems as
defined above cannot be entirely divorced from the normal choosing
between alternatives, the attempt has been made in this study to con­
centrate on the former type of difficulty.
The types of values . The fact that there are basic types or cate­
gories of values is widely recognized, though agreement as to their
specific classification is more limited. A perusal of the encyclopaedia
articles of Schiller (29) and Urban (3U) reveal that the most generally
agreed on types both historically and at the present time seem to be a
truth or cognitive value, an aesthetic value, and an ethical value.

In

addition, there is substantial recognition of a religious value as being

10

a distinct type, though sharing some of the elements of the other three.
For purposes of this study a fifth "value" has been employed, this being
referred to as the value of good.^

These five value types are referred

to in the body of the research in this study by the following terms:
truth, beauty (aesthetic), right (ethical), religion and good.

Since the

emphasis in this study is on the normative nature of values, these five
value types are defined below as value standards .
The value standard of truth is the basis on which one discriminates
between truth and falsehood, logicalness and illogicalness, consistency
and inconsistency in the cognitive process.

The value standard of beauty

is the basis on which one judges between beauty and ugliness, harmony or
discord, tastefulness or lack of taste, proportion or disproportion in
the evaluation of aesthetic experiences. The value standard of right is
the basis on which one evaluates the rightness or wrongness, goodness or
badness, the acceptability or inacceptability of actions in the process
of judging human conduct.

The value standard of religion is the basis

on which one judges the truth or falsehood, rightness or wrongness,
harmony or disharmony of beliefs, concepts and convictions with respect
to the ultimate meaning and significance of life.

The value standard of

2 . In the literature on value theory the concept of good is not regarded
as a particular type of value but rather as ultimate value itself.
This can be demonstrated in the fact that in all choices in all areas
of value the discrimination is made between the good and the less
good or bad. For example, we speak of good and bad art, conduct and
logic. Good itself in the philosophical sense is difficult to define,
but it generally refers to objectives and goals of various human
striving whether on a limited or lifelong basis. The concept of good,
thus, is being used in this study to embody the goal-objective choices
that face the individual with respect to his immediate or long term
life planning.

11

good is the basis on which one judges good and bad, worth-while or
worthless goals, objectives and activities in living.
Some Limitations of the Study
In order to delimit this study adequately and at the same time to
clarify its objectives further it is necessary to point out some of its
more evident limitations . Of these the following are of greatest
importanc e .
1. This research was concerned exclusively with problems which re­
late to value standards and the valuing process and thus was in no way
an attempt to probe the content of value systems or to evaluate the
adequacy or the content of these systems .
2. The relatively amorphous nature of the subject field of this
study presented a difficult and in some respects insolvable problem with
regard to the communication of meaning of many terms . In view of this
situation it was necessary to assume some degree of variation in the
students * understanding of these concepts.
3. This project was designed as a status study and not as an experi­
ment; its objective was primarily to gather information.

Thus it did

not lend itself to the use of refined statistical techniques or to
dependable methods of determining validity and reliability of outcomes.
U. Since the study was based solely on the responses of students,
it lacked the greater maturity of insight and understanding generally
typical of an adult appraisal.

However, the student's reaction is a vital

aspect of the issue of values in higher education, particularly since it
is the student himself who is the object of its programs.

12

5* There were certain additional limitations imposed by the
methodology of the research.

These, however, have been pointed out in

connection with the discussion of the methodology and procedures in
Chapter III.
The Plan of the Thesis
In Chapter II the review of the literature pertinent to this study
will be presented. This will consist of a reporting of studies and
summaries of student problems with particular attention being paid to
value problems .

Studies dealing with the sources of guidance will also

be examined.
Chapter III will consist of a discussion of the methodology and
procedures employed in the research.

In this chapter the processes of

gathering the information, establishing the sample, and tabulating, and
analysing the data will be reviewed and discussed.
Chapter IV will contain a report and discussion of the general
results of the survey of types and frequencies of problems relating to
value standards. Chapter V will continue the analysis of these results
as they relate to several factors in the student population under study.
Chapter VI consists of a report and discussion of the results of
the survey of sources of guidance relating to value problems as appraised
by the students in the sample.
Chapter VII will contain the summary of the main findings of the
research with accompanying conclusions.

Implications of these outcomes

will be cited, and some suggestions for further study outlined.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Introductio n
The previous chapter has pointed out that the general concern of
this study was with the issue of human values as it relates to the field
of higher education.

The particular emphasis was indicated as being

placed on the value standards of students with the objective of reveal­
ing the frequency and types of problems that students recognize as
being directly related to the valuing process. To lend additional
foundation to an understanding of these value problems, the part played
by the college and other influences in the student*s dealings with these
issues was also under study.

To this latter end a further objective

involved a survey of the various possible sources of guidance in the
college community associated with these problems by the students .
A perusal of the literature on studies and summaries of student
problems both from the standpoint of the student himself and the counselor
and other educational officials disclosed that no surveys of value prob­
lems as such had been carried out.

Therefore, material to be discussed

in this chapter will deal mainly with student problems in general.
Emphasis, however, in the discussion of these studies and summaries will
be placed on their results as they pertain to the particular area of
problems under consideration in this study.

This same general approach

will be followed in the review of the literature on sources of guidance.

I ll

The survey of the literature will be pursued according to the
following plan.

There will first be an examination of the literature

pertaining to student problems. In this phase major summaries of student
problems will be discussed followed by a review of objective studies of
student-recognized problems.

The latter portion of the chapter will

consist of a survey of studies and summaries of sources of guidance
relating to student problems as recognized by the student. A concluding
section will summarize the chief findings in the survey of the literature
and discuss their implications for this research.
Studies and Summaries of Student Problems
Summaries of student problems.

In order to provide background and

perspective in the field of student problems for the present study several
broad summaries of student problems were investigated.

These are reported

as follows.
Wrenn and Bell (36) in summing up a number of studies and investi­
gations relating to the basic problems of adolescents concluded that
there were apparently six fundamental problems faced by all adolescents.
These were:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(U)
(5)
(6)

Emancipation from the home.
Establishment of heterosexuality.
Determination of vocational goal.
Development of a sense of security.
Establishment of status among his fellows.
Development of a philosophy of life, the establishment of
a satisfying system of values and standards. (36:18-19)

In an analysis of a large number of investigations Strang (32) concluded
that student problems fell into five general classifications , These were
as follows:

(l) intellectual and perceptual difficulties, (2) physical

15

and structural difficulties, (3) emotional difficulties, (U) social
difficulties and (5) vocational and economic difficulties.

(32:19-21)

In a later summary of a number of problem studies based on check
lists and interviews involving students, Wrenn (37) found that the
following problems were frequently reported:
(1) Academic problems (including study habits, choice of
curriculum, instructor*s attitudes, methods of instruction).
(2) Vocational problems (including lack of goals, lack of know­
ledge of own capacities, ignorance of vocational fields, etc.).
(3) Financial problems (including insufficient funds, self
support).
(U) Social problems (including loneliness and lack of social
skills) .
(5) ©notional problems (including fear of failure, religious or
moral conflicts, problems of personality). (37*9-10)
In discussing student adjustment problems and related personnel services
in higher education, Williamson (35) enumerates a list of fourteen
problems adapted from the 19h9 revised Student Point of View of the
American Council on Education.

This list of student adjustment problems,

abridged somewhat from his statement of it, is as follows:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(U)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(llj.)

Orientation to college.
Success in studies.
Selection of occupational goal.
Growth in tinders tending and valuation of self.
Development of sense of belonging to college institution.
Developing new and significant interests and deepening old.
Learning arts of getting along with others.
Finding suitable living quarters.
Growth in understanding of own emotional nature.
Physical and mental health.
Development in ethical and moral understandings.
Financial self-support with aids to personal growth.
Satisfactory sexual adjustment.
Preparation for satisfactory postcollege adjustments. (35*hl-h9)

In discussing the findings of these foregoing summaries the follow­
ing things seem to be of significance.

It can be seen in the first

16

place that the list of basic adolescent problems outlined by Wrenn and
Bell includes one which deals with the area of philosophy of life and
system of values of the individual.

Though this statement does not

refer specifically to them, it may well be assumed that value problems
could be included under that category.

On the other hand, Strang*s

five general student problem areas do not involve any one which might
include such problems as are being considered in the present study.
Wrenn*s summary of objective studies does include, however, under the
category of "emotional problems" those concerns involving religious and
moral conflicts, though the implication is that these are conflicts in
an emotional sense rather than an intellectual sense.

These may not,

thus, be problems relating to standards so much as they may be those
growing out of emotional conflicts involving values.
Williamson*s listing is also not very definite in respect to prob­
lems with value standards, though several of the areas he mentions might
include them.

The problem "Development in ethical and moral understand­

ings" implies a concern with standards of ethics and morality and their
relative effectiveness.

Also, the problem "Growth in understanding and

valuation of self** suggests a function of self-examination and criticism
which would probably reveal problems involving readjustment of value
standards . And though there is an absence of further specific references
in this particular list of problems, several other areas might possibly
include value problems.
As has been pointed out, these summaries are based generally on
very comprehensive surveys of the field of student problems and thus

17

they may be felt to be quite conclusive. It can be seen that the area
of problems involving concerns and difficulties relating to value
standards is of comparatively minor importance . Where such mention of
values is made, references are usually restricted to the standards of
ethics and religion.

Other value areas are noticeably absent.

For

example, there is no mention of problems bearing on the determination
of what is true or of problems of clear or logical thinking, all of
•which deal with the value standard of truth.

The area of beauty or

aesthetic value is also not mentioned as being among the problems of
students in any of the above summaries.
Studies of student-recognized problems . Before beginning the dis­
cussion of particular studies of student problems it is well to consider
some of Wrenn*s comments relative to the comparison of the results of
such studies. He points out that the results of many of these studies
may not be mutually comparable.

This is because the particular approach

to problems may vary from study to study with respect to objectives and
other factors . A further complicating factor he points to is the fact
that a given body of data may be analyzed and categorized in a variety
of ways and thus may be subject to the bias of the investigator .
(37*11-13)

Accordingly, the studies enumerated below will be regarded

as distinct contributions and only a minimum of inter comparisons will
be attempted.
Among the earlier studies of student problems as seen by the student
is the survey made by Katac and Allport (17) of the problems with which
students desired help but had not received it.

This study involving

18

over 3500 students was a part of the Syracuse Student Reaction Study,
a comprehensive survey of students1 attitudes.

Results in this particu­

lar phase of the project were based on a check list of eighteen problems
covering the whole scope of student adjustment.

Of the problems listed,

the one which most nearly approached the area under consideration in
the present study was one dealing with ’’religion and philosophy of life” .
Of the total group responding to the check list, 11.2 percent checked
this item. The highest ranking problems on the list in this respect
were, in order of importance, ’’problems of own personality,” ’’choice of
vocation” and ’’choosing a plan of study” ; the first was checked by 30.3
percent of the group.

Lowest in rank among the problems were those deal­

ing with health, politics and scheduling and they ranged around five
percent.

(17*89)

It is to be pointed out that this study gives no over­

all indication of frequency of these problems since it consists only of
problems with which the student had not received help.
A more detailed check list approach to the study of student problems
was made by Emme (8) involving seventy-three freshmen in a small, churchrelated liberal arts college.

Emme's check list, developed in the process

of discussions with the sample group, amounted to
areas.

items in nineteen

Among these areas there appears to be only one which dealt with

problems of value standards and this was the area of religion. Of the
total number of problems checked, the greatest proportion was in the
area of "college courses” and was followed closely by religion, the
percentages being 12 and 11.8 percent respectively.

In contrast to other

problem studies, the area of religious problems ranks unusually high in

19

this one.

A study of the individual items, however, provides the

explanation.

Among the five highest items under the religious area were

the followings
Too brief time for chapel speakers. (£1 students checking)
I study on Sunday. (1;7)
The organist plays too loudly in chapel. (32) (8s37)
While among the five lowest items were:
I am concerned over losing my previous religion. (6 students
checking)
The conflict between science and religion disturbs me. (7)
To readjust my new beliefs to an old environment is disturb­
ing. (5) (8:37)
It will be noted that the list of frequently marked problems consists of
those that relate to the mechanics of religious activity in a small
college of strong religious emphasis while the second list is made up of
problems relating to universal religious issues bearing directly on
religious values. Considered in this light the religion category of
Ernme's check list comes more into line with the usual finding in this
matter.
Probably the most extensive work in recent years in the study of
student problems has been done by Mooney and his associates in the
development of a series of problem check lists for various educational
levels. In the most recent revision of the college form of the check
list there are eleven problem areas, one of which is "morals and religion.
(21:i|)

However, an earlier form listed fifteen areas of which there

were three closely related to the area of problems concerned with value
standards, these being "Values," "Morals" and "Religion."

One study

based on this form involving U30 students revealed that when the areas

20

■were ranked on the basis of the average number of problems checked per
student, ••Values” was fourth among the fifteen areas while "Morals” and
"Religion” were lowest with .9 and .5 percent respectively.

(20:39)

The area of "Values” consisted of problems concerned with finding goals
and objectives in life and the task of living a more meaningful life.
"Morals" dealt with problems of conduct, and "Religion” with problems
associated with beliefs and conflicts bearing on one's religion.

(20:98-99)

Pressey (27) in a study of the problems of 100 college women found
that the area of "morality and general philosophy of life” ranked some­
what above average among seven problem areas.

(27s82)

Since this sample

was one consisting solely of women, the results must be considered in
terms of this bias.

Smeltzer (30) asked a group of students to list

three factors that kept them from doing better work in college and on
the basis of these responses constructed a twenty-item check list. The
results of this instrument dealt solely with academic problems .
In an early study of the problems of college freshmen, based on a
check list developed from retrospective appraisals by upperclass-students
of their freshman experiences, Boraas (5) found that problems consisted
essentially of those associated with college life and courses. There
were no problems relating to value standards; even religious problems
were absent.

Wrenn and Bell (36) conducted a recent study of the adjust­

ment problems of new students based on a check list of twenty-five items.
A perusal of these problems revealed that none of them were concerned
with problems related to student value standards . This list of problems
was derived, according to the authors, from previous studies and lists

21

of student-stated difficulties. The limitations of both this study and
the previously mentioned one by Borass are that they focus on„ the new
student or the freshman and his unique problems . Apparently value prob­
lems are of little or no significance in comparison to others at this
point in the educational cycle of college.
In summarizing the foregoing studies of student problems it is
apparent that they generally bear out the findings of the problem
summaries previously reported.

These studies do not always touch on the

area of values, and where they dothe categories dealing
from average to low in importance

as

with it rank

based on the number of students

checking such problems. Of the specific values appearing in these
studies, religion is the most common with morality appearing less fre­
quently.

Some items dealing with problems of objectives and life-

planning are in evidence under such categories as "values" or "philosophy
of life," though their intent relative to values is not very definite.
Problem areas equivalent to those

of

truth and beauty as definedin the

present study are not in evidence

as

such in any of the studies.

Studies of Sources of Student Guidance
Studies of the student*s appraisal of sources of guidance relating
to student problems were found to be sparse. Such investigations of this
problem as the author was able to find are reviewed below.
In a recent study by Form (10) concerning an evaluation of a college
counseling program, the following data were disclosed relative to
expected sources of student guidance.

In answer to the question, "If you

22

had a problem during the college year and you needed some help, to whom
would you go for this help?” , $kk students were asked to rank a list
of possible guidance sources in order of preference. The resulting
average ranking of the sources in order of priority was (l) family,
(2) friends, (3) Counseling Center, (U) instructors, (5) relatives,
(6) church officials, (7) dormitory counselors, (8) deans of men and
women, (9) Psychological Clinic and (10) others.

(10:139-11+0)

It is to

be noted that this study deals with problems in general and that no
association is made between a given type of problem and a given source.
Pressey (27) and Love (18) report studies in which students indicate
the extent of aid received from various sources relating to various
problems.

Pressey*s study, which has already been reported in part,

was based on the responses of 100 women students to seven problem areas.
With respect to the sources from which help was received relative to
these areas, these students checked the following sources according to
the average frequencies specified:

friends— U ,

classes— 7 s con­

ferences— 7 , family— £, books— 2, sorority— 2, and church— 1.

In the

one area which comes nearest to being the type of problem area under
consideration in the present study, "morality and general philosophy of
life," the results were as follows:

friends— 10, family— 7j classes— 6,

conferences— 5, books— it, sorority— 1, and church— 1.

It is pointed out

by the author that the source "conferences" includes individual contacts
with teachers, deans and other university personnel.

(27*82-83).

In the survey reported by Love (18) the six problems on a problem
check list most frequently checked by sixty-three students are listed

23

along with the students' estimate of the extent of aid received from
various Individuals.

A study of the results shows that, according to

the number checking, help was provided by these various individuals in
the following degrees

parents— 22, friends— 16, teachers— lli., relatives-

9, counselors— 7* doctors— 5, ministers— U.

One of the problems which

bears some resemblance to the area of value problems yielded the follow­
ing ranking of the sources of aid as based on the twenty-four students
who checked It:

parents— 17, teachers— 15, friends— 12, relatives--10,

counselors— 9, ministers— 2, and doctors— 1.

(18:99)

Though the foregoing studies leave much to be desired in terms of
adequacy of sample and comprehensiveness of scope there is sufficient
agreement among them to justify certain conclusions.

In the first place

it is apparent that family or parents along with friends generally rank
high as sources from which help is both expected and received.
and instructors also rank quite high in both respects.

Courses

Counselors and

deans show a somewhat diminished role as both expected and exploited
sources of help. Church and ministers play a minor part in these two
phases of guidance.

The other sources mentioned represent scattered

sources and they seem to be of little consequence in any of the three
studies.

In regard to the relation of these sources to problems somewhat

related to value problems, it can be seen that the situation remains
generally about the same as for student problems in general.

However,

in the case of these latter types of problems, the similarity between
them and value problems as defined in this study is so slight that no
sound conclusion may be reached.

2k

Summary of Literature Review
In the introduction to this chapter it was pointed out that the
dearth of studies dealing directly with value problems necessitated a
broader approach to the literature in order to discover the place of
value problems in the student*s life.

The review of the literature was

thus focused on student problems in general as revealed in a number of
summaries and studies . The findings resulting from this review which
have particular significance for the subject of this thesis are as
follows:
1. Summaries of student problems based on studies and other sources
showed that problem areas generally encompassing value problems were of
relatively minor importance when compared with other adjustment problems
of students.
2. The summaries also showed that where particular values were
mentioned reference included only religion and morality with the emphasis
on the former . Problems of truth and beauty were not in evidence.
3 . The review of individual objective studies of student-recognized
problems disclosed results very similar to the findings reported under
the summaries of problems.
il.

The review of the studies of sources of guidance showed that in

regard to both problems in general and problems somewhat similar to value
problems the sources were approximately the same.

Listed in general

order of importance these sources were parents, friends, teachers,
counselors, ministers and all others.

This listing is based on the most

commonly mentioned sources in the three studies reviewed.

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES
The purpose of this chapter is to describe and discuss the methods
and procedures used in gathering and analysing the data upon which this
study is based.

There were three fundamental problems to be faced in

the development of the study, these were (l) the construction of an
instrument for the gathering of information and data, (2) the designation
of a population to be studied and the selection of a representative
sample of that population, and (3) the formulation and organization of
methods of tabulating and analysing the results of the study.

The ensu­

ing discussion will review these three phases of the stucty- in the order
in which they have been outlined above.
The Construction of the Questionnaire
Faced with the lack of any existing device or test for the measure­
ment or evaluation of problems related to value standards at the inception
of this project, the investigator was compelled to develop one of his own
making.'*'

The resulting instrument consisted of three parts, (l) a student

information section which is referred to in this study as the Student Data
Section, (2) a device in the form of a check list for the study of problems
related to value standards which is referred to as the Value Problems

1. Appendix I .

26

Check List, and. (3) a section for the study of the sources of guidance
relating to these problems referred, to as the Sources Check List.

It

will be noted that the latter two sections parallel the twofold objective
of this investigation as described in the introduction to this study.
In the discussion which follows, each of the three sections will be
examined in the order of its appearance in the body of the questionnaire.
The Selection of Student Data
p

In organizing the questionnaire the Student Data Section

was in­

cluded to form a basis for the evaluation of the sample studied and the
interpretation of the results of the check lists . Because of the
relatively unexplored nature of the field to be investigated, it was
decided at the outset of the investigation to gather a considerable amount
of student information rather than limit this section to just a few
factors.

However, in later stages of the study it was found, through

preliminary analysis and evaluation of the sample and results, that a
number of the items would be of little worth in the final outcome because
of such factors as inadequacy of sample size, repetitiousness, inaccuracy,
irrelevance and other causes .

It will be pointed out in a later section

of this chapter how the main student factors were determined and how many
of the other items of student information were -used to clarify these
factors as well as provide for a better understanding of the nature of
the sample.

At this point, however, it will be necessary to review in

2. Appendix I, Part 1.

27

some detail the original content of the Student Data Section, examining
each item in terms of the reason for its inclusion in the study.

The

items are discussed in order of their appearance in the Student Data
Section.
Age . As a factor of significance in the development and stability
of value standards, the relative age of the individual student appeared
to have some possibilities of contributing to a better understanding of
the type and extent of student problems relating to value standards .
In responding to this item the student was asked to record his age at
the time taking the questionnaire.
Sex. Sex was felt to be essential as a sampling factor.

As an

influential factor in value issues it likewise appeared to be of great
importance.

In this connection Allport, Vernon and Lindzey have

demonstrated in their Study of Values that men and women differ in their
average patterns of value interests.

(2*9)

Again, Mooney*s work with

earlier forms of his check lists shows some decided differences between
men and women students as to the types of problems checked.

(20*69-71)

Marital status. The factor of marriage, because of its attendant
adjustments in point of view and interests, was asked for in the belief
that it might be an influence in reactions towards value problems .
There was some doubt, however, as to whether this group would yield a
large enough sample to make the use of this factor feasible .
College class. College class information was essential from a
sampling and study standpoint. Since information on the class totals
was readily available from the college registrar, accurate comparisons

28

could be made between the sample and the parent population.

In addition,

there was good reason to believe that class in college was an influential
factor in checking of check list items.

Mooney's work has revealed some

significant variations in the responses of freshman and sophomore students
to a number of check list items.

(20:72-79)

Term in college. While it was doubtful that variations between terms
would be of much significance, this information was asked for in order to
gain a better understanding of the nature of the sample.
Grade point average. The student was asked to record his approximate
grade point average.

As an index of the student's achievement in his

college academic life, it was felt that this factor might be a significant
one relative to certain value problems.
Major academic subject. The student was asked to state his major
subject.

With this information he could be classified in two ways.

First, he could be classified according to the academic school in which
he was doing his work, and secondly, he could be classified on the basis
of the broad general academic area of his educational interest.

In the

case of the former arrangement, the sample could, in addition, be checked
against the school totals for the parent population.

In regard to values,

Allport et al. found that major academic interest is a differentiating
factor in their Study of Values.

(2:10)

Frequency of religious participation. Since this study was to be
concerned with problems relating to value systems and since one of the
areas of values under consideration was that of religion, it was essential
to establish some basis for determining the status of the student's

29

religicms life. Parten, in discussing the collecting of religious
information, states that denominational affiliation is of little signifi­
cance in the interpretation of survey results while intensity of religious
feeling may have a much broader bearing on social phenomena.

(25*171)

She cites the two basic questions that seem most useful in this connection
one dealing with the frequency of attendance at religious services and
the other asking the client what denomination he considers himself a
member of.

(25*170)

The form of the scale dealing with religious partici

pation used in this section was taken from Smucker's study of religious
practices in East Lansing, Michigan, and consisted of a four point scale,
as follows:

attendance at church or religious services "once a week or

oftener," "one to three times a month," "occasionally" and "never."
(31*1U)
Religious denomination. Though the discussion above has indicated
the relative undependability of religious denomination as a valid measure
of the student*s religious life, it was included in the study as a means
of better understanding the student population of the study.

Furthermore,

Parten has pointed out that when denominational interests were reduced
to broad categories of Catholic, Protestant and Jew the chances of their
correlating with other social factors was increased.

(25*17l)

It was

further believed that information on denomination might contribute to a
better understanding of the meaning of the religious participation scale.
Occupation of the student*s father. In the belief that socio­
economic status might have a bearing on value issues, the investigator
felt it necessary to include some means of so classifying students.

The

30

most feasible approach for this study appeared to be through gathering
information on the occupation of the student*s father.

Accordingly, in

the questionnaire the student was asked to state the occupation of his
father.
Size of home community. The student was asked to record the approxi­
mate population of his home town, the assumption being that those living
on farms would record that fact. This information was asked for because
it was felt that there might be a rather strong relationship between the
location of the student *s home and his feelings towards value-related
issues, especially when contrasting the extremes of farm and city.

It

was also believed that such information would contribute to a better
general understanding of the nature of the population under study.
Name. The student was asked to sign his name to the questionnaire
at the risk of reducing somewhat the effectiveness of the check list
responses.

The attempt was made, however, to retain rapport and en­

courage honest responses by the students through assuring them in the
introduction that the information in the questionnaires would be kept
completely confidential.

The main objective of identifying each question­

naire was to enable the securing of the student’s total score on the
American Council on Education Psychological Examination (hereafter
referred to as the A.C.E.) which all students must take upon entering
Michigan State College.

As one of the more valid indices of the student’s

scholastic abilities, it was felt that the A.C.E. total score would be
useful in the study in revealing any differences growing out of the
intelligence factor.

31

Introductory statement. On the first page of the questionnaire , in
addition to the Student Data Section and preceding it, an introductory
statement was printed containing a brief statement of the objectives of
the study and the part the student was being asked to play in i t . The
introduction also contained a summary of the content of the instrument
and an explanation of the reason for the requirement of the student's
identifying himself in terms of the need for additional information.
Finally, it was pointed out to the student that information in the
questionnaire would be kept completely confidential.
The Value Problems Check List
•3
The Value Problem Check List-' was formulated to gather information
relative to the type and frequency of problems that students might have
relating to their standards of value judgment in the five value areas
of truth, good, beauty, right and religion.

The instrument was conceived

from its very beginning as a check list device and not as a test or
inventory in the usual sense of those terms.

Its objective was primarily

exploratory^ its structure was the outgrowth of the type of problemati­
cal information sought and the somewhat esoteric nature of its subject
matter.

A discussion of the specific problems incurred in the construc­

tion of this instrument will be forthcoming.

However, since it shares

so many of the common characteristics of problem check lists it will be
necessary first to inquire into the rationale and construction of check
lists in general.

3 . Appendix I , Part 2.

32

The rationale and construction of problem check lists. A problem
check list is an organized collection of problems which are for various
reasons assumed to be of such significance to a given group of individuals
that these individuals will in varying degrees acknowledge many of these
problems as being their own.

In the construction of check lists the

usual practice is that of collecting a large number of problems from
various sources . One of the most fruitful sources of such problems is
the group of students upon which the check list will -ultimately be used.
Items from such a group are generally gathered by means of an open-ended
question asking the student to state his own problems or what he believes
to be the problems of other students . The mass of problems is combined
and categorized, and through various other methods of refinement reduced
to some organized structure.

The organization of the items in the final

form of the instrument may be either overt or concealed with reference
to categories.

However, the case for a concealed organization relative

to increasing the accuracy of results has a sound basis in fact.

Mooney

and Gordon have demonstrated this in pointing out that the presentation
of what appears to be a group of rather unrelated problems to the
individual forstalls a tendency to skip over whole sections or hesitate
to mark additional problems in certain areas.

(21:13)

The two fundamental uses of problem check lists are as aids to the
counseling process and as research and survey instruments.

Since this

study is employing the technique in the latter function, critical remarks
will be restricted to the check list in the research role. As a survey
and research instrument, the problem check list has both good and bad

33

points.

Its advantage over other instruments lies in the fact of its

convenience to the client in that he simply checks appropriate items
and thus has nothing to write.

Strang points out in addition that it

serves to suggest problems the student might have forgotten.

(32:12)

With respect to the analysis of results , it presents to the investigator
a ready-made structure which requires little or no further organization
or delimitation.
On the other hand, the problem check list technique involves some
important limitations.

Huston and Marzolf commenting on the use of the

Mooney Problem Check List point out the following limitations:
Several considerations in regard to the interpretation of . . .
data obtained by the use of the instrument must be emphasized.
In the first place , the items represent symptoms which the stu­
dent may recognize or admit as applying to him. The symptoms
may result from obscure etiological factors unrecognized or not
admitted by the student. Frequency of expressed concern and
expressed seriousness of concern is not a valid index of genuine
seriousness of the problem; it may represent common rationaliza­
tions, superstitions and misinformation. Third, an item does
not mean the same for all who are concerned about it. Fourth,
students and counselors must remember that there is a difference
between intelligent concern and worry. Finally, the fact that
the instrument is called a problem check list <may induce some
students to designate items just because they are willing to
cooperate and have problems because they feel they are expected
to. (16)
Fick states that a further limitation grows out of the fact that the
check list does not yield results in terras of a scale but rather simply
as significant data.

(9)

Again, Mooney in referring to his check list

states that nIt does not measure the scope or intensity of student prob­
lems in such a way as to yield a test score."

(21:3)

Beyond these

points it must be mentioned that this type of instrument falls heir to

3k

deficiencies generally typical of all paper-and-pencil instruments in­
cluding a possible omission of important problems, possible overemphasis
on trivial ones, language vagueness and so on.
There is one further problem to be examined and that is the validity
and reliability of problem check lists.

Mooney, whose check lists are

among the most commonly used and most thoroughly tested lists in use
today, discusses these concepts in the following terms.

Speaking of the

factor of validity he states that problem check lists are not constructed
f

as personality tests and therefore cannot be validated on the basis of
their ability to predict patterns of behavior well-defined by other
criteria.

He further states that because of the variety of uses which

they serve, the check lists must be considered in the light of the
particular situation in which they are being used, a condition rendering
an over-all index of validity useless.

Validity, he concludes, so far

as his own instruments are concerned, is based on their general accept­
ability and usefulness in terms of their stated objectives.

(21:7-9)

In regard to the matter of reliability, Mooney points to the fact that
it is the unique nature of problem check lists to reflect changing situ­
ations as well as fixed ones.

In this connection, he cites the inadequacy

of the split-half and test-retest techniques of determining reliability
when applied to individual cases.

However, he demonstrates that when the

latter method is employed in group and survey situations coefficients of
correlation of over .90 are produced.

(21:9)

The inability to test the

check list for validity and reliability along usual lines constitutes
what might be called an additional limitation, at least in terms of

35

standardization of the instrument.

However, one can assume that with

some care in handling the construction of such a device and its results
it can be very useful as a survey instrument.
The development of the Value Problems Check List. The instrument
used in the present study was modeled mainly along the lines of the
Mooney Problem Check Lists and consequently shares the advantages and
limitations of that particular application of that technique as outlined
above.

In addition to Mooney^ work, a number of other problem check

list studies were consulted, including those by Boraas (5), Smeltzer (30) ,
Love (18), Wrenn and Bell (36), Katz and Allport (17), and Emme (8).
Despite its many similarities to these lists, the general structure,
organization and content of the Value Problems Check List was at the out­
set much more formalized and artificial than is commonly the case, a
condition growing out of the nature of the field of axiology and the
orientation of the average student towards it.
In preparing the groundwork for the construction of this instrument
the investigator first examined a number of existing college level check
lists as well as several general studies of student problems to learn
what previous investigators had discovered about problems relating to
value standards. The findings of this survey have been reported in
detail in Chapter II of this study under the heading of Review of the
Literature. In general it was found that while in several instruments
some categories covered religious and moral problems and the broad area
of vocational, educational and personal objectives suggestive of the
value area of good as defined in this thesis, specific problems in those

36

areas of "ten failed to cover important possibilities of conflict with value
standards.

In addition, it was found that the problem areas of truth

judgment and judgment of beauty were largely ignored.

It therefore ap­

peared that to construct an instrument along existing lines would result
in a failure to assess adequately the axiological areas under considera­
tion.
A further step taken in assembling the items for the check list
was to gather a large number of problems from the population to be studied.
This was accomplished with the assistance of several of the Investigator's
\

colleagues through having the students in a number of the sections of the
Basic College Course in Effective Living^ write down on unsigned papers
several problems that they had relating to their value standards . An
analysis of the resulting mass of problem material revealed that only
about half of the problems were relevant to the issue of value standards
and that among these the areas of truth and beauty were largely ignored.
It appeared, consequently, that to construct the check list on the basis

lu The Effective Living course was selected for study not only because
of its availability, (the writer being an instructor in that depart­
ment) but also because students in this course are exposed to intro­
ductory material in value theory. On this basis it could be assumed
that they as a group would be more conversant with value issues than
other Basic College students. The Effective Living course consists
of a study of the problems of Individual personality and human rela­
tionships as they bear on the areas of personal, marital and social
living. The course derives its subject matter from the fields of
sociology, psychology, philosophy, social work, home economics and
political science . In connection with the study of personality the
concept of value is examined in terms of its expressions in life and
particularly as it is manifest in several of the basic standards of
morality. However, because of the brief and somewhat elementary
handling of the subject necessitated by the level and structure of
the course, the student's grasp of values could not be assumed to be
at all profound.

37

of problems taken from previous studies and from a refined list based
on the open-ended survey of Effective Living classes would load such an
instrument heavily in favor of the areas of religion, morality and the
good.

At the same time there would be virtually no items included to

reflect problems in aesthetics and the judgment of truth.

Indeed the

total effect would be little more than a repetition of the work already
done by portions of existing instruments.
Since the-primary objective of the study was to be an examination
of the problems related to value standards rather than simply problems
of students in general, the most practical approach appeared to be that
of moving from the categories towards the problems instead of from the
problems towards the categories . It seems reasonable to assume that if
one is attempting to assess the type and frequency of problems in a
given field through the medium of a check list, there must be problems
to be appraised.

And furthermore that if there are to be any comparisons

made between the subdivisions of this field there must be a similarity
of problems in such subdivisions.

It is to be readily admitted that

such an approach as this one imposes an artificial structure or at least
a predetermined one on a whole aspect of human personality, namely, the
judgment of values. The greatest danger arising out of this arrangement
seems to be that the fundamental framework of the process of judging
values may not actually be at all harmonious with the predetermined
structure. However, there appears to be good reason for assuming that
the framework involved in this study is sound, since it is in harmony
with the conventions and traditions of Western Culture and is generally

38

accepted by philosophers concerned -with the theory of value.

In using

the present scheme of values in this study it must be pointed out that
no assumption is being made of its immutability.

Rather, the present

framework is being employed because it appears to be the most useful one.
The reader will recall that the problem of the ade'quacy of the value
categories has been dealt with previously in Ghapter I .
With the basic scheme of the problem check list in hand, the next
task was that of somehow framing and apportioning the items in such a
manner as to balance the "pulling power" of each area as equally as
possible with the others.

The investigator had found in several briefer

pilot studies that some areas pulled more heavily than others because
there seemed to be more crucial problems in these areas— crucial at least
in terms of their Immediacy in the rather immature and somewhat circum­
scribed student world.

The reader-will recall that this fact has been

demonstrated in findings previously discussed in Chapter II under the
review of the literature. It was pointed out at that time, for example,
that existing check lists deal rather extensively with problems of con­
duct, many of which bear directly on the judgment of right, while seldom
if ever mentioning conflicts involving the judgment of beauty.

Must one

assume from this disparity that beauty means nothing to these students,
or that their artistic tastes are so sufficient that they have no diffi­
culties in discriminating amid the welter of contemporary and historical
artistic productions?
point.

As to the full answer, one can only guess at this

But to make any sufficient approach to an adequate appraisal of

39

the existence of student concern with the field of beauty, one must
somehow equate its potential importance with other values .
It is at this point that the particular genius of the problem check
list method asserts itself: .it can suggest problems, and in so doing
stimulate a certain degree of curiosity and self-examination on the part
of the student reading the list.

In order to take full advantage of this

suggestive function and to establish a framework through which the five
value areas could be equated in potential importance, a list of a number
of possible types of problems that one might encounter relating to his
system of values was formulated.

In its final form the list was made up

of sixteen problem types which became the common structure of all five
areas.

In addition to these, four problems of a miscellaneous nature

I
were added to each area resulting in a total of twenty problems per area.'
With this basic list as the pattern, items were constructed for each
area.^

In the process of item formulation a number of guiding factors

were brought to bear.

In the first place it was recognized that the

problems would have to be stated in as clear terms as possible, and yet

5 . Appendix III.
6. An example of how the items in each value area were constructed along
similar lines is demonstrated below. These items are based on the
common problem nThe student asserts a need to know more about the
standard.'1
Area.
.Item
Truth
- I need to know more about logic and the scientific method.
Good
I need to know more about the theory of good.
Beauty
I need to know more about art in general.
Right
I need to know more about ethics and morals.
Religion I need to know more about religion in general.
For a complete list of the check list items arranged in order of the
basic problem list and classified by value area see Appendix IV.

1*0

in such a manner as to be readily understood by the student.

However,

in view of the rather philosophical content of the check list and the
necessity of employing at least a minimum of technical axiological
language, it was acknowledged that at times student comprehension may have
been sacrificed to the form and structure of the instrument. Another
guiding point grew out of the need to counteract the repetitious nature
of the check list, this taking the form of a constant attempt to frame
items in a variety of forms and yet preserve the scope of the basic
problem.

Making the items as relevant as possible to the student*s life

situation was another objective guiding the construction of items.
Finally, there was a constant attempt to achieve brevity and consistency
of style throughout the list J
The task of arranging the items in the final form of the check list
presented a number of problems.

In the first place, since it was decided

to conceal the organization of the list it was necessary to devise a
means of randomizing the items.

At the same time it was deemed important

to group them in small blocks by area in order to facilitate the tabu­
lation process as well as to assist the student in thinking through the

7 . The fact that these five lists were not completely comparable is
obvious. It would be difficult to make them so and still preserve
the clarity of meaning of many of the items. However, the problem
of comparability becomes particularly critical in the area of
religion where it was necessary to shift ground somewhat to make
sensible statements of the problems. Sinc'e the term "standard of
religion" is relatively meaningless, it was necessary to identify
religious value more with the specific elements of the concept.
Thus, rather than refer to a standard of religion, problems were
stated referring to religious beliefs, ideas, faith and practices.
This was done, however, without in anjc manner prescribing or suggest­
ing what the content of these concepts was or should have been.

Ui

problems.

In the latter case it was felt that a degree of continuity

with respect to a given value area, if only evident in the course of five
successive items, would not involve nearly as many disrupting shifts
in the student's train of thought as would a continuously randomized list.
It was believed that such an arrangement would therefore be an aid to
him in thinking through the issues more fully and with less confusion.
It was important, however, to have a variety of problem types within the
block of five and at the same time distribute the similar problems rather
evenly through the entire list.

In the process of arranging items, then,

all of these considerations had to be taken into account. This scheme of
randomizing was accomplished by writing each item on a separate card.
The cards were then spread out on a table in a particular order and
picked up in a different order.

The resulting pile of cards was then

recorded in that order to make the final list. A final arrangement device
of leaving a double space between blocks of ten items was employed to
relieve the monotony of the two and more pages of continuous items.

An

examination of the final form of the check list in Appendix I will reveal
to what extent a random effect was attained as well as show the resulting
form of the arrangements mentioned above.
A final problem in the creation of the Value Problems Check List was
to formulate a satisf actory set of instructions. The main problem at
this point was that of helping the student to distinguish between items
which were problems to him and those which merely expressed his opinions
or attitudes. In pilot studies the writer had found considerable con­
fusion in this matter.

The device used to overcome this fault was that

h2

of suggesting to the student in the instructions that he assume that
the first part of each item read »My problem is that . . . .»

It was

felt that if the student approached each item in this manner he would
be thinking in terms of problems and not opinions . A secondary problem
lay in the question of how to handle the matter of the degree of serious­
ness of a given problem.

This was taken care of by asking the student

to mark any item which seemed to be a problem to him regardless of its
relative seriousness.

It can be readily seen that there was no means

at the level of the individual item for determining its relative serious­
ness to the student.

As to the method of marking the items, it was

decided that encircling the number of the item would most clearly
designate it as a problem.
The Sources Check List
As has been noted, the second major objective of this study was to
examine the sources of help relating to value problems from two points
of view, (l) those sources which the student felt should be of help and
(2) those sources which the student had found to be of help.

Since the

only feasible approach to this aspect of the study appeared to be through
the use of the general value categories, the use of the Value Problems
Check List was ruled out on the ground that it concealed the presence of
such general categories . It was thus necessary to contrive a second
O
instrument.
This one consisted of five sub-tests, all identical save
for the value standard in question.

8. Appendix I, Part 3.

Each sub-test consisted of three

i+3

phases, (l) a statement in problematical terms of the value area under
consideration, (2) a scale for recording the relative concern of the
student for the given problem area and (3) a comprehensive check list of
possible guidance sources that might relate to this problem.

In each of

the sub-tests these three elements functioned as a unit on the basis of
an interdependent relationship. This relationship was fundamental to a
certain strategy which was calculated to encourage student responses, as
well as perform an information gathering function.
out in greater detail further on in this chapter.

This will be pointed
The following discussion

will take up the rationale and function of each of these three phases of
the sub-tests .
The general problem statement. The first phase of the sub-test was
the statement of problem couched in broad terms and involving essentially
the definition of the given value standard.

It was assumed that this

statement would in each case constitute a general summary of the twenty
items related to it in the Value Problems Check List.

This, however,

may not be fully justified in that the check list items are so very
specific in content, while the problem statement is so general.

This

problem statement was important because the response of the student to
the other two phases of the sub-test were based solely upon it.
The degree of concern scale. This device was not a true scale in
the statistical sense.

It was constructed in order to permit the student

three choices with some consideration for the extent of concern with the
given problem rather than simply positive and negative choices . The
first two choices on the scale were positive and expressed a high concern

kh

and a moderate concern.

The third choice expressed no concern.

In

responding to the problem statement through the medium of this scale it
was hoped that ambivalent students would be inclined to express a
positive response since

they

could do so without committing themselves

to a serious concern for i t . An additional use of this phase of the sub­
test was to permit some estimate of the degree of concern of the student
with such problems, a use to which the items of the Value Problems Check
List could not be put.
The check list of guidance sources. The third phase of the sub­
test consisted of the check list of guidance sources, this device being
identical in content for each value problem area.

In assembling these

items the investigator examined all of the possible sources of student
guidance in the college community and included on the final list those
that seemed most feasible.

Spaces were provided, however, for the addi­

tion of further sources by the student if he felt so inclined.

Additional

spaces were also provided for the entry of specific college courses
insofar as he felt the academic program of the college to be pertinent
to the problem.

In the instructions for this section, the student was

asked to read through the list twice.

The first time he was to check

the items which he felt should be of help and the second time those which
he had found personally helpful.

Separate columns were provided for each

checking.
As has been mentioned above the sub-tests of the Sources Check List
were framed with a certainstrategy in mind.

Because of the repetitious

nature of the Sources Check List it was felt necessary to counteract any

U5

tendencies arising out of this characteristic for the student to skip
over whole areas of the instrument.

It will be noted in the instructions

for the sub-tests , that any reference to a distinction between the stu­
dent who expresses concern and the one who does not, relative to the
checking of the source items, is omitted.

While it is obvious that all

students were asked to check source items in the first case, it was left
for the student to assume that all would mark the second also .

It was

felt that if exceptions were made in this case some students might pur­
posely check the "no concem" choice in order to avoid going over the
check list the second time.
In concluding this discussion of the Sources Check List it must be
mentioned that in a trial run of the final form of the questionnaire
some students seemed to have difficulty grasping the instructions for
9
this section. As a consequence a page of supplemental instructions was
formulated to be circulated with the questionnaire when the main study
was to be made .
The Comparative Importance Scale
The questionnaire was concluded with a brief scale^® gauging the
student's own estimate of the relative importance of these value problems
when compared with other kinds of problems he was facing in college and
life.

Several facts must be pointed out in connection with this section.

In the first place, this device is not a true scale in the statistical

9 , Appendix I , Supplemental Instructions.
10. Appendix I, Part 3 (end).

h6

sense.

While the four choices appear to be a continuum, the fact cannot

be demonstrated.

In addition, it is evident that the scale deals in

broad generalities and that students thus may not all be thinking of the
same things when they check the items. The scale was included in the
study in the hope that it might yield some suggestions relative to the
place of value standard problems in the whole body of student problems.
The Sample and its Analysis
This section consists of an elaboration of the scope of this study
and a review of the techniques employed in the selection of the sample
which forms the basis of the research.

An analysis of the sample will

be made in terms of its similarity to the parent population.

In addition,

there will be a brief review of the procedures employed in the adminis­
tration of the questionnaire as they bear upon the sampling process.
Delimiting and Drawing the Sample
As had been indicated in Chapter I the population forming the basis
of this investigation was comprised of the students of Basic College at
Michigan State College.

The issues involved in the selection of this

particular population were also discussed at that time.

The procedures

employed in drawing a sample from this group were designed to produce, a
random sample.

However, the particular demands of the study imposed cer­

tain limitations on this process which had the effect of somewhat further
delimiting its scope.

In view of this circumstance, the sampling process

requires a somewhat detailed treatment.

hi

In approaching "the task of sampling the Basic College population,
several possible avenues were considered, including mailing the question­
naire to a random sample of the group, administering it to a selection of
Basic Written and Spoken English11 sections and administering it to a
group of Basic Effective Living sections.

12

It was decided after con­

sidering the advantages and limitations of each of these approaches to
use the Effective Living group as the basis of the sample.

The other

alternatives were ruled out because of the likelihood of a poor return
in the case of the first approach (25*391-392) and the necessity of impos­
ing upon the students in a department other than the investigator*s own
in the second.
While there appeared to be a certain risk of some sample bias in
the Effective Living sample, there were some distinct advantages in this
alternative . One of these has already been mentioned as being a tendency
of Effective Living students to be more familiar with value themes.
A second advantage was that at the time the study was made the author was
an instructor in that department and therefore could be assured the
necessary cooperation for the execution of the project.

There was the

additional point, too, that students in this course would form a sort of

11. Written and Spoken English was the freshman English course and the
only Basic College course required of all students. It thus had the
advantage of being free from all possible course bias. At the same
time, being almost exclusively a freshman level course, it had the
disadvantage of being extremely biased in favor of that group.
12. See footnote page 36 for the description of this course.

k8

"captive audience11 and thus assure a nearly one hundred percent- return
of the instrument.

Finally, it was clear to the writer that because of

the rather involved nature of the questionnaire, some degree of super­
vision over its administration might be necessary, and this could be
assured in this department.
As an accurate representation of the Basic College population the
group of students taking Effective Living presented two known limita­
tions . The first of these grew out of the fact that the course was
generally regarded more as a freshman than a sophomore level course and
thus could be expected to show such a bias . A second limitation was
associated with the tendency for proportionately more women students to
take the course than men students, a circumstance which could be expected
to bias the sample accordingly.

Beyond these two points, however, there

were no grounds for suspecting any additional discrepancies.
Because of the somewhat inexact methods of sampling employed it was
deemed necessary to draw a sufficiently large sample to overcome possible
bias in directions other than those known.

(1:126)

A fairly large sized

sample was also felt to be necessary in order to cover an adequate crosssection of Effective Living classes, including one for each instructor,
one for each of several possible meeting times, and in a sufficient number
of sections of each of the three terms to assure a reasonably proportional
coverage on that basis.

The resulting sample size was estimated to be

about 10 percent of the Basic College group and approximately 25 percent
of Effective Living students.
There was good reason to expect a random sample to result from this
process since registration in course sections is customarily controlled

h9

so that students could be admitted to them throughout the registration
period.

Thus, a fairly adequate coverage of the alphabet was assured

in each section.

However, to guarantee as broad a cross section as

possible, a variety of sections was selected for testing.
The questionnaire was administered in nineteen sections of the
Effective Living course in the eighth and ninth weeks of the Spring Term
of the 1951“52 school year.

The exact time of administration was left

in the hands of each participating staff member of that course.

Each

instructor was provided with a quantity of questionnaires and supple­
mental instruction sheets . In addition he was given a list of instruc­
tions for administering the questionnaire with a notation of the section
designated for testing.^

Upon completion the materials were returned

to the writer for processing.
Analysis of the Sample
There were 522 students in the sample, this figure representing
26.6 percent of all Effective Living students and 10.7 percent of the
Basic College group.

In verifying the representativeness of the sample,

comparisons were made between the sample and the Effective Living and
Basic College groups on the basis of several student informational factors.
The data concerning these factors was available from the college registrar
and the Effective Living department.

These factors included sex, college

class and school, and in the case of Effective Living, the total number

13 . Appendix I I .

50

of students in each of the three terms of the course . These data are
summarized in Table I as percentages.
An examination of Table I shows that the anticipated biasing of the
sample in regard to sex and class occurred.

The sample failed to

reproduce the Effective Living proportions in the sex factor which appear
to be almost equal to the Basic College proportions.

The fact that the

course was predominantly a freshman course is affirmed.

Moreover, the

sample is very representative of the course population, though the pro­
portion of freshmen to sophomores in the sample is even higher than in
the course . This latter situation may well explain the difference
between the sample and the course proportions with respect to the sex
factor. For although men are in the majority in both classes, the ratio
of men to women in the freshman class approaches a one-to-one relation­
ship, while the ratio in the sophomore class is nearly two-to-one.
An examination of the proportions in each School lends assurance to
the fact that the sample is a reasonably representative one.

Variations

between the sample and the Effective Living or Basic College figures for
the schools are at no point in excess of 3 .8 percent and in most cases
are considerably less.

The data on the three terms of the Effective Living

Course reveal somewhat higher variations . These were difficult to avoid
since the smaller size of the groups in the first two terms permitted the
use of only one section per term for testing.

The result was that the

size of these given sections determined the size of the sub-sample. These
latter differences, however, are not believed to be serious limitations
since students in all three terms are assumed to be about the same.

51

TABLE I
A COMPARISON BY PERCENTAGES OF THE SAMPLE, THE EFFECTIVE LIVING GROUP
AND THE BASIC COLLEGE POPULATION ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTORS OF
SEX, CLASS, SCHOOL AND COURSE TERM

Sample
N =522

Effective Living
Course
N =1961

Basic College
Population
N =1*858

Sex
Male Students
Female Students

53.5
1*6.5

59.7
1*0.3

60.2
39.8

Class
Freshmen
Sophomores

70.7
29.3

67.6
32.1*

50.7
1*9.3

School
No Preference
26.h
9.6
Agriculture
Business &. Public Service
21.7
Engineering
U.O
Home Economics
8.1
26.2
Science and Arts
3.6
Veterinary Medicine
Unclassified
. o.l*

27.9
9.1
20.0
7.7
6.1*
21*. 8
2.8
0.9

21*.3
7.2
23.3
7.8
5.1*
25.5
6.0
0.5

Course term*
Effective Living 151
Effective Living 1$2
Effective Living 153

12.9
15.6
71.5

Factor

11.5
11.7
76.8

■** Course term refers only to the Effective Living
course and thus is not extended to the Basic
College population for comparison.

52

In general It can be said that this sample is representative of
the Basic College group though it shows biases in terms of a dispropor­
tionately large number of women to men and freshmen to sophomores . The
school proportions, however, demonstrate the fact that with respect to
academic interests the group is very representative.

Finally, while the

size of the sample is no guarantee of its adequacy in terms of repre­
sentativeness, the large number of cases included in it provides some
margin of assurance that other factors in the population may have been
accounted for adequately.

(1:126)

Tabulation and .Analysis of the Data
Since this study Was conceived as being more in the nature of an
exploratory survey rather than an experimental study, the techniques of
tabulation and analysis employed have been kept relatively simple . In
the following discussion there will first be an examination of the tabu­
lation techniques used including the coding procedures, the establishment
of the six student data factors to be studied and the methods of organizing
the data for analysis . The concluding part of this section will consider
the methods employed in the analysis of the data.
Tabulation Procedures
Because of the necessity of dealing with the large number of factors
and items in the various check lists in the questionnaire, machine tabu­
lation was used.

Accordingly, tabulation procedures were adapted to this

method of handling the data.

S3
Coding the data. As a first step in tabulating the data a code1^
•was devised adapting the questionnaire responses for use on standard
I.BJ. punch cards

The coding scheme was organized on the basis of

four general areas, (l) the Student Data Section, (2) the Value Problems
Check List, (3) the degree of concern scales from the Sources Check List
and (U) the Sources Check Lists proper.

Throughout the coding process

Parten* s suggestions were found very useful.

(26)

The code for the Student Data Section generally followed the pattern
of the questionnaire items.

Where the response was unstructured, the

classifications were determined by hand tabulations or by generally
accepted pre-established classifications.

In general, classifications

were structured in greater detail than was probably necessary in order
to provide for an adequate accounting of the raw data.

(26:1iU8)

Coding for the individual items of the Value Problems Check List
provided for a system of multiple punching with ten items assigned to
each column on the card.
the check list.

The items were arranged in the same order as

Several summarizing measures were included based on

sub-tabulations performed on each questionnaire.
Degree of concern scales were coded on the basis of multiple punch­
ing and thus concentrated in two columns.

The Comparative Importance

Scale was placed adjacent to these scales on the punch card.
Check Lists were likewise coded for multiple punching.

lit. Appendix V.
15 . Appendix V I .

The Sources

The open ended

5h

items in this latter section were hand tabulated in detail and examined
carefully for the most adequate classification.

Of these, the “Other

sources" blanks yielded so few remarks that they were discarded.

However,

the responses to the “College courses" blanks were numerous enough to
make classification and tabulation necessary.
Determining the six student data factors.

It became apparent early

in the tabulation process that the large number of student data factors
and the detailed classification of these factors would prove to be much
too cumbersome to be handled adequately by the methods of analysis to be
used in the study.

It was therefore necessary to delimit further the

study in terms of the number of student data factors to be cross-tabulated
with the study data.

Following a careful appraisal of the situation six

factors were selected on the basis of their general importance, inclusive­
ness of other factors, relative sizes of sub-samples and their relevance
to value issues.

The factors so selected were sex, college class, A.G.E.

total score, general academic area of major subject, frequency of
religious participation, and occupation of the student*s father.

The

discussion which follows will review each of these factors with respect
to the criteria outlined above.

A summary of the data on each factor

and a description of it in its final form will also be provided.
1. Sex.

The data on the sex factor are summarized as follows:
Sex

Number

Percent

Male
Female

279
2h3

53.9

Total

522

100.0

U6.5

55

The importance of the sex factor has been stated previously in this
chapter and the analysis of the adequacy of the sample relative to this
factor has likewise been examined.

In general, it can be stated that

this factor is of great significance in any study and that the numbers in
this sample are quite adequate though biased in favor of women relative
to the parent population.
2. College class. The college class data are summarized as follows:
College Class

Number

Percent

Freshmen
Sophomores

369
1^3

70.7
29.3

Totals

522

100.0

The place of this factor in the study and its adequacy as a sample have
been dealt with elsewhere in this chapter.

The factor of age was excluded

in favor .of college class because of the latter’s greater importance.
A cross tabulation of age with college class revealed that the average

age of freshmen was 18.6 years and that of sophomores 19.6 showing exactly
one year’s difference between classes.

Samples of students younger and

older than these ages were so small as to be subject to inaccuracies due
to other sampling factors.

Term in college was also set aside in favor

of class, the correlation between the two being obvious.
3. A ,C .E . total score .

In categorizing students on the basis of

A.C.E. total scores the sample was broken into three groups, high,

average and low scholastic a b i l i t y . A fourth area, ”no answer,” was
required because some students failed to identify their questionnaires

16. For a detailed discussion of how this classification was made see
Appendix V I I .

56

and the scores of some others could not be located.

On the basis of

these categories the data for A.C.E. total scores are as followsi
Scholastic Ability
High
Average
Low
No answer

Number

Percent

96
230
172
25

Totals

18 .5
55.1
32.9
5.6

522

100.0

Since the A.C.E. data were very accurate while the grade point averages
were quite unreliable, the latter was eliminated as a study factor in
favor of the A.C.E.

In addition, it can be assumed that the A.C.E.

results would be fairly representative of the grade point average since
it has been found that the correlation between school marks and intelli­
gence tests is generally around .50.

(33*338-350)

5. General academic area. The classification of the sample into
four general academic areas was done on the basis of the student's state­
ment of his college major.

In many cases the student's statement failed

to define the exact nature of his academic interest, and therefore there
may be some ground for doubting the complete accuracy of the classifi­
cation.

However, this method seemed the most adequate way to handle the

academic interest relative to value issues.

The data on this factor are

as follows s
General Academic Area

Number

Percent

Science (science, engineering, technology)
Social Science (social science, business, education)
Humanities (art, history, philosophy, religion)
No preference (have not declared major field)

70
272
50
150

13.5
52.1
7.7
26.8

Totals

522

100.0

57

Since the factor of general academic area grows out of a recognition
of the failure of the classification by school to reveal the basic
nature of the student*s academic interest, a classification by school
was displaced by the general academic area scheme.
5.

Frequency of religious participation. The details of the

religious participation scale have been discussed earlier in this chapter.
The data resulting from this scale are as follows!
Frequency of Attendance at Church
______ Religious Services________
Once a week or oftener
One to three timesper month
Occasionally
Never
No answer
Totals

Number
178
151
169
18
6
522

Percent
3U.1
28.9
32.U
3.5
1.1
100.0

In order to attach some denominational significance to the factor of
religious participation, a cross tabulation was made between it and the
three main denominational classifications of Catholic^ Jewish and
Protestant.

Table II summarizes the results of this comparison.

The

table reveals some striking variations between the three denominational
groups and shows that each apparently has its own pattern relative to
church attendance . More than three-quarters of the Catholic group
attends once a week or more while the Jewish group shows over threequarters attending only occasionally. Protestants are distributed more
evenly, though being inclined towards occasional attendance rather than
regular attendance. Very few students claim no attendance at religious
services.

58

TABLE II*
A COMPARISON OF THE CATHOLIC , JEWISH AND PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONAL
GROUPS OF BASIC COLLEGE STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF FREQUENCY OF
ATTENDANCE AT CHURCH RELIGIOUS SERVICES
Frequency of Attendance
at Church Religious
Services

95 Catholic
No.
%

Once a week or oftener

79

83 .2

96

2U.1

1

7.7

176

2U .8

One to three times a month

7

7.1*

11*1

35.5

2 15.1*

150

29.7

Occasionally

8

8.1*

1U2

35.8

10 76.9

160

31.7

Never

1

1.1

13

3.3

0 . 0.0

ll*

No answer

0

0.0

5

1.3

0

0.0

5

95

100.0

397

100.0

Totals
No. %

•

CO

CM

Totals

Denomination
397 Protestant 13 Jews
No.
%
No. %

1.0

13 100.0 505 100.0

* This table is based on 505 students, 17 being eliminated from
the total sample of 522 on the basis of no religion specified
or no response to the item.

Jfl

59

6.

Occupation of* the student's fa.~fch.er.

In order to facilitate the

process of analysis, and because of the small proportion of some of the
categories, the number of classes under this factor was reduced from
ten to four.

This was felt to be justifiable on the grounds that the

factor of occupation was being used as a guage of socioeconomic status
and by consolidating classes a comparison could be made between at least
the upper middle class and above group and the lower middle class and
below.

In the revised classification, professional, managerial and

farmer groups were left in their original form while all others were
combined to form a fourth group . Classes composing this latter group
consisted of clerks, craftsmen, foremen, operatives and laborers.

It

can be seen that this classification might well reflect educational
factors since it can be assumed that the professional group has largely
completed college, the managerial group has had varying degrees of
college experience and the fourth group has probably had little or no
college education.

The following data describe this factor in its final

forms
Father's Occupation
Professional and semi-professional
Farmer and farm manager
Proprietor, manager and official
All others (clerks, operatives, laborers, etc.)
Father deceased or no answer
Totals

Number
IOI4.
37
205
137
39
522

,Percent
19.9
7.1
39.3
26.2
7.5
100.0

Though proportionately very small, the farmer group was left distinct
because of the particular nature of the work and residence of this group.

60

The residential aspect of the farm group was verified by a cross
tabulation between the farm group and the factor of "size of home town,"
the results of which are shown in Table III. It is well recognized that
the contrast between the rural and urban situation is much more acute
than the contrast between various sizes of urban communities with respect
to values, attitudes and beliefs.

Because of this fact it was decided

to eliminate the factor of residence from the study.

The important

contrast between the rural and urban situation could be derived from the
occupational findings.
Organization of the study data. Along with certain factors of the
Student Data Section just described the responses of the two study
sections of the questionnaire were also organized and summarized to
facilitate tabulation and cross-tabulation.
Problems Check List were coded as
figures.

The latter were (l)

The responses to the Value

individual items and as summarized

the value area

in which thestudent placed

most of his problems, (2) the total number of problems the student checked
in each area and (3 ) the total number of problems the student checked on
the whole list.

Responses to

the basis of the structure of

the Sources Check List were organized on
the sub-tests. There were no summarized

figures used in coding the Sources Check List.
Tabulation procedures. Tabulation operations followed the usual
steps of coding the responses on the questionnaires and transferring them
to work sheets from which the punch cards were processed.
proper was done on I.B.M. machines.

Tabulation

Initially, all coded items were

summarized. Then cross tabulations were made between the six student data

61

TABLE III
THE SIZE OF HOME TOWN OF THIRTY-SEVEN STUDENTS
WHOSE FATHERS ARE FARMERS OR FARM MANAGERS

Size of Home Town

37 Students With Farmer Fathers
Number
Percent
30

81.1

Rural non-farm

0

0.0

Village under 2500

k

10.8

Town 2,500 to 25,000

3

8.1

City 25,000 to 100,000

0

0.0

37

100.0

Farm

Totals

62

factors and. the study data from the check lists. Responses to the
Sources Check List were not cross tabulated with the student factors.
Analysis of the Data
It has been pointed out in the first chapter that this study was
primarily one of exploration $ and that its objective was to identify
certain specific problems and certain general areas of problems. More­
over, it was noted that the subject matter of this research was diffi­
cult to define in absolute terms with the consequence that specific
measurable concepts were lacking.

It was out of a consideration of such

factors as these that a relatively simple type of analysis was adhered
to in this study.

It was believed that the stated objectives of the

study could be achieved through these methods.
Data resulting from tabulations and cross comparisons of the student
data factors and the study items were expressed as totals and percentages,
and in some cases averages.
these figures.

A number of comparisons were made between

The general scheme of analysing and reporting the results

was adapted from the techniques employed by Mooney in the analysis of
the results of some earlier forms of his check lists.

(20:39-hhs 69-78)

Summary of Methodology and Procedures
This chapter has consisted of an examination and discussion of the
methods and procedures employed in this study.
were faced in the conduct of the research.

Three fundamental problems

These were (l) the construction

of an information and data gathering device, (2) the selection of a sample,
and (3) the tabulation and analysis of the data.

63

In discussing the questionnaire, it was pointed out initially that
conditions required the construction of an original instrument for the
purposes of this study. The resulting questionnaire consisted of three
main parts, (l) the Student Data Section, (2) the Value Problems Check
List, and (3) the Sources Check List.

The Student Data Section was in­

cluded to form a basis for evaluating the sample and interpreting and
analysing the check list responses. It consisted of questions asking
for twelve items of personal information.

It was pointed out that for

various reasons many of these were later discarded as analytical factors.
Since the Value Problems Check List was the fundamental instrument
in the questionnaire it was discussed in detail.

To provide background,

the rationale and construction of problem check lists in general was
examined.

A number of the advantages and limitations of this type of

device were mentioned, and the question of the validity and reliability
of such instruments inquired into.

In describing the construction of

the Value Problems Check List it was pointed out that its structure was
more formalized and artificial than is usual for check lists, a limitation
justified on the grounds that for purposes of comparison there was a need
for equal coverage of the five value areas under study.

The means of

achieving this equal coverage was a common problem scheme based on twenty
problem types . The items under each value area were framed in terms of
this list. It was pointed out that in arranging the items on the question­
naire the attempt was made to conceal the presence of the value categories .
Finally, some considerations relative to the instructions for the students
responding to the instrument were noted.

6U

In discussing the Sources Check List it was first pointed out that
its structure was based on a particular combination of elements which
was calculated to encourage student responses.

The Sources Check List

was described as a series of five sub-tests, identical but for the state­
ment of the lead problem which in each case dealt with one of the. five
value standards.

In responding to the lead problem of each sub-test,

the student was asked to check his degree of concern with that problem
on a three point Degree of Concern scale and then read through the
accompanying list of guidance sources twice.

The first time he was to

mark the items which he thought should be helpful and the second time
those which he had found to be helpful in regard to the given value area
problem . It was then pointed out that since these operations were to be
repeated five times by the students, certain safeguards were built into
the instrument to discourage the tendency to skip over whole' sections
of the subr'tests. The final phase of the questionnaire was mentioned
as being a scale wherein the student was asked to indicate the importance
of value problems to him as compared with other problems he was facing.
The discussion of the problem of sampling in this research was begun
by pointing out that the parent population of the study was composed of
the students of Basic College . Sampling proper was accomplished tlirough
the means of administering the questionnaire to a number of sections of
the Effective Living Course . The resulting sample of 522 students
revealed several anticipated biases in regard to sex and class.

However,

the sample did exhibit a high degree of representativeness with respect
to the school of the student’s major.

Because of the random nature of

65

the membership of the individual sections tested, it was felt that the
relatively large size of the sample gave some assurance that other
factors may have been accounted for adequately.

It was thus concluded

that the sample was a good one for the purposes of this study.
The third major phase of the research discussed in this chapter
was that of the tabulation and analysis of the data.

It was initially

pointed out in this phase that tabulation procedures were adapted for
machine processing.

The coding scheme was described and the methods of

organizing the data discussed.
was examined in detail.

The revision of the Student Data factors

In this connection it was pointed out that only

six factors were used in the final analysis . These were sex, college
class, A.C.E. total score, general academic area of major, frequency of
church religious participation and occupation of the student*s father.
In discussing the procedures employed in the analysis of the data, the
point was made that since this was an exploratory and not an experi­
mental study, simple analytical techniques seemed most appropriate.
These were described as consisting of tabulations and cross-tabulations
expressed as totals, percentages and averages.

Analysis proper was based

on a number of comparisons between these figures.

CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS OF THE GENERAL RESULTS OF THE CHECK LIST SURVEY
OF STUDENT PROBLEMS RELATED TO VALUE STANDARDS
Intro duetton
In the preceding chapter the methods and procedures employed in
the conduct of this study were reviewed, and in the process the chief
instrument of this investigation, the Value Problems Check List was
discussed in detail.

It will be recalled that the purpose of this

portion of the questionnaire was to disclose information concerning the
types of problems and frequency of problems that students identified as
relating to the process of making value judgments in five areas of
values:

truth, good, beauty, right and religion.

The intent of the

present chapter is to report the general results of the Value Problems
Check List. The next chapter will consist of an examination of these
findings in the light of certain common factors in the student popu­
lation under study.
The content of this chapter is organized as follows.

The first

section outlines and discusses the pattern of analysis and the method
of recording the data in the tables. This section is followed by one
reporting and discussing the general outcomes of the check list.

The

third major phase of the chapter deals with an analysis of the most
frequently checked items in the check list and a discussion of them by

67

area.

Finally, there is a section summarizing the most significant

findings of the chapter.
The Pattern of Analysis
The methods and patterns of analysis used in handling the results
of the Value Problem Check List have already been discussed to some ex­
tent in the preceding chapter.

There is need, however, to review and to

expand this discussion before launching into an examination of the find­
ings . As has been pointed out, the methods of analysis used in this
study are descriptive; that is, they are not of a highly complex statis­
tical nature. Results are reported as totals, averages and percentages
and are compared as such.

The methods of recording and arranging the

data in the tables is calculated to facilitate the inter-comparisons of
the data in each table.

It will be recalled from the preceding chapter

that the methods of summarizing and tabulating the results were adapted
from Mooney* s manual dealing with earlier forms of his problem check
lists.

(20:39-UU, 67-78)

These procedures are elaborated in the follow­

ing discussion.
It has been pointed out in Chapter III that the three basic sum­
marizing operations were (l) to compute the average number of problems
checked for the total check list and for each value area, (2) to enum­
erate the number and percent of students who place most of their problems
in each given value area and (3) to find the relative frequency with
which the individual items on the check list were checked.

In dealing

with each of the six student data factors in the chapter which follows

68

this one, these three summ arizing operations were made the hasis of the
comparison of the several variables with respect to their proportional
magnitude in each given area or check list item.

The

reporting of the

data in the tables is arranged in such a manner as to display most
clearly the variations in response between variables in regard to a
given value area, and between areas with respect to a given variable .
The computation of the mean number of problems checked for the
whole list and for each value area provides an index of the relative
frequency of such problems, as well as the general areas in which they
occur.

In arriving at the mean number of problems per student the

calculations are based on both the entire sample as well as the specific
number of students who checked at least one problem in the given area.
Computing the mean on the basis of the sample permits

a comparison of

the value areas on the basis of the population as a whole.

On the

other

hand, deriving the mean number of problems of the group which checked
problems in each area reflects the tendencies of those groups only.

In

addition, the median and quartiles have also been computed to enable a
detailed comparison of the relative distributions of the numbers of
problems checked in each area.
The calculation of the number and percent of students placing most
of their problems in each given area is one method which Mooney suggests
for summarizing the results of check lists.

(20:32 ,Uo)

It provides a

basis for gaining some idea of the degree of relative emphasis or stress
that the individual students give to the various value areas . Since the
arrangement of items on the check list was randomized, there is good

69

reason 'to assume that the student's tendency to ’’load*1 one area more
heavily than others was done in innocence of any existing areas or
categories.

In the process of assigning a case to an area, the area was

said to be highest for an individual if he checked it more frequently
than any other area.

If the student checked two areas equally in this

respect, one-half point was alloted to the two areas involved.

Cases

in which more than two areas were equal and high were classified as
"undetermined"j those in which no problems were checked on the entire
list were referred to as "none".
Number of Problems Checked
The data on the total number of problems checked on the Value Prob­
lems Check List by the 522 students in the sample are as follows!
Total number of problems checked............... I4.86I;
Mean number of problems per student based on
total sample................................. 9.32
Mean number of problems per student based on
those who checked one or moreproblems........ 9.65
The median..................................... 7.16
First quartile.......................
A|-.21
Third quartile.........
12 .50
Range................................. ..From 1 to 53
Number of students checking no problems ........
18
The foregoing data, show that out of the total sample of 522 students,
the 50U who checked one or more problems on the Value Problems Check List
checked a total of i4.861j. problems for an average of almost ten problems
per student.

Since there were 100 items on the check list this means

that slightly less than one-tenth of the problems were checkedper
dent.

stu­

While this figure appears low, itcompares favorably withMooney's

70

findings on a general problem check list where the average number of
problems checked per student was also about 10 percent of the total
possible.

(20:39)

A study of the median and the quartiles and an

examination of the graph in Figure 1 reveals a distribution that is
positively skewed to a very pronounced degree . This situation indicates
that most students tended to check only a few problems while only a few
cases revealed the existence of relatively large number of problems.
However, the fact that only 18 out of the $22 cases in the sample
failed to check any problems indicates that almost all of the students
in the study recognized at least a few problems relating to their value
standards.
Number of Problems Checked in Each Are a
Data showing the frequency with which the students checked problems
in the five areas are summarized in Table IV.

The distribution of the

cases for each value area is represented graphically in Figure 2..
Table I reveals that in regard to the number of cases checking at least
one problem in each area, the area of truth was most frequently checked,
with over three-quarters of the sample responding.

Good and religion

show somewhat fewer checkings, while the data for beauty and right re­
veal that only slightly more than one-half of the sample checked problems
in those areas.

In addition, Table XV shows the mean that has been

calculated for each area on the basis of the sample as a whole and also
for the group which checked the given area.

It is evident that the

mean based on the total sample is relatively useless in view of the

FIGURE 1

DISTRIBUTION OF 522 STUDENTS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS
CHECKED OUT OF 100 ON THE VALUE PROBLEMS CHECK LIST
(Solid bar indicates number of students checking no
items. Mean, median and quartiles are based on
those who checked one or more problems.)

FIGURE 2
COMPARATIVE DISTRIBUTIONS OF THE NUMBERS OF PROBLEMS CHECKED
BY THE SAMPLE IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS
Number
of cases

(Solid bars indicate number of students checking no problems in
each area. Dotted line is the mean; solid line is the median.)

250

BEAUTY
100-

5

10

15

0

15

0

15

0

5

10

15

0

5

10

15

72

N u m b er

of

P r o b l e m s

73
TABLE IV
SUMMARY OF THE DATA REGARDING THE RELATIVE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH
THE 522 STUDENTS CHECKED EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS
Number of cases';
Number of Mean based on :
Not
Items
The
Number
Checking Checking Checked in Total Checking
Each Area Each Area Each Area Sample Each Area
of
No . A>
No .
%
Truth
1+02 77.0 120
23.0
2 .00
101+2
2 .59
Good
377 72 .2 155 27.8
1.99
1037
2 .75
Beauty
282
55 .o 21+0 1+6 .0
820
2 .91
1.57
Right
281
761
1 .1+6
53 .8 21+1 1+6.2
2.71
Religion 375 7 1 .6 11+8 2 8 .1+
1201+
2 .31
3.22
Value
Area

wide discrepancies in numbers checking each area..

Distribution of
Cases Checking
Each Value Area
Median Q x £3
2.13
2.22
2 .28
1.88
2 .1+1+

1.36
1.33
1.25
1.11
1.33

3.30
3.78
3.82

3.31
5.23

However, a ranking of

the areas on the basis of the mean number of items checked per student
shows that the mean for the area of religion is largest with those of the
areas of truth and good being somewhat smaller followed by beauty and
right . The mean number of problems checked by those who checked at least
one item in a. given area, reveals a. somewhat different ranking:
beauty, good, right and truth.

religion,

While the differences between the means

is slight, there are indications in the data, of a trend that points to
the fact that the sample as a. whole was inclined to check more problems
per individual in religion than in any other area..

However, it must be

pointed out that the number of students checking items in religion was
somewhat less than the number checking items in truth.
A study of the median and quartiles for each of the areas and. an
examination of the comparative distributions in Figure 2 . substantiates
the foregoing trend.

While the variations between areas with respect

to relative numbers falling to check problems in the areas is marked,
it can be seen that the general configurations of the five distributions

Ik

is quite sijnilar. A closer examination of these curves and the data
associated with them, however, reveals some noteworthy differences.
It is evident, for example, that while over three-fourths of the sample
checked problems in the area of truth, they tended as individuals to
check very few of them.

By contrast, though students comprising the

group checking items in religion was somewhat smaller, they tended to
check larger numbers of problems as individuals . The situation in the
area of religion in this respect is paralleled closely by the data in
the area of beauty where a median of 2.28, ranking second to religion,
was derived from a group consisting of only slightly more than h alf of
the sample.

It is apparent that the data upon which the foregoing

observations are based reflect comparatively small differences between
the five areas.

However, the evidence here reaffirms the trend noted

earlier to the effect that the area of religion ranks above the others
in all aspects but that of the number of students checking items in
the areas.

In this latter case, the area of truth was found to be

highest. These results imply that in the area of truth it is a few
problems which are checked heavily while in the area of religion the
frequency with which items are checked is distributed more broadly among
the twenty items composing the area.
A somewhat different approach to a comparison of the frequency with
which the individual areas were checked has been mentioned as being
through a tabulation of the number and percent of students who placed
most of their problems in each given area.

While this method displays

some obvious shortcomings, namely, a number of cases in which very few

75

items were checked or cases in which the difference between the highest
and next highest was only one item, it does serve to inject a further
dimension into the analysis . It presents a suggestion of the individual
student's emphasis or stress relative to the five areas.

When these

individual cases are tabulated, the relative emphasis of the whole sample
on each area is revealed.
The results of the tabulation of the areas in which the students
placed most of their problems are recorded in Table V.

The data show

that well over one-quarter of the sample placed most of their problems
in the area of religion.

Percentages for truth and good show less than

one-fifth of the sample placing most of their problems in those areas.
TABLE V
NUMBER AND PERCENT OF 522 STUDENTS WHO PLACED MOST OF THEIR
PROBLEMS IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS

Value Are as

Number

Percent

Religion
Truth
Good
Beauty
Right
Undetermined
No problems

151
99
97
78
51
28
18

28.9
19 .0
18.6
1U.9
9.8
$.h
3.U

Totals

522

100.0

Beauty and right show one-sixth and one-tenth of the sample so
marking them respectively.

Reference to Table IV at this point discloses

76

that the order of prominence of the areas in this analysis is the same
as it is for the mean number of problems checked per area by the whole
sample, and generally parallels the order of areas for the mean and
median based on the number checking problems in each area.

On the

whole the data reveal up to this point a tendency for students to check
religion problems more heavily than others and also to stress them more
in quantity as individuals . The areas of truth and good rank about the
same in these respects while beauty and right show diminished frequency
of checking and lessened individual emphasis.

While the differences

between the extremes as to rank may be significant, the differences
between individual areas by rank can only be interpreted as trends .
Most Frequently Checked Items
The foregoing analysis of the five value areas has pointed out the
comparative frequency with which the areas were checked.

This has

served to suggest a certain ranking of these areas as to their relative
quantitative significance or importance to the sample as a whole.

These

areas, however, refer only to very broad and general axiological situ­
ations and are thus relatively meaningless with respect to particular
problems.

It remains, therefore, for the examination of significant

individual items to reveal the specific nature of the value problems
these students as a group deem crucial.
Since the majority of the one hundred items on the check list were
checked by very small numbers of students, a discussion of them would
have little bearing on the question of revealing generally important

77

problems.

Thus a cutting point of 10 percent was established as the

margin above which items would be considered significant.

Accordingly,

an item checked by less than one-tenth of the sample was not considered
of universal enough concern for examination.

However, all one hundred

items are listed in Appendix IV with the number and percent of the
sample checking each.

It is to be understood that the 10 percent cutting

point refers only to the quantitative importance of the given item; a
problem may have been checked by less than one-tenth and still be of
primary importance to some of those checking it.

However, there is no

means in the present research for identifying such items.
A list of the items of the Value Problem Check List checked by 10
percent or more of the sample appears in Table VI.

This table includes

almost one-third of the check list items and contains problems from all
five areas representing a variety of types. Items have been classified
according to value area and arranged within each area according to fre­
quency with which they were checked.

In addition, the relative ranking

of these items on the basis of the list as a whole has been indicated.
The ensuing discussion will deal with these individual items by area in
an attempt to gain a better■understanding of the specific problems as
well as the given value area.

However, before engaging in this exami;-'-

nation, it would be well to consider the question as to what it means
to have a value problem, that, is, what are some of the possible motiva­
tions students have for either checking or failing to check a problem.
Among the pertinent answers to this question, the following seem most
feasible.

A student checks a problem because he feels that it expresses

T A B L E VI
VA L U E PROBLEMS CHECK LIST

Item
No .

I T E M S C H E C K E D B Y T E W P E R C E N T O R M O R E OF T H E S A M P L E

Item"

Number
Checking
Item

Percent
Checking
Item

1.
5330.
2.
1.
27 .
5.

(3)
C9)
(13)
(15)
(19)
(30)

I t e m s I n the ares, o f t r u t h .
I w a n t to t h i n k m o r e l o g i c a l l y a n d c l e a r l y ..........................
M y t h i n k i n g is o f t e n i n c o n s i s t e n t .. .................................
I n e e d t o k n o w m o r e a b o u t l o g i c a n d the s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d .......
I am c o n f u s e d b y t h e m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g s t a n d a r d s o f t r u t h t o d a y . .
M y o w n s t a n d a r d o f t r u t h c o n f l i c t s w i t h m y f r i e n d s * s t a n d a r d s ...
I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y f a c i n g r e a l i t y .................................. .
S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are c o n f u s i n g m y s t a n d a r d of t r u t h . . ........

218
167
122
97
89
70
56

11.8
32 .O
23.1
18.6
1 7 .o
13.1
I O .7

7.
33.
3160.
81.
8.

I t e m s i n the a r e a of good.
(2) I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y s e t t i n g u p o b j e c t i v e s f o r m y s e l f ................
(6) A t p r e s e n t I c a n ' t s e e m to ge t i n t e r e s t e d i n a n y t h i n g ............
(8) I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y c h o o s i n g b e t w e e n s t u d y i n g a n d g o i n g to a m o v i e
(io) C o l l e g e is not g i v i n g m e e n o u g h h e l p i n c l a r i f y i n g m y o b j e c t i v e s
(11) I d o n ' t k n o w w h i c h p h a s e of c o l l e g e l i f e t o e m p h a s i z e ............
(18) P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s of g o o d are to o i n d e f i n i t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

191
136
126
118
116
78

36.6
26.1
21.1
22 .6
22 .2
11.9

12 .
65.
62.
63.

I t e m s i n t h e a r e a of b e a u t y .
(5) I c a n ' t t e l l g o o d a r t f r o m b a d a r t ...................................
(7) I n e e d to k n o w m o r e about a r t i n g e n e r a l ............. ........... .
(22) I c a n ' t t e l l g o o d l i t e r a t u r e f r o m p o o r l i t e r a t u r e .................
(2D P r e s e n t d a y t a s t e s i n art are t oo i n d e f i n i t e f o r m e ...............

139
135
66
65

26.6
25 .9
12 .6
12 .5

67 .
93 .
19 .
11.

I t e m s i n t he a r e a o f r i g h t .
I am c o n f u s e d b y t he m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g s t a n d a r d s of m o r a l i t y t o d a y
(27) P r e s e n t d a y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s are too i n d e f i n i t e . ....................
(28) M y o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s ' s t a n d a r d s ......
(31) C o l l e g e life is w e a k e n i n g m y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s .......................

65
61
63
55

12.5
12 .3
1 2 .1
10.5

158

30 .3

92
88
81
70
69
66
65
58

21.0
17.6
16.9
16.1
1 3 .1
13 .2
12 .6
12 .5
11.1

CD

(2U)

50.
73 .
75.
16.
22 .

2l.
19 .
17 .
23.
72 .

(10
(12)

(il)
(16)
(17)
(19)
(21)
(22)

(210
(29)

I t e m s i n t h e a r e a of r e l i g i o n .
I n e e d to k n o w m o r e a b o u t r e l i g i o n in g e n e r a l ................. .
I am b o t h e r e d b y the c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n s c i e n c e a nd r e l i g i o n . .....
I f e e l t h e n e e d to d e v e l o p a m o r e a d e q u a t e r e l i g i o u s p h i l o s o p h y .
I d o n ' t k n o w e n o u g h a b o u t t he m e a n i n g o f r e l i g i o n .................
I am c o n f u s e d b y t h e m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s t o d a y . ..
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y f r i e n d s ' b e l i e f s ......
M y own r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s are i n a d e q u a t e .............................
I n e e d a p o s i t i v e a n d I n s p i r i n g f a i t h i n s o m e t h i n g ................
I am d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s and b e l i e f s
M y p r e s e n t r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s are c o n f used. ............... ..........

no

~ I t e m s are arranged, "by- areas . W i t h i n a r e a s t h e y are r a n k e d i n o r d e r of f r e q u e n c y of
checking.
T h e f i g u r e i n p a r e n t h e s e s i n d i c a t e s the r e l a t i v e r a n k o f e a c h it e m o n
the b a s i s of the l i s t as a w h o l e as d e t e r m i n e d b y the f r e q u e n c y w i t h w h i c h it w as
checked.
Items of the s a m e r a n k ha v e i d e n t i c a l f r e q u e n c i e s .

79

a concern of his own, though there is no indication in this checking
process of the relative importance of this problem to him personally.
On the other hand, a student may fail to check a problem for several
reasons.

(l) He does not sense the existence of the problem either

through naivete or lack of interest.

(2) He is aware of a possible

problem but does not deem it significant enough to him personally to
check it.

(3) The student is aware of the issue but has reached what he

feels to be a satisfactory solution and thus does not respond to the
item.

(U) The student may be reluctant to commit himself to having

certain problems for various reasons. While the instrument employed
in the research makes no provision for disclosing these possible motiva­
tions, a consideration of them will serve to provide possible explana­
tions of the resulting data and establish a background for considering
the individual items on Table VI.
Significant items in the area of truth. The most frequently checked
item in the area of truth and on the entire list was "I want to think
more logically and clearly*1. Over two-fifths of the sample responded
to it.

The ascendency of this item may be well justified on the grounds

that the population of this study consists of students who are constantly
faced with the use of their intellectual powers in a variety of academic
situations.

On the other hand one cannot help but speculate on the

status of the three-fifths who failed to check the item.

Are they naive,

satisfied or do they think the problem to be of such minor significance
that they do not respond to it?

It may well be that the next two most

80

frequently checked items in this area account for some of this latter
group.

These two items "My thinking is often inconsistent" and "I need

to know more about logic and the scientific method" , checked by approxi­
mately one-third and one-fourth respectively, also express an inadequacy
in the thinking process.

Taken together, these three items involve the

expression of what may be a sizeable majority of the sample . Concern
for the adequacy of the thinking processes does clearly seem to be the
most universal problem in the area of truth and one of the most common
for the whole check list..
The remaining items in the area of truth on Table VI are each
checked by fewer than one-fifth of the sample.

In general they reflect

conflicts and confusion with respect to standards of truth.

Item 2

checked by somewhat fewer than one-fifth of the group points to a con­
fusion growing out of conflicting standards and item 5 indicates that
for one-tenth of the sample college courses are contributing to this
confusion.

Item U reveals that one-sixth are having some conflicts with

other students relative to standards of truth.

Taken as a group these

three items disclose that while only a small portion of the sample is
experiencing conflicts and confusion in this area, it may well involve
a sizeable minority.

The item "I have difficulty facing reality" checked

by one-seventh of the group, while having obvious psychological impli­
cations, suggests that the student finds it hard to face the facts.
This item, however, may well involve elements of other value areas,
particularly that of good since it implies an aimlessness or lack of
purpose, and consequently may have even less bearing on the value of

81
truth.

This item does nevertheless suggest that the group checking it

is for one reason or another apparently having some difficulty main­
taining a realistic view of things and is having difficulty getting at
the truth.
Significant items in the area of good. The most frequently checked
item in the area of good was the problem "I have difficulty setting up
objectives for myself."

This item, the second most frequently checked

on the total list, was responded to by over one-third of the sample.
It is noteworthy to observe that the next four most frequently checked
items in the area of good relate rather closely to it.

Items 8 and 11,

each checked by approximately one-fourth of the sample, have to do with
the problem of the choice of college activities . Over one-fifth of the
sample indicates that in this process of clarifying objectives the
college is not giving sufficient help . If this can be interpreted as
a need on the part of this group, then the college is failing a rather
sizeable portion of the sample in this matter.

Item 33. "At present I

can't seem to get interested in anything", reveals what appears to be a
rather extreme degree of purposelessness.
responded to it.

Over one-fourth of the sample

While one might expect a certain degree of aimlessness

and confusion among students in their early college years, the fact that
one-quarter of them apparently admit to such a high degree of it is
worthy of serious consideration.

One wonders why this group is in

college— or being in college, how they have failed to escape the stimu­
lation of some aspect of its rich and multifarious program.

82

The five items referred to in the foregoing discussion reflect the
concept of good as defined in this study.

It to.11 be remembered that

the value area of good was defined as being the standard by which one
judges the worthiness of goals and activities in life.

It will further­

more be recalled that this definition was recognized as taking certain
liberties with the more technical philosophical terminology in that the
definition used here restricts the meaning of the good to more narrow
limits.

It can be assumed that when the student was confronted with the

items of the check list he was unaware of any categories and thus when
he was checking the above five items that he was not aware that he was
necessarily dealing with the value of good.

Item 8 , however, is one in

which the term is used as a term. This item, "Present day standards of
good are too indefinite", was checked by one-seventh of the sample.
One can sense in the item a seeking on the part of the students checking
it for something more tangible or reliable in the way of a standard of
good.

While it can be assumed that this Involves goals and activities,

it must also be assumed that some of them may have been thinking about
morality, for example, since among laymen there is a tendency to regard
the right and the good as being synonymous.
Significant items in the area of beauty. The most frequently
checked item in the area of beauty was responded to by over one-quarter
of the sample.

This item, "I can’t tell good art from bad art", was

also the fifth most frequently checked on the entire list.

Item 65,

asserting a need to know more about art in general is quite similar to it.

83

Since it was also checked by one-fourth of the sample it is apparent
that a sizeable minority of the whole group under study was concerned
about the issue of aesthetic judgment either from the standpoint of the
judging process or knowing more about the content of the field.

Item

62, while referring specifically to the field of literature, adds to
the general concern for the inability to make adequate, aesthetic judg­
ments . In this connection, it will be recalled that in the review of
literature in Chapter II dealing with previous check lists and problem
studies it was found that no problems in the area of aesthetics were
disclosed.

In view of this situation the above data are noteworthy not

only because such problems in aesthetic judgment are in evidence but
that they were checked with such comparatively high frequencies.
The fourth problem in the area of beauty checked by more than ten
percent of the sample has to do with the indefiniteness of present day
artistic tastes.

In the case of this item as in the case of the similar

item in the area of good there is implied a groping on the part of a
group of students, in this case one-eighth of the sample, for what may
be regarded as more concrete and possibly more formalized standards of
beauty than are evident in "modern art".
Significant items in the area of right. An examination of the
four items in the area of right checked by more than ten percent of the
sample reveals the fact that all of them were checked by only one-eighth
or less of the sample.

It is evident, in addition, that they also all

rank low on the whole list.

These problems disclose conflict and con­

fusion with respect to standards which were apparent in the area of

8k

truth, though not on as broad a scale of frequency.

The first two

items, for example, refer to present day standards of morality as
being confusing to the individual on one hand and too indefinite on the
other.

These items may well be different aspects of the same basic

problem .
Item 19 points out a conflict between the student and his parents
with respect to the standard of morality.

This fact is noteworthy when

one considers that the comparable item dealing with the student-parent
conflict over standards does not appear anywhere else on the table.
This situation implies that while students and their parents are appar­
ently in accord in the great majority of value situations, they are more
inclined to disagree in the area of morals, a fact which wovild seem to
reinforce the traditional view of the matter.

The same may be generally

said for item Ijl, ’’College life is weakening my moral standards".

This

also is the only appearance of this comparable item on Table VI. Though
only a little more than one-tenth of the sample checked it, the impli­
cation is that while college seems to have only slight debilitating
effects upon stud.ent value standards, what weakening effects exist seem
to effect moral standards somewhat more than any others.
Significant items in the area of religion. The most frequently
checked item in the area of religion was the problem "I need to know more
about religion in general," which was checked by almost one-third of the
sample.

This item was also the fourth most frequently checked on the

whole list.

Item 16, a similar one asserting that the student does not

know enough about the meaning of religion was checked by one-sixth of

65

the sample .

it, is evident that a sizeable proportion of the sample

thus are concerned with knowing more about religion.

The fact that

the topic of religion deals with ultimate and imponderable issues maywell account for its prominence . Almost any graduate can recall the
popularity of religion as a topic of informal discussion in his student
days.

There is no indication in the statement, however, as to whether

the concern for it is based on matters of "faith" or simply curiosity
on the part of the students .
Item 7 3j pointing out a conflict between science and religion, was
checked by one-fifth of the sample . This problem reflecting the clash
between the student1s habitual beliefs and the scientific view of the
world is apparently quite prevalent among students. This situation
might well be accounted for in the fact that the students in this sample,
being freshmen and sophomores, are in the process of making the transi­
tion from the home environment to the college and may also in many
cases be experiencing the conflicts that accompany intellectual growth.
Other items also reveal conflicts and confusions with respect to
religious beliefs. Item 22 revealing a confusion growing out of con­
flicting beliefs was checked by one-sixth of the sample, while somewhat
fewer cite conflicts between their own beliefs and those of their friends
as indicated in item 2b.

Slightly more than one-tenth in item 72 admit

that their beliefs are confused while aboxit one-sixth state in item ii9
that their beliefs are inadequate. Finally, item 23 gives expression
on the part of one-eighth of the sample to a dissatisfaction with tradi­
tional religious practices and beliefs .

86

The expression of religious needs in a, some whs! more positive
sense is evident in items 7U and 1*7.

The first of these ”1 feel the

need to develop a more adequate religious philosophy" was checked by
over one-sixth of the sample.

The second with one-eighth responding,

pointed to a need for a. positive and inspiring faith in something.
When viewed together, these items suggest that possibly as many as onefifth of the sample are seeking what might be called a, more satisfying
religious orientation to life which goes beyond simply the seeking of
information or the fulfilling of curiosity.

However, whether this need

is personal or institutional in nature is not disclosed.
Summary
This chapter ha.s dealt with the general outcomes and results of
the Value Problems Check List.

In summarizing the discussion of these

findings the following material seems to be of primary importance.
1) Of the total sample of 522 students, 50k checked one or more
problems on the list for a. total of U86U items checked in all.

The mean

number of items checked by this group was almost ten per individual.
The distribution of these problems, however, revealed a positively and
sharply skewed curve with a median of almost seven, while the range was
from one to 53 problems.

It was evident that almost all of the sample

had problems but they tended to have few rather than many of them.
2) A comparison of the five value areas on the basis of responses to
the check list revealed that somewhat more individuals checked items in the
ares of truth than in any other.

It was also revealed that the mean number

87

of items checked per student tended to be highest for the area of relig­
ion.

A ranking of the areas on the basis of the number of students

responding to each area produced the following arrangement:
religion, beauty and right.

truth, good,

When ranked on the basis of the mean and

also the relative number of students placing most of their problems in
each area the arrangement was as follows:

religion, truth, good, beauty

and right. The distribution of the numbers of problems checked by stu­
dents in each area tended to follow a. common pattern of positive skewsdness .
3)

A study of the most frequently checked items on the list concluded

the chapter.

Using a. cutting point of 10 percent of the sample or above,

31 items were tabulated and studied.

Of these, ten were in religion,

seven in truth, six in good, and four each in beauty and right.

Discuss­

ed on the basis of their respective areas, the most important findings
vrowin.c out of the studv of these significant items were as follows .
CO

•?

'/

”

Truth. The fact that two-fifths of the sample checked the item
"I want to think more logically and clearly" and that between one-fourth
and one-third, checked similar items suggested that the concern for the
adequacy of the thinking process was one of the most universal in the
study.

The remaining items in this area, checked by fewer than one-fifth

of the sample suggested conflicts and confusion with respect to the
standard of judgment of truth.
Good.

The leading problem in this area was "I have difficulty set­

ting up objectives for myself" and was checked by one-third of the
sample . Four other items checked by one-fourth and less reflected very

88

much the same problem, the implication being that the concern for
meaningful goals and objectives was another rather universal problem
of this group.

One of these items pointing out an inability to get

interested in anything and checked by one-fourth of the sample was felt
to indicate an extreme degree of aimlessness which was found difficult
to justify in the college environment.
Beaut;/. The item "I can't tell good art from bad art" with over
one-fourth of the sample responding to it was highest in the area of
beauty.

A second item with almost the same number checking it implied

a need to know more about art in general.

Taken together these items

were felt to imply a. concern on the part of a large body of the sample
for lack of ability in the area of aesthetic discrimination.
Right. The four items in the area of right were each checked by
one-eighth of the sample or less.

T£.ey generally expressed conflicts

and confusions with respect to the standard of morality.

It was found

that the parent-student conflict over standards wliile of slight im­
portance on the whole, was apparently most marked in this area.

It was

also disclosed that the debilitating effect of college upon standards
was also most apparent In this area though its over-all effedt was
slight.
Religion.

The most frequently checked item in the area of religion

was "I need to know more about religion in general" with almost one-third
responding.

When considered along with a similar item checked by

89

one-sixth of the sample it was concluded that a large proportion of
the sample were concerned with knowing about religion.

A number of

items dealing with conflicts and confusions with respect to religious
beliefs were cited including the religion-science conflict and the
conflict with the beliefs of friends.
of the sample and less.

These were checked by one-fifth

A somewhat positive expression of religious

needs was evident in two items checked by one-sixth and one-eighth of
the sample.

These items cited the need for a more adequate religious

philosophy and an inspiring faith in something, and suggested a need
for a way of life that went beyond mere curiosity about ultimate
questions.

CHAPTER V
ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSES TO THE VALUE PROBLEMS CHECK LIST
WITH RESPECT TO SIX CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS
Introduction
In the preceding chapter the results of the Value Problems Check
List were described and analysed in terms of the total sample.

Data

were examined on the basis of the check list as a whole and the five
value areas . In addition significant individual items were discussed
and analysed.

The present chapter will continue the analysis of these

data as they bear upon the six student factors upon which the research
is based.

These factors are sex, class in college, academic ability,

general academic area, of major, frequency of participation in church
religious services and occupation of father.

The pattern of analysis

to be used in studying the relationship between the check list items
and areas and these factors is identical to that outlined at the begin­
ning of the last chapter.

Each of the six factors will be examined in

terms of the value areas and the significant items .

In discussing the

value areas comparisons will be based on the mean number of problems
and upon the proportion of students who placed most of their problems
in each given area.

The analysis of individual items as they relate

to the various factors will be based on those items in which the
differences are at or above certain cutting points designated for each
factor. •

91

These cutting points'*" are based on the assumption that the differ­
ences between percentages falling below them are likely to be of little
significance.

Moreover, they serve to eliminate from the analysis items

which were checked by very small proportions of the sample.

While many

of these infrequently checked items may well be of considerable importance
to certain individual students, the low percentage checking them signifies
that concern for them is not universal enough to merit their consideration
in this investigation.

As has been pointed out in Chapter III there is

no means for assertaining the factor of importance at the level of the
individual case .
In the ensuing discussion particular attention will be drawn to the
factors of scholastic ability, frequency of religious participation and
father’s occupation.

It will be noted that the categories within these

three factors form a continuum ranging from one extreme of the factor to
the other.

For example, in the case of scholastic ability, the sample

has been categorized on the basis of high, average and low ability.

In

the analysis of these factors especial note xtfill be made of the value

1. As will be noted in the ensuing discussion the cutting points vary to
some extent from factor to factor. The sex and class factors have a
cutting point U .5 percent$ the figure for scholastic ability, religious
participation and father's occupation is 5 percent; while for general
academic area, and the study of rural background the point is 8 percent.
These variations are directly related to the size of the sub-samples.
Where there were only two sub-samples fairly evenly matched a.s to size
the cutting point was low. However, where there were three or more
categories and where one sub-sample was extremely small by comparison
the cutting point was raised. The necessity for increasing the figure
in these latter instances may be accounted for in the fact that in the
case of a small sample a few individuals checking large numbers of items
could distort the showing of the whole sub-sample. Accordingly, it was
felt that these effects could be partly counteracted by increasing the
size of the cutting point.

92

areas and individual check; list items in which the increase or decrease
of means and percentages varies consistently with the continue..

The

occurrence of this phenomenon provides a basis for the assumption that
there may be a correlation between value problems and certain character­
istics of students. The extent and the nature of these relationships
will be discussed in detail in the sections dealing with these three
factors .
Value Problems and the Sex Factor
Relation of the sex factor to value areas. Table VII compares men
and women students on the basis of the mean number of problems checked
in each of the five value areas.

The data show that men tend to respond
TABLE VII

A COMPARISON OF MEN AND WOMEN STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF THE MEAN NUMBER
OF PROBLEMS CHECKED IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS*

Value Area

Good
Beauty
Truth
Right
Religion
All areas combined

Average Numbe r of Problem s
Checked Per Area
Men
Women
N 279
N 21*3
2 .27x
1.79x
2 .l6x
1.60x
2 .33x
io.i5x

1.66
1.32
1.81
1.30
2.19
8.36

Difference

.61
.1*7
.35
.30
.11*
1.79

~ Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between averages. nxn indicates sex group which is high­
est in each area.

93

with greater frequency than women in terms of the total check list as
well as in all five value areas . The differences between men and women
as to the frequency of checking in each area is greatest in the area of
good and smallest in the area of religion.

An indication of the rela­

tive emphasis placed on the five areas by the students as based on the
tabulation of the numbers of students who placed most of their problems
in each is provided by Table VIII.

These data reveal a situation similar

to Table VII with the exception of the fact that women as individuals
tend to place a greater proportion of their problems in religion than
men by a substantial margin.
TABLE VIII
A COMPARISON OF MEN AND WOMEN STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER AND
PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO PLACED MOST OF THEIR
PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA"

Value Area

Religion
Good
Beauty
Right
Truth
Undet.
None
Totals

Number and Percent Placing Most
Problems In Each_Area____
279 Men
2U3 Women
N o . Percent
N o . Percent
69
59
h7
31
5U
1U
5
279

2U.7
2 1 .2x
1 6 ,8x
11 .lx
19 .be
5.0
1.8
100.0

82
38
31
20
U5
lU
13
2U3

33 .8x
15.6
12.8
8.2
18.5
5.8
5.3

Difference

9.1
5.6
li.O
2 .9
0.9

100.0

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between percentages . ''x" indicates sex group highest in
each given area.

9h

These results point to the fact that men apparently have more
value problems than women in all value areas, though women as individu­
als tend to emphasize religious problems.

This tendency for male stu­

dents to have more problems in relation to their systems of values is
substantiated by a study by Angell.

(3)

He found that on a scale of

"life adjustment" 18.8 percent of the men and 7.2 percent of the women
students he was studying ranked in the lowest classification which was
described as ""badly adjusted to life, depressed and confused, seemingly
unable independently to effect adequate adjustment."

(3*70)

Angell

also found that some degree of "personal disorganization" was evident
in 53 .b percent of the men of his sample while only 27.7 percent of the
women were so characterized.

(3 *138)

Relation of the sex factor to individual items. While the study
of sexes with respect to value areas has suggested some general differ­
ences between men and women students, the examination of individual
items reveals some distinct contrasts . The analysis of individual items
is reported in Table IX.

Only items in which the difference between the

responses of men and women is k.5

percent or higher are included in

this table . The data reveal that men respond with considerably greater
frequency to the problem of being unable to distinguish between good
and bad art than women, a fact which is substantiated by items 36 and
61 to a lesser degree.

Greater proportions of men also check items in

2. For the explanation of this figure see page 91

TABLn IX

A COMPARISON OF THE PERCENTAGE OF RESPONSES OF HEN AND WOMEN STUDENTS TO CHECK LIST ITEMS
IN WHICH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERCENTAGES IS 1*.5 OR GREATER

Check L ist
Item No.

Item”
_______________________

Percent Checking Item Difference
Between
279 Men 2l*3 Women
Percents
/O

( ite m s in wliich percentage of men checking” is h ig h e s t)
12.
31.
81.
36.
33.
73.
Ul.
it.
5.
Il5.
7.
18.
95.
23.
61.
9.

(B ””l can’t t e l l good a r t from bad a r t ........................................................ ............ . . .
(0 I have d if fic u lty choosing between studying and going to a movie............ . . .
(G I d o n 't know wliich phase of college l i f e to emphasize................................. . . .
( b I don't know what colors go well to g e th e r........................................................ . . .
(G At present I c a n 't seem to get in te re ste d in anything................................. . . .
(R I am bothered by the c o n flic t between science and r e lig io n ....................... . . .
(M College l i f e is weakening my moral standards.................................................. . . . .
(T My own standard of tru th co n flic ts with my frie n d s' standards................. . . .
(T Some college courses are confusing my standard of t r u t h ............................. . . .
(M College is not giving me enough help with my moral problems.....................
(G I am having d if fic u lty s e ttin g up objectives for m y s e lf.,......................... . . .
(M I do n 't know what a ttitu d e to take towards dishonesty.................................
(G I need to know more about ethics and m orals.................................................... . . .
(R I am d is s a tis fie d with tra d itio n a l relig io u s p ractices and b e l ie f s ........ . . .
(B I don't know enough about the tiieory of beauty.............................................. . . .
(G My own standard of good is inadequate................................................................

33.3
29.7
27.2
10.0
30.1
21*. 7
13.6
20.0
13.6
9.0
38.8
7.9
11.1
11* .7
10.0
6.1

18.9
17.7
16.6
1.2
21.1*
16.9
7.0
13.6
7.1*
2.9
32.9
2.9
6.2
9.9
5.3
1.6

11*. h
12.0
10.7
8.8
8.7
7.8
6.6
6.1*
6,2
6.1
5.9
5.0
b.9
1*.8
1*.7
i*.5

(Items in which the percentage of women check is highest)
90.
67.
79.
U6.
5J4.
72.

(R)
(M)
(R)
(R)
(T)
(R)

I need to know more about re lig io n in g eneral......................................................
I am confused by the many co n flictin g standards ofm orality today..................
I fe e l the need to develop a more adequate relig io u s pliilosophy......................
I don't know enough about the meaning of religion..............................................
My ora standard of tru th co n flicts with my p aren ts' standard..........................
My present relig io u s b e lie fs are confused...............................................................

26.9
3b.2
7.3
9.3
16.0
6.7
19.1
20.6
5.5
lb.3
19.8
5.5
3.2
8.0
1*.8
9.0____ 13.6__________It.6

Items are arranged in order of decreasing size of the difference between percentages and grouped by sex having
the highest percentage on given item .
Letters re fe r to value areas as follows:

B-Beauty, G-Good, R-Religion, M-Right and T-Truth.

vo
vn.

96

the area of good ha.ving to do with a concern over the choice of college
activities as pointed out in items 31 and 81.

They also tend to check

the items dealing with lalck of basic objectives and interests, items
33 and 7, with greater frequency than women students.

What appears to

be a more marked concern for moral problems is revealed in the fact
that men tend to respond with greater frequency to such items as college
weakening moral standards, and college not helping enough with moral
problems as well as with a confusion a.s to what attitude to take towards
dishonesty.

It is well to note, however, that these latter three items

were checked by proportionately few of the sample and thus are not of
universal import.
In the area of religion men. show a greater frequency of checking
of the problem of the conflict between science and religion and to a
lesser degree a dissatisfaction with traditional religious practices
and beliefs .

In the area of truth men showed a tendency to check with

greater frequency than women the concern over the conflict with friends
over the standard of truth and also the fact that college courses were
confusing the standard.
In contrast to the male students, women checked proportionately
more problems than men mainly in one area, that of religion.

These

religious problems generally imply a seeking or searching effort on the
part of the student in contrast to the tendency of the men as a group
to emphasize the items dealing with conflicts and dissatisfactions in
religion.

Women tended to lead men in proportional checking of the

following religion items:

the need to know more about religion, the

97

assertion that they don’t know enough about religion, and the need to
develop a more adequate philosophy of religion.

To a lesser extent

they checked the recognition of the confusion of their own religious
beliefs .

In general it may be said that these items suggest a more

positive orientation to religion than do those religion items checked
more frequently by men.

Women led men in their proportional checking

of one item in right and one in truth.

Though each of these items were

checked by a small minority of the total sample, they suggest that
women tend to be more confused by conflicting standards of morality and
that their standards of truth are more inclined to conflict with their
parents’ standards.
In appraising the result of the foregoing analyses of value areas
and value problems as they relate to the factor of sex, several points
emerge as possible explanations for the demonstrated differences.

In

the first place a cultural factor is apparently influential in the re­
sponses of the students.

The fact that women seem to be less concerned

with these problems and apparently better adjusted in terms of values
may be the result of the more careful attention and supervision they
receive as girls in the home and in society in general.

Boys on the

other hand, receiving less attention and guidance, have value standards
which are less likely to be as strong or durable.

Another factor, ■which

also may be directly related to cultural circumstances, is that men may
be more critically minded than women, and thus more inclined to over­
throw their beliefs and standards (more readily) than the somewhat more
conservative women.

It must be acknowledged, however, that there is no

98

dependable evidence in this study for assuring the validity of these
assumptions.
Value Problems and the Factor of College Class
Relation of college class to value areas., Table X compares the
freshmen and sophomore groups on the basis of the mean number of problems
checked in each value area and for the total list.

It reveals that the

TABLE X
A COMPARISON OF FRESHMa N AND SOPHOMORE STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF THE
MEAN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS CHECKED IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS*

Value Areas

Average Number of Problems
Checked per Area
Freshmen
Sophomores
N 369
N 153

Beauty
Religion
Good
Truth
Right
All areas combined

1.70x
2.22
2 .05x
2 .03x
1 .U8x
9 .U7x

1.27
2 .52x
1.84
1.91
1 .Uo
8.9h

Difference

M3
.30
.21
.12
.08
.53

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between averages . ’’x?' indicates class group which is high­
est in ea.ch area.
freshman group tends to lead the sophomore group in the total number of
problems checked and in all areas but religion.

Differences are great­

est in the proportional frequency of checking in the areas of beauty
and religion and least in truth and right.

Table XI indicates that the

relative emphasis of the individuals of these two groups} as cased on
the area in which each individual placed most of his problems} reflects

99

TABLE XI
A COMPARISON OF FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE STUDENTS ON THE'BASIS OF THE
HUMBER AND PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO PLACED MOST OF THEIR
PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA*

Value Areas

Number and Percent Placing Most
Problems in Each Area
3 6 9 Freslime n
153 Sophomores
No . Percent
No,
. Percent

Religion
Good
Beauty
Right
Truth
Undet.
None

101
71

Totals

369

5k
38
71
21
13

27 .U
19 .2x
lU.7x
10.3
19.2x
5.7
3.5

1 0 0 . 0

50
25
19
19
28
7
5
153

32 .7x
16.3
12 .U
12 .14.X
18.3
U .6
3.3

Difference

5.3
2.9
2.3
2.1
0.9

100.0

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between percentages . "x11 indicates class group highest in
each area.
the same situation as Table X except for the fact that sophomores tend
to emphasize problems in right along with those of religion.

Religion

shows the greatest difference and truth the least.
These data imply that freshmen tend to have proportionately more
problems than sophomores in general and in all areas but religion.

The

fa.ct that sophomores seem to experience more religious concerns finds
some support in the work of Katz and Allport cited earlier in this
study. (17)

These investigators found that among a. large group of stu­

dents responding to a. check list of problems in which they felt they
needed advice 9.6 percent of the freshmen and 12.2 percent of the

100

sophomores checked the item "religion and philosophy of life."
Some of Mooney's findings also bear out the above results.

(17:97)

He found

that a group of religious problems similar to those in this study were
checked by a somewhat greater proportion of sophomores than freshmen.
(20:72-78)

In addition, his data showed that several problems similar

to those in the area of right were checked by proportionately more
sophomores than freshmen, while another group of items anologous to
those in the area of good were checked by proportionately more freshmen.
(2 0 :72-78)
Relation between college class and individual items. Table XII
consists of the individual items in which the differences between the
proportion of freshmen and sophomores checking was Li..5

percent or more.

The data reveal that freshmen tend to check problems in the area of
good dealing with general objectives and interests in greater proportion
than do sophomores . The same is true for the two items dealing with the
problem of choice of college activities, items 31 and 81.

The freshman

group emphasized quite strongly the fact that college is not giving them
enough help in clarifying their objectives . The data imply that appar­
ently by the sophomore year a considerable degree of confusion and
aimlessness with respect to activities and objectives has been alleviated
in one manner or another.
Freshmen also show more concern as a group, in their proportionately
higher frequency of checking of the items in the area of truth, for such

3. For the explanation of this figure see page 91.

TABLE XII

A COMPARISON OF THE PERCENTAGE OF RESPONSES OF FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES TO CHECK LIST ITEMS IN WHICH
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERCENTAGES IS k.S OR GREATER
Check L ist
Item
Number

Percent Checking Item
369
153
Freshmen Sophomores

Item

Difference
Between
Percents

(items in which the percentage of freshmen checking is highest)
60.
1.
31.
65.
30.
53.
81.
33.

( o r "College is not giving me enough help in c la rify in g my o b je c tiv e s..........
(T) I want to think more lo g ic a lly and c le a r ly ....................................................
(G) I have d if f ic u lty choosing between studying and going to a movie..........
(B) I need to know more about a r t in g en eral........................................................
(T) I need to know more about logic and the s c ie n tific method.......................
(T) My thinking is often in c o n siste n t.....................................................................
(G) I don't know which phase of college l i f e to emphasize...............................
(G) At present I c a n 't seem to get in te re ste d in anything...............................

.

26.0
Ut.il
26.3
27.9
25.2
33.6
23.8
27.b

16 .ii
35.3
18.9
20.9
18.9
28.1
18.3
22.9

11.6
9.1
7.h
7.0
6.3
5.5
5.5
it.5

10.6
.
5.U
. 10.8
. 16.8
. if .3
.
7.9

17.0
11.8
17.0
22.9
9.8
12 .L

6.U
6 .If
6.2
6.1
5.5
14.5

.

.
.
.
.
.
,

(Items in which percentage of sophomores checking is highest)
23.
3k.
kl.
2.
7li.
25.

(B) I am d is s a tis fie d with tra d itio n a l re lig io u s p ractices and b e lie fs
(G) My own standard of good co n flic ts with my p aren ts' standard...................
(r) I need a p o sitiv e and in sp irin g f a ith in something....................................
(T) I am confused by the many co n flictin g standards of tru th today.............
(R) My own relig io u s b e lie fs c o n flic t with my p aren ts' b e l ie f s .....................
(R) Some college courses are weakening my relig io u s b e lie f s ...........................

.

’'’Items are arranged in order of decreasing size of the difference between percentages and grouped by class
having the highest percentage on given item .
L etters re fe r to value areas as follows:

B-Beauty, G-Good, R-Religion, M-Right and T-Truth.
H

o

H

102

concerns as the desire to think more logically and clearly, the need to
know more about logic and the scientific method, and the recognition
of the fact that their thinking is often inconsistent.

One has the

feeling in studying these results that the freshman in adjusting to the
more rigorous mental demands of higher education is made more aware of
possible weaknesses in his thinking processes.

"Whether the sophomore,

on the other hand, has actually overcome these weaknesses or has simply
found that the anxiety growing out of them is unfounded is a question
calling for some consideration.

While it may well be that he has

strengthened his intellectual skills, his lessened concern for his mental
processes may be only the result of increased confidence over successive
successful terms of study and the growing conviction that college work
is not so difficult after all.

Obviously, there are no grounds here

for the assertion that sophomores think any more clearly than freshmen.
Four out of the six problems which sophomores responded to with
greater proportional frequency than freshmen vrere in the area of
religion.

These items reflect the tendency to reject traditional re­

ligious forms, and to experience various confusions and conflicts with
reference to beliefs .

In addition, a somewhat higher percentage of

sophomores than freshmen indicate a need for a positive and inspiring
faith in something.

The sophomore’s tendency to experience what might

be called a weakening of religious beliefs may well be accounted for
in the fact that as a student in his second year in college he has begun
the process of emancipation from habitual and immature patterns of belief
but has not yet begun the process of reconstruction.

Of course, it is

103
to be recognized that many students never achieve the emancipation to
any appreciable degree and that many who do probably fail to achieve
a satisfactory reconstruction.

By contrast to the sophomore, the

religious beliefs of the freshmen apparently tend to remain quite stable.
Value Problems and the Factor of Scholastic Ability
The relation between scholastic ability and value areas. Table XIII
shows the mean number of problems checked in each of the five value areas
by the students in the high, average and low ability groups.

The data

TABLE XIII
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS OF HIGH, AVERAGE AND LOW SCHOLASTIC ABILITY
ON THE BASIS OF THE MEAN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS CHECKED
IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS*

Value Areas
Be auty
Religion
Right
Truth
Good
All areas com­
bined

Average Number of Problems Checked/Area
Average
Low
No Ans.
High
N 96
N 230
N 172
N 2h

Difference

1.21
2 M2
1.73x
1.71+
1.9-9

1.56
2.57x
1.52
2 .I5x
2 .Oiix

1.8lx
2.02
1.28
2.02
2.03

1.U2
1 .1*6
1.08
1.1+2
1.17

.60
.55
.1*5
.1*1
.05

9.07

9.83x

9.16

6.1*5

.76

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest mean, "No answer" responses be­
ing excluded. "x" indicates ability group highest in each
value area.
reveal that the average ability group tends to check the most problems
in all areas combined and also the most in the specific areas of truth,

loll

religion and good.

The high ability group shows a tendency to check

problems in right and the low ability group to check items in the area
of beauty with greater frequency than the other groups'.

With respect

to the relative emphasis placed on the various areas by the three groups ,
Table XIV reveals that individuals of high ability tend to place most
of their problems in religion and right and those of low ability in
truth, beauty and good.

The average group does not lead in any value

area in this respect.
TABLE XIV
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS OF HIGH, AVERAGE AMD LOW SCHOLASTiC ABILITY
ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER AND PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO PLACED
MOST OF THEIR PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA*

Value Areas

Number and Percent Placing Most
Problems in Each Area
172 Low
96 High
2 3 0 Average
No . Percent
No . Percent
No . Percent

Religion
Truth
Right
Be auty
Good
Undet.
None

3U
13
13
13

TotaTs

3

35 .5x
13.5
13.5x
13.5
16.7
3.1

k
96

16

77

k3
2k
29

uu

33.5
18.7
10 .k
12.6

19.1

35
36
13
33
33

6

2.6

h.2

7

3.1

16
6

100.0

230

100.0

172

20.3
2 0 .9x
7.6
19 .2 x
1 9 .2 x
9.3
3.5

Difference

15.2

7.k
5.9
5.6
2.5'

100.0

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest percentage. 25 "No answer"
cases have been eliminated from this table. "x" indicates
the highest ability group in each area.

105

In both of the foregoing tables several consistent relationships
between scholastic ability and value areas are evident.

In Table X H I

the mean number of problems checked in the area of beauty increases
along the continuum from high ability to low.
of right the mean decreases consistently.

Conversely^ in the area,

In Table XIV consistent re­

lationships are evident in terms of an increase in percentage along
the continuum from high to low ability in truth and good and a decrease
along the continuum in religion and right. These data imply a direct
relationship between the factor of scholastic ability and the value
areas involved.

For example3 it may be said with some degree of assur­

ance that the higher the student1s scholastic ability the greater a
tendency will he have to check problems in the area of right.
Individual items and scholastic ability. Table XV contains the
data on the relative proportion of each of the three ability groups that
checked each item.
ence or above.^

The cutting point in this case is 5 percent differ­

The table shows that the problems which the high

ability group checks with greater proportional frequency than the other
groups are almost all in the areas of religion and right. The items in
the area of right indicate a tendency towards conflicts with the group
and with parents on standards of morality along with the expression of
the feeling that college is weakening the student*s moral standards.
This group also apparently feels more acutely than the others that
present day moral standards are too indefinite.

U. For an explanation of this figure see page 91.

Tj J3L.ii, X V

A C O M P A R I S O N O F T H S P E R C E N T A G E OF R E S P O N S E S O F S T U D E N T S OF H I G H , A V E R A G E A N D L O W S C H O L A S T I C A B I L I T Y
T O C H E C K L I S T I T E M S IN W H I C H T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N P E R C B N T A G E S I S F I V E P E R C E N T O R G R E A T E R
C h e c k List
Item
Number

Percent C h e c k i n g Item
230
172
96
Low
H i g h Average

Item*

Differenc e

C l t e m s i n wliich t h e p e r c e n t a g e of h i g h a b i l i t y s t u d e n t s c h e c k i n g is
h i g h e s t . x i n d i c a t e s items i n w h i c h d e c r e a s e i n p e r c e n t a g e f r o m h i g h
to l o w is c o n s i s t e n t . )
69.
75.
hi.
11.
3l.
71.
19 .
23 .
93 .
98.
18.

( M ) ~ “M y o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h the s t a n d a r d s o f th e g r oup... ... .x
I f e e l t h e n e e d to d e v e l o p a m o r e a d e q u a t e r e l i g i o u s p h i l o s o p h y . ..
•X
C o l l e g e l i f e is w e a k e n i n g m y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s ................ .........
CM)
I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y d e c i d i n g b e t w e e n m y o w n a n d t he groups* m o r a l s . .
Cm )
M y o w n s t a n d a r d o f g o o d c o n f l i c t s w i t h m y p a r e n t s * s t a n d a r d . . .....
Co)
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s * b e l i e f s ......
CR)
Cm ) M y o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s ' s t a n d a r d s ........
I am d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s a n d b e l i e f s . . . •X
CR)
Cm ) P r e s e n t d a y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s are t oo i n d e f i n i t e ........................
.X
I n e e d h e l p i n w o r k i n g out m y r e l i g i o u s p h i l o s o p h y . ..................
CR)
M o d e r n r e l i g i o u s i d e a s seem t o o i n d e f i n i t e to m e .............. .
CR)

(R)

13-5
21.0
15-6

11-5
12.5
10 .1
16.7
1 7 .7
16.6
11.5
10 .1

10.1
17 -1
9.6
9.6
6.5
5.7
10 .0

11 . 7
11.7

IO .1
9 .1

5.8
1 6 .3

8 .1
1.1
5.2
3 .5
11.1
11.1
10.5
5 .8
5.2

7 .7
7 .7
7.5
7 .1
7 .3
6.9
6.7
6.6
6.1
5.7
5.2

Cltems i n w h i c h t h e p e r c e n t a g e of l o w a b i l i t y s t u d e n t s c h e c k i n g is
highest.
x indicates items i n which decrease in percentage from l o w
to h i g h is c o n s i s t e n t . )
63.
62 .
12 .
3S3 .
16.
30.
2.
31.
8.
3390.
2l.

(B)
(B)
(B)

(T)
CT)

CR)
(T)

CT)
(G)
CG)
Cg )
CB)

CR)

I n e e d t o k n o w m o r e a bout art i n g e n e r a l ........ ..........................
I c a n ' t t e l l g o o d l i t e r a t u r e f r o m p o o r l i t e r a t u r e ........... ........
T c a n ' t tell p-ood art from b a d a r t ......................................
S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are c o n f u s i n g m y s t a n d a r d o f t r u t h ............
M y t h i n k i n g is o f t e n i n c o n s i s t e n t .................. ................ .
I d o n ' t k n o w e n o u g h about t he m e a n i n g o f r e l i g i o n ...... .............
I n e e d to k n o w m o r e a bout l o g i c a n d t h e s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d .........
I am c o n f u s e d b y t h e m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g s t a n d a r d s of t r u t h t o d a y . . . .
I have diff i c u l t y choosing b e t w e e n studying and going to a movie. .
P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s o f g o o d are too i n d e f i n i t e .....................
A t p r e s e n t I c a n ' t seem to g e t i n t e r e s t e d i n a n y t h i n g ........ .
I f e e l t h e n e e d to d e v e l o p a m o r e a d e q u a t e s t a n d a r d of b e a u t y .....
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y f r i e n d s ' b e l i e f s ........
C ltems i n which, t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f

1. CT)
SO. CR)
73 .
19 .
81.
1.
2S .
7 .
22 .
91.
17 .

(R)
CR)
(G)

CT)
(R)
Cg )

(R)
Cm )
CR)

average

.X
.X

.X
X

13.5
3 .1
20.8

3 .1
26.0
10 .1
17 .7
13 .5
28 .1
12 .5
22 .9
3.1
11.5

27 .8
13.0
23 .9
11 . 7
33-5
17 .1
23 .5
19 .6
21.3

13.9
26.1
5.2
12 .2

3 0 .8

17 .b
3b.3
12.8
35.5
1 9 .8
25 .6
20 .9

28.5
1 9 .2
28.9
8.7
16.9

16.5
11.3
13.5
9 .7
9 .5
9.1
7 .9
7 .1
7 .2
6.7
6.0
5.6
5.1

a b i l i t y s t u d e n t s is h i g h e s t . )

I w a n t to t h i n k m o r e l o g i c a l l y and c l e a r l y ................................
I n e e d t o k n o w m o r e a b o u t r e l i g i o n i n g e n e r a l ..... ...................
I am b o t h e r e d b y the c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n s c i e n c e an d r e l i g i o n ........
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s are i n a d e q u a t e ...............................
I d o n ' t k n o w w h i c h p h a s e o f c o l l e g e li f e to e m p h a s i z e ...............
M y o w n s t a n d a r d of t r u t h c o n f l i c t s w i t h m y f r i e n d s * s t a n d a r d s .....
S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are w e a k e n i n g m y r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s ............
I am h a v i n g d i f f i c u l t y s e t t i n g u p o b j e c t i v e s f o r m y s e l f ........ .
I am c o r f u s e d b y the m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s t o d a y .....
M y o w n c o d e of e t h i c s is I n a d e q u a t e . . ...............................
I n e e d a p o s i t i v e a n d i n s p i r i n g f a i t h i n s o m e t h i n g . ...............

33.3

11.1

26.0

3b.b
2b.8
16 . 5
2b. 8
20.b
12 .0
10.1
18.3
5.7
11.8

16.6
1 5 .6

17 .7
16.7
7 .3
35.1
12 .5
2 .1
ll .6

b3.0
27 .3
19.2
8.7
22 .1
l l .0
6.1
3b.3
16.3
0 .0

11.1
10.1
8.2
7.8
7 .1
6 .1
6.2
6.1
5.8
5.7

9 .3

5.5

" Items are a r r a n g e d i n o r d e r of d e c r e a s i n g d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n H i g h e s t a n d l o w e s t p e r c e n t a g e , a nd g r o u p e d b y
a b i l i t y l e v e l h a v i n g H i g h e s t p e r c e n t a g e o n a g i v e n i tem.
2l cases H a v e b e e n e l i m i n a t e d f r o m tiiis table
b e c a u s e of l a c k of d a t a o n A. C. E. scores.
L e t t e r s r e f e r to v a l u e

areas as f ollows:

B —B e a u t y ,

G — G o o d , R —R e l i g i o n , M —R i g h t a nd T —Truth.

(—■
on

107

The religious problems which were checked with greater frequency
by the high ability group reflect somewhat the same tone as those in
right.

They point to the need to develop a more adequate religious

philosophy and to the need for help in that process.

At the same time

there is an expression of a dissatisfaction with traditional forms and
also with the indefiniteness of modern religious ideas.

In general

these religious problems show that the student of high scholastic ability
tends to break with traditional and family beliefs more readily than
those of low ability.
Howells cited by Cole.

This circumstance is corroborated in a study by
(6)

Howells found that students who rejected

religious authority ranked high in intelligence tests while those who
accepted it tended to be below average on such tests.

(6:376)

This

finding may also have a bearing on the moral problems discussed earlier
in this section, the implication being that the more intelligent the
student, the more likely he is to rebell against tradition and authority
whether it be moral, religious or otherwise.
With respect to students of low scholastic ability it was pointed
out in Table XIII that this group checked problems in the areas of beauty
and truth with greater frequency than the other groups.

In the items

dealing with beauty this group is particularly deviate from the high
ability group. All of these beauty items suggest a feeling of inadequacy
on the part of the student with respect to knowledge about art and the
ability to discriminate aesthetically. These data indicate that the
students of low scholastic ability apparently sense considerably more
problems in aesthetics than those of high ability.

This fact suggests

108

that artistic judgment may involve a type of complex mental activity
of which low ability students are generally incapable.

On the other

hand, it does not indicate that artistic tastes of the more intelligent
students are necessarily better than those of the less gifted.

However,

they can apparently make such choices with considerably fewer of the
conflicts and difficulties that beset the group of students of low
intelligence.
Items in the area of truth in which the low ability group leads
the others in frequency of checking indicate conflicts and confusion in
the process of judging truth.

The low group cites the fact that some

college courses are confusing them and that the presence of many con­
flicting standards also is confusing them.

They also indicate that

their thinking is often inconsistent and that they need to know more
about logic and the scientific method.

In view of the fact that the

high ability students did not lead, the other groups in checking any of
the truth items, and also that their proportions are smallest in all
four truth items where the low group's checking was most frequent, the
following assumption seems feasible.

Thinking apparently poses fewer

problems for the gifted student than for the student of lower intelli­
gence.

This does not mean that students of high ability are necessarily

closer to the truth in their decisions, but rather that apparently the
thinking process involved in making judgments in the area of truth is
less likely to perplex them.
Students of low scholastic ability checked several problems in the
areas of good and religion with greater frequency than the other groups

3,09
of students . The content of these items suggests that students of low
ability feel they don't know enough about the meaning of religion and
that their own and their friends * religious beliefs are inclined to
conflict.

These items also reveal that the low group tends to feel that

present day standards of good are too indefinite and that they can't
seem to get interested in anything at the present time .
Value Problems and General Academic Areas
The relation of general academic areas to the value problem areas.
The mean number of problems checked in each of the five value areas by
the four academic area groups under study is reported in Table XVI.
TABLE XVI
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE FOUR GENERAL
ACADEMIC AREAS OF SCIENCES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES AND
NO-PREFERENCE ON THE BASIS OF MEAN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS
CHECKED IN EACH OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS*

Value Areas

Mean Number Problems Checked Per Area
Science Soc . Sci. Human. No-Pref.
N =U0
N =lU0
N =272
N =70

Religious
Good
Right
Beauty
Truth
All areas combined

2 .11
1.79
1 Mb
1 .86x
2.2b
9 Mb

2 .16
1.78
1.35
1.66
1.85
8.80

2.95x
2.02
2 .10x
1.13
2.25x
i o .U5x

2.50
2 .60x
1 M9
1.39
2.09
9.9b

Difference
.8ii
.82
.75
.73
.h o
1.65

* Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest average, "x" indicates highest
average in each area..

110

It will be recalled that the four general academic groups are sciences
social sciences i humanities and no preference.

Table XVI shows that

the humanities students tend to check the most problems In the areas of
religion^ right and truth as well as for all areas combined.

Science

students check a greater proportion in beauty and no preference students
a greater proportion in the area, of good.

In regard to the relative

emphasis on eaoh area by the four groups based on the number of students
planing most of their problems In each area., Table XVII shows that the
foregoing data are confirmed with the exception that science students
stress truth along with beauty.
TABLE XVII
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE FOUR GENERAL
ACADEMIC AREAS OF SCIENCES3 SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES AND
NO PREFERENCE ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER AND PERCENT WHO
PLACED MOST OF THEIR PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA*
Number and Percent Placing Most Problems
in Each Area
Value Areas Science N =70 S.Sci .N =272 Human .N =b0 No--Pr .N =lbO
No . Percent No . Percent N o . Percent No . Percent
Truth
Good
Right
Religion
Beauty
Undet.
None

21
9
7
17
13
1
2

Totals

70

30 .Ox
12 .8
10.0
2b .3
18.8x
l.b
2.9
100.0

51
b2
26
78
b6
19
10

18.7
15. b
9.6
28.7
16.9
7.0
3.7

5
5
9
16
b
l
0

272

100 .0

bo

12.5
12.5
22 .5x
bo .Ox
10 .0
2.5
0 .0
l o o .0

21
bl
8
bl
16
7
6
lbO

15.0
29.3*
5.7
29.3
11 .b
5.0
b.3

Differ­
ence
17.5
16.8
16.8
15.7
8.6

100 .0

* Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest percentage. "x" indicates the
highest percent in each area..

Ill

lhese results intimate that there may he some significant relation­
ships between the academic interests of the individual and. the types and
extent of his value problems .

It may be that humanities students

recognize proportionately more problems than the other groups because
they have become more aware of ideas and values through their work in
the arts,, history, philosophy, etc.

On the other hand, the social

science group (including business and education students) and the science
group (which also includes engineers) are more concerned in their
academic work with so-called "practical" and technical situations where
values as such are typically felt to be of little or no relevance . In
addition, the factor of individual temperament is probably reflected
in this matter.

Students who go into the humanities are likely to be

more sensitive to and interested in ideas and values.

On the other

handj students in the other fields and particularly the sciences and
the technical areas are concerned with more empirical problems and tend
to relegate to a secondary position such concerns as ideas and values.
The foregoing discussion is based on the situation within these academic
areas of interest as it generally appears in practice and thus in no
way is an attempt to specify what the structure of interest in the
various areas should be .
Individual items and academic areas . The data on the relation of
the academic areas to individual items is outlined in Table XVIII.

It

can be seen on this table that the humanities group is highest with
regard to the proportional numbers checking in a. large number of items.

112

It is also noteworthy that the sample of humanities students is rela­
tively small by comparison with the others . Consequently the cutting
point for this table is 8 percent"’ difference between percentages .
Table XVIII indicates that of all academic groups, the science
students tended to check problems in beauty in greater proportions than
the others. The four items in the area of beauty showing the greatest
difference point to a need to know more about art in general, an in­
ability to tell good literature from poor literature, that present day
artistic tastes are too indefinite and a. lack of knowledge as to what
colors go well together.

At the same time the table shows that social

science students check with considerably greater frequency than the
other groups the item "I can't tell good art from poor art."

Further

study of the data reveals that in virtually all items concerned with
beauty the humanities group tends to respond in smaller proportions
than the others . While it may be difficult to account for the tendency
for the social science and particularly the science groups to check
problems in beauty, the fact that humanities students have so few of
them is probably a reflection of their more adequate aesthetic back­
ground growing out of the subject matter of the humanities as well as
factors of individual temperament which incline the individual to be
more sensitive towards such phenomena.
The txvo items in the area of truth checked by greater proportions
of science students point to a concern about knowing what is ultimately

5. For an explanation of this figure see page .91.

TABLE XVIII
A C O M P A R I S O N OP T H E P E R C E N T A G E OF R E S P O N S E S T O C H E C K L I S T I T E M S O F S T U D E N T S C L A S S I F I E D A C C O R D I N G T O
T H E F O U R G E N E R A L A C A D E M I C A R E A S OF S C I E N C E S , S O C I A L S C I E N C E S , H U M A N I T I E S A N D N O - P R E F E R E N C E
C h e c k List
It em
Number

C ltems i n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e o f s c i e n c e s
65.
62 .
51.
63 .
8.
36.
7k.
h.

(b )
(B)
(T)
(B)
(G)
(B)

(R)
CT)

70
Sci .

Item"

Differ­
ence

s t u d e n t s is h i g h e s t . )

I n e e d to k n o w m o r e about art i n g e n e r a l ............ ................
I c a n ’t t e l l g o o d l i t e r a t u r e f r o m p o o r l i t e r a t u r e ..................
I am c o n c e r n e d a b o u t k n o w i n g w h a t is u l t i m a t e l y real................
P r e s e n t d a y t a s t e s i n a r t are too i n d e f i n i t e f o r m e ..... ..........
P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s o f g o o d are too i n d e f i n i t e f o r m e ............
I d o n ’t k n o w w h a t c o l o r s go w e l l t o g e t h e r ............................
M y o w n r e b g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s ’ b e l i e f s .......
M y o w n s t a n d a r d of t r u t h c o n f l i c t s w i t h m y f r i e n d s ’ s t a n d a r d s ....
Cl t e m s i n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e of s o c i a l s c i e n c e s

12 . (B)

Percent Checking Item
1L0
liO
272
H u m . No-Pref.
S oc .Sci

31 .k
15 . 7
17 .1
18.6
21. li
8.5
1 1 .U
22 .9

26.8
13 .6
7.7
12.9
12 .5
6.6
5.9
1R.7

15.0
5.0
7.5
1 0 .0

22 .5

2 .9
17 .1

1 6 .k
10.7
9.6
9.3
8.9
8.5
8.5
8.2

10.0

18.6

30.0

25 .0

5.7
3.6

1 5 .0
0 .0

7.5

2I4-.3
1 1 .k
10.7
9.3
1 6 .k
5 .0

s t u d e n t s is h i g h e s t .)
31 .k

L o .o

S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are w e a k e n i n g m y r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s ........... 1U . 3
S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are c o n f u s i n g m y s t a n d a r d o f t r u t h ........... 17 .1
I am b o t h e r e d b y the c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n s c i e n c e a n d r e l i g i o n ....... 22.9
M y t h i n k i n g is o f t e n i n c o n s i s t e n t ...................................... 2k .3
I am d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s a n d b e l i e f s 7 .1
8.6
C o l l e g e is n o t g i v i n g m e e n o u g h h e l p w i t h m y m o r a l p r o b l e m s ......
M y p r e s e n t r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s are c o n f u s e d ............................
2.9
I have difficulty deciding between m y own and the g r o u p s ’ morals.
7 .1
C o l l e g e l i f e is w e a k e n i n g m y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s ........................
8.6
M y o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s ’ s t a n d a r d s ....... i o .o
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y f r i e n d s ’ b e l i e f s ....... 1U . 3
I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y d e c i d i n g w h i c h r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s are a d e q u a t e . . l . U
M y o w n s t a n d a r d of r i g h t a n d w r o n g is c h a n g i n g t o o f r e q u e n t l y . . . .
k.3

7 .2i
1 1 .U
17.6
30.9
11.0
5. 9
l l .U
7 -JU
9.0
11.14
10.3
7.k
6.2

I c a n ’t t e l l g o o d art f r o m b a d a r t .....................................
( items I n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e of h u m a n i t i e s s t u d e n t s is h i ghest)

25.
5.
73.
53.
23 .
U5.
72 .
kk.
hi.
19 .
2k.
97 .
66..

(R)
CT)
CR)
CT)

CR)
CM)

CR)
CM)
CM)
CM)

CR)
CR)
CM)

20.0
3 2 .5

37.5
20.0
15.0

23 .6
3 6 .6

15.7
2 .9

1 5 .0
17 .5
20 .0

1 3 .6

20.0
20.0

12 .1
17 .1
k.3
7.1

10 .0

12.5

5.7
1 1 .k

19.3

1 6 _u
lk.9
13 .2
12.9
12.1
12 .1
11.8
l l .It
10.0
9.7
8.6
8.2

(items i n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e o f n o - p r e f e r e n c e s t u d e n t s Is h i g h e s t . )
7 . Cg )
60. CG)
ol. CG)
33. CG)
27. CT)
17 . CM)
k l . CR)
31. CG)

I am h a v i n g d i f f i c u l t y s e t t i n g u p o b j e c t i v e s fo r m y s e l f ...........
C o l l e g e is n o t g i v i n g m e e n o u g h h e l p i n c l a r i f y i n g m y o b j e c t i v e s .
I d o n ’t k n o w w h i c h p h a s e of c o l l e g e l i f e to e m p h a s i z e .............
A t p r e s e n t I c a n ’t seem to get i n t e r e s t e d I n a n y t h i n g .............
I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y f a c i n g r e a l i t y .......................................
M y code of e t h i c s is c o n f u s e d ..........................................
I n e e d a p o s i t i v e and I n s p i r i n g f a i t h In s o m e t h i n g .................
I h a v e d i f f i c u l t y c h o o s i n g b e t w e e n s t u d y i n g an d g o i n g to a m o v i e .

21 .ii
Ik.3
20.0
20.0
1 k.3
8.5
8.6
21. U

31.2
18.0
21.0
23-5
9.6
6.6
10 . 3
21 .7

35.0
32 .5

12 .5
22 .5
1 5 .0
2 .5
17 .5
25 .0

5 5 .0
32 .9
28.6
35 . 0
20 .O
12 .1
17.9
30.0

33.6
18.6
16.1

15.0
lO.it
9.6
9.3
8.6

I t e m s are a r r a n g e d in order of d e c r e a s i n g d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n h i g h e s t a.nd l o w e s t p e r c e n t a g e , a n d g r o u p e d bya c a demic area, h a v i n g h i g h e s t p e r c e n t a g e o n a. g i v e n i tem.
O n l y t h o s e i tems c h e c k e d b y 5 % o r m o r e o f the
s a m p l e a n d w h i c h s h o w a d i f f e r e n c e of Q% or m o r e b e t w e e n h i g h e s t and l o w e s t p e r c e n t a g e are i n c l u d e d .
•3HS-

L e t t e r s r efer to v a l u e areas

as follows:

B —B e a u t y ,

G — Good, R - R e l i g i o n , M —R i g h t

and T - T r u t h .

i—'
^

Tlh

real and to the fact that the individual «s standard of truth conflicts
with his friends1 standards, though the latter is checked by nearly
the same proportion of humanities students.

The concern for knowing

what is ultimately real may be thought of as one expression of the
scientific motive and it is noteworthy that the science group is well
above the others in proportional checking of this item.
An examination of the individual items in which the percentage of
humanities students checking was highest on Table XVIII verifies the
finding already mentioned relative to the value areas in that the items
are almost all in the areas of religion and right.

The religious prob­

lems appear to reveal a pattern of confusion and conflict in religious
ideas.

For example, humanities students tend to lead others in assert­

ing that some college courses are weakening their religious beliefs,
that they are dissatisfied with traditional religious forms, and that
they are bothered by the conflict between science and religion.

This

tendency for humanities students to lead all other groups in the
incidence of religious problems finds some support in Katz and Allport*s
findings in their study of student problems already mentioned earlier
in this study.

They found that in the problem area of "religion and

philosophy of life"

13.2

percent of the fine arts group and only 6.0

percent of the sciences group expressed a need for help.

(17s89)

The problems of this group in the area of right reflect somewhat the
same types of concerns as those in religion with the added tendency for
humanities students to assert that college is weakening their moral
standards and failing to help them with their moral problems .

115

As has been already noted in Tables XVI and XVII the group of no
preference students leads the other groups in their proportional check­
ing in the area, of good.

The items in the area of good, according to

the data on Table XVIII, which the no preference group checks with
greater frequency than the others all deal with the problem of choice
of adequate goals and activities in college and life.

In several of

these items the difference between the percentage for the no preference
group and the next highest group is quite marked.

Such items include

the assertion that the student is having difficulty setting up objectives
for himself, that he is unable to decide which phase of college life
to emphasize and that at present he is unable to get interested in any­
thing.

Even the items in truth and religion showing greater differences

bear upon the general problem of lack of objectives, these being the
statement that the student has difficulty facing reality and that he
has a need for a positive and inspiring faith in something.

Since the

no preference group consists of students who have not declared a major
course in college, one would expect a considerable amount of aimlessness
and bewilderment with respect to objectives and goals.

Moreover, the

fact that none of the other academic groups considered in Table XVIII
leads in the proportional frequency of checking of any of these items
in the area of good further confirms the indecisive tendencies of the
no preference group.

Value Problems and Keligious Participation
It will be recalled from the discussion of the factor of frequency
of participation in church religious services in Chapter III that stu­
dents were classified according to four groups as follows:
participating "once a. week or oftener"
"occasionally" and "never" .

those

"one to three times s month" ,

In order to facilitate the discussion of

this factor which follows the first two of these four groups will be
referred to in terms which are somewhat more brief . The "once a week
*

or oftener" category will be referred to as the group attending regularly
and the "one to three times a month"
attending.

category as the group frequently

A further point to be made before beginning the analysis of

this factor is that its variables form a continuum of_, in this case,
frequency of religious participation from one extreme of attendance to
the other.

Attention is drawn to the fact, however, that because of

the paucity of cases in the "never" category it was deemed expedient to
eliminate it from the intercomparisons.
The relation of religious participation to value areas. Tables XIX
and XX summarize the results of the study of the relationship between
religious participation ana the five value areas . The mean number
of items checked in each value area by the various categories of students
in the factor appears in Table XIX.

The data show that the regularly

attending group tends to check more problems in all of the value areas
but religion as well as in all areas combined.

In religion the group

attending occasionally shows the highest mean number of problems .

117

TABLE XIX
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO EXTENT OF PARTICIPATION IN
CHURCH RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES ON THE BASIS OF THE MEAN NUMBER
OF PROBLEMS CHECKED IN EACH VALUE AREA*

Value Areas

Religion
Truth
Beauty
Right
Good
All areas com­
bined

Average Number Problems Checked Per Area
Once a.
Occasion­
1 to 3
times a
ally
Never
week or
month
More
N=l8
N =178
N-151
N-169
1.78
2 .l8x
1.73x
1.59*
2 .llpc

2.1a
1.95
1.32
1.31
1.80

2 .6lqc
1.70
1.61
1 .2b
1.81

9 ,50x

8.75

9.00

Difference

2.83
2.61
1.11
2.61
3.17

.77
,U8
.Ul
.35
.3k

12 .33

.71

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest average, "Never" group being ex­
cluded from comparison, "x" indicates highest average in
each area. Six "No answer"cases have been omitted from the
table .
Table XX reveals that xcLth respect to relative emphasis of the individu
als in these groups the pattern remains the same as for Table XIX.
In regard to the continuum of religious participation, several
consistent relationships are evident.

In both tables the figures for

the area of religion show a consistent increase from regular to occa­
sional attendance, while the opposite is true in the areas of truth
and right and, in the case of Table XX, the area of good.

These rela­

tionships imply that there may be a correlation between the extent of
church attendance and the area in which the individual will tend to
have most of his value problems.

For example, the data suggest that

118

TABLE XX
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO EXTENT OF PARTICIPATION
IN CHURCH RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER
AND PERCENT WHO PLACED MOST OF THEIR PROBLEMS
IN EACH GIVEN VALUE AREA5
"

Number and Percent Placing Most
Problems in Each Area
DifferValue Areas Once a week 1-3 times a.
ence
or more
Never
month
Occasionally
M=178
N =18
N =169
N=l5l
No . Percent
No . Percent No . Percent No . Percent
Religion
Truth
Be auty
Good
Right
Undet.
None
Totals

35
U2
31
38
18
7
7

19.7
23 ,6x
17 .Ux
21 .Ux
10 .lx
3.9
3.9

178 100.0

it7
3U
18
25
15
9
3

31.1
22.5
11.9
16.6
9.9
6.0
2.0

l£l 100.0

6k
21
29
19
11
10
7

37.9x
12 .k
17 .2
16.0
6.5
5.9
U.l

169 100.0

h
1
0
5
6
2
0

22 .2
5.5
0.0
27 .8
33.3
11.1
0.0

18

100.0

18.7
11.2
5.5
5.U
3.6

* Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest and lowest percentage, "Never" group being
excluded. Six "No answer" cases have been omitted from
the table . "x" indicates highest percent in each value
area.
the more frequently an individual attends church religious services the
more inclined he will be to have problems in the area, of truth and
right, while the more a student neglects going to church religious
services the more likely he is to have problems in religion.
While it may be difficult to account for the tendency of students
who attend regularly to have more problems in the areas of truth, beauty,
right and good, there appears to be substantial grounds for the ascend­
ency of religious problems among those attending occasionally.

One who

119

attends church regularly may generally be regarded as quite loyal to
the traditions and forms of his particular denomination.

As a conse­

quence , it is reasonable to assume that he is having relatively few
if any conflicts and concerns as to the soundness of these beliefs.
On the other hand, the student who attends church only occasionally is
obviously not very loyal at least to the forms of a given established
religious body.

He may be loyal to a personal faith of some sort, but

not to a given religious denomination.

It may therefore be assumed

with considerable assurance that the student who attends church religious
services only occasionally has somehow become dissatisfied with the
formalities of his religion.

It is out of such dissatisfaction and

skepticism that many questions and perplexities inevitably arise.
Frequency of religious participation and individual items. An
examination of the items in Table XXI in which the proportial response
of those attending regularly is highest reveals a variety of problems
covering all five areas . The largest number of these items are in the
area of truth.

The problems referred to in these truth items indicate

that these students tend to feel, to a greater extent than other students,
that their thinking is often inconsistent and that they wish to think
more logically and clearly.

Regularly attending students also cite

some conflicts and perplexities with respect to standards of truth,
The four items in the area of right which this same group checks with
higher proportions than the others reflect somewhat the same sorts of
problems . They assert that their moral standards conflict with the

TABXjjbO X X l

A COMPARISON

OF THIS P E R C E N T A G E OF R E S P O N S E S T O C H E C K L I S T ITEi-lS Oh’ S T U D E N T S C L A S S I F I E D A C C O R D I N G T O
E X T E N T OF P A R T I C I P A T I O N IN C H U R C H R E L I G I O U S A C T I V I T I E S

Che c k List
It em
Number-

Per-cent C h e c k i n g Item
O n c e a.
1 to 3
W e e k or- T i m e s
Occas—
Mever
ionally
Mere
a. Montli
1 78
151
169
IQ

It e m '

Differ­
ence
Between
Percents

( items i n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e o f s t u d e n t s a t t e n d i n g " O n c e a w e e k
or o f t e n e r " is h i g h e s t .
"x** i n d i c a t e s i t e m s i n w h i c h t h e r e is
a c o n s i s t e n t d e c r e a s e i r o n t h i s c a t e g o r y to " O c c a s i o n a l l y " .)
69 . C M ) ~Uip o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h the sts+idards o f t he group X 17 M
C o l l e g e d o e s n * t give enough, o p p o r t u n i t y f o r i n d i v i d u a l
l O O . (R>
r e l i g i o n s d e v e l o p m e n t ............................................
X
12.1+
M y t h i n k i n g i s o f t e n i n c o n s i s t e n t ................................. X
37 .6
53 - CT)
60 . CO)
C o l l e g e is n o t g i v i n g me e n o u g h h e l p i n c l a r i f y i n g m y
o b j e c t i v e s ..................... .............- ....... ............... . X
27 .5
1 n e e d to k n o w m o r e about e t h i c s a nd moral s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13 .5
95 . Cm )
3 0 .3
1 n e e d to k n o w m o r e about art i n g e n e r a l ........................
65. (B)
M y o w n standard of truth conflicts w i t h m y friends 1 standards
1+. CT)
21.3
I . CT)
X w a n t to t h i n k m o r e l o g i c a l l y a nd c l e a r I v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X
1+7 .7
X
1 6 .9
93 . Cm ) P r e s e n t d a y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s are too i n d e f i n i t e ..............
ll+.6
5 - Ct ) S o m e c o l l e g e c o u r s e s are c o n f u s i n g m y s t a n d a r d of t r u t h . . . . . .X
I don* t k n o w w h i c h p h a s e o f c o l l e g e l i f e to e m p h a s i z e ..... . . .X
2 6 .1+
81. Co)
M y o w n r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y f r i e n d s f b e l i e f s .. .
21+ . CR)
18.5
l O .1
89 . Cb ) M y o w n artistic t a s t e s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s * t a s t e s ...... X
67 . Cm ) X am c o n f u s e d b y the marry c o n f l i c t i n g s t a n d a r d s o f m o r a l i t y
15.2
t o d a y ................. ........... ............................. ....... X
12 . Cb ) X c a n * t t e l l g o o d art f r o m b a d a r t ................ ........... .
29 .2
28 . Ct ) P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s of t r u t h are to o i n d e f i n i t e ......... .
1 1 .8
(items i n w h i c h p e r c e n t a g e o f t h o s e
t i m e s p e r m o n t h " is h i g h e s t .)
97 - CR)
25 ill .
33 30.

CR)
CM)
Cg )
Ct )

15.3

3.0

16.7

11+ .1+

7 .9
.5

0.6
2 6 .O

5- 5
33 .3

1 1 .8
1 1 .6

21 .8
2 .6
r 20 vo
: 12 ..6
1+7 .o
9 .3
11 .9
21 .2
9 .3
5 .3

16.6
3 .5
16.6
39 .1
8.3
6.5
19 .5
11.8
3 .5

3 8 .9
11.1
16.7
1 1 .1
3 3 -3
16 . 7
5-5
16 . 7
1 6 .7
16.7

l O .9
l O .9
l O .3
8 .7
8 .6
8.6
8 .1
6.9
6.7
6 .6

1 1 .2
23 .8
6 .6

9 .5
27 .8
7 -1

16.7
16.7
5 .5

5.7
5-1+
5 .2

lO
13
12
29

6.5
5-3
5.3
26.6
20 .1

5.5
5 .5
27 .8
38.5
27 .8

9 .5
7 .9
7 .3
dS.<S
5.1

30

26.6

a t t e n d i n g "One to t h r e e

X h a v e d i f f i c u l t y d e c i d i n g w h i c h r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s are
a d e q u a t e ...... ................................ .............. ........ .
Some college c o u r s e s are w e a k e n i n g m y r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s ......
C o l l e g e life is w e a k e n i n g m y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s . . . . . ............
A t p r e s e n t I c a n ’t seem t o g et i n t e r e s t e d i n a n y t h i n g . .......
X n e e d to k n o w m o r e about l o g i c a nd the s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d ....

.1
.1
.8
.5
23 .6

.6
.2
.6
.1
25 .2

3 .9

9.9

21.3

3 3 .3

17 .1+

8.1+
7 .9
26.1+
7 .3
1 3 .5
37 .1
6.7

18.5
12 .6
30.5
12 .6
16.6
31.8
1+ .O

23 .1
18.9
35.5
11+ .8
20 .7
37 .3
9 .5

11 .1
22 .2
16.7
O .O
1 1 .1
66.7
5.5

11+ .7
11.0
9 .1
7 .5
7.2
5.5
5.5

1.1
9 .5
3.9

2 .6
12 .6
1+ .6

6.5
ll+.S
8.9

22 .2
1 1 .1

o _o

5.1+
5.3
5.0

1
lO
11
22

C Items i n wliich p e r c e n t a g e o f s t u d e n t s a t t e n d i n g " O c c a s i o n a l l y "
is h i g h e s t . x i n d i c a t e s i t e m s s h o v i n g a. c o n s i s t e n t i n c r e a s e
i n p e r c e n t a g e f r o m "Once a. w e e k or o f t e n e r " to " O c c a s i o n a l l y " 23 . CR)
22 . CR)
1+9 .
50 .
72 .
1+6.

CR)
CR)
CR)
CR)
7 . Co)
88 . Cb )
3 . Ct )
1+7 . CR)
71+ . CR)

X am d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l r e l i g i o n s p r a c t i c e s and
b e t i e f s .................................................... .
„x
X am c o n f u s e d b y the m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s
t o d a y ................................ ............................ .
.x
.x
M y o w n r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s are i n a d e q u a t e ...... .......... .
X n e e d to k n o w m o r e about r e l i g i o n i n g e n e r a l . . . . .......... .x
M y p r e s e n t r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s are confused. ........ . . . . . . . . . .x
X d o n ’t k n o w enongli about the m e a n i n g o f r e l i g i o n . ........ . .x
X h a v e d i f f i c u l t y s e t t i n g up o b j e c t i v e s f o r m y s e l f ..........
X can* t t e l l good m u s i c f r o m p o o r m u s i c ........ ........... .
X am no l o n g e r able to h o l d to a t r a d i t i o n a l s t a n d a r d of
.x
t r u t h ............... ............... ........... ................ .
I n e e d a p o s i t i v e and i n s p i r i n g f a i t h i n s o m e t h i n g . ........ .x
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s c o n f l i c t w i t h m y p a r e n t s * b e l i e f s . .x

Items are arranged, i n o r d e r of d e c r e a s i n g d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n h i g h e s t a nd l o w e s t p e r c e n t a g e , e x c l u d i n g the
" N e v e r 11 g r o u p , and g r o u p e d b y extent, of p a r t i c i p a t i o n c l a s s i f i c a t i o n h a v i n g h i g h e s t p e r c e n t a g e o n g i v e n
item.
" N e v e r 11 group lias "been o m i t t e d f r o m c o m p a r i s o n b e c a u s e of s m a l l n e s s o f s a mple and the f a c t that it
c o n t a i n e d a d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y liigli n u m b e r of c a s e s witli 20 or m o r e p r o b l e m s . O n l y i t e m s i n wliicli d i f f e r ­
ences o f
or m o r e o c c u r are i n c l u d e d i n t able .
L e t t e r s r e f e r to value areas

as fol l o w s :

B —B e a u t y , G— Good, E - R e l i g i o n , H —R i g h t a n d T - T r u t h .

121
groups that present day standards of morality are too indefinite and
that they

need to know more about ethics and morals .

The two religious

problems in

which the students who

attendregu­

larly lead the others in proportional frequency of checking Imply that
their own religious beliefs are comparatively stable, for they assert
that college does not give enough opportunity for individual religious
development and that their own beliefs tend to conflict with the beliefs
of others . The items in the area, of good indicate some difficulty in
deciding what phase of college to emphasize and point to the fact that
college is not giving them enough help in clarifying their objectives.
The items

dealing with the area of

beauty point mainly to

a needto

know more

about art in general andan inability to discriminate ade­

quately in the arts t though among these items the contrast is with
those attending frequently rather than with students who attend only
occasionally.
The group of students who attend church religious services fre­
quently checked only five items with greater proportional frequency than
the other groups. These items reflect a scattering of problems. The
two items in the area of religion indicate' some tendency towards a,
weakening of religious beliefs in that they assert that the individual
has difficulty in deciding which religious beliefs are adequate and
that some college courses are weakening his religious beliefs. The
item in the area of right also points to a slight debilitating effect
of college courses ^ in this case a weakening of moral standards.

In

the area, of good the item in which students attending frequently lead

122
the others asserts that the student can’t seem to get interested in
anything at this time . And the item in the area, of truth points to
the need to know more about logic and the scientific method.
An examination of the individual items in Table XXI in which the
group attending occasionally surpassed the others in frequency of check­
ing corroborates the findings with respect to value areas discussed
earlier in this section.
area of religion.

Eight out of eleven of these items are in the

These problems point essentially to the fact that

this group is experiencing considerable confusion and conflict with,
respect to their religious beliefs.

For example, they are dissatisfied

with traditional religious forms, are confused by current conflicting
beliefs and assert that their own beliefs are inadequate and confused.
In addition, they express a. need to know more about religion in general
and a need for a positive and inspiring faith in something. It is
noteworthy in addition that the proportion checking each of these
religious items increases in direct relationship to the decrease in
frequency of church attendance, a circumstance which substantiates the
possibility of their being a correlation between the frequency of church
attendance and.the incidence of religious problems.

Moreover, because

of the marked difference in percentage along the continuum in the item
dealing with the dissatisfaction with traditional religious practices
and beliefs, the implication is that the answer to the religious per­
plexities students who attend church only occasionally does not neces­
sarily lie in the direction of established religion.

123
Value Problems and the Occupation of the Student1s Father
As in the case of the previous section, it will be necessary to
employ terms which are more brief in order to facilitate the discussion
of the factor of occupation of the student’s father.

Therefore, in the

ensuing material the various occupational background groups in this
phase of the study will be referred to as follows: the professional
and semi-professional background group will be referred to as the
professional, the background category of managers and officials as
managers and the group of laborers, operatives and clerks as laborers.
The group of students whose fathers are farmers or farm managers has
been maintained as a distinct category, but because of its small size
as a sub-sample it has been excluded from intereomparisons. This
latter group will be compared with the remainder of the sample at a
later point in the chapter. A further point to be mentioned before
entering into the discussion of the factor of father’s occupation is
that its categories form a continuum of socio-economic and to some extent
educational status.

This point has been discussed in greater detail in

Chapter III.
The relation of father’s occupation to value problem areas . T able
XXII reports the results of the comparison of the occupational groups on
the basis of their proportional frequency of checking of each of the
five value areas.

It can be seen in this table that the labor background

group not only checks more problems in all areas combined than the others
but also responds with greater proportional frequency to each of the

12k

TABLE XXII
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO GENERAL LEVEL OF FATHER1S
OCCUPATION ON THE BASIS OF MEAN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS CHECKED
IN EACH VALUE'AREA*

Mean Number Problems Checked Per Area
Profes­ Managers Laborers
Farmers
sionals & Offi­
Clerks
Operatvs.
cials
N=10U
N =205
N=137
N=37

Value Areas

Truth
Be auty
Right
Good
Religion
All Areas Combined

1.58
1.18
1.38
1.75
2 .18
8.80

1.8U
1.36
1.20
1.89
2.03
8.32

2.32x
1.7bc
1 .Ulx
2 .09x
2 ,3Ux
9.97*

2.U6
2 .92
2.08
2.59
3.13
13.19

Differe

.7U
.56
.37
•3U
.31
1.89

"" Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between highest, and lowest, average; "Farmer'1 group being
excluded from comparisons . 39 cases lacking sufficient
information have been eliminated from table . "x" indicates
highest average in each area.
value areas.

The data in Table XXIII however indicate that the emphasis

of these groups on the areas varies from this pattern to some extent.
The professional background group tended as individuals to place most
of their responses in the area of religion while students whose fathers
are managers showed more proportional stress on the area of good.

The

evidence of consistent relationships along the continuum is not as
marked in this factor as it has been in those previously studied, the
area of truth being the only one to show such a relationship in both
tables .
It is also noteworthy that the area, of truth shows the greatest
difference between figures on each table . It may thus be stated with

125

TABLE XXIII
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO GENERAL LEVEL OF FATHER1S
OCCUPATION ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER AND PERCENT WHO PLACED
MOST OF THEIR PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA*"
Number and Percent Placing Most Problems
__________________In Each Area_________________
Value Areas Professional Managers &
Laborers
DifferOfficials
Operatives
Farmers
ence
N=10U
N =205
Clerks N=137
N =37
No . Percent No . Percent •No . Percent No. Percent
Truth
Religion
Good
Right
Beauty
Undet.
None
Totals

15
36
20
9
15
6
3

lU.ii
3k .6x
19.2
8.7
±k.k
5.8
2.9

10U 100.0

38
58

U5
15
27
12
10

18.5
28.3
2 1 .9x
7.3
13.2
5.9
k.9

205 100.0

33
36
19
17
23
5
b

21.14X
26.3
13.9
12 .Ux
1 6 .8x
3.6
2.9

137 100.0

5
12

5
6
8
l
0

13.5
35.5
13.5
16.2
21.6
2.7
0 .0

9.7
8.3
8.0
5.1
3 .6

37 100.0

* Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
• between highest and lowest percentage, "Farmer" group being
excluded from comparisons. 39 cases lacking sufficient
information have been eliminated from table, "x11 indicates
highest percentage in each value area.
some assurance that the concern for problems in the value area, of truth
tends to decrease as one goes higher on the socio-economic scale and
the educational scale.

Table XXII shows that the areas of good and

beauty exhibit this same relationship in respect to the mean number of
problems checked whilb religion shows the opposite tendency in terms
of relative emphasis of the individuals on the given areas as evidenced
in Table XXIII.

126

Individual items and occupation of students father. The tendency
of the professional background group to emphasize problems in religion
is revealed in the fact that on Table XXIV two out of the three items
in which they led the other groups in frequency of checking are religious
items . These items point to the fact that the student is confused by
the current conflicting religious beliefs and that he is asserting that
he doesn't know enough about the meaning of religion.

The other item,

which is in the area of right, intimates that the student is having
difficulty deciding between his and the group's moral standards.

The

manager background group is highest in proportional frequency of check­
ing in only four items— in a fifth its proportion of individuals check­
ing is identical to those with a labor background for the same item.
These items represent all five areas and point to no particular pattern
or problem emphasis.
In accordance with the figures for the mean number of checks in
each value area in Table XXII, Table XXIV reveals the fact that the
labor background group leads the other groups in their proportional
response to twice as many items as the other two combined.

These 16

items are distributed almost equally among the five areas . The items
in the area of truth tend to place more stress on the conflict of standards
than they do on the inadequacy of the thinking process . It will be noted
that each of these truth items varies directly with the continuum as
has already been pointed-out with respect to truth as an area.

One

possible explanation of why truth items are of more concern to students
of the lower end of the socio-economic scale may lie in the fact that

TABLE XXIV

A C O M P A R I S O N OF T H E P E R C E N T A G E O F R E S P O N S E S T O C H E C K L I S T I T E M S OB’ S T U D E N T S C L A S S I F I E D A C C O R D I N G
TO GENERAL OCCUPATIONAL FIE L D OF F A T H E R

C h e c k List
Item
Number*

Proles—
sionals

Item

N=105

P e r c e n t C h e c k i n s Item
Managers
Laborers,
&. O H i —
Clerks &
Farmers
cials
Operatives
N=205
N =137
N =37

Differ­
ence
Between
Percents

C l t e m s i n w h i c h t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f p r o f e s s i o n a l s is h i g h e s t .
jx i n d i c a t e s i t e m s s h o w i n g a c o n s i s t e n t d e c r e a s e i n p e r c e n t ­
age f r o m ’‘P r o f e s s i o n a l s 11 ’to " L a b o r ^ c l e r k ^ o p e r a t i v e s ” .
22 .

56.
55.

CR)' *'I am c o n f u s e d b y t h e m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g r e l i g i o u s ‘belief's
t o d a y ..................................... ................ .
X cion*! k n o w enough, about t he m e a n i n g o f r e l i g i o n . ..... .x
CR)
Cm )
X h a v e d i f f i c u l t y d e c i d i n g b e t w e e n m y o w n a n d "the
groups * morals
...... .

19-2
19 .2

17 .2

17 .5
12 .5

11.5

6.3

6.6

23 .1
8.7
20 .2

15-6

11 .7

25 .3

7 .5
6.8

16.2

8 .1

5.2

( I t e m s i n w h i c h 1)116 p e r c e n t a g e of manager's is highest..)
53 . Ct )
59 . CR)
81. Co)
16 . Cm )
65.

Cb )

M y "thinking is o f t e n i n c o n s i s t e n t ........................
M y o w n r e l i g i o u s belief's ar e i n a d e q u a t e
............
I d o n ’t- k n o w w h i c h p h a s e of c o l l e g e l i f e to e m p h a s i z e .
X d o n ’t k n o w w h a t a t t i t u d e to "take t o w a r d s c h e a t i n g o n
e x a m s ................... ................... ........ .......... .
X need, iso k n o w m o r e about art i n g e n e r a l ...............

2 3 .9

30,7
12 ,i4
17 -5

56 .6
13-5
32 -5

i o .6
6.9
6 .5

3-8
21.2

9.8
26.3

5-8
■26-3

lO .8
32 .5

6. 0
5.1

9.6
18.3
9 .6

8.3
20 .5
6.8

25.5
32 . 1
15 . 3

29 .7
58.6
1 6 .2

1 3 .5

16.1

21.9

21.6

8.5

17 .3
5.8

18 .O
5 -9

25-5
12 .5

27 -O
13 -5

8 .2
7 .6

13 -5
3.8
3.8

15.1
2 .9
8 .9

20 .5
9.5
l O .2

13 -5
25 .3
18 .9

6.9
6.6
6.5

8 .7

3 .9

lO .2

5.5

6 .3

2 .9

5 .9

8.8

2 .7

5. 9

18.3
7 .7

22 .5
7 .3

25 .1
13.1

27 .O
5.5

5.8
5.8

1 .0

3 .4

6 .6

8.7

5-6

5 .6

3 .5

8.8

lO .8

5.5

6.7

7 -o

11.7

10 . 8

5.0

33-7

(items i n w h i c h the p e r c e n t a g e o f “L a b o r , c l e r k , o p e r a ­
t i v e group is highest-.
x i n d i c a t e s i t e m s s h o w i n g a. c o n
s i s t e n t i n c r e a s e f r o m " P r o f e s s i o n a l s ” to th i s g r o u p .)

Co)

12 . Cb )

5 l . Cm )
2 . Ct )
73.

CR)

61 . Cb )
5 . Ct )
8 6 . Cb )

28 . CT)
35 . C g )
75 . CR)
30.

CT)

71 . CR)
52 . CM)
15.

CB)

69 , CM)

P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s o f g o o d are t oo i n d e f i n i t e .......
X c a n ’t t e l l g o o d art f r o m b a d art
................ .
C o l l e g e l i f e is w e a k e n i n g m y m o r a l s t a n d a r d s
......
X am c o n f u s e d b y the m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g s t a n d a r d s o f t r u t ■J.1
today
..... ........................... .
I am b o t h e r e d b y the c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n s c i e n c e a nd
religion
........ ........... ..........................
X d o n ’t k n o w e n o u g h a b o u t t h e t h e o r y of b e a u t y . ........
M y o w n s t a n d a r d of t r u t h c o n f l i c t s witli m y f r i e n d s ’
standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I c a n ’t t e l l g o o d a r c h i t e c t u r e f r o m p o o r a r c h i t e c t u r e . . .
P r e s e n t d a y s t a n d a r d s o f t r u t h are t oo i n d e f i n i t e ......
M y o w n s t a n d a r d of g o o d c o n f l i c t s w i t h m y p a r e n t s *
s t a n d a r d ..... .................................. .............
M y own religious beliefs conflict w i t h m y parents*
b e l i e f s ..... ........................................ .
I n e e d to k n o w m o r e about l o g i c a n d th e s c i e n t i f i c
....... .............................................
method.
M y life seems to h a v e no m e a n i n g .
..............
X have d i f f i c u l t y distinguisliing b e t w e e n r i g h t and
....... ................................. .
wrong
C o l l e g e is n o t h e l p i n g m e d e v e l o p an a d equate s t a n d a r d
o f be a u t y ............ ................. ...................... .
M y o w n m o r a l s t a n d a r d s c o n f l i c t w i t h the s t a n d a r d s of

17 -2
-8
8.5

13

I t e m s are a r r a n g e d i n o r d e r of d e c r e a s i n g d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n the liighest a n d lovrest p e r c e n t a g e , e x c l u d i n g
the 11F a r m e r ” group, and g r o u p e d b y o c c u p a t i o n a l l e v e l h a v i n g h i g h e s t p e r c e n t a g e f or g i v e n item.
’’F a r m e r ”
group h a s b e e n o m i t t e d from c o m p a r i s o n s b e c a u s e of the p e c u l i a r i t i e s of the group.
39 cases have b e e n
e l i m i n a t e d f r o m the sample b e c a u s e of l a c k of i n f o r m a t i o n .
O n l y items s h o w i n g a d i f f e r e n c e of x~>% or m o r e
are i n c l u d e d i n the table .
L e t t e r s r e f e r to value areas

as follows:

3 —B e a u t y ,

G —Good, R - R e l i g i o n , M —R i g h t and T —T r u t h

128

the home atmosphere of these students is less likely to be conducive
to thinking about ideas and issues bearing on the problem of truth.
By comparison the home atmosphere of a professional njan is more likely
to involve discussions of ideas and problems relating to basic value
issues.

At the same time there is some reason to believe, due to the

lower educational level (in terms of college education) that the
general standards of the labor group would be more conservative and
narrow while the professional group's standards would tend to be more
liberal.

Consequently, students from professional family backgrounds

would be less likely to have difficulties regarding value standards in
the process of learning and developing beyond the home.

In one respect,

one may assume that students whose fathers are professional men are
more adequately prepared to cope with value problems in many ways than
the student from the labor background.
Table XXIV also discloses that the labor background group leads
the others in their frequency of checking of four items in the area of
beauty.

Two of these indicate feelings of inadequacy with respect to

judging the merit of artistic creations and one a lack of knowledge
about art.

There is a particularly marked difference between the pro­

fessional and labor background groups in the item citing the student's
inability to tell good art from poor art which suggests that as in the
area of truth, the problem of artistic discrimination may also be in­
fluenced by the home environment.

The three items in the area of

right al1 point to perplexities and conflicts relative to the moral
standard.

One of these, the assertion that college is weakening the

129

student*s moral standard shows a rather marked difference compared
with the percentage for the manager group and to a lesser extent with
the professional group.
The items in the area, of religion showing higher proportions of
those with a. labor background checking assert that the student is
bothered by the conflict between science and religion, that his own
religious beliefs conflict with his parents1 beliefs, and that the
student feels that his life seems to have no meaning.

These items are

somewhat suggestive of the two in which the professional background
group leads the others . The general difference between the professional
and the labor background groups with respect to religion are first, that
for the former group religious problems are essentially the only ones
in which they are highest, and secondly, that this same group expresses
some confusion but realizes the need for more knowledge while the group
of students with a labor background cites conflicts and asserts that
life seems to have no meaning.

The differences between percentages

among these items, however, tend to be quite small and thus can be
understood only as trends at best.
The two items in the area of good in which the labor background
group leads the others both have to do with the judgment of good as
such and not with the problem of objectives and activities. A particu­
larly marked difference between the percentage for this group and the
other two groups is evident in the item citing that present day standards
of good are too indefinite.

This circumstance tends to reinforce what

has already been stated in terms of the apparent tendency towards

130

conservatism of the labor background group since it would be reason­
able to expect the less conservative students to be less concerned
about the indefiniteness of standards .
Farm Background and Value Problems
As was pointed out in the previous section, the intercomparison
of the group of students with farm backgrounds was not attempted
along with the other occupational groups because of the small size of
the sample.

A further reason for deferring tills analysis was because

of the rather unique occupation of the farmer— the fact that he is in
a very real sense a combination of the manager and the laborer and to
some extent the professional men.

Moreover, this group lives in a

rural environment while the other occupational groups are essentially
urban. In this section of the study the sample has been broken into
only two groups, the one consisting of the students with fathers who
are farmers or farm managers and the other including all other students.
To facilitate discussion of this factor, the groups will be referred
to respectively as the rural group and the urban group. In Chapter III
it was pointed out that 90 percent of the rural group lived in villages
under 2^00 or on farms, 80 percent living on farms proper.
The relation between rural background and value problem areas .
The data on the mean number of problems checked by the two groups in
each of the value areas is provided in Table XXV.

The table discloses

that the rural group not only checks a greater proportion of items in

131

TABLE XXV
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS OF RURAL BACKGROUND WITH ALL OTHER STUDENTS
ON THE BASIS OF THE MEAN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS CHECKED
IN EACH VALUE AREA*

Value Areas

Mean Number of Problems Checked Per Area.
Rural
Urban
N 4|l(.6
N=37

Beauty
Religion
Right
Good
Truth
All areas combined

2.92x
3.13x
2.08x
2 .59x
2 .U6x
13 .19x

l.Uh
2.16

1.35
1.92
1.90

8.77

Difference

1.U8
.97
.73
.67
.56
U.U2

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between averages. 39 cases lacking occupational data have
been omitted from table, "x" indicates highest average in
each value area.
each value area but also for all the areas combined.

Moreover, the

differences between the percentages are greater than they have been for
any of the other factors discussed. A considerable amount of this
difference can be attributed to the great discrepancy between the sizes
of the sub-samples, a condition which, in the case of the rural group,
enables a few cases checking large numbers of problems to distort the
percenta.ge for the whole group.

Nevertheless, there does appear to be

a marked tendency for students of rural background to check greater
numbers of value problems . Table XXVX discloses the relative emphasis
which the individuals of these two groups placed on the five areas as
signified by the proportion placing most of their problems in each area.
The data show that while the rural group tends to emphasize the areas

132

TABLE XXVI
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS WHOSE FATHERS ARE FARMERS WITH ALL OTHER
OCCUPATIONAL CROUPS ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER AND PERCENT
WHO PLACED MOST OF THEIR PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN AREA*

Value Areas

Number and Percent Placing Most
Problems in Each Area.
Urb an N =556
Rural N=37
No . Percent
Ho . Percent

Right
Beauty
Truth
Good
Religion
Undet.
None

6
8
5
5
12
l
0

Totals

37

16.6x
21.6x
13.5
13 .5
32 .5x
2.7
0.0
100.0

51
65
86
85
130

23
17
556

9.2
15.6
19 .3x
18,8x
29.1
5.2
3.8

Difference

7 .5
7.0
5.8
5.3
3.5

100.0

Value areas are arranged in order of decreasing difference
between percentages . 39 cases lacking occupational data
have been omitted from the table, "x" indicates highest
percentage for each value area.
of right, beauty and religion, the urban students stress the truth and
good areas.

The findings of these two tables support the general notion

that the rural student apparently faces a more difficult task of adjust­
ment in coining into the college environment than the city bred student.
On the other hand, the rural student may be more candid about his prob­
lems than the somewhat more sophisticated urban student and thus more
willing to admit having such problems as these . Whatever the reason
for the difference, it is clear that the rural group checks considerably
more problems in the whole field of values than the urban.

133

The relation of rural background to individual items.

A summary

of the relative frequency with 'which the urban and rural groups checked
individual items on the check list appears in Table XXVII.

It will be

noted that this table contains only items in which the proportion of
the rural group checking is greater than the urban.

Although the urban

students actually did check 22 items more frequently than the rural,
the greatest percentage difference between the two groups for any one
of these items was only h.3 percent, while the average for all of the
differences was only 2.1 percent.

Since these all tended to be well

below the various cutting points used in the study of the other factors
in this chapter, the 22 items were judged too insignificant to consider
in this study.
An examination of Table XXVII reveals that it contains items in
all five areas representing a. variety of types.

From this group of

problems there emerge some concerns worthy of particular note.

It can

be seen that more of these items refer to the area of beauty than to
any other area.

These items in the area of beauty point mainly to the

inability to discriminate aesthetically in most branches of the arts
as well as to the assertion that the student’s standard of aesthetic
judgment is inadequate.

The rural student’s tendency to find artistic

judgment more of a. problem than the urban student may probably be
partly accounted for in the fact that he is more likely to be isolated
from the world of the arts than the city dweller . Another factor may
be the more conservative nature of the thinking and standards of rural
people in general.

While the differences between the rural and the

A COMPARISON BliTWElSfci STUDENTS Ob' UidBAI'J AND RURAL iSACKGiiOUNJJ ON THE O A S IS Ob' T il,. I W J E N T I C E OP
RESPONSES TO INDIVIDUAL CHECK L IS T ITEMS

Item
Lumber
12. (B)
68. (13)
66. (B)
53. (!)
31. (G)

92. (1-1)
36. (B)
66. (m)
e . ( g)
50. (R)
33. ( g)
62. (13)
7. (G)

13.
1.
98.
61.
28.
63.

(B)
(1)
(a)

(G)
(I)
(3)

75. (R)
U3- (M)
22. (R)

Item
I c a n 't t e l l good art from bad a r t ......................................................................
I c a n 't t e l l good music from poor music......................... .................................
I can 't t e l l good architecture from poor a rc h ite c tu re .................................
My thinking is often in c o n siste n t.......................................................................
I ha.ve d if f ic u lty choosing between studying and going to a movie............
I am wondering whether to smoke or drink ju st because the crowd d o es...
I don't know what colors go well to g e th er........................................................
My own standard of rig h t and wrong is changing too freq u en tly .................
Present day standards of good are too in d e f in ite ...........................................
I need to know more about relig io n in general................................................
At present I c a n 't seem to get interested in anything.................................
I c a n 't t e l l good lite r a tu r e from poor l i t e r a t u r e ................... .....................
I am having d if f ic u lty s e ttin g up objectives for m yself.............................
I need help in developing a more adequate standard of beauty...................
I want to think more lo g ic a lly and c l e a r ly ......................................................
I need help in working out my religious philosophy.......................................
I don't know which phase of college l i f e to emphasize.................................
Present day standards of tru th are too in d e f in ite ........................................
Present day ta ste s in a rt are too in d efin ite for me'.....................................
I fe e l the need to develop a more adequate religious philosophy.............
I need to have help in dealing with moral problems......................................
I am confused by the many conflicting religious b eliefs today.................

Percent Checking I tom Difference
Rural
Urban Between
M=37
N=J|)|6 Percents
88.6

23.8

2J|.3
2li.3
M3.6

5.1
5.1

30.3

60.5

22.lt

16.3
18.1

28.3
21.6
21.6
29.7
1.13.2

6.5

17.6

5.5
5.8

17.1
15.8
15.6
13.6
13.8
13.3
13.2
13.1
12 .8

37.8
2li.3

13.9
29 Ji
2 I.1 .0

18.9

11.0
35 .8
5.6

51.1.1

39.0

18.9
32.8
16.9

6.7
21.1
6.1
11 Ji

1)8.6

21.1.8
19.2
19.2

12 .2

11.3

21.6
27.0

16.8

13.5

8.2

10.6
10.2
10.2
9.3

2l( .3

15.2

9.1

Items are arranged in order of decreasing difference between percentages. Thirty-nine cases lacking
information on occupation are not included in the tab le. Only items with a difference of eight percent
or more are included in th is t a b l e .
Letter in parentheses denotes the value area to which each item r e f e r s . Code is as follows: B-Beauty,
T-Truth, G-Good, M-Right, R-Religion.

135

urban cultures are steadily diminishing through the development of more
effective communications, there are still apparently some rather deepseated differences between the two groups as borne out, for example, in
the foregoing data.

The field of the arts is apparently still quite

foreign to the way of life of the farm family.
The three items in the area of truth point mainly to the feeling
of inadequacy in the thinking processes.

In the area of good the items

deal essentially with the problem of choice of goals and objectives,
suggesting that the student of farm background is inclined to be some­
what more perplexed about what he is going to do and be in life than
the urban youth.

Their problems in the area of right suggest that they

have somewhat greater difficulty than the urban students in trying to
decide moral issues and that they tend to feel they need help in this
matter.

In the area of religion the problems the rural group checks

more frequently point to the need to know more about religion and the
need to develop a more adequate philosophy of religion.

They assert

that they need help in working out this pliilosophy and also indicate
that they tend to be confused by conflicting religious beliefs. Thus
in general, the rural student is apparently meeting with a wider variety
of perplexities in the area, of religion than the ■urban student.
Summary
This chapter has consisted of a discussion of the results of the
Value Problems Check List as they have related to six characteristics
of students.

These six factors were sex, class, academic ability,

136

general academic area, frequency of participation in church religious
services and father’s occupation. In the case of the latter factor,
an additional analysis was made of the differences between rural and
urban students . In summarizing the results of this phase of the re­
search the following points seem to be of most significance.
1. With respect to the proportional response to the check list as
a whole by the various groups within the six factors the data showed
that the types of individuals who tended to have the most problems were
as follows:

men, freshmen, students of average scholastic ability,

students in the humanities, students who attend church regularly,
students with fathers at the lower end of the occupational scale and
students of rural background.
2. Variations among the sub-groups within each factor in proportional
response to the five value areas pointed to the fact that certain types
of individuals tended to have more problems than others in each value
area.

Summarized by value area, the sub-groups tending to have the most

problems in each area were as follows:
Individuals tending to check the most problems in the area of truth
were men, freshmen, students of low scholastic ability, science students,
those who attend church regularly, students from lower occupational
backgrounds and rural students.
Groups tending to check a greater proportion of problems in the
area of good were men, freshmen, students of low scholastic ability,
no preference students, students who attend church regularly, students
from lower occupational backgrounds and rural students.

137

The types of individuals who were inclined to check greater pro­
portions of items in the area, of beauty were men, freshmen, students
of low scholastic ability, science students, those who attend church
regularly, students from lower occupational backgrounds and rural
students.
Groups tending to check the greatest number of problems in the
area of right were men, sophomores, students of high scholastic ability,
humanities students, students who attend church regularly, students of
lower occupational background and rural students .
Students tending to check the greatest proportion of problems in
the area of religion were men, sophomores, students of average scholastic
ability, those who attend church occasionally, students of lower occu­
pational background and rural students.
3.

The study of the relationship between the six factors and the

responses to the individual check list items revealed variations between
the sub-groups within the factors.

These variations disclosed that some

rather specific problem patterns tended to be associated with mary of
these sub-groups . Summarised according to the six factors, the more
significant problem patterns appeared to be as follows:
Sex:

Men had difficulty in aesthetic judgment and tended to show

considerable confusion with respect to objectives in college and life.
Women had most of their problems in the area of religion, these prob­
lems reflecting mainly .a desire to know more about religion.
Class:

Freshmen cited difficulties with clear thinking and were

perplexed as to the choice of goals and activities in college and life.

138

Sophomores cited religious problems which generally indicated a tend­
ency towards- the weakening of religious beliefs .
Scholastic Ability:

Students of high scholastic ability had most

of their problems in religion and morals . The general nature of these
problems in both areas reflected a tendency to have conflicts with ref­
erence to the standards and to reject traditional standards and beliefs.
Students of low ability tended to have their difficulties with respect
to critical thinking and aesthetic judgment.
General Academic Area:

Science and social science students had

difficulty in artistic discrimination.

Humanities students had most

of their problems in the areas of religion and right.

These problems

revealed tendencies towards the weakening of religious beliefs and
perplexities in moral issues.

Moist of the problems of the no preference

students reflected difficulties in determining adequate goals and
activities in college and life.
Frequency of Religious Participation:

Students who attend church

regularly tended to have their problems with reference to clear think­
ing.

Students who attend church only occasionally had most of their

problems in religion.

These religious problems indicated a tendency

to reject traditional religious forms and to experience difficulties in
arriving at an adequate religious philosophy.
Father*s occupation:

Students from professional backgrounds tended

to have problems in religion which indicated some confusion in beliefs
and a need to know more about religion.

Students from lower occupational

backgrounds had most of their problems in the areas of beauty and truth.

139

Problems in the area of beauty indicated difficulties in artistic dis­
crimination and problems in truth suggested confusion relative to
standards and a need to know more about clear thinking.
Rural background:

Students of rural background had most of their

problems in the area, of beauty, these being mainly concerned with artis­
tic discrimination.

They also tended to stress difficulties in deter­

mining objectives in college and life.

To a lesser extent they indi­

cated some perplexities relating to moral judgment.
U. A number of consistent relationships between the value areas
and certain items on the one hand and the three factors whose categories
constituted a continuum on the other were evident. These three factors,
it will be recalled were scholastic ability, frequency of religious
participation and father’s occupation.

It was noted with considerable

frequency that the means and percentages for the five areas and a, number
of items varied consistently with the continuua. of these three factors .
A summary of the occurrance of this phenomenon reveals that with respect
to the value areas the consistent relationship occurred 19 out of 26
possible times or in 73 percent of the cases.

In terms of individual

items, frequency of checking varied consistently with the continuua 52
out of 70 possible times or in 7U percent of the cases. These data
suggest that there is some basis for assuming a substantial degree of
correlation between certain student characteristics and value problems.

CHAPTER VI
RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF THE SOURCES OF GUIDANCE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE VALUE PROBLEM AREAS
Introduction
The two preceding chapters consisted of a discussion of the results
of the Value Problems Check List survey of the types and frequency of
problems students have with their value standards. The present chapter
is concerned with the results of an examination of the sources of guid­
ance associated with these problems by the sample of students under
study.

The data for this phase of the research were collected by means

of a check list of sources described in Chapter III and identified in
this study as the Sources Check List .■*" It will be recalled that this
device consisted of five sub-tests, all identical in form and content
but for the given value area, Involved.

In the case of each sub-test the

given value area was stated as a broad problem defining that value area
which, it will be remembered, was concealed from the student in the
Value Problems Check List.
The objective of the present chapter is to describe and discuss
the responses of the sample in terms of the two appraisals of the sources
of guidance under study in this research.

These appraisals designated

sources as (l) those which students felt should be of help to individuals

1. For a more detailed description of this instrument see page 42.

iia

with problems in each of the value areas, and (2) those which students
had found to be helpful to them .
The methods of analysis employed in this chapter, while not complex,
are believed to be sufficient to the aims of the research.

The results

of the various elements of the check list sub-tests have been summarized
as totals and percentages.

Considerable use is made of the device of

comparing proportions rather than totals, this being necessitated by a.
type of analysis in which varying portions of the sample were used.
The sample upon which the data in this chapter are based consists of
U85 students . It was found necessary to eliminate 37 cases from the
original sample of 522 because it was apparent that these students had
seriously misunderstood the instructions and marked their questionnaires
inaccurately.
The content of this chapter is based on a plan of organization in­
volving the following sections. The section which follows the intro­
duction will examine the results of the Degree of Concern scales and
indicate some relationships between the content of this phase of the
research and the Value Problems Check List results. This will be followed
by a section discussing the sources which students felt should be of
help to them relative to value problems . The discussion of the sources
which students have found to be of help will follow.

This section will

consider, in addition the relation between the two aspects of the ap­
praisal of the sources . Next, the analysis will turn to an examination
of the results of the Comparative Importance Scale.

Finally, the more

1U2

importsnt findings of this section of the research dealing with sources
of guidance will be summarized.
The Results of the Degree of Concern Scales
While the Degree of Concern Scales are a secondary part of the
study of the sources of guidance, an examination of their results pro­
vides additional information relative to student problems with value
standards.

This phase of the study will also indicate some connections

between the five value areas as they were expressed through the items
of the Value Problems Check List and as they were described in the five
broad problem statements in the Sources Check List.

As was pointed out

in Chapter III, the necessity of concealing the structure of the check
list in the former instrument precluded the defining of the value areas
in specific terms.

In the Sources Check List, however, a summary-

definition of each of the five value areas was formulated with the
realization that such general statements might very possibly fail to
convey to the student respondent the same meaning as the twenty individual
items supposedly representing them in the Value Problems Check List.
A summary of the degree of concern of the students in the sample
for the five value areas stated as broad problems is presented in Table
XXVIII.

A study of the percentages in the response MA great deal" shows

that religion is the area of greatest intensity of concern, a fact which
was suggested in the results of the Value Problems Check List.

Right

is second in order of intensity followed by good, truth and beauty in
that order.

The "Not at all" response provides an index of the extent

lij-3

to which students claim no concern for the given areas . Almost onethird of the sample placed beauty in this category but only one-tenth
so checked religion.

It is noteworthy, however, that more students

failed to respond to the degree of concern scale in the religion area
than in any other.
TABLE XXVIII
A COMPARISON OF THE DEGREE OF CONCERN OF h8/'STUDENTS FOR FIVE
VALUE PROBLEM AREAS AS REFLECTED IN THEIR RESPONSES TO THE
AREAS STATED AS BROAD PROBLEMS

Degree of
Concern
_____

Truth
No .
%

Value Problem Areas
Good
Beauty
Right
No .____ %
No .____ %
No .____ %

Religion
No .____ %

98

20.2

139 28.7

6k

13.2

171

35.3

201

Ui .h

293

60.1;

266 $h.a

252

52 .0

207

U2.7

201

111.U

Not at all

79

16.3

66 13.6

lii6

30.1

86

17.7

51

10.6

No response

13'

3.1

2.9

23

U.7

21

k .3

32

6.6

A great deal
To some extent

1U

37 cases were eliminated from the total sample because of
inaccura.tely marked questionnaires .
Since the relative intensity of concern for such problems is so
subjective an evaluation, it is difficult to grasp the meaning of the
difference between the two positive degrees of concern.

A more useful

working expression of this concern, therefore, is reported in Table
XXIX wherein the numbers of students checking "A great deal" and "To
some extent" are combined to show the proportional concern as opposed
to the lack of concern for the given area..

When the areas are ranked

Ikii

accoraing Lo these combined. percentages i"c can be seen that according
to part "A” of Table XXXX the area of good is slightly above religion
in percentage though the figures for these two ana truth are all very
close.

Right follows these three rather closely and beauty is somewhat

farther below.

Generally speaking, the table shows that close to three-

quarters or more of the sample, depending on the value area, exoressed
some concern for these broad value problems, the remainder having ex­
pressed no concern or failing to respond at all.
TABLE XXIX
A COMPARISON OF THE RANKING H\i IMPORTANCE OF THE FIVE VALUE AREAS AS
BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE VALUE PROBLEMS CHECK LIST AND THE
DEGREE OF CONCERN SCALES OF TnE SOURCES CHECK LIST

Value Areas

A-. Sources Check List
Ranking based on number and
percent checking "A. great
deal" and "To some extent"
degrees of concern combined

K 1>63-

B . Value Problems Checl-c
List
Ranking based on mean
number of problems check­
ed in each value are a.2
N 522
Mean
Rank

humber

Percent

Rank

Good

li05

63.5

1

1.99

3

Religion

L.02

82 .9

2

2 .31

1

Truth-

391

80.6

3

2 .00

2

Right

376

77.9

h

1 .U6

5

Be auty

316

65.2

5

1.57

h

Thirty-seven cases were eliminated from the total sample
because of inaccurately marked questionnaires.
^ This data was taken from Table IV page 73

Iks

Table XXIX also contains in Part B data from the study of the
Value Problems Check List showing the mean number of problems checked
in each value area, by the total sample.

VJhile there appears to be

little relationship between the two rankings of the areas in this table ,
there are certain similarities.

In both rankings the first three places

are shared by religion, good and truth, the latter two being quite close
on both check lists.

Right and beauty share fourth and fifth places in

both rankings, though their orders are not the same.

These data sug­

gest certain similarities between the value areas as they appear in the
items of the Value Problems Check List and a.s they are described in the
five broad problems in the Sources Check List.
In order to test these relationships more adequately data were
assembled concerning the value area emphasized by the individual students
of each group signifying concern for a given broad value problem.
Emphasis on areas was determined in regard to the Values Problem Check
List by the proportion of students tending to place most of their problems in each given area.
in Table XXX.

2

The results of tliis analysis are presented

It can be seen in this table that the order in which the

groups rank the areas is practically identical, a circumstance to be
expected since this was substantially the same sample upon which the
Value Problems Check List was based.

The' significant aspect of this

table, however, is revealed in the underlined percentages.

It will be

2 , For a more detailed account of the determination of emphasis on areas
see page 68.

156

TABLE XXX
A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS ,, GROUPED ACCORDING TO NUMBER SIGNIFYING
CONCERN WITH EACH BROAD PROBLEM ON DEGREE OF CONCERN SCALES s
ON THE BASIS OF THE PERCENT OF EACH GROUP PLACING MOST OF
THEIR CHECK LIST PROBLEMS IN EACH GIVEN VALUE AREA

Value Areas
Good
N U05

Students Indicating Concern For
Each Broad Value Problem
Religion
Truth
Right
N 502
N 382
N 378
of
fb

%

of
/O

Be auty
N 316

of
/
£>

Cf
/O

Good

19.5*

17

.2

18. 5

19.1

18. 5

Religion

28.it

32.3

28.9

28.0

28.8

Truth

18.5

17.2

19 .2

19.1

18.0

Right

10 .1

10.0

10.2

10.8

9.5

Beauty

15.3

lit .9

15. 8

lit. 8

16.8

8.2

8.0

8 .5

8.2

8.5

100 .0

100.0

100 .0

100.0

None or Undet.
Totals

100.0

Underlined figures indicate highest percentage for each
given value area.. "Number signifying concern" based on
students checking "A great deal" and "To some extent"
on degree of concern scales .
noted that these signify the highest percentages in each value area and
that they consistently fall in the column of the group which expressed
the most concern for the given corresponding broad problem.

For example}

the first column shows that 19.5 percent ox the group indicating concern
for the broad problem of good placed most of their problems in the area
of good on the Value Problems Check List and that this figure is higher
than any other group’s percentage for the same value area.

1U7

Though the differences in figures in Tables XXIX and XXX tend to
be small} there appears to be some evidence in these data to support
the assumption that the five value areas stated as broad problems in
the Sources Check List generally mean the same thing to the students as
the 20 items on the Value Problems Check List x-Jhich correspond to them.
Thus it may be assumed with some degree of assurance that the findings
relative to the sources of guidance grox-jing out of the ensuing discussion
may be applied to some extent to the results of the Value Problems Check
List.
Sources of Guidance Students Feel Should Be of Help
In recording their responses to the question of the sources of guid­
ance in the college community which they felt should be of help to
individuals with problems relating to value standards,, students were
asked to work tlirough a series ofc check lists consisting of 18 possible
sources of such guidance at Michigan State College plus two open ended
questions in which the respondent was asked to "write in any other possible
sources . The response of the total working sample of 1x85 students to
these check lists in terms of this phase of the question is reported in
Tables XXXI and X X X H . The first of these tables covers the 18 sources
and the second consists of a summary of the open-ended responses regard­
ing specific college courses .
In Table XXXI the sources are arranged in the order of .relative
frequency with which they were checked and the highest percentage in
any given source is underlined.

An examination of the table reveals

TAbLn XXXI
Ij i

SOURCES 01 GUIDANCE; STUDENTS F ffl OUGHT TO BE 01 HELP TO TUffi IN FIVE VALUE PROBLEM AREAS SUfe
MUiiBER AND PERCENT OF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH SOURCE IN EACH AREA
Number and Percent Checking Each Source In Each Area
Guidance Sources
lour parents
lour m inister
Student relig io u s groups
Faculty members
Books and magazine a rtic le s
Other adults
Other students
Student Counseling Center
Bull sessions
College courses
Resident advisors
Psychological Clinic
Dean of men or women
Dean of students
Student organizations
Resident a ssista n ts
Student Health Center
No response
None

Trutli
No.
%
345 71.1
367 77.5
320 66.0
223 46.0
129 26.6
169 34.8
139 28.7
214 UU.i
131 27.0
131 27.0
136 28.0
168 31*. 6
146 30.0
135 27.8
85 17.5
76 15.7
60 12.4
11 2.2
5 1.0

Good
Ncd.
%
375 77.3
349 71.9
211 43.5
232 47.8
D46 26.9
188 38.8
lU7 30.3
22U 46.1
128 26.4
10k 21.4
167 34.4
25.6
m
149 30.7
160 33.0
112 23.1
95 19.6
8.2"
bo
2.9
lb
1.0
5
-irJ

n r"»

~

Beauty
No.
%
167 38.6
81 16.7
60 12.3
225 66.4
318 65.6
183 37.7
159 32.8
8.2
40
110 22.7
168 34.6
""K6 9.5
30 6.2
38 7.9
28 5.8
117 24.1
7.6
37
14 2.9
8.9
43
^T2
25
-1 Tim

-y n

/

Eight
Mo.
%
377 77.7
390 80.4
226 56.6
165 38.1
156 32.2
191 39.4
135 34.2
159 32.8
134 27.6
83 17.1 .
156 32.6
1112 29.3
136 28.0
140 28,9
101 20.8
91 10.8
50 10.3
18 3.7
3 0.6
-in n

n n

n

Average for
Religion
A ll Areas*"
No.
% ---- No v,.,.%....—
326 o(.<£
343r 71.1
324 66.6
423 87.2
232 47.8
355 71.1
109 22.5
195 40.2
166 34.2
182 37.5
166 36.2
181 37.3
152
152 31.3
31.3
l4 l 29.0
69 14.2
124 25.6
119 24.5
98 20.2
117 24.1
112 23.1
92 10.7
106 21.9
65 13.4
10.7
104 21.4
52
101 20.6
61 6.4
100 20.6
64 17.3
38 7.6
64 13.8
36
17 3.5
7.4
21 4.3
17 3.5
8 1.6
2 0.4
- s ir 1
'

m

1

-

.
-

.. y , . . , . . . . ... .. —

Table is based on 485 students} 37 cases having been withdrawn frorn the sample of 322 because of incorrectly
marked questionnaires, Sources are arranged in order of decreasing size of a.verage number of checks for a ll
areas as designated in right-hand column. Underlined figures represent the area in which each source has
received the highest number of checks.
All averages have been rounded to the nearest number.
i-'

CO

1 h9

that in general the students of the sample expect the most help in
masters relating to problems with values from their parents and their
religious leaders, since these were each checked by approximately twothirds of the sample.

Sources which over one-fourth of the group ex­

pected to be helpful were, in order of decreasing frequency of checking,
student religious groups, faculty members, books and magazine articles,
other adults, other students, the Student Counseling Center, and "bull
sessions".

It is noteworthy that among these sources there is only one,

the Counseling Center, which might be called a formal guidance agency;
the rest are of the informal type.

3

On the other hand, of the group

of sources which less than one-quarter checked, six might be called
formal agencies of guidance . The implication here is that with respect
to value problems students apparently expect considerably less help
from the formal than from the informal sources of guidance .
The ascendency of parents and ministers as sources of guidance in­
dicated in the foregoing analysis can undoubtedly be accounted for in
large measure on the basis of a cultural pattern since the family and
the church in American culture have traditionally been the most important
sustainers of values.

On the other hand, the differences between the

proportions checking the formal and the informal sources of guidance is
probably greatly influenced by the relative accessibility of these

3. The classification of guidance sources into formal and informal cate­
gories as used in this study is based on the specific purpose or
function of the source. A formal source is understood as one which
was established by the college with the purpose of providing guidance,
help or advice to the students in one way or another. Informal
sources are generally defined as those which provide guidance as a
function incidental to some other and perhaps more important purposes.

150
sources to the student and his familiarity with them . The student is
much more likely to have availed himself of the services of the in­
formal agencies , and thus regards them as considerably more important
as potential sources than the formal ones.
The analysis of the relation of the sources to the individual areas
with respect to potential sources of guidance reveals a pattern that is
approximately the same as the percentages for the five areas combined.
There is, however, a rather marked exception to this pattern in the
area of beauty.

In this area books and magazine articles, faculty

members and college courses rank comparatively high.

This circumstance

suggests the importance of the role of the expert in regard to problems
in the field of aesthetics.

It also reflects the somewhat more esoteric

nature of the problem of beauty in our culture as compared with problems
in the other value areas.

For while the individual wrestles continually

with issues of truth and morality and religion, he will more likely
than not leave the aesthetic problems to the artist or expert when con­
fronted with them.
A study of the highest percentages for the various sources brings
out some noteworthy points with respect to the guidance expectations of
the students. Ministers and student religious groups rate highest in
religion as one might expect.

Parents, other adulsbs, other students

a.nd "bull sessions'* are expected to be most helpful in the area of right
which is concerned with problems of conduct.

Books and magazine articles,

college courses and student organizations rank liighest as potential
sources of teelp in the area of beauty.

In the area, of good five of the

151

formal, agencies receive their highest percentages , these being the
Student Counseling Center, resident advisors and assistants, Dean of
Students and Deans of Men and Women.

Since the area, of good as defined

in this study deals primarily with the choice of adequate goals and
objectives, and since this general problem is one of the most important
provinces of the usual guidance functions in a college, the ascendency
of these sources in this area is to be ejected.

It is more difficult,

however, to account for the fact that the Student Health Center and the
Psychological Clinic reach their highest percentages in the area of
truth.

There is a very strong possibility growing out of this circum­

stance that the guidance roles of these two formal agencies is misunder­
stood by many of the students.

On the other hand in the case of the

Psychological Clinic, in which the difference on the table appears to
be much more significant than that for the Health Center, the association
with the area of truth may have grown out of the existence of a course
in "How to Study" which is offered by the Psychology Department.
The results of the open-ended survey of courses as sources of guid­
ance in these value problems areas are reported in Table XXXII.

Since

this is an analysis of the content of the source item "college courses,"
it can be seen on Table XXXI that on the average only about one-fourth
of the sample checked the item per area, and probably even less took the
trouble to write in specific courses. Because of the small number of
cases included in this phase of the analysis, and the extremely small
magnitude of some of the proportions, the data cannot be assumed to be
very dependable . However, the results do point to some significant

TABLE XXXII"
COLLEGE COURSES STUDENTS FEEL OUGHT TO BE OF HELP TO THEM IN FIVE VALUE PROBLEM AREAS SUMMARIZED BY
NUMBER AND PERCENT OF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH COURSE IN EACH AREA

Number and Percent Checking Each Source In Each Area
Courses Listed
as
Guidance Sources
E ffective Living'"'''
Religion courses
L iteratu re and Fine Arts"10'''
Art courses
Philosophy courses
H istory of C ivilizatio n "''*
Social Sciences***
Psychology courses
W ritten and Spoken English'1'"""”'"
Biological Science'*"""*
L iterature courses
Science courses
Music courses
History courses
Sociology courses
All others

Truth
No.
%

Good
No.

Beauty
No.
%

Right
No.
%

Religion
No.
%

79 16.3
27 £.6
1 0.2
0 0.0
19 3.9
7 Ui
11 2.2
11 2.2
12
23
10
2.1
0.8
1
9 1.9
0 0.0
2 o.b
2 Oj
2 67H

59 12.2
9 1.9
5 1.0
0 0.0
5 1.0
2 o.k
5 1.0
3 0.6
3 0.6
2 o.u
1 0.2
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
1 0.2

3 0.6
3 0.6
91 18.8
■57 13.6
0 0.0
8 1.6
1 0.2
0 0.0
0 0.0
1 0.2
8 1.8
0 0.0
27 l.b
1 0.2
0 0.0
13 2.7

51 10.5
13 2.7
1 0.2
0 0.0
b 0.8
1 0.2
2 o.k
3 0.6
1 0.2
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
1 0.2
0 0.0

111 2.9
63 13.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
8 1.6
8 1.6
1 0.2
2 o.k
1 0.2
2 o.U
1 0.2
0 0.0
0 0.0
0 0.0
1 0.2
1 0.2

Average For
A ll Areas’*""
No.
%
lii
23
20
13
7
5

h
b
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
3

8.5

b.l
b.l
2.7
l.li
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.6
0.6
o.U

0.2
0.2
0.2
0.6

Table is based on 1|85 stu d en ts, 37 cases having been eliminated from the sample of 522 because of in co rrectly
marked questionnaires. Courses are arranged in order of decreasing size of average number of checks for a ll
areas as designated in the rig h t hand column. Underlined figures represent the area in which each course has
received the highest number of checks.
All averages have been rounded to the nearest p o in t.
Basic College Courses,
H
rvj

153

possibilities relative to the part some students think college courses
should play in helping individuals with the type of problems under
consideration in this study.

Some of the more important of these are

discussed below.
The courses have been listed in order of average frequency of
checking and high percentages for each course have been underlined.

Since

courses are much more specific in their objectives and content than most
of the guidance sources are in their iptent and function, a number of
the courses listed are of significance only in certain areas. Religion
and art courses are examples of this situation and they are found to be
sharply accentuated in their respective areas of values. More general
courses show a more even spread through the five value areas. Discount­
ing the aforementioned specialized courses it can be seen that Effective
Living is not only highest in general but higher in more areas than the
others. A considerable degree of the ascendency of this course can be
attributed to the fact that the questionnaire was administered in a
number of the sections of the course 5 though care was taken to make no
overt suggestion of any possibilities of connections between the course
and the questionnaire.

Yet, as has been pointed out,^ a considerable

amount of material on values is included in the course and the students
taking this questionnaire had completed almost a year of it.
Philosophy is the second ranking general type of course followed
by History of Civilization, Social Science and psychology courses.

k. See footnote page 36.

i5h

These latter show extremely low percentages in general.

The remaining

courses on the list show such slight percentages that they do not bear
serious consideration.

In respect to areas in which each course finds

its highest percentage rating, it can be seen that in the area of
religion courses in religion and History of Civilization reach their
highest points,

ho sources are at their highest in the area, of right

though Effective Living and religion courses rank higher than others
for that area.

Literature, art and music courses rank at their highest

points in the beauty area as was to be expected.

No courses are at

their highest in the area of good though Effective Living and religion
once again are highest in this area too.

In the area of truth most of

the courses reach their highest percentages, these being Effective
Living, philosophy, Social Science, psychology, Written and Spoken English,
Biological Science, science, liistory and sociology.

The foregoing

analysis is probably most valid for the Basic College Courses (indicated
on the table by an astarisk) since as freshmen and sophomores, these are
the courses with which the group as a whole had had greatest possibili­
ties of a broad and common experience.
Sources of Guidance Students have Found to be of Help
To insure greater validity of results, the analysis of the phase
of the Sources' Check List dealing with the question of sources which had
been of help to the students in regard to problems involving value
standards was restricted to those individuals who in the case of each
broad problem area had signified at least a concern in the degree of

155

"To some extent” . Table XXVIII lias pointed out the total of individuals
in the various areas who have responded a.ccording to the three degrees
of concern.

Table XXIX provided the figures with the accompanying per­

centages showing the totals resulting from the combination of the two
degrees registering concern.

The ainalysis of the sources which have

been of help is based bn the groups as designated in this latter table.
Table XXXIII presents the data on sources students feel have been
of help.

Since the number for each area column is different the per­

centages become of increased importance as devices of comparison, the
average column at the right being simply an average of these proportions.
An examination of this column of average percents shows that parents and
minister lead as sources of guidance actually found to be of help as
they also did in the case of potential sources, though in this case the
latter lags considerably behind the former.

The order below these two

is altered considerably from that of Table XXXI dealing with potential
sources. As contrasted with the latter table the discrepancy between
formal and informal sources is even more acute in Table XXXIII.

Chance

and informal contacts are rated considerably higher proportionately
than the more formal guidance agencies of the college as sources used
and found helpful. This evidence suggests quite strongly that generally
students not only feel they should be able to, but do in fact obtain
guidance with respect to value problems more readily from the informal
contacts than they do from the formal ones.
A study of the highest percentages of each source as indicated by
the underlined figures gives a good indication of the stress upon these

TABLE XXXIir
SOURCES OF GUIDANCE STUDENTS HiiVE FOUND TO BE OF HELP TO THM IN FIVE VALUE PROBLEM iiREAS SUMMARIZED
BY THE NUMBER AMD PERCENT OF THE SAMPLE CHECKING EACH SOURCE IN EACH ARTE.

Guidance Sources
lour parents
Your minister
Other students
Books and magazine articles
Other adults
Bull sessions
Faculty members
College courses
Student religious groups
Student Counseling Center
Student organizations
Resident advisors
Resident assistants
Student Health Center
Dean of Students
Psychological Clinic
Dean of men or women
None
No response

Truth
N 391
No.
%

Number and Percent Checking
Beauty
Good
N 316
N 5o5
No.
No.
%
%

Each Source in Each Area
Right
Religion
N 502
N 378
No.
No.
%
%

275
156
126
95
123
117
92
90
52
55
27
35
27
22
9
13
5
10
32

300
150
153
105
131
111
85
59
59
62
28
30
21
13
13
5
9
17
29

287
175
136
96
125
106
55
56
56
26
25
25
23
6
11
10
10
15
23

70.3
39.9
32.2
25.8
31.5
29.9
23.5
23.0
10.7
15.1
6.9
C7
of?

T3>
2.3
3.3
1.3
2.6
8.2

71.5
37.0
35.3
25.7
32.3
27.5
21.0
15.6
12.1
15.3
6.9
71
5.2
3.2
3.2
1.2
2.2
5.2
7.2

137
31
97
175
97
75
79
63
16
13
19
£
9
3
5
5
5
20
53

53.5
9.8
30.7
55.5
30.7
23.5
25.0
19.9
5.1
5.1
6.0
1.6
2.8 .
0.9
1.6
1.3
1.3
6.3
13'. I

75.9
'56.3
36.0
2^75
32.8
28.0
15.6
15.8
12.7
6.9
6.3
6.6
6.1
1.6
2.9
2.6
2.6
3.7
6.1

263
261
119
109
105
95
32
35
91
13
22
5
5
0
5
3
2
13
39

65.5
65.9
29.6
27.1
25.9
23.5
8.0
8.7
22.6
3.2
5.5
1.2
1.0
0.0
1.0
0.7
0.5
3.2
9.7

Average of
Percents For
All Areas
65.8
39.6
32.8
31.5
30.6
26.2
18.5
16.5
12.8
8.7
6.2
5.2
5.5
2.5
2.2
1.8
1.6
5.0
9.0

Number of students in each area consists of those who sig;nified concern amounting to "a. great deal" or "to
some extent1’ on the Degree of Concern scale for the given area. Sources are arranged in order of decreas­
ing size of the average percent of the number of checks in each area as designated in the right hand
column. Underlines percentages indicate the area in which source lias received the greatest proportion of
checks.

H

vn
0"-

157

sources through actual use oy the student. In religion the minister
and the student religious groups are at their highest reflecting the
ssme situation in the case of potential sources.

Right remains sub­

stantially the same with parents, other students and adults being at
their highest points . In the area of beauty, books ana magazine arti­
cles and faculty members are at their highest, and the tendency towards
reliance on experts is still evident though to a lessened extent.

When

compared with the results of Table XXXI, however, the area, of good has
lost considerable stature, only three sources now being highest:

The

Student Counseling Center, student organizations and the Dean of Students.
The truth area exhibits the greatest number of sources at their highest
percentages, though many of these figures are so low as to be of little
consequence.

The significant sources in this area are largely of the

formal type, though "bull sessions” and college courses are also high­
est here and in addition show comparatively large percentages.
The results of the analysis of college courses with respect to
their use as sources of guidance are based on exceedingly few results
which at best give only the most general of indications.

In this analysis

courses ha.ve maintained approximately the same positions as in the table
on courses as potential sources . The specialized courses are highest
in their areas and Effective Living, philosophy and History of Civili­
zation show a more general spread, the latter two being of considerably
smaller magnitude than the former . In regard to the highest percentage
in each of the various courses, the table shows that virtually all of
them fall in the area of truth.

However, the areas of beauty and

TABLE XXXIV*
COLLEGE COURSES

Courses Listed As
Guidance Sources
E ffective Living
L iteratu re and Fine Arts
Religion courses
Art courses
H istory of C iv iliz atio n
Philosophy courses
W ritten and Spoken English
Biological Science
Social Science
Psychology courses
L iterature courses
Science courses
H istory courses
Music courses
Sociology courses
All others
"Vs

STUDENTS FEEL

Hk VE BEEN OF HELP TO THEM B i FIVE VALUE PROBLEM AREAS SUMMARIZED BY
THE RUBBER A ® PERCENT OF THE SAMPLE CHECKING EACH COURSE IN EACH AREA

Truth
N 391
No.
%
60 19.3
1 0.3
10 2.6
0

7
12
9
7
6
1
9
l

2.0
1.8
3.1
2.3
1.8
1.9
0.3
1.3
OJ

l
l

0.3
0.3

U

Number and Percent Checking Each Course in Each Area
Good
Beauty
Right
Religion
N k05
N 316
N 378
N &)2
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
bh 10.9
h 1.2
2 0.9
2
3
2
2
9
2
1

1

0.9
0.7
o.9
o.9
1.2
0.9
0.2

0.2

3
29

0.9
9.2

21
3

6.6
0.9

1
1

0.3
0.3

1;

L2

1
2

0.3
M

10

3.2

bo 10.6
2 0.9
6 1.6

10

2.9

13

h i

1
k

0.3
1.1

L
k

1.9
1.0

1
1
2

0.3
0.3
0.9

2
1
3
1

0.9
0.2
0.7
0.2

1

0.2

1
1

0.2
0.2

1

\J

Average of
Percents for
A ll Areas
8.2
2.2
1.6
1.3
1.0
0.9
0.6
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.1*
0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.8

Number of students checking in each area consists of those who sig n ifie s concern amounting to "a great deal11
or "to some extent" on the Degree of Concern scale for the given area. Sources are arranged in order of
decreasing size of the average percent of the percentage of checks in each area as designated in the rig h t
hand column. Underlined percentages indicate the area in which each course has received the greatest pro­
portion of checks.

H
Vn
CO

159

religion maintain their special courses while good and right show no
courses with their highest percentages in their areas.
A comparison of sources as potential and actual sources of guidance,
A further step in the study of guidance sources associated with valuerelated problems appeared important.

This analysis consisted of a com­

parison of the individual sources in the two states in which the student
was asked to judge them, i.e., as a source that should be of help on
the one hand and as a source which had been found to be of help on the
other. While there are obviously many factors working against a completely
valid comparison between these two states--such factors as the student’s
knowledge of the source, its relative availability, the strength of
motivation to seek out such sources, etc— there is reason to believe that
data resulting from such an analysis might lead to a better understand­
ing of the sources of guidance relative to the fulfillment of student
needs in the area, under question.

Certainly the source which would tend

to meet the expectations of the individual to a close degree would demon­
strate thereby an effectiveness as a guidance source which the agency
with the high potential but low realization percentage could not approach.
At the same time in the case of the latter circumstance there would be
in evidence a more positive assertion of the role that the source should
play in the student’s own terms than that resulting simply from the
checking of it as a possible source alone . This would result from the
fact that his checking of it would generally be based on the source’s
role in the college community rather than upon his personal contact with i t .

Taole XXXV reports the results of the comparison of each individual
source as potential and actual a.gencies of guidance in the various areas
and on the average.

The relationship is based on the percent of those

who checked the source as a potential source (should be of help) who
also checked it as an actual source (had been of help). Since the
numbers of cases in the various areas all differ, comparisons are based
solely on percentages.

This device, of course, has the limitation of

not disclosing the relative weight of the population behind it.

However,

since the number of cases in the five areas are both large and not
overly discrepant it was felt that the proportions are representative
enough to indicate significant trends.
A study of the right-hand column on Table XXXV reveals the average
standing of the various sources. In terms of these figures over ninetenths of the students checking "bull sessions", parents and other stu­
dents as potential sources also checked them as having been of help,
indicating that these sources are used in connection with these problems
and do provide expected help . Sources checked by over one-half of the
sample on this basis include books and magazine articles, other adults,
college courses and ministers.

It can be seen that once again these

are largely the informal sources of guidance . The formal agencies are
all below the

50

percent level, most of them averaging around one-quarter

to one-third realization of the potential percentage.

In general, it

may be concluded that the informal agencies of guidance are more con­
sistent than the formal ones in terms of fulfilling needs in regard to
value problems.

This does not mean that the formal sources have been

TABLE XXXTT
A COMPARISON OP THE PERCENTAGE OP STUDENTS INDICATING SOURCES WHICH SHOULD BE OP HELP WITH THE PERCENTAGE
INDICATING SOURCES WHICH HAVE BEEN OP HELP IN EACH VALUE PROBLEM AREA BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF THE
FORMER WHICH ALSO CHECKED THE LATTER
------------- 1—

Guidance
Sources
I
Bull sessions
lour parents
Other students
Books, e tc .
Other adults
College courses
lour m inister
Faculty members
Res. A ssistants
Stud. Health C tr.
Stud. Couns. C tr.
Stud. Rel. Grps.
Student Orgs.
Res. Advisors
Dean of students
Psych. Clinic
Deans: men, women

Percent of Students Checking Each Source In Each Area According to Column Key
Good
Right
Avg . of Percents
Religion
Truth
Beauty
I
fo r A ll Areas
N 502
N 378
N 316
n 391
i 505
I
I
in
n
in
II
III
II
111
II
I
I
II
III
I
II
III

28.1 29.9
73 -U 70.3
31.7 32.2
29.5 2 k .8
39.1 31.9
30.U 23.0
79.5 39.9
58.6 23.5
16.6 6.9
13.6 5.6
56.5 15.1
58.1 10.7
19.2 6.9
28.9 8.7
29.7 2.3
36.8 3.3
33.0 1.3

106.ii
95.8
101.6
85.5
8o'6
75.6
50.2
658.5
5 l. 6
51.2
30.3
22.2
35.9
30.1
7.7
9.0
3.9

27.6
80.1
35.1
31.8
52.0
22.2
73.6
51.5
20.5
9.1
59.5
56.9
25.9
35.8
35.6
26.7
32.1

27.5 99.3 25.3
75.1 92.5 53.7
35.3X 0.6 36.1
25.7 80.0 72.8
32.3 76.9 53.7
15.6 65.6 36.5
37.0 50.3 19.9
21.0 50.9 51.3
8.2
5.2 25.5
3.8
3.2 31.2
15.3 31.0
9.5
12.1 25.8 15.9
6.9 27.7 27.5
7.5 20.7 l l . l
7.0
3.2 9.2
7.6
1.2 5.5
2.2 6.9
9.8

23.5
53.5
30.7
55.5
30.7
19.9
9.8
25.0
2.8
0.9
5.1
5.1
6.0
1.6
1.6
1.3
1.3

92.5
99.3
85.1
76.1
70.3
55.7
59.2
58.7
32.1
23.7
53.1
35.2
21.8
15.5
22.9
17.1
13.3

30.1
79.5
37.6
36.6
53.9
19.3
82,5
50.2
20.1
11.5
35.1
59.2
23.5
33.6
31.7
29.6
30.5

26.0
75.9
36.0
25.5
32.8
15.8
56.3
15.6
6.1
1.6
6.9
12.7
6.3
6.6
2.9
2.6
2.6

93.0
95.6
95.7
69.5
75.7
76.7
56.1
36.3
30.3
15.0
20.2
25.9
26.6
19.6
9.1
8.8
8.6

26.6
73.9
35.8
37.3
37.8
21.6
88.8
23.9
8.0
3.7
15.5
72.5
17.7
10.5
8.2
13.7
11.2

23.5
65.5
29.6
27.1
25.9
8.7
65.9
8.0
1.0
0.0
3.2
22.6
5.5
1.2
1.0
0.7
0.5

88.0
88.5
82.7
72.2
78.9
50.3
73.1
33.8
12.5
0.0
22.2
31.2
31.1
11.5
12.2
5.1
5.5

27.5
69.9
35.3
51.6
51.3
26.0
68.9
53.1
15.7
8.3
30.2
56.3
22.6
25.1
22.2
22.9
23.3

26.2 95.3
65.8 95.1
32.6 92.9
31.5 75.5
30.6 71.0
16.5 63.1
39.6 56.7
18.5 52.7
5.5 29.9
2.5 28.9
'8.7 28.8
12.8 27.6
6.2 27.5
5.2 21.6
2.2 9.9
1.0 7.9
1.6 6.9

Number checking in each area consists ox those students expressing "A great deal11 or "To some extent" degrees
of concern fo r each broad value problem. Key to columns is as follows: I . Percent indicating th a t source
should be of help, I I . Percent indicating th a t source has been of h elp , I I I . Percent column I I is of column I .
Sources are arranged in order of decreasing percent the average of columns I I is of columns I a.s indicated in
rig h t hand column of ta b le . Underlined figures indicate area in wliich each source shows the highest percentage
in column I I I . Column I and I I percentages in any area to ta llin g 20 or le ss for any source are excluded from
comparison because of smallness of siz e .
H
On

h

162

tried and found wanting; it does mean that the formal sources have not
been tried though rated as potential sources . On the other hand, the
high ranking sources on this table have been tried and been proven and
their contribution to the fulfillment of student need made evident.
It is known, for example, that almost all students who have indicated
an expectation of help from their parents in these matters have apparentlyreceived it, while only about one-quarter of those expecting such help
from the Counseling Center have obtained it leaving the status of the
other three-quarters in doubt.

Whether they have tried it as a source

of help and found it wanting or whether they have simply not tried it
is not evident— though the latter cane is to be assumed as the former.
Yet this particular source still stands as one which about one-third
of the sample feels should be of help to them relative to value problems.
In noting the analysis in the various areas it can be seen by ob­
serving the underlined figures that the area of truth had the greatest
numbers of high percentages in it, a circumstance suggesting that sources
are more successful in general in fulfilling the need for help in prob­
lems related to the value area of truth.

In fact more students checked

"bull sessions" and"other students" as sources of actual help in this
area than as sources of potential help.

In the area of truth, parents,

books and magazine articles, other adults and college courses also rank
high in the ratio of actual help as related to potential help . The same
group, in fact, ranks quite high in all of the other areas.
In considering the high percentage for each source as indicated
by the underlined percentages it has already been mentioned that most

163

sources are highest in the area of truth, where the trend seems to
favor neither the formal nor the informal sources . In the area of good
x.he Student Counseling Center shows its highest percentage along with
the Dean of Students . Higher in the area of beauty than in any other
area are parents and faculty members, though it has been previously
demonstrated that books and magazine articles and college courses have
figured prominently in this area as potential and realized sources .
Apparently they do not fulfill the needs as well in this area as in
other areas . College courses as a source is highest in the area of
right.

However, in the area of religion the minister and student

religious groups maintain their high points as they have in all previous
analyses .
The Comparative Importance of Value Standard Problems
Among Student Problems in General
As a final question in the questionnaire the student was asked to
appraise the general types of problems he had been dealing with in the
course of working through the instrument in terms of their importance
when compared ‘-with other problems he was facing in college and life.
It was felt that such a query might give some indication of the com­
parative importance of these value-related problems in the whole realm
of student problems . It was recognized that the fact that this inquiry
dealt with generalities detracted somewhat from the ultimate validity
of its results.

Yet it was believed that this particular scale might

serve as one means of relating the whole area, of value-related problems

161*

under question to the general area of student problems in terms of
providing some perspective. The results of the scale of comparative
importance of value problems are reported in Table XXXVI.
TABLE XXXVI
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TYPES OF
PROBLEMS DEALT "WITH IN THIS STUDY WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER PROBLEMS
FACED BY THE STUDENT IN COLLEGE AND LIFE3'

Degree of Importance
Of Value Problems in General

Students Responding To
Each Item on the Scale
Number
Percent

They are the most important of all to m e .

19

3.9

They are among the most important problems .

237

1*8.9

They are not of major importance to m e .

171*

35.9

They are of little or no significance to me.

35

7.2

No response .

20

l*.l

1*85

100.0

Totals

" This table is based on a sample of 1*85 students , 37 having
been eliminated from the original sample of 522 because of
inaccurately marked questionnaires .
It can be seen that very few students indicate that these problems
relating to value standards are their most Important problems.

However,

almost one-half of the 1*85 students checking this scale place them
among their most important ones.

A little more than one-third relegate

them to a more or less minor position, and less than one-tenth claim
that they are of no importance at all.
respond to the item in any manner.

Very few students failed to

165

The foregoing results appear to be at odds with almost all pre­
vious studies and summaries of student problems, since many of them do not mention the area of value-related problems at al 1 and those that
do relegate them to a minor position.

These studies and summaries have

been discussed in Chapter I in the section reviewing the literature on
student problems. There are several possible reasons for the discrepancy
between the results of the scale of comparative Importance and the find­
ings of other studies in the field.

From one standpoint, it might well

be that in working through this mass of value problem material the stu­
dents were stimulated to think more about such themes than they had
before and thus to recognize problems they would not ordinarily have
mentioned.

Another reason might lie in the fact that the value problems

at the time of responding to this scale were much more real and clear
to the individual than other concerns which were referred to in very
broad and general terms.

Whatever the cause, the magnitude of these

figures is not beyond question.
However, there is apparently a considerable feeling expressed by
the students taking the questionnaire that these are important problems,
problems which may not be unusually disquieting or ones which require
a great deal of outside help, but problems of real significance in re­
lation to the whole fabric of one*s living.

This questionnaire had

apparently brought these concerns closer to the surface of the student*s
living where they could compete more favorably in the spirit of a
temporary immediacy with the more practical and everyday types of prob­
lems which dominate the studies of student problems . In this connection
r

166

there is good reason to believe that this questionnaire may well have
been appraising the student not so much as a student but as a person.
For while the structuring of the typical problem check list is generally
slanted in the direction of the individual *s status as a student, the
structure of the present instrument, and particularly the Value Problems
Check List, tended to be slanted more towards the individual as a valu­
ing creature . Thus in the course of the present research many problems
have come into evidence which heretofore had not been revealed by
problem check lists.
Summary
This chapter has consisted of a discussion of the results of the
survey of the sources of guidance in the college community which students
felt should be of help to them and which they* felt had been of help to
them relative to problems with value standards . The most significant
outcomes of this survey are as follows:
1. The study of the degree of concern of the students for the vari­
ous problem areas revealed that with respect to intensity, concern for
the area, of religion was highest followed by right, good, truth and
beauty.

General concern was highest for the area, of good with religion

and truth very close to the same percentage . General concern was some­
what less for right and considerably less for beauty.
2. Certain relationships between the five broad value problems and
the same areas as expressed in the corresponding items on the Value
Problems Check List were demonstrated . Several similarities were re­
vealed between the ranking of the five areas as based on the mean number

167

of items checked per student on the Check List on the one hand and the
percent of the sample expressing general concern for the area on the
Sources Check List on the other.

It was also pointed out that within

each group expressing concern for a. general broad value problem a
greater proportion of the individuals tended to place most of their
problems in that on the Value Problems Check List area, than did the
individuals in the other groups .
3. With respect to the study of sources that students felt should
be of help to tftem it was found that parents and minister were both
checked by over two-thirds of the sample.

Other agencies with over one-

third checking were student religious groups, faculty members, and books
and magazine articles. Results showed that the informal agencies of
guidance were consistently checked by considerably larger proportions
of the sample as being sources that should be of help.
b . The study of the sources that students had found to be of help

to them revealed results similar to the study of potential sources .
Percentages, however, were generally lower to a considerable degree,
and the differentiation between the formal and the informal sources was
accentuated.

On the average approximate.ly 30 percent of the sample

felt the informal sources had been of help while only 15 percent felt
the same with respect to the formal sources . Checked by more than onefourth of the sample as being sources where they had fovind help were
parents, ministers, other students, books and magazine articles and
'•bull sessions" .

166

5. It was found in comparing the two phases of the appraisal of
tne sources of guidance that the ascendency of the informal sources
over the formal with respect to fulfilling guidance expectations was
quite marked.

The comparatively high ratio: of fulfillment to expect­

ancy in regard to the informal agencies was accounted for on the basis
of their greater familiarity and availability to the student.

The com­

paratively low ratio of fulfillment to expectancy typical of the formal
sources was believed to be an indication of the student's ideas as to
what these sources should be accomplishing.
6. The study of the question of the relative importance of value
problems as manifest in this study in comparison with other problems
the student is facing suggested that value problems are perhaps of
grea.ter importance than conventional check lists generally reveal them
to be.

While only a

very-

small percentage said they were their most

important problems, almost one-half of the sample rated value problems
as being among their most important concerns.

Approximately'- one-third

said they were not of major importance and slightly over one-tenth said
that they were of little or no significance.

CHAFTER VII
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The Problem
The objective ox tliis dissertation was (l) to gain information con­
cerning the types and frequency of problems students have relating to
their standards of value judgment in the five value areas of truth, good,
beauty, right and religion, and (2) to examine the sources of guidance
in the college community where students feel they should be able to re­
ceive help and where they feel they have received help in regard to
problems with value standards . The need for this type of study grows
out of the paucity of information regarding student values in general
and the types of problems relating to value standards in particular.
A reviex-x of the literature on studies of the problems of students revealed
that while the field of student problems has been generally well explored,
the area dealing x-xith problems relating to standards of value judgment
has been relatively untouched.
The premise which xinderlies this study is that professional -workers
in the field of higher education who are concerned -with the grox-xth and
development of the student through the college ygars tox-xards increasingly
mature, intelligent and creative levels of personal living must be
cognizant of student needs and problems x-xith respect to their systems
of values.

And in addition, these workers should know, with a view to

170

increasing the effectiveness of the college experience , what the po­
tential and actual services of the guidance resources of the college
community are in regard to such problems . With such information in
hand the student personnel administrator who is concerned with student
morale and adjustment, and the administrator of the program of general
education who is seeking to provide the most valuable common educational
experiences for the student should be able to plan more fruitful pro­
grams and procedures . While the problem is one of general importance
in the field of higher education, the study proper was focused on the
population of Basic College students at Michigan State College, a group
of students in their earlier college years who are involved in a general
educational program.
Methodology and Procedures
The questionnaire . A lack of any existing instrument for the
measurement or evaluation of students’ problems relating to value
standards required the construction of a new device . The resulting
questionnaire consisted of three parts:

the Student Data. Section, the

Value Problems Check List and the Sources Check List.

The Student Data

Section was included to enable the evaluation of the sample and to pro­
vide a basis for the analysis and interpretation of the check list re­
sults.

Originally consisting of twelve factors, it was reduced for

study purposes to six items, these being sex, class, scholastic ability,
general academic area, of major, extent of religious participation and
father’s occupation.

171

The Value Problems Check List was constructed to appraise the
types and the frequency of problems that students might have relating
to their standards of values in the areas of truth, good, beauty,
right and religion.

This instrument was formulated as a problem check

list ana its structure patterned after exisiting models.

Consequently,

it shared the advantages as well as the limitations of that type of
inventory.

Its content, however, was unique, consisting of 100 items

stated as problems— twenty for each of the five value areas under study.
Sixteen of the twenty items in each area were based on a common problemtype framework so that differences between the areas could be
ascertained with greater validity.

Care was taken to randomize the

items in such a manner as to conceal the presence of the various areas
and types insofar as this was possible.

Instructions for the check list

were composed in such a manner as to lead the student to check the items
as problems rather than as expressions of opinions or attitudes.
The Sources Check List was devised to disclose through a series of
sub-test check lists the sources of guidance related to value standard
problems from two points of view:

first, those sources which students

felt should be of help to them and secondly, those sources which students
had found to be of help to them , Since it was necessary in this section
for the student to make a. conscious appraisal of the five given value
areas, each was stated as a single broad problem. The student responded
to each by first indicating the degree of his concern with it, and then
working through the check list of eighteen sources checking each with
respect to potential and actual help.
each of the five value areas.

This procedure was followed for

172

The questionnaire terminated with the Comparative Importance
Scale in which the student was asked to compare in importance the
general area of problems dealt with in this study with other problems
he was facing in college and life.

In doing this he was instructed to

check the most appropriate item on a four-point scale ranging from
’most important of all1 to ’no importance1.
The Sample . The parent population of this study consisted of the
Basic College students including freshmen and sophomores at Michigan
State College . The sample was drawn through the process of administer­
ing the questionnaire to a selection of sections of the Basic College
course in Effective Living, a procedure which was felt to be the most
expedient means of so handling the questionnaire. Thus derived, the
sample consisted of £>22 students which was over one-fourth of the total
in the Effective Living course and over one-tenth of the Basic College
enrollment for the spring term of 1952 . An analysis of the sample
demonstrated that it was representative of the parent population, though
inclined to be biased somewhat in the direction of a, greater proportion
of women to men and freshmen to sophomores.

Figures for the school of

the student's major in the sample were generally very representative of
the parent population.

A further factor tending to assure the adequacy

of the sample in this particular case was its relatively large size.
Tabulation and analysis of the data. Questionnaire responses were
coded and transferred to punch cards and tabulated by IBM machine . Sum­
maries of the six student data, factors and the individual items of the

173

check lists were made. A series ox cross comparisons between the stu­
dent data factors and the individual items and value areas of the Value
rroolems Check List were run.

Student factors, however, were not com­

pared with Sources Check List data.

Analysis consisted of a comparison

of various frequencies, percentages and averages , the data, being
arranged on the summarising tables in such a. manner as to display most
clearly such variations as resulted from the tabulations and cross­
comparisons .
The Findings
Types and frequency of problems related to value standards. The
tabulation and analysis of the responses of the students to the Value
Problems Check List disclosed a number of facts relating to the types
and frequency of problems that Ba.sic College students have relating to
their standards of value judgment in trie areas of truth, good, beauty,
right and religion.

The following appear to be the most Important find­

ings to be derived from this phase of the study.
1. The 522 students of the sample checked a total of L,66U problems
for an average of approximately ten problems per student.

These prob­

lems represented a. variety of types of problems in all five areas . The
distribution of numoers of problems was strongly skewed towards the
checking of fewer problems with the median being about seven.

Only

three percent of the sample failed to check any problems at all.
2. A comparison of the five value areas showed tlis.t more students
checked items in the area of truth than any other and also that the mean

17 h

number of problems checked per student was highest for religion.
A ranking of areas on the basis of the number of students checking items
in each ares revealed the following order:
right.

truth, good, religion, beauty,

A ranking of areas based on the means showed a. somewhat different

order as follows:

religion, good, truth, beauty, right.

3. Thirty-one items checked by 10 percent or more of the samole
were felt to be of universal enough significance to merit detailed study.
The most frequently checked of these items suggested major problems in
each value area, which were recognized by sizeable groups of the sample .
The major problems for ea.ch area on the basis of frequency of checking
were as follows:
The most important general problem in the area, of truth consisted
of various expressions of feeling of inadequacy with respect to the
process of logical thinking.

On the ba.sis of the numbers checking these

items it may be assumed that over one-half of the sample was experiencing
this general problem .
The central problem in the area of good was generally indicated as
being a concern for meaningful objectives, goals and activities in
college and life.

Proportions checking such items suggested that close

to one-half of the sample may have been experiencing such problems.
The general inability to discriminate adequately in the field of
the arts was the central problem of the area, of beauty, this including
the need to know more about the arts . Number’s checking such items
indicated that possibly one-third of the sample was experiencing such
concerns.

175

The central problem in the area of right had to do with conflicts
and perplexities with respect to the standard of moral judgment.
portions checking these items, however, were relatively- low.

Pro­

Approxi­

mately one-fifth of the sample may have been concerned with these
problems.
One third of the sample expressed a need to know more about religion
in general, this being the most common problems in the area.

Other

items in religion pointed to various conflicts and perplexities with
regard to religious beliefs and concepts with proportions of the sample
checking them suggesting that one-third of the sample was experiencing
such difficulties also.
U . The study of the relationship between the value problem items
and areas and the six student factors disclosed that groups of students
tending to check the most problems in the check list as a whole were
men, freshmen, students of average scholastic ability, humanities stu­
dents, those attending church regularly, lower level occupational groups
and students with farm backgrounds.
5.

The study of the relationships between the five value areas and

the six student factors revealed that groupings of students with certain
characteristics tended to check each of the value areas more heavily
than others.

According to each given value area, these were as follows:

Truth:

Men, freshmen, low scholastic ability, science majors,
regular church attenders, lower occupational groups
and farm background.

Good:

Men, freshmen, low scholastic ability, no-preference
majors, regular church attenders, lower occupations
and farm background.

176

Beauty:

Men, freshmen, low scholastic ability, science majors,
regular church attenders, lower occupations, and farm
background.

Right;

Men, sophomores, high scholastic ability, humanities
majors, regular church attenders, lower occupations,
and farm background.

Religion; Women, sophomores, average scholastic ability,
humanities majors, occasional church attenders, lower
occupations and farm background.
6.

What appeared to be a significant correlation between student

factors and the value problem areas was disclosed in a consistent
relationship between the value areas and the student factors with con­
tinuous variables (scholastic ability, church attendance, father’s
occupation) which occurred three out of every four possible times. The
same was true for individual check list items in practically the same
ratio .
The appraisal of the sources of guidance. The tabulation and analy­
sis of the responses to the sub-tests of the Sources Check List revealed
considerable information relative to the sources of guidance associated
with problems with value standards with respect to those which students
felt should be of help and those which they felt had been of help to them.
The most important findings of this phase of the research appear to be
the following.
1. The conceptions of the five value areas as conceived in terms
of Value Problems Check List and the five broad problems of the Sources
Check List were found to be quite similar, an outcome supporting the
assumption that facts discovered about Sources Check List could be

177

applied -with considerable assurance to the results of the Value Prob­
lems Check List.
2 . Sources checked most frequently as those that should be of help
to the student with problems relating to value standards were largely
of the informal type.

Those checked by 30 percent or more, arranged in

order of decreasing frequency of checking, were parents (67%), minister,
student religious groups, faculty members, publications, other adults
and other students.

Deans, counselors, advisors and other formal agencies

of guidance were all checked by less than 30 percent of the sample.

This

condition proved to be generally the same for all five areas.
3 . Guidance sources checked most frequently as ones which students
felt had been of help to them were also largely of the informal type .
Those checked by one-fourth or more, arranged in order of decreasing
frequency of checking, were parents (66%), minister, other students,
publications, other adults and "bull sessions".

Deans, counselors,

advisors and other more formal guidance sources were all checked by less
than one-tenth of the sample.

The same proportions generally prevailed

in the five individual value areas .
U . A study of the relationship between the potential use (should be
of help) and the actual use (have been found to be helpful) of the
various sources revealed that once again it was the informal sources
which were being most fully used.

Based on the proportion of those who

checked the source as a, potential one who also checked it as an actual
one the sources ranking above

30

percent were "bull sessions" (93%),

178

parents, other students , publications, other adults, college courses
and minister.

The importance of value problems as compared with other problems .
The responses of the sample to the question of the comparative importance
of these value-related problems in relation to the other kinds of prob­
lems the student faces revealed that less than five percent felt them
to be the most important of all. Almost one-half placed them among their
most important problems . Over one-third said they were not of major
importance, and about one-tenth said they were of scant significance or
failed to respond to the item.
Conclusions and Implications
The outcomes of this research considered in the light of both the
specific and broader objectives of the study point to several conclusions
with implications of significance to the process of counseling and gen­
eral education at the college level.

While it is to be recognised that

the following statements must be tempered by the stated limitations of
this study, the evidence commends their serious consideration by those
interested in the personal development of students in the college .years .
1.

It can be concluded that almost all students in the first two

years of college experience at least a few problems with their value
standards and that some recognise a considerable number.

In addition

because of the lack of anonymity in the questionnaire responses and a.
natural reluctance on the part of many students to admit to having

f

l

179

problems, the actual number may- be greater than this study has revealed.
Moreover , it is apparent that these sorts of problems are of marked
significance to stuaents even when compared with other problems he faces .
There appears to be disclosed in this study an area of student-recognized
needs heretofore undisclosed to any large extent, probably because of
their being overshadowed by the more practical academic, vocational and
social concerns. The significance of these value standard problems to
the students suggests that an awareness of them is important.

There

is in addition the implication that educational offerings should deal
with value problems more fully and that counselors should be more ade­
quately prepared to handle them.
2 . The results of the study indicate that the most commonly checked
individual problems reflected a variety of types and areas, though some
emerge as being more significant than others on this basis.

Thus, the

concern for values such as it is revealed in this study is not re­
stricted to only a few types and areas . It therefore appears that the
provision of counseling and academic programs must be based on an in­
creasingly comprehensive awareness of value issues.
3.

The analysis of significant individual items disclosed certain

general problem patterns in the value areas each of which was of concern
to one-third or considerably more of the sample . These were generally
summarized as being a concern for clear and logical thinking, a. concern
for adequate goals and objectives, a concern about inadequate aesthetic
standards, and a concern for religious issues.

The substantial numbers

of students manifesting these problem patterns suggests that the program

180

of general education and the counseling services might well place
incressec emphasis on these issues.

For example, there appears to be

a need growing out of this problem material for general educational
course offerings which would deal rather extensively with problems of
clear thinking, with the study of the arts, and with the task of evolv­
ing an adequate philosophy of life.

There is also reflected here the

need for individual counseling that could cope with these issues,
particularly the latter since it is more personal than the others.
Ij. The fact that the background characteristics of the students
have been found to correlate with frequency and variety of value prob­
lems is significant for several reasons. ' In the first place these
relationsliips point to a certain degree of validity in the questionnaire
employed in this study.

In addition it indicates that value problems

like other problems the student faces are linked with his personality
characteristics. Thus the counselor who is aware of these relationships
may have an enriched understanding of the concerns of the student with
whom he is dealing, and perhaps be of greater help to those students
seeking to develop a more satisfying and mature philosophy of life.
5.

The findings with respect to sources of guidance indicated that

the greater part of guidance experienced by students relating to value
was derived from informal sources . While this outcome is to be expected
on the grounds that the informal sources ere more available to students,
it should be noted that it is these very sources which in many cases may
be the most inadequate.
uninformed.

Such sources may well be biased, misleading or

In many cases they may simply reinforce the confusions and

161

prejudices of the

311166111

rather than lead liim lo broader and richer

perspectives on value issues.

This criticism is not mean! lo imply

that the informal sources are of no importance or that they serve no
purpose.

Rather, the point to be made here is that the college proper

should perhaps be playing a more active role in dealing with the value
problems of students . That tliis is expected by the student is implied
in the fact that the more formal guidance sources were checked with
considerable frequency as potential sources.

The task seems to be one

of making these sources more available and probably more effective.
One of the more practical steps in this direction might well be through
a general education course that considers value issues in greater detail.
o.

As sources of guidance found by the student to be of help,

college courses ranked very low, being so checked by only one-sixth of
the sample though one-fourth felt they should be of help. Since college
courses and particularly the general educational types of courses, con­
stitute a common experience for students, the low proportion of ful­
fillment can be regarded as somewhat of an evaluation of the adequacy
of courses as sources of guidance in this problem area.

This evaluation

has indicated that they are not even fulfilling the need in accord with
expectation, let alone the need as suggested by the problem totals.
There is implied in these conclusions the point that the academic offer­
ings of the college and more specifically the general educational program
needs to be more fully concerned than they have been with value issues
as they involve the student.

182

Implications for Further Research
In the course of carrying out this investigation a. number of issues
and. questions were raised which were beyond the scope of the research.
Thus, while certain conclusions were reached in terms of the data of this
study, it constitutes only a small beginning to the inquiry into the
question of human values as they pertain to college students and college
education.

In view of the experiences with this particular approach to

the subject of values and its many yet unfathomed problems, the follow­
ing points appear to be some of the more important avenues of future
study.
1. Check List items and value categories as employed in this and
similar investigations of values require more intensive analysis in order
to define more adequately the problems under study.

More refined analyti­

cal procedures need to be applied to the value categories to disclose
any intercorrela.tions and to establish a higher degree of validity in
these concepts than now exists.

The refinement of this check list

through the application of these practices might well result in an
instrument of value to the counseling process.
2. The relation between the type of instrument used in this study
and some well established value scale such as the Allport-Vernon study
of Values should be ascertained to clarify more fully the meaning of
these value problems in terms of basic life interests. Further work in
this same direction could be done through the use of inventories of
students1 attitudes and beliefs on a variety of issues . In other •words

183

"the re 1 a.tipnship between the content of the student’s value system and
'the problems he has relating to the system must be further investigated.
3.

Research involving a study of the relationship between value

problems and personality ad.justment must be done in order to gain more
understanding of the connection between value systems and the stability
of personality. The question as to what the value problems mean with
respect to life adjustment needs thorough investigation.
Ij.. A future use of this check list approach to value problems must
also involve the use of the interview along with the check list techniques
in order to establish more accurately the meaning of these issues to the
student. Such procedures would not only greatly augment the validity
of the study ^ but in addition provide examples of student opinion and
expression on these problems .
5. A study similar to the present one needs to be carried out in­
volving an adequate sample of all four years of a college situation.
Such a study would provide useful information concerning the entire
college experience as well as enable a survey of the development of the
student towards more mature points of view with respect to problems with
values . Such a. study might even be carried beyond the college years or
involve a. non-college control group through which the differences be­
tween non-college and college experiences might be evaluated with
respect to problems with values.
6

. A more comprehensive understanding of the place and function of

value issues in the college community and in college education is needed.
To this end a survey involving faculty^ administration, counselors and

18U

interested lay people as well as the students themselves might be
undertaken.
7.

Finally3 there is need for a broader study of the part played

by the various potential, guidance sources in the college community
pointing to a clearer understanding of where students actually obtain
necessary help with all types and areas of problems.

Such information

would provide one aspect of an evaluation of the guidance resources of
a higher education program and perhaps point out some heretofore neg­
lected possibilities in the field.

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Consider Their Own Difficulties", School and Society, Vol. 32,
pp . 709-10 .
31. Smucker, Orden, A Study of Religious Practices and Attitudes in
East Lansing, East Lansing, Michigan: Social Research Service,
Michigan State College, 1950, 6I4+II4.pp. (mimeographed)
32. Strang, Ruth, Behavior and Background of Students in College and
Secondary School, New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers,
1 9 3 7 , 515 PP.
33. Stroud, J. B., Psychology in Education, New York:
and Company, 1956, 66 I4. pp.

Longmans, Green

3it. Urban, W. M., "Theory of Value", Enclyclopaedia Britiannica, llith.
Edition, Volumn 22, pp. 961-953.
35. Williamson, E. G. , Counseling Adolescents , New York:
Book Company, Inc ., 1950 > 5^8 p p .

McGraw Hill

3 6 . Wrenn,

C. G„, and R. Bell, Student Personnel Problems , New York:
Farrer and Rinehart, IncT7~19^2~r"

37. Wrenn, C. G., Student Personnel Work in College , New York:
Ronald Press Company, 1951 3 589 pp.

The

APPENDIX I
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
AND
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS SHEET

18 8

A STUDY OF STUDENT V A L U E PROBLEMS
T h i s is not a test.
It is a questionnaire in which
you are being a s k e d to record certain information about
yourself.
The purpose of this questionnaire is to reveal
some things about the problems students have Tilth their
systems of values, a n d where students get help with these
kinds of problems.
You, along w i t h the rest of your
class,, have b e e n selected as a sample of Basic College
students to form a part of the basis of this survey.
There are three sections to the questionnaire.
Read
the directions for each part carefully so that you u n d e r ­
s tand just what information is required.
Examine the
items t h o u g h t f u l l y so that your responses represent your
best thinking.
T h e material in these questionnaires will be kept
fu l l y confidential and the survey results will in no way
reflect on the individuals involved in it.
Y o u are be­
ing a s k e d to record your name so that the source of this
in f o r m a t i on is identifiable in case there is a need for
a d d i t i o n a l data o r follow-up surveys.
Thank you for your c o o p eration and assistance.
Part I
In this s e c t i o n you are asked to report c e r t a i n facts about
yourself.
C h e c k the blanks which most nearly represent your status,
"/here a statement or figure is required be brief but accurate.
Age
Class

M a l e ____ F e m a l e ___
in college: F r e s h m a n

S i n g l e ____Mar r i e d ____ Other___
Sophmore

Term in college : (Cirele correct number)
What is your approximate

Special
12

3 ^

grade point average?

Other___

5 6 7 (and over)
.______

What is your major? _____________________________________________________
About how often do you attend church or religious services?
Once a w e e k or oftener_ 1-3 times a month
Occasionally
never—
What d e n o m i n a t i o n do you consider y o u r s e l f ? __________________________
What is your father's

occupation? _____________________________________

What is the approximate
Your name:

size of your home town? ____________________

189
P art II

This section consists of a list of possible problems that stu­
dents m a y have relating to their standards of values.
Read through
the list thoughtfully noting the problems which are of concern to
you or which trouble you in any w a v . When you identify such a prob­
lem dra.w a circle around the number of the item.
Be sure that you mark only the items which represent problems
and not those which simply express your opinions. To aid your
thinking of these items as problems, you can assume that each one is
a part of a sentence beginning: "l£y problem is that ...11 and then
read the item.
There are no right or wrong answers in the list.
I want to think more clearly and logically.
I am confused by the many conflicting standards of truth today.
I am no longer able to hold to a traditional standard of truth.
. My own standard of truth conflicts with my friends' standards.
Some college courses are confusing mip standard of truth.
I don't understand the meaning of good.
I am having difficulty setting up objectives for myself.
Present day standards of good are too indefinite.
My own standard of good is inadequa/te.
0. I need to know more about the theory of good.
X.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
0.

College life is confusing my artistic tastes.
I can't tell good art from bad art.
I need help in developing a more adequate standard of beauty.
I have difficulty deciding between m y artistic taste and the group's
College is not helping me develop an adequate standard of beauty.
I don't know what
attitude to take towards cheating on exams.
My code of ethics
is confused.
I don't know what
attitude to take towards dishonesty.
My own moral standards conflict with my parents' standards.
I feel the need to develop a more adequate code of ethics.

1.
2.
5.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
0.

I have lost my religious beliefs and have nothing to replace them.
I am confused by the many conflicting religious beliefs today.
I am dissatisfied with traditional religious practices a n d beliefs.
My own religious beliefs conflict with my friends' beliefs.
Some college courses are weakening ray religious beliefs.
I don't understand the meaning of truth.
I have difficulty facing reality.
Present day standards of truth are too indefinite.
My own standard of truth is inadequate.
X need to know more about logic and the scientific method.

1.
>3.
>3.
'4.
>5.
>6.
'7.
>8.
'9.
;0.

I have difficulty.choosing between studying and going to a movie.
My standard of good is confused.
At present I can't seem to get interested in anything.
My own standard of good conflicts with my parents' standard.
I need to develop a more adequate standard of good.
I don't know what colors go well together.
I am confused by the many conflicting standards of beauty today.
X am no longer able to hold to a traditional standard of beauty.
My standard of beauty conflicts with the standards of the group.
Some college courses are confusing my artistic tastes.
-2 -

190

1.
2.
5.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
0.

College life is weakening my moral standards.
I have difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong.
I need to have some help in dealing with moral probLems.
I have difficulty deciding between my own and the group's morals.
College is not giving me enough help with my moral problems.
I don't know enough about the meaning of religion.
I need a positive and inspiring faith in something.
Modern religious ideas seem too indefinite to me.
My own religious beliefs are inadequate.
I need to know more about religion in general.

1.
2.
5.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
0.

I am concerned about knowing what is ultimately real*
My standard of truth is confused.
My thinking is often inconsistent.
My own standard of truth conflicts wit& my parents' standards.
I feel the need to develop a more adequate standard of truth.
College life is weakening my standard of good.
I have difficulty distinguishing between good and bad things.
I need help in developing a more adequate standard of good./group's
It is difficult to decide between my standard of good and the/
College is not giving me enough help in clarifying my objectives.

1.
2.
i3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
■9.
0.

I don't know enough about the theory of beauty.
I can't tell good literature from poor literature.
Present day tastes in art are too indefinite for
me.
I feel that my own standard of beauty is too superficial.
I need to k n o w more ebout art in general.
My own standard of right and wrong is changing too frequently.
I am confused by the many conflicting standards of morality today.
I can no longer hold to a traditional standard of morality.
My own moral standard conflicts with the standards of the group.
Some college courses are confusing my moral standards.

1.
2.
o.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
0.

My life seems to have no meaning.
My present religious beliefs are confused.
I am bothered by the conflict between science and religion.
My own religious beliefs conflict with my parents' beliefs.
I feel the need to develop a more adequate religious philosophy.
College life is weakening my standard of truth.
I have difficulty distinguishing between truth and falsehood.
I need help in developing an adequate standard of truth.
/group* s
I have difficulty deciding between my own basis of truth and the/
College is not helping me develop a sound basis for judging truth.

1.
3.
3.
4.
5.
;6.
;7.
;8.
;9,
0.

I don't know which phase of college life to emphasize.
I am confused by the many conflicting standards of good today.
I can no longer hold to a traditional standard of good.
My own standard of good conflicts with my friends' standards.
Some college courses are confusing my standard of good.
I can't tell good architecture from poor architecture.
My standard of beauty is confused.
I can't tell good music from poor music.
My own artistic tastes conflict with my parents' tastes.
I feel the need to develop a more adequate standard of beauty.

191

$1. I don't know enough about the meaning of right.
/does.
92. I am wondering whether to smoke or drink just because the crowd/
93. Present day moral standards are too indefinite.
94. My own code of ethics is inadequate.
95. I need to know more about ethics and morals.
96. College life is weakening my religious faith.
97. 1 have difficulty deciding which religious beliefs are adequate.
98. I need help In working out my religious philosophy.
'-/group's.
99. I have difficulty deciding between my religious ideas and the/
100. College doesn't give one enough opportunity for individual reli­
gious development.
*

*

*

+

*

Part III
This section consists of five broad problems each of which
deals with a particular area of value judgment.
Accompanying
each problem is a list of possible sources in the college commun­
ity which may be of help to students with problems of various
kinds. Read the following: instructions carefully and apply all
three steps to each of the f tve~’p r o b T e n s .
"""
F IRST :

Read the problem and check thfk response.-which most
nearly expresses your reaction to it.

S E C O N D : Check under column "A" the sources which you feel should
be helpful to students with problems in the given area,
THIRD :

Check in column "B" the sources which you personally
kave founa helpful to you in dealing with problems in
the given area.

PROELEM I Problems relating to the standard of truth, of judg­
ing between what is true and false, logical and illogical, and
consistent and inc-onsistent concern mes
1. A great deal.
2. To some extent.
3 Not at all.
A B
A B
^ Student Health Center
D e a n of Students
Resid.e-nt- assistants
Your minister
" , ^ Student Religious Groups
Student Counseling Center
__ Student organizations
__ Books and magazine articles
3- College courses:(List then)
Your parents
__ Faculty members
Other adults
__ Other students
Psychological-Clinic
Other sources:(List them)
__ Bull sessions
Resident advisors
D e a n of Men or-Women
_
None
_

_

*

192

PROBLEM II Problems relating to the standard of pood, of judgini between good and bad things, of judging between activities
and objectives that are worthwhile and those that are not, con­
cern me:
1. A great deal.
2 . To some extent.

I
A

3. Not at all.

B

A

"

II H
II
II __
I_ __

II II
_I __
II II
I_ __
II __
I_ ~
~

D e a n of Students
Your minister.
Student Counseling Center
Books and magazine articles
Your parents
Faculty members
Other adults
Other students
Psychological Clinic
Bull sessions
Resident Advisors
D e a n of Men or Women
None

B
Student Health Center
Resident assistants
Student religious groups.
Student organizations.
College courses : (Liat them)

_ Other sourcesTTList them)

PROBLEM III Problems relating to the stand§rd_of_right, of judgi r ^ b e tween right and wrong, of judging between conduct that is
moral and ethical and conduct which is immoral and unethical,
concern me :
~
'
A

1. A great deal.
2. To some extent.
3. Not at all.

B

A

__
__
__
__

_I
II
_I
~

Dean of Students
Your minister
Student Counseling Qenter
Books and magazine articles
Your parents
Faculty members
Other adults
Other students
Psychological Clinic
Bull sessions
Resident advisors.
D e a n of lien or Women
None

B
__ Student Health Center
Resident assistants
Student religious groups
__ Student organizations
__ College courses:(List them)

Other sources s (List theM)

193

PR O B L E M I V P r o b l e m s r e l a t i n g t o t h e s t a n d a r d o f b e a u t y, o f j u d g ­
ing b e t w e e n good and p oo r art isti c taste, of judging b e t w e e n what
is h a r m o n e o u s a n d i n g o o d f o r m a n d w h a t is g r o t e s q u e a n d i n b a d
form, c o n c e r n me:
1. A great- d e a l .
2. T o s o m e e x t e n t
3. N o t a t a l l .
A

B

A

B

_

_ D e a n of S t u d e n t s
__ __ Student Health Center
”
Your minister
__Resident assistants
Student CounselingQenter
” __ S t u d e n t r e l i g i o u s g r o u p s
_ B o o k s a n d m a g a z i n e a r t i c l e s __ _ _ S t u d e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s
Your parents
” 1 C o l l e g e c o u r s e s :( L i s t the m)
7 .
Faculty members
~ ~ ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ;_
Other adults
~~_ ”
Other students
3.____ Z__~_~~__ ~
Psychological Clinic
~ ~_____
_
_ Bull sessions
~ ~ ~ ~ Oth er s o u r c e s T T L i s t them)
Resident advisors___________ __ ___ ______________ ___________
D e a n o f M e n o r IVomen
_ _____________
_______
None
— -

PROBLEM V
Problems dealing with religion, of judging the adequacy
of religious beliefs, of developing"^ way of life that is spirit­
ually satisfying and meaningful, concern me:
1. A great deal.
2. To some extent.
3- Not at all.
A

B
D e a n of Students
Your minister
Student Counseling Center
Books and magazine articles
Your parents
Faculty members
Other adults
Other students
Psychological Clinic
Bull Sessions
Resident advisors
D e a n of Men or Women
None

B
Student Health Center
Resident assistants
Student religious groups
Student organizations
College courses:(List them)

Other SourcesTTList them)

A F I N A L .QUESTION In comparison with other kinds of problems in
college and life that you are facing, how would you rate .these.
problems in the area of values as to their significance or impor­
tance to you?~TCheck the item which most nearly expresses your
opinion) .
They are the most important of all to me.
They are among the most important problems
~ They are not of major importance to me.
They are of little or no significance to me.

194

SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCT I QhF F OR THE VALUES QUESTIONNAIRE
Additional suggestions

for Part II

1. In this check list ve are not concerned with the degree
of the seriousness of a problem.
If a given item represents
a problem that bothers you or gives you concern in any "jay
then circle the mimben of that item.
2. Ee as frank as possible with yourself as you consider the
items.
The results of this survey will in no way reflect on
you personally.
The aim of this study"”is to discover some
things about students in general.
Part III
The following elaboration of the instructions for thisT sec­
tion "'ill be helpful to you in dealing with it wore accurately.
Remember that all ..three, of these sters are to be applied to each
of the five problems .
FIRST
STEP:

1. Read the problem camefully.
2. Check the response under the problem which most
nearly represents your reaction to it.

SEC OND
STEP:

1. Read through the entire list of guidance sources accom
panyinc the problem, check ing under column "A" the
■sources which you feel s h o u ld be helpful to students
w i th problems in the given area of values.
2. Be sure to add names of courses and other sources
in the proper places as you see fit*
3. If you can find no responses for column "A" then be
sure to check "None".

THIRD
^TEP:

1. Read through the list once again, this tine checking
under column "B" those sources which you have personnally found helpful in dealing with problems in this
value area.
2. As before, be sure to add such ite^s as you feel nec­
essary.
3. If you have found no sonoces which have helped you
rerson&lly then be some to check "None".

A General S nrgestion: This questionnaire requires some pretty
careful thinking on your part.
Take your time and give it your
best- while you are working on it. Your efforts mill be greatly
a pprec isted .

195

APPENDIX II
INSTRUCTION SHEET FOR THOSE ADMINISTERING
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
1.
as follows*

Your section(s) selected to take this questionnaire is (are)
Toraa

Section

Meeting time

2. Give the questionnaires to the students preferably at the be­
ginning of a class period so that it will not interfere with your les­
son plans for the day. It should take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes
far them to complete it.
3. Be sure that each student has a copy of the supplemental in­
structions sheet. This is important because in the first trials of this
instrument it was found that a few students were confused as to what to
do at certain points.
4* Collect the questionnaires and return them, including the un­
used ones to my box or office. Tiy to keep the sections separate if
you have two of them.
5. Most students will take this questionnaire "lying down", but a
few may raise questions concerning the repetitiousness of the check list.
Simply tell them to consider each item on its own merits. If no student
aske about this matter don't raise the issue at all.
6. Any means you may wish to use to increase the student's rapport
with this instrument are encouraged. While a littit on,the abstract
side, students who have worked over this questionnaire so far have done
quite well by it.

7. Deadline for this project is, of course, the end of the term.
But try to work it into your schedule before the absence ratio begins
to go up.

196

APPENDIX III
LIST OF TWENTY BASIC PROBLEM TYPES CLASSIFIED
INTO GENERAL PROBLEM GROUPINGS
The Status of the Students Standard.
1. The standard isconfused.
2. The standard isinadequate.
3. The student haddifficulty discriminating with the standard.
4* The student rejects traditional standards.
The Students Standard Relative to Present-day Standards.
5. Present-day standards are too indefinite.
6. Confused by conflicts among present-day standards.
The student's Knowledge Concerning the Standard.
7 • Student is unable to understand the meaning of the standard.
8. Student asserts a need to know more about the standard.
Conflicts Between the Student's own Standard and the Standards of Others
9- Student's standard conflicts with his parents' standards.
10. Student's standard conflicts with his friends' standards.
11. Difficulty deciding between his own and others’ standards.
Some Factors that are Currently Influencing his Standard.
12. seme college courses are confusing the student's standard.
13. College life is weakening the standard.
14. College is failing to help the student with his standard.
The Student Expresses Needs in Dealing with the Standard.
15. The Student feels a need for a more adequate standard.
16. The student feels a need for help in developing a more adequate
standard.
Miscellaneous Problems.
lV.
(The four miscellaneous problems in each area permit the develop18.
ment of items which reflect conflicts and concerns which are more
19.
or less unique to the given valve area. Because of this fact,
20.
these four items are not similar from area to area and thus are
not specifically comperable.)

19 7

APPENDIX IV
VALUE PROBLEMS CHECK LIST ITEMS LISTED BY AREA
The following five tables consist of a listing of the 100 items of
The Value Problems Check List classified according to value area. Each
table is composed of the items of a given area. Data on the tables in­
clude the check list item number, the basic problem type of each item
and the frequency with which each item was checked by the sample as a
whole. The arrangement of the items in the tables is based on the fre­
quency with which they were checked.

TABLE XXXVII
NUMBER AND PERCENT CF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH ITEM IN THE AREA OF GOOD

Item
no.

Item*

Number

7. (18)** I a m having difficulty setting up objectives for myself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
33. (20) At present I can't seem to get interested in anything. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
31. (19) I have difficulty choosing between studying and going to a movie. . . . . 126
60. (14) College is not giving me enough help in clarifying m y objectives. . . . . 118
81. (17) I don't know which phase of college life to emphasize. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. ( 5) Present-day standards of good are too indefinite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10. ( 8) I need to know more about the theory of good. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
34. ( 9) M y own.standard of good conflicts with m y parents' standard. . . . . . . . . . 38
84. (10)
82. ( 6)
9. (2)
59. (11)
6. (7)
32. ( 1)
56. (13)

57.
35.
85.
83.

( 3)
(15)

(12)
( 4)
58. (16)

M y own standard of good conflicts with m y friends' standards. . . . . . . . .
I a m confused by the many conflicting standards of good today .........
M y own standard of good ia inadequate .............................
.1 have difficulty deciding between my standard of good and the group's.
I don't understand the meaning of g oo d ............................
My own standard of good is confused ...............................
College life is weakening m y standard of g oo d ......................
I have difficulty distinguishing between good and bad things .........
I need to develop a more adequate standard of good ..................
Some college courses are confusing my standard of good ...............
I can no longer hold to a traditional standard of good. . . . . . . . . . . . .
I need help in developing a more adequate standard of g o o d . . . . . . . . . .

Percent

36.6
26.1
24.1
22.6
22.2
14.9
8.6
7.3
6.9

. 36

4.4
4.0
3.1

. 23
. 17

3.0
15

.
.
.
.

13

.
.

7
6

14
13

2.9
2.7
2.5
2.5
1.5

1.3
1.1

86T

* Items are arranged in order of decreasing frequency with which they were checked.
■ft# Figures in parentheses indicate the basic problem type as based on the list of problem types in
Appendix III.

TABLE XXXVIII
NUMBER AND PERCENT OF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH ITEM IN THE AREA OF BEAUTI

Item.
no.

12.
65.
62.
63.
61.
13.
14.
88.
89.
86.
15.
90.
36.
39.
64.
87.
37.
11.
38.
40.

Item*

( 3 ** I can't tell good art from bad art...............................
I need to know more about art in general..........................
(8
(18

(-5
(7
(16

*(H
(20
(9
(19

(U
(15
(17
(10

(2
(1
(6
(13
(4
(12

I can't tell good literature from poor literature.............. .
Present-day tastes in art are too indefinite for me..................
I don't know enough about the theory of beauty......................
I need help in developing an adequate standard of beauty..............
I have difficulty deciding between my artistic tastes and the group's. . .
I can't tell good music from poor music...........................
My own artistic tastes conflict with my parents' tastes..............
I can't tell good architecture from poor architecture................
College is not helping me develop an adequate standard of beauty.......
I feel the need to develop a more adequate standard of beauty.........
I don't know vdiat colors go well together.
.......................
My standard of beauty conflicts with the standards of the group........
I feel that my own standard of beauty is too superficial....... .
My standard of beauty is oonfused................................
I am confused by the many conflicting standards of beauty today........
College life is confusing my artistic tastes.......................
I.am no longer able to hold to a traditional standard of beauty........
Some college courses are confusing my artistic tastes................

Number

Percent

139
135
66
65
41

26.6
25.9
12.6
12.5
7.9
7.3
7.1
7.1
6.9
6.9
6.1
5.9
5.9
4.9
3.4
2.5
2.5
2.5
1.7
1.7

38
37
37
36
36
32
31
31
21
18
13
13
13
9
9

# Items are arranged in order of decreasing frequency with which they were checked.
Figures in parentheses indicate the basic problem type as based on the list of problem types in
Appendix III.

199

TABLE XXXIX
NUMBER AND PERCENT OF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH ITEM IN THE AREA OF RELIGION

Item
no.
' 50.
73.
75.
46.
22.
24.
49.
47.
23.
72.
71.
25.
98.
48.
100.
97.
74.
96.

99.

Item*

Number

( ** I need to know more about religion in general.....................
(20
I am bothered by the conflict between science and religion..........
I need to develop a more adequate religious philosophy..............
(15
I don't know enough about the meaning of religion..................
(7
I am confused by the many conflicting religious beliefs today........
(6
(10
My own religious beliefs conflict with my friends' beliefs..........
My own religious beliefs are inadequate.........................
(2
(18
1 need a positive and inspiring faith in something...............
I am dissatisfied with traditional religious practices and beliefs. . . .
(4
(1
My present religious beliefs are confused........................
My life seems to have no meaning...............................
(19
(12
Some college courses are weakening my religious beliefs............. .
(16
I need help in working out my religious Jihilosophy.................
Modem religious ideas seem to indefinite to me........ .......... .
(5
College doesn't give enough opportunity for individual religious
(14
development................... ...................... . . .
I
have
difficulty deciding which religious beliefs are adequate...... .
(3
My own religious beliefs cohflict with my parents' beliefs.......... .
(9
College life is weakening my religious faith.....................
(13
I have difficulty deciding between my religious beliefs and the group's. .
(n
I have lost my religious beliefs and have :: nothing to replace them. . . .
(17

65
48
42
31
31
18
17

Percent
30.3
21.0
17.6
16.9
16.1
13.4
13.2
12.6
12.5
11.1
9.6
9.2
8.6
8.0
6.9
5.9
5.9
5.0
3.4
3.1

200

* items are arranged in order of decreasing frequency with which they ware checked.
Figures in parentheses indicate the basic problem type as based on th elist of problem types in
Appendix III.

TABLE XL
NUMBER AND PERCENT CF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH ITEM IN THE AREA OF RIGHT

Item
no.

67.
93.
19.
41.
69.
20.
95.
17.
44.
92.
16.
66.
45.
18.
43.
42.
68.
91.
94.
70.

Item*

Number

( 6)** I am confused by the many conflicting standards of morality today........ 65
( 5) Present-day moral standards are too indefinite........................ 64
( 9) My own moral standards conflict with my parents' standards.............. 63
(13) College life is weakening say moral standards
. 55
(10) My own moral standards conflict with the standards of the group.... 48
(15) I feel the need to develop a more adequate code of ethics............ 47
( 8) I need to know more about ethics and morals
46
42
( 1) My code of ethics is confused...................................
(11) I have difficulty deciding between my own and fche group's morals.. . . .
40
(18) I am wondering whether to smoke or drink just because the crowd does. . . 40
(19) I don't know what attitude to take towards cheating on examinations. ... 39
(17) My OYffi standard of right and wrong is changing too frequently
35
(14) College is not giving me enough help with my moral problems
32
(20) I don't know what attitude to take towards dishonesty
29
(16) I need to have help in dealing with moral problems
26
( 3) I have difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong
21
( 4) I can no longer hold to a traditional standard of morality
21
(7) I don't know enough about the meaning of right
20
(2) My own code of ethics is inadequate
15
(12) Some college courses are confusing my moral standards
13

percent

12.5
12.3
12.1
10.5
9.2
9.0
8.8
8.0
7.7
7.7
7.5
6.7
6.0
5.6
5.0

4.9
4.9
3.8
2.9
2.5

* Items are arranged in order of decreasing frequency with which they were checked.
Figures in parentheses indicate the basic problem type as based on the list of problem types in
Appendix III.

to

o
H

TABLE XLI
NUMBER AND PERCENT OF SAMPLE CHECKING EACH ITEM IN THE AREA OF TRUTH

Item
no.

Item*

Number

1. (17)** I want to think more logically and clearly............................
53. (20) My thinking is often inconsistent....................................
30. ( 8) I need to knew more about lcgicaand the scientific method...............
2. ( 6) I am confused by the many conflicting standards of truth today. . . . . . .
4. (10) My own standard of truth conflicts with my friends' standards...........
27. (18) I have difficulty facing reality.......................... .........
5. (12) Some college courses are confusing my standard of truth................
51. (19) I am concerned about knowing vhat is ultimately real...................
28. ( 5) Present-day standards of truth are too indefinite................ . . .
3. ( 4) I am no longer able to hold to a traditional standard of truth. . . . . . .
80. (14) College is not helping me to develop a sound basis for judging truth. . . .
55. (15) I feel the need to develop a more adequate standard of truth............
77. ( 3) I have difficulty distinguishing between truth and falsehood............
29. ( 2) My own standard of truth is inadequate...............................
26. ( 7) I don't understand the meaning of truth..............................
54. ( 9) My own standard of truth conflicts with my parents' standards...........
I have difficulty deciding between my own standard of truth arri the group's
79. (H)
52. ( 1) My standard of truth is confused....................................
76. (13) College life is weakening my standard of truth........................
78. (16) I need help in developing a more adequate standard of truth........... .

Percent

218
161
122
97
89
70
56
51
47
19
15
15
14

11
11
11
8

7
7
7

41.8

32.0
23.4
1B.6
17.0
13.4
10.7
9.8
9.0
3.6
2.9
2.9
2.7
2.1
2.1
2.1

1.5
1.3
1.3
1.3

* items are arranged in order of decreasing frequency with which they were checked.
** Figures in parentheses indicate the basid problem type as based on the list of problem types in
Appendix III.
202

APPENDIX V
CODING SYSTEM USED FOR
ANALYSIS 01' DATA

203

CODING SYSTEM USED FOR ANALYSIS OF DATA
Student Data Section
No.

Question or Factor

1.

Case Number Field

1
.—
i
£
o

0-9
0-9
0-9

2.

Age of student

L

.1
2
3
li
5
0

3.

Sex of student

5

1 Male
2 Female
0 No Answer

ix.

Marital Status

6

1 Single
2 Married
3 Other
0
NA

5.

Class in College

7

1
2
3
U
£
6
0

Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Special
Other
NA

6.

Term in College

8

1
2
3
U
5
6
7
0

1st
2nd
3rd
i+th
5th
6th
7th and above
NA

9

1
2
3
0

7.

Grade point average

Col.

Row

1? and below
18
19
20
21 and above
N .A .

0.00 to 1.99 (D and below)
2 .00 to 2 .99 (C)
3.00 to U 00 (B and above)
NA

2 Oli

No.

Question or Factor

Col.

Row

S.

A .C .E. totsl score

10

1
2
3
0

9.

School preference for
major

11

1
2
3

Low ability (lower 29%)
Avg. ability (middle b2%)
High ability (upper 29%)
NA

Agriculture
Bus. and Public Serv.
Engineering
b Home Economics
5 Science and Arts
6 Veterinary Med.
7 No Preference
8 Unclassified
0 NA

10.

General academic area.
of major field

12

1
2
3
b
0

Sci., Engr . & Technology
Soc. Sci., Soc. Serv., Teach.
Humanities and Arts
Mo Preference
NA

11.

Attendance at religious
services o f t o u t church

13

1
2
3
U
0

Once a. week or oftener
1-3 times a. month
Occasionally
Never
NA

12.

Religious denomination

1b

1
2
3

Catholic

5
6
7
8
9
Q
X
Y
1
2
3
b
5
6
7
8
9
0

Professional or semi-prof.
Farmers and farm managers
Proprietors , rngrs . officials
Clerical, sales, etc.
Craftsmen, foremen
Opera.tives
Service workers
Farm laborers and foremen
Laborers (except mine & farm)
NA or deceased'

b

13 .

Occupa.tion of father

15

Jewish
Protestant (unspecified)
Baptist
Christian Scientist
Congrega.tionsli.st
Episcopalian
Luthern
Methodist
Presbyterian
Others
None and NA

205

Question or Factor

Col.

Row

Size of home community

16

1
2
3
h
5
6
0

Farm
Rural non-farm
Village -under 2500
Town 2500 to 25.000
City 25,000 to 100,000
City 100,000 and over
PA

Area in which student
has checked most of his
problems

19

l
2
3
k
5

Truth
Good
B eauty
Right
Religion

Two areas tied for the
most problems checked
by the student

20

i Truth-Good
2 Truth-Beauty
3 Truth-Right
h T ruth-Re1igio n
5 Gobd-Beauty
A Good-Right
7 Good-Religion
8 B ea.uty-Ri ght
9 B eauty-Re1igion
0 Right-Religion
X Und.eterm ined

Code and Key for Value Problems Check List
Factor

Col.

Row

Truth

21

1
2
3
U
5
o
7
£
9
0

1
2
3
h
5
o
7
8
9
10

T-17
T-6
T-li
T-10
T-12
G-7
0-18
G~5
G-2
G-8

22

1
2
3

11
12
13

B-13
B-3
B-16

Good

Beauty

•

Item No .

Problem

206

P actor
Beauty (Cont'd)
Right

Religion

Truth

Good

Beauty

Right

Religion

Truth

Row

Item N o .

Problem

R
5
6
7
8
9
0

1U
15
16
17
18
19
20

B-ll
s-ia
M-19
M-l
M-20
M-9
M-l 5

1
2
3
R
5
6
7
n
o
9
0

21
22
23
2a
25
26
27
26
29
30

R-17
R-6

1
2

0

31
32
33
3a
35
36
37
38
39
ao

G-19
G-l
G-20
G-9
G-15
B-17
B-6
B-a
B-10
B-12

1
2
3
R
5
o
7
r>
o
9
0

ai
a2
a3
aa
a5
as
a7
as
h9
50

M-13
M-3
M-l 6
M-ll

1
2
3
a

5i
52
53
5a

a

55

T-19
T-l
T-20
T-9
T-15

R
5
6
7
8
9

R-a
R-10
R-12
T-7
T-18
T-5
T-2
T-8

M-ia
R-7
R-18
R-5
R-2
R-8

207

Factor

Col.

Good

Beauty

27

Row

Item No .

6
7
8
9
0

56
57
58
59
60

G-13
G-3
G-16
G-ll
G-lLi

1
2
3

61
62
63
6R
65
66
67
68
69
70

B-7
B-18
B-5
B-2
B-8
M-17
M —6
M-L
M-10
H-12

71
72
73
7U
75
76
77
76
79
80

R-19
R-l
R-20
R-9
R-15
T -13
T-3
T-16
T-ll
T-lL

81
82
83
8U
85
86
87
88
89
90

G-17
G-6

h
5
6
7
8
9
0

Right

Religion

28

1
2
3

h
5
Truth

6

7
8

9
0
Good

29

1
2

3
li
c
Beauty

6

7
6
9
0
Right

Religion

30

1
2
3
li
5
6
7
8
9
0

91
92
93

9k
95
96
97
98
99
100

Problem

G-h
G-10
G-12
B-19
B-l
B-20
B-9
B -15
M-7
M-18
M-5
M-2
ii-6
R-13
R-3
R-l 6
R-ll
R-lh

208

Code for Check List Totals
Factor
Number of problems
checked in the area of
Truth

Col
31

Row
0
1

No problems checked
1 problem checked

2

2

3
h
r*
P

3
h
5
6
7

6

7
b
9
X
Y

Number of problems
checked in the area of
Good

32

No problems checked
1

2

2

J

6
7
6
o
y
x
Y

5
6
7
8
9
10
11 or more
None
1

2

2
3

3
0
6
7

8
9
X
Y

3b

3
I t

0
1

h
■*

Number of problems
checked in the area of
Right

8
9
10
11 or more

0
1
h
5

Number of problems checked
in the area, of Be arty
33

Variable

I t

5
7
8
9
10
11 or more

0
1

None
1

2

2

3
h

3
h

Factor

Col.

Number of problems
checked in the area of
Right (.Cont'd)

Number ox problems
checked in the area of
Religion

35

Row

V artable

5'
6
7
8
9
X
Y

5
6
7
8
9
10
11 or more

0
1
2
3

k
5
6
7
8
9
X
Y
Total number of problems
checked by the individual
in the whole check list

36

0
1
2
3

h
5
6
7

None
1
2
3
a
5/

0

7

8
9
10
11 or more
None
1 to
6 to
11 to
16 to
21 to
26 to
31 or

5
10

15
20

25
30
more

Degree of Concern With the Problem Areas
Degree of concern with
problem of Truth
Degree of concern xri_th
problem of Good
Degree of concern with
problem of Right

37

1
2
3
a
5
6
7
8
9
0
X
Y

Great deal
To some extent
Mot at all
NA
A great deal
To some extent
Not at all
NA
A great, deal
To some extent
Not at all
NA

210

Factor
Degree of concern with
problem of Beauty

Col.

Row

38

1
2

3
h
9
O
7

Degree of concern with
problem of Religion

8
General importance of
value problems compared
with other kinds of
student problems

39

Problem Area I:
"A" Sources that should
be helpful to students
with problems in the area,
of truth

lj.1

1
2

3
h
0
1
2

3
h
9
o
7
6
9
0
X
Y
h2

1
2

3
U
5
6
7

8
9
0
X
Y
U3

1
2

3
U
9
6

Variable
A great deal
To some extent
Not at all
NA
A gre at de al
To some exbent
Not at all
NA
Most important of all
Among most important
Not of major importance
Of little or no significance
NA
Dean of students
Your minister
Student Counseling Center
Books and Magazine articles
Your parents
Faculty member’s
Other adults
Other students
Psychological Clinic
Bull sessions
Resident advisors
Dean of men or women
None
Student Health Center
Resident assistants
Student religious groups
Student organizations
College courses
Written and Spoken English
Biological Science
Social Science
Effective Living
History of Civilization
Literature & Fine Arts
Psychology courses
Philosophy courses
Religion courses
Art courses (besides LFA)
Economics courses
Literature courses

211

Factor

Col.

Row

7
8
9
0
X
Y
Problem Area I:
’•B11 Sources student
has found helpful
in dealing with
problems in truth

55
55
56

Are a II :
(Good)

MB'

Area III:
(Right)

itj-1
ttgt

Area IV:
(Beauty)

"A' Rows 59, 60, 61.
"B1 Rows 6 2 , 63, 65.

Area V:
(Religion)

"A1 Rows 65, 66 67.
,fB T Rows 68, 69, 70.

"A* Rows 5 7, 58, 59.
Rows 5 0, 5 1, 52.
Rows 53, 55, 55.
Rows 56, 57, 58.

V a r ia b le
S cience c o u rse s ( b e s id e s BS)
H is to r y
Music
NA

S ociolo g y
O thers

Organization of rows in th e s e
t h r e e columns i s same as th e above
t h r e e columns which i s th e p a t t e r n
f o r th e f o llo w in g colum ns.

APPENDIX VI
MACHINE TABULATION PUNCH CARD

I 2 1 3 l 4 t 5 | 6 I 7 | 8 f 9 1 1 0 1 11 j 1 2 1 13 j 1 4 1 151 16 [ IT | 1 8 | 1 9) 2 0 1 2 1 | 2 2 | 2 3 | 2 4 1 25 1 28 1 2 7 1 2 8 l 2 9 1 3 0 1 31 1 32 | 3 3 | 34 1 35 f 3 6 1 37 j 3 8 1 3 S l 4 0 1 41 [ 42 j 431 4 4 1 4 5 1 4 6 |4 7 1 46 1 4 9 1 501 5 1 1 5 2 1 531 5 4 1 5 5 1 56 | 5 7 [ 5 8 i 5 9 T 6 Q l

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 2 1 3 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 3 5 3 6 37 38 39 40 41 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 46 47 4 8 49 50 51 5 ? 53 54 5 5 5 6 5 7 5 8 59 60 61 6 2 6 3 64 6 5 68 67 68 6 9 70 71 V. 7 3 7 4 75 7 6 77 78 7 9 60

0000000000 0000000000 o o o a o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 O O O O O G O O O G 0000000000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0000000000
1 : 3 4 5 5 7 8 3 10 I I 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 2 2 2 3 24 25 26 2 7 2 8 29 30 31 3 2 33 34 3 5 36 37 39 3 9 4t 41 42 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 4 7 48 49 SC 51 3 2 53 5 4 5 5 5 6 57 5 8 5 9 60 61 62 6 3 6 4 t f -:f> 6 7 6 8 6 9 70 71 7 2 7 3 74 75 76 7 7 7 8 79 80

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

11111111 1

1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1

1 '2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 19 20 21 2 2 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 3 3 34 35 36 37 38 39 4C 41 42 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 4 7 48 4 9 50 51 52 53 J4 55 55 57 5 8 5 9 60 61 62 63 64 6 5 66 o 7 68 6 9 7 0 71 72 7 3 74 7 5 7 6 7 7 78 7 9 BO

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2-2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
I 2 3 4 5

6 7 B 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 2 4 2 5 2b 27 28 29 30 31 32 3 3 34 35 36 3 7 3 8 3 9 40 41 42 4 3 44 4 5 46 47 48 49 50 51 5 2 53 54 55 5 6 57 5 8 5 9 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 6 9 7CT71 7 2 7 3 74 75 76 7 7 78 79 69

3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333
I 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 23 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 3 6 37 3 8 39 40 41 42 43 44 4 5 46 47 48 4 9 50 51 52 5 3 54 55 5 6 57 58 59 60 SI 62 63 61 6 5 56 67 6B 69 70 M 7 2 73 74 75 75 77 7 8 7 3 SO

4444444444 4444444444 4444444444 4444444444 4444444444 4444444444 4444444444 4444444444
1 2 3

4 S 6 7 8 9 10 I t 12 13 1 4 1 5 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2 6 27 23 2 9 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 47 4 8 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 5 9 6 0 SI 62 63 64 6 5 66 67 66 69 70

n 72 73 74

75 76 77 78 7 9 83

5555555555 5555555555 5555555555 5555555555 5555555555 5555555555 55555555555555555555
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 2 2 23 24 25 26 27 28 2 9 30 31 32 33 34 35 36-37 38 39 40 41 42 4 3 44 4 5 4 6 47 4 8 4 9 50 5 ! 52 53 5 4 55 56 5 7 58 59 60 61 6 2 63 64 65 6S 6 7 68 6 9 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78*79 80

6666666666 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 S 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 B 6 6 G 6 6 G 6 6 6 G 6 6 B 6 6 6 B B 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 0 6 6 8 6 6 6 6 6 0 6
1 2 3 4 5 8 7 8 9 10 I I 12 13 1 4 1 5 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 2 ° ?Cj3! 32 33 34 35 36 37 3 8 39 40 41 42 4 3 44 45 46 47 4 8 4 9 50 5 ! 5 2 5 3 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 6 4 65 66 67 6B 69 70 71 7 2 73 74 75 75 7 7 78 7 9 80

77777777777777777777 7777777777 7777777777 77777777777777777777 77777777777777777777
t 2 3 4 5 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1 4 1 5 16 17 13 13 23 21 22 23 24 2 5 2 6 27 2 3 2 9 30 31 32 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 6 37 3 8 3 9 40 41 42 43 4 4 4 5 4 6 47 48 4 9 50 51 5 2 53 54 5 5 5 8 57 5 8 5 9 63 6 ) 62 63 64 65 66 67 69 89 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 7 7 78 79 80

38838888880868888806
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 17 10 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 3 5 36 37 33 39 40 41 42 43 4 4 4 5 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 55 57 58 59 60 51 62 63 64 6 5 66 67 69 6 9 70 71 7 2 73 74 75 76 7 7 78 79 80

9 9 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 3 99 99 9 93 9 99 9 2 9 9 9 8 9 3 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 2 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 9 6 9 3
I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I t 1 2 1 3 14 15 IS 17 18 19 20 21 22 2 3 2 4 2 5 26 2 7 28 29 3 ^ 31 3 2 33 3 4 3 5 36 3 7 38 3 9 40 41 4 2 4 3 4 1 *!5 4 6 47 4 8 4 9 50 SI 5 2 5 3 54 5 5 55 57 5 8 59 60 61 6 2 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 7 5 76 77 78 79 80
M .5.C . N » . 1
A S 7C O 77X 72

213

APPENDIX VII
THE BASIS ON WHICH THE STUDENTS IN THE SAMPLE WERE CLASSIFIED
ACCORDING TO HIGH, AVERAGE AND LOW PERFORMANCE
ON THE A .C .E. TOTAL SCORE
The classifications of high, average and low were determined on
the basis of the record of student entrance examinations prepared by the
Board of Examiners at Michigan State College . Previous to the Fall Term
of 1951 the A.C.E. results were expressed as deciles, out beginning
with that term the system was revised to form a. ten-point proportional
scheme of derived scores . Since this study dealt with students under
both arrangements it was necessary to work out a method of combining
the two into a single scale such that each one would place about the
same proportion of students into the tliree categories . Table XLII
demonstrates how the two scoring schemes were combined for this study.
As can be seen in the table the average proportions for each
classification should have been 29% high, h2% a.verage and 29% low.

The

actual outcome of the sample was approximately 18% high, hh average and
33 low.

(Scores for about 5% were not available .)

This discrepancy

ban be accounted for mainly on the basis of the fact that many of the
"high" students and some of the "average" ones had "comped out" of the
course by the spring term. Students with sufficiently high grades are
permitted to accelerate in basic courses by taking the tests of the
remaining terms of the course . Since this study was made at the time
the main body of Effective Living Students had reached the third term

214

TABLE X L I I
THE METHOD OF COMBINING THE A.C.E. SCORING SCHEMES IN
ESTABLISHING THE THREE CATEGORIES OF HIGH,
AVERAGE AND LOW SCHOLASTIC ABILITY

Level of
Performance
on A .C .E .

Low

A

%

%

10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10

10
9
8
1 7
6
4o
5
1 h
3
30
2
1
30

1
3
8
16
22
22
16
8
3
1

Average
Total
Percent

Percents
for
Sample

/o
28

0\

Aver age

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Derived Score
System
A B C

CM

High

Decile
System
A1
B3 c 3

18

44

42

44

28

29

33

Column "A" consists of the scores for the given system.
Column "B” shows the approximate percent of students
receiving each, score under each system.
3 Column »C" shows the total percent included in each
performance level under each system.
p

of the course a. large proportion of the students of higher ability were
no longer with the course.

Of those who remained in the course, most

of them had elected to do so; while a. few probably ha.d not quite made
the necessary grades.

a n e x a m i n a t i o n o f p r o b l e m s r e l a t i n g to s t a n d a r d s of v a l u e judgment

AS EXPRESSED BX A SELECTED GROUP OF BASIC COLLEGE STUDENTS

By

James Preston Orwlg

AN ABSTRACT

Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR QT EDUCATION
Department of Guidance and Counselor Training
Tear

1953

Janes Preston Orwlg

THESIS ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study. The objective of this study was (l) to
gain information concerning the types and frequency of problems students
have relating to their value standards of truth, good, beauty, right
and religion, and. (2) to examine the sources in the college community
where students feel they should receive help and where they feel they
have received help relative to these problems.
Methodology of the study. Data for the study were gathered by means
of a questionnaire consisting or a check list of possible value problems
and a check list of possible guidance sources » A Value Problems Check
List consisting of 100 items was constructed alloting 20 items to each
of the five value areas under study.

Items within these areas were

formulated on the basis of a common series of problems to permit compari­
son of student reactions to the areas.

The presence of the five value

categories was concealedl from the student through randomization of items.
The check list of guidance sources was so constructed as to elicite an
appraisal of the guidance Sources as they were associated with each value
area in terms of potential and actual sources of guidance.
The study was baaed on a sample consisting of 5>22 freshmen and sopho­
more students of Basic College at Michigan State College.

Data was sum­

marised as means and percentages and numerous cross comparisons were made
between the areas and items and six factors in the student population.
These factors were sex, class, scholastic ability, general academic area,
frequency of church attendance and father*s occupation.

Janes Preston Qrwtg

M a j o r fin ding s o f the s t u d y . The m a j o r findings o f this r e s e a r c h
s er e as follows*
1. T h e m e a n number o f p r o b l e m s c h e c k e d b y the sanple w a s ten.
H o w e v e r , the d i s t r i b u t i o n of the n u m b e r o f items che c k e d p e r stu dent
s h o w e d t ha t t h e t e n d e n c y w a s f o r s t u d e n t s to c h e c k v e r y f e w pro b l e m s ,
the m e d i a n b e i n g seven.
2. I n c o m p a r i n g the five v a l u e a r e a s r e l a t i v e to c h e c k l is t responses
it w a s f o u n d t ha t s o m e w h a t m o r e s t u d e n t s c h e c k e d items i n the a r e a of truth
t h a n in a n y other.

It w a s also found t h a t the m e a n n u m b e r of items

che cked p e r student t e n d e d to b e h i g h e s t i n t h e area of religio n.
3. Ind i v i d u a l items c h e c k e d b y 10 p e r c e n t or m o r e o f t h e sample
su g gest ed imp o r t a n t g e n e r a l p r o b l e m p a t t e r n s f o r e a c h of the val ue areas.
T h e s e w er e a c o n c e r n f o r the problems o f clear thinking, a c o n c e r n f o r
the adequacy o f goals a n d objecti ves i n col l e g e and life, a c o n c e r n f o r
t h e ade quac y of aesthetic judgment, and. a c o n c e r n for m o r e knowled ge a n d
u n d e r s t a n d i n g w i t h r e s p e c t to rel i g i o n .
it. C e r t a i n s u b - g r o u p i n g s wi t h i n t h e s i x student factors t e n d e d to
c h e c k p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y m o r e p r o b l e m s o n t h e c h e c k l is t t ha n o t h e r s . These
w e r e m e n , fre s h m e n , s t u dent s o f average scholastic ability, h u m a n i t i e s
students, t ho se r e g u l a r l y a t t e n d i n g c h u r c h , students o f l ow er l e v e l
o c c upat ional b a c k g r o u n d s and students o n farm b a c kgro und.
5.

T h e s tu dy o f t h e sources of g u i d a n c e associated w i t h value p r o b ­

l em s r e v e a l e d that i n f o r m a l sou r c e s ( p a r e n t s , m i n i s t e r s , b o o k s , fri ends ,
etc.) were c h e c k e d w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l y g r e a t e r f r e quen cy t h a n formal
sources (counselors, d e a n s , a d v isor s, e t c . ) b o t h as agencies that sho uld

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Janes Preston Orwlg

and do p r o v i d e g u i d a n c e . P a r e n t s a s a source w a s c o n s i s t e n t l y t he m o s t
f r e q u e n t l y c h e c k e d o f all Sou r c e s b y a w i d e m a r g i n .
6.

In a scale fudging the r e l a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e o f value p r o b l e m s as

c o m p a r e d ttlth o t h e r kinds of p r o b l e m s , o ne -hal f o f t h e sam ple a s s e r t e d
t h a t s u c h p r o b l e m s were among t h e i r m o s t i m p o r t a n t concerns w h i l e o n e *
t h i r d s ai d t h e y w e r e not of m a j o r i m p o r t a n c e .