i 70- 20,482 KLEIN, Matthew Aaron, 1943AN EVALUATION OF THE T.V. HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT OF THE DETROIT URBAN ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTE AND MICHIGAN BLUESHIELD. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1970 Education, adult University Microfilms, A XEROXC om pany, A nn Arbor, M ichigan AN EVALUATION OP THE T.V. HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT OP THE DETROIT URBAN ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTE AND MICHIGAN BLUESHIELD By Matthew A. Klein A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OP PHILOSOPHY Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum 1969 ABSTRACT AN EVALUATION OP THE T.V. HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT OP THE DETROIT URBAN ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTE AND MICHIGAN BLUESHIELD by Matthew A. Klein Statement of the Problem This study was initiated as a means of evaluating "T.V. High School" as an effective way of preparing persons to pass the General Education Development Test. objectives of the study were: first, The main to determine whether "T.V. High School" is an effective way of preparing persons to pass the GED Test; second, to determine whether there are any relationships between demographic factors as defined by this study and the completion of this program; third, to determine whether there are any relationships between demo­ graphic factors and the GED Test results. Design of the Study In order to obtain the information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of "T.V. High School" the follow­ ing questions were used: 1. What are the stated purposes of theparticipants taking a program of this type? in Matthew A. Klein 2. Is "T.V. High School" an effective means of prepar­ ing persons to pass the GED Test? Sub Question 2. Is there any relationship between demographic factors of age, sex, race, marital sta­ tus, employment status and the successful completion of the GED Test? 3. Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through state departments of education by successfully passing the GED Test? Sub Question 3* Does age, marital status, sex, race, employment status or last grade completed have any effect on the awareness of the GED Test? Ij.. What are the future educational plans of the partici­ pants upon the completion of "T.V. High School"? Sub Question I4.. Does marital status, age, sex, race and last grade completed make a difference in aspirational level of the participants? 5* What is the amount of participation in previous adult education programs? Sub Question 5* What are the participantsf stated rea­ sons for not participating in adult education programs? 6. What are the recommendations of the participants for improvement of "T.V. High School"? 7- What are the participantsT stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School" before its completion? Sub Question 7* Is there any relationship between age, sex, employment status and marital status and dropping out of "T.V. High School"? 8 . Is there a relationship between the amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the passing of the GED Test? 9. 10. What type of person is enrolled in a home study course in preparation for the GED Test? How do the participants in "T.V. High School" become aware of the program? The total population of I4.36 persons who registered "T.V. High School" in Detroit during the spring of 1969 Matthew A. Klein was designated as the sample in the study. The pre-test con­ sisted of one sub-test of Form K of the GED Test Batteries randomly assigned to the participants. Form L of the GED Test Batteries was used as the post-test measure. Upon the completion of T.V. High School, a questionnaire was mailed to each of the participants. The following statistical techniques were used to analyze the data: 1. Frequency counts and percentage distributions were tabulated for all categories specified by the ques­ tions of the study. 2. Chi-squared tests of independence were calculated among the demographic variables of: job description, age, sex, race, employment status and last grade completed and the categories specified by the ques­ tions of the study. 3* Post hoc tests were calculated to determine the sig­ nificant comparisons which caused the rejection of the null hypotheses within the significant chisquared tests of independence. 1+. A Cochran (Q) was calculated to determine if a sig­ nificant difference existed between the proportion of persons passing the pre-test as compared to the proportion of persons passing the post-test. 5- A "t,f test of significance was calculated between pre-test scores and post-test scores. Matthew A. Klein 6, A chi-squared test of independence was calculated between the percentage of "T.V. High School" partici­ pants who passed the GED Test and national GED pass­ ing averages. 7* A Pearson Product correlation was calculated between successful completion of the GED Test and the variables of age and last grade completed. Major Findings of the Study The statistical analysis of the data led to the fol­ lowing conclusions: 1. "T.V. High School" is not an effective means of pre­ paring persons to pass the GED Test based upon preand post-test data. 2. "T.V. High School" is no more effective than the informal means available of preparing persons to pass the GED Test based on national averages. 3. The lack of a relationship between demographic data and the successful completion of the GED Test sug­ gests that specific demographic variables cannot be identified as potential predictors of GED success. ij.. The lack of awareness by the participants of the existence of the GED Test indicates that schools, social agencies and employment agencies are not doing their job of making individuals aware of the alter­ nate means of receiving a high school diploma. Matthew A. Klein ffT.V. High School" is reported as a means of fur­ thering educational aspirations. Many aspire to the junior and four year college level. The majority of "T.V. High School" participants had not previously participated in adult education courses suggesting that adult education programs as they currently exist are not meeting the needs of the high school dropout. A major reason for dropping out of "T.V. High School" centered around the lack of two way communication between the program and the participants. This pro­ blem is partly inherent in the program due to its uniqueness, but also increased due to the lack of orientation of the participants at the beginning of the program. The lack of significant differences among the demo­ graphic variables and dropping out of "T.V. High School" suggests that demographic factors cannot be used to identify the type of person who would not complete a program of this type. The hopes of reaching the hard core unemployed through this program were not achieved. Involvement in "T.V. High School" was primarily among housewives who were taking advantage of the accessibility of the program in their homes. DEDICATION This dissertation is affectionately dedicated to my beautiful daughter, Lauren. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It ±3 extremely difficult, through a brief acknow­ ledgment, to express gratitude to all who have given so generously of their time and have provided continuous encour­ agement and leadership. The completion of the requirements for an advanced degree is possible only through the extra efforts and consideration of many people, of whom I am recog­ nizing only a few. The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to the members of his Doctoral Guidance Committee: Suehr, Dr. James McKee, Dr. Troy Stearns. Dr. John Special apprecia­ tion is expressed to Dr. Dale V. Alam, Chairman of his D oc­ toral Committee, for the guidance, support and friendship throughout all phases of the doctoral program. Appreciation is also expressed to the Urban Adult Education Institute and Michigan Blue Shield for making funds available to carry out the evaluation of "T.V. High School." Sincere gratitude is also extended to Dr. Joseph Paige and Mr. Roy Rouhlac for their assistance during the project. Gratitude is also due the many individuals who pro­ vided direct assistance in the study. Among those who gave unselfishly of their time, special mention is given the iii iv following: Dr. Martin Wong for design counsel; Howard Teitelbaum for statistical assistance; K. Patrick Rode for editoral counsel; George W. Churchill for counsel and assis­ tance regarding duplication procedures; Clyde M. Claycomb for serving as a general assistant but primarily as a friend. A special thanks to my parents for their confidence in me. Appreciation is also expressed to my wife’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Wheeler. Finally, the author wishes to extend highest grati­ tude and appreciation to his wife, Jacqueline. Without her patience, understanding, and encouragement, this study would not have been carried to completion. MATTHEW A. KLEIN TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................ iii LIST OP T A B L E S ........................................... viii LIST OP F I G U R E S . .......................................... xii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION..................................... 1 Magnitude of the Problem...................... 2 2 Meeting the N e e d ............................... Purpose of the study.......................... i-J5 Questions ..................................... Significance of Study ........................ 9 9 Definition of Terms .......................... Limitations of Stu d y ............................. 10 Organization of the S t u d y ...................... 10 II. REVIEW OF THE RELATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE . 12 Development of the GED T e s t ....................12 Major Purposes of the GED T e s t ................. 13 Description of the Tests........................ 15 Content of the Battery................... 16 Norming of the High School Level GED Tests. . 17 Description of the Examinees and Use of the GED Test Battery........................... 19 Review of Related Literature.................... 21 Use of the GED Tests in C o l l e g e ................ 21 Validity of the GED Test Battery................ 26 Reliability of the GED Test B a t t e r y ........... 28 S u m m a r y .......................................... 29 III. THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE............................. 31 The Population............. 31 Pre-test.......................................... 31 P o s t - t e s t ........................................ 31 Reinforcement ................................. 32 The Q u e s t i o n n a i r e ............................... 3 2 Follow-up Procedure . . . .................... 33 Analysis of the D a t a ........................ . 33 v Vi IV. ANALYSIS OP DATA AND FINDINGS....................38 Results related to the questions ........... 38 Question 1. What are the stated purposes of the participants in taking a program of this type? . . . . 38 Question 2. Is "T.V. High School" an effec­ tive means of preparing persons to pass the GED Test? . . . . . l±3 Sub Question 2. Is there any relationship between demographic factors of age, sex, race, marital status, employment status and the successful com­ pletion of the GED Test?. . l\S Question 3» Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through State Departments of Education by successfully pass­ ing the GED T e s t ? ............... 1#.9 Sub Question 3 . Does age, marital status, sex, employment status, race, last grade completed have any effect on the awareness of the GED Test?. L\.9 Question What are the future educational plans of the participants upon the completion of "T.V. High School"?.......................... 53 Sub Question I4.. Does age, marital status, sex, race, last grade com­ pleted or employment status make a difference in educa­ tional p l a n s ? ................ 5 8 Question 5* What is the amount of partici­ pation in previous Adult Education programs? ........... 63 Sub Question 5* What are the participants stated reasons for lack of participation in pre­ vious adult education 65 programs ? ................. Question 6 . What are the recommendations of the participants for improve­ ment of "T.V. High School"? . . 6 8 Question 7» What are the participants' stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School" before its completion?............... 70 Sub Question 7* la there any relationship between age, sex, employ­ ment status, marital status or dropping out of "T.V. High School"? .............. 76 vii Question 8 . Is there a relationship between the stated amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the pass­ ing or failing of the GED T e s t ? ............................. 80 Question 9. What type of person is enrolled in a home study course in preparation for the GED T e s t ? .................... 82 Question 10. How do the participants in "T.V. High School" become aware of the p r o g r a m ? ........... 8 3 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . 87 Summary.......................................... 8 7 Conclusions......................................90 Recommendations from the S t u d y ................ 93 Recommendations through the Author's Eyes. . 9£ B I B L I O G R A P H Y .............................................. 97 APPENDICES A. B. C. D. Announcements of Post Test to "T.V. High School" Participants .......................... 100 Reinforcement Letters............................ 102 Questionnaire and Cover L e t t e r ................. 106 Follow-up Post Card, Follow-up Letter........... 112 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Stated purposes of the participants for involvement in "T.V. High School" according to sex................................................39 14..2 . Stated purposes of the participants for involvement in "T.V. High School" according to a g e ............................................... £j-0 1 4 ..3 . Stated purposes of the male participants for involvement in "T.V. High School" according to race and employment s t a t u s ..................... I4.I ij-.ij.. Stated purposes of the female participants for involvement in "T.V. High School" accord­ ing to race and employment s t a t u s l\.2 14..5. The relationship between the passing and failing of the G-ED Test and the National GED Test A v e r a g e s ...................................... J4J-I- 14..6 . The relationship between the passing and failing of the GED Test and a g e ................... 1+6 14..7 . The relationship between the passing or failing of the GED Test and s e x ................... I4.6 ij_.8. The relationship between the passing and failing of the GED Test and r a c e ................... I4.7 ij.,9- The relationship between the passing and failing of the GED Test and marital status. Ij-.IO. . . . ij.7 The relationship between the passing and failing of the GED Test and employment status . . lj.8 ij..11. The participants awareness of the GED Test according to a ge ................................ 5 0 l±.12. The participants awareness of the GED Test according to marital status .................. 5 0 I4..I3 . The participants awareness of the GED Test according to s e x ................................ 5 1 i^.l^. The participants awareness of the GED Test according to r a c e .............................. 5 1 viii .ix Table Page The participants awareness of the GED Test according to employment status.................. 5 2 lj..l6 . The participants awareness of the GED Test according to the last school grade completed. . . 52 4»17« Educational plans of males in relationship to race ........................................... Sh 14..18 * Educational plans of females in relationship to r a c e .......................................... 55 14.-19- Educational plans according to age..............57 U..20. Educational plans according to marital status . . 58 Zj.,21. Educational plans according to sex..............59 4«22. Educational plans according to r a c e .......... . 4.23. Educational plans according to last school grade c o m p l e t e d .................................. 6 l 4.2^. Educational plans according to employment status............................................. 6 2 I4.•2^. Previous participation in adult education programs according to s e x ....................... 6 3 lj..26. Previous participation in adult education programs according to race....................... 6 I4. 1^.27. Previous participation in adult education programs according to employment status . . . . . . 60 6 I4. l±.28. Previous participation in adult education programs according to a g e ....................... 614. lj..29* Participants stated reasons for their lack of participation in adult education programs according to sex.................................. 6 6 4-30* Participants stated reasons for their lack of participation in adult education programs according to race ............................ 6 7 14.. 31 • Participants stated improvements for the "T.V. High School" program according to sex . . . if. 32. Participants stated improvements for the "T.V. High School" program according to race. 68 . . 69 X Table U*33* Page The relationship between participants stated improvements of the irT.V. High School" program and the passing or failing of the GED Test. . . . 71 Participants stated reasons for dropping out of the "T.V. High School" program according to sex......................................... . . . 7 2 l±.3 5 . Participants stated reasons for dropping out of the "T.V. High School" program according to race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14..3 6 . Participants stated reasons for dropping out of the "T.V. High School" program according to employment status........................... 7ij- 11..37. Participants stated reasons for dropping out of the "T.V. High School" program according to age...........................................75 73 1^.38. The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and age ........... 77 Z|..39• The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and s e x ............. 77 I4.0 . The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and marital status...........................................78 2*..1+1. The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and race............. 7 8 i+.i+2o The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and job d e s c r i p t i o n .................................... 79 24..1|.3• The relationship between dropping out and completing "T.V. High School" and the last grade c o m p l e t e d ................................80 i|..iiJLf.• The relationship between the stated amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and passing or failing of the GED Test............81 1+.1+5. The relationship between the participants communication medium for finding out about the running of "T.V. High School" and sex . . . . 81+ The relationship between the participants communication medium for finding out about the running of "T.V. High School" and race. 85 1+.1+6. ... xi Table I4., 1+.7. Page The relationship between the participants communication medium for finding out about the running of "T.V. High School" and employment s t a t u s .................................. 8 6 LIST OP FIGURES Page Figure 2.1 Comparative Data on high school level GED Testing at official GED Centers 19^9-1968 . . . xii 20 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Most employers today are requiring their applicants to be high school graduates and many employees are finding it difficult to advance in industry or professions without a high school diploma. This lack of formal education in a segment of our society creates and directly increases poverty. Since today’s world is highly competitive, complex, and technologically oriented, it imposes on the individual who is gainfully employed, and on those who wish to be, a growing urgency for personal knowledge and skills. increase in the future rather than diminish. This problem will Dr. Norman C. Harris, University of Michigan technical education expert, states: By 1970, one-fourth of the nation's labor force will be employed in semi-professional, technical jobs that didn't exist in 1930. At the top will be an estimated 18 percent of Americans who are engaged in professions which require four or more years of college. Next, some SO percent of the work force will hold 'middle manpower jobs'-ranging from semi-professional and technical to cleri­ cal and sales. These will require at least a high school diploma and up to two years oT’ college or tech­ nical training. Below will be an estimated 26 percent, high-school or vocational-school graduates, doing skilled work (carpentering, automobile repair) or semi­ skilled work (factory production, gas station tending). This leaves only six percent of the work force for the unskilled jobs that machines can't do--and that require no more than a grade school education. ^ N orman C. Harris, Michigan Department of Public Instruction, The H i g h School Completion Program for Adults and Out-of-School' Youth. 1 2 The adult who lacks high school certification is not only handicapped by his inability to compete in the labor market, but he also suffers a serious economic loss. In his life time the high school graduate earns on the averO age thirty-eight thousand dollars more than the non-graduate. Magnitude of the Problem Fifty-three million adults (ages 25-65) and seven million young adults (ages 18-25) in this country have never completed high school.^ There are 25 million adults who have failed to complete the eighth grade and another 11.5 million with no schooling at all.^ Eighteen percent of Michigan's total population over 2 5 years of age have less than an eighth grade education.^ Meeting the Need Adult education programs have tried to entice the high school dropout to return to night school and continue his high school education. Many of these dropouts, whatever the cause, cannot or will not enroll in evening or weekend classes of these continuing education programs. p Henry Miller, Rich Man Poor M a n , (New York: Y. Crowell Company), 196lj., p. 155* Thomas 3u.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Census of Popula­ tion I960, Subject Reports, Educational Attainment Final Report, PC (2) 5B, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Print­ ing Office, 1 9 6 3 ), p. i+1. ^Ibid. ^U.S. Bureau of the Census of Population, i 9 6 0 Volume 1 , characteristics of the Population, Part 2k, Michi­ gan, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Ofrice, T95T), p. 8 7 . 3 The problem becomes even more serious when looking at the statistics of dropouts from evening programs. 1 9 5 6 -6 3 Between approximately 2 , 0 0 0 adults enrolled in the academic curriculum of the adult evening school in Lansing, Michigan. The academic curriculum is designed for students who wish to complete requirements for their high school diploma. Only 1 2 2 out of the almost 2 , 0 0 0 who, enrolled were graduated . 0 Although many adults do not receive high school degrees through evening schools, many have acquired a level of educational maturity at or above the level of the high school graduate as a result of formal and informal educa­ tional experiences. To meet the needs of these adults, the American Council on Education provides a test of high school equivalency and upon successful completion of the General Educational Development Test an individual can receive a high school equivalency certificate from JL4.3 out of fifty 3 tate departments of education. The GED Test cannot actually measure the total results of a high school education. It does^ however, provide a widely accepted and valid means of comparing the educational devel­ opment of adults with that of graduating high school seniors. in 1968, 265*1|.99 adults took the GED Test and only 6 9 percent of these individuals passed. 7 one reason may be ^Walter Busby, A Multivariate Analysis of the Rela­ tionship of Academic Motivation, Aptitude, Socio-economic Status."and Age to persistence in an Adult flvening SchooT, (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University), •p. 3of the ^Annual Statistical Report for Calendar Year 1968, GED Testing Service, American Council on Education. k that there are very few opportunities? other than 3ome p ro­ grammed materials-,-available to help prepare the high school dropout for the GED Test. In trying to meet the need, the Urban Adult Institute of the Detroit Public Schools in con­ junction with Michigan Blue Shield initiated and financed the running of "T.V. High School" over educational television in the Detroit metropolitan area. The "T.V. High School" course was developed by the Manpower Education Institute of the Foundation in Automation and Employment in New York City, New York. The "T.V. High School" course of instruction is composed of sixty half hour sessions run over 12 weeks. The main objectives of the course are: 1. To prepare the participants for passing the GED Tests by teaching the major concepts basic to a practical, effective understanding of each of the five required subject areas of the course. 2. To improve the individual skills involved in effec­ tive reading, English usage, communication and problem solving, to a level enabling the successful completion of the GED Tests. 3* To encourage each participant to take a further interest in education after completing the c o u r s e . Ij-. To open new opportunities for positive selffulfillment in such areas as employment, on the job advancement, insights into the need for community involvement, the development of healthy recreational habits and the effective use of leisure time.” Purpose of Study This dissertation is an exploratory study into the use of "T.V. High school" as a means of preparing persons to » "T.V. High School," Michigan Blue Shield Public Relations Department, July 1968, p. 9. 5 pass the General Education Development Test. objectives are: first, The main to determine whether "T.V. High School" is an effective way of preparing persons to pass the GED Test; second, to determine whether there are any relationships between demographic factors as defined by this study, and the completion of this program; third, to deter­ mine whether there are any relationships between demographic factors and the GED Test results. Questions In order to realize the purpose of this study, answers to the following questions have been sought. The purpose of these questions is to provide a general framework upon which this study is based. 1. What are the stated purposes of the participants in taking a program of this type? Rationale: Question One attempts to establish the motivational factors behind the participants involve­ ment in "T.V. High School." 2. is "T.V. High School" an effective means of prepar­ ing persons to pass the GED Test? Sub Question 2 : is there any relationship between demographic factors of age, sex, race, marital sta­ tus, employment status, and the successful completion of the GED Test? Rationale: Since high school dropouts have many negative feelings about becoming involved in "formal" educational programs, as shown by their previous 6 school failures, it therefore is of paramount impor­ tance to determine if "T.V. High School" is effective. The involvement in a program that does not make a significant difference to the individual may effect his future involvement in continuing education pro­ grams • 3. Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through atate departments of education by successfully passing the GED Test? Sub Question 3 : Does age, marital status, sex, employment status,race or last grade completed have any effect on the awareness of the GED Test? Rationale: Only lj.,526 persons in Michigan attempted the GED Test in 1968.^ This represents less than one-half of one percent of the total population who qualify to take this test. It is critical for plan­ ning future curriculum to know whether or not people are aware that the GED Test exists, but are unable to find a program that would prepare them to take it, or whether "T.V. High School" is the means by which they found out about the GED Test for the first time. Ij.. What are the future educational plans of the partici­ pants upon the completion of "T.V. High School"? Sub Question U : Does age, marital status, sex, race, la3t grade completed or employment status make a dif­ ference in educational plans. 9ibid. Rationale: Question Pour attempts to determine if trT .V . High School” is a means to an end or an end in itself. It determines whether the participants plan to continue other educational pursuits. What is the amount of participation in previous adult education programs? Sub Question 5 : What are the participants stated rea­ sons for lack of participation in previous adult education programs? Rationale: Many persons are enrolled in "T.V. High School" who have never participated in adult educa­ tion programs before or who have dropped out of pre­ vious programs. What are the recommendations of the participants for improvement of "T.V. High School"? Rationale: To improve future programs, the recom­ mendations of theparticipants for improvements are of utmost importance. Question Six attempts to tabulate these recommendations. What are the participants' stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School" before its completion? Sub Question 7 : Is there any relationship between age, sex, employment status, marital status or dropping out of "T.V. High School"? Rationale: In order to adequately evaluate a pro­ gram, the reasons for dropping out must be examined 8 in order to make recommendations for future programs. This is especially true when T.V. is the only instruc­ tional tool. Question Seven tabulates the number of dropouts and their reasons for not finishing the program. 8. Is there a relationship between the stated amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the pass­ ing or failing of the GED Test? Rationale: Question Eight determines the amount of involvement in "T.V. High School" and whether this factor is related to the successful completion of the GED Test? 9. What type of person is enrolled in a home study course in preparation for the GED Test? Rationale: Question Nine assesses the type of per­ son who has identified himself as wanting to complete the GED Test. This question will examine the parti­ cipants using the variables of sex, age, marital status, race, last year completed in school and employment status. 10. How do the participants in "T.V. High School" become aware of the program? Rationale: Question Ten will help future programs by determining the most effective means of communi­ cating with a population of this type. 9 Significance of study "T.V. High School" has been run in 7£ cities and is in its second running in the Detroit area over educational T.V. This program has never formally been researched or evaluated. Many cities, with large numbers of dropouts, in search of programs to meet the needs of their population have adopted and are continuing to adopt this program without any substantial evidence of its effectiveness. If this program is effective, it may become a unique way of reaching many dropouts at home with minimal costs and help them to enhance their final educational preparation. If this program is not effective, it may destroy the last chance of society to meet the needs of an already alienated group. Definition of Terms For purposes of clarification, terms which are frequestly used throughout the report of this investigation are defined. 1. Dropouts Any person who left school prior to completion of high school. 2. Adult: Any individual beyond com­ pulsory school age and not enrolled in a day school program. 3. GEDT or GED: GEDT or GED refers to the American Council on Educa­ t i o n ^ battery of five tests of General Educational Development. if.. Equivalency Certificate: Equivalent Certificate is the equivalent of a high school diploma. it is im­ plied that this certificate is issued on the basis of receiving a passing score on the GED battery of five tests. 5* T.V. High School: Sixty half-hour tapes which are intended to prepare nonhigh school graduates to pass the GED Test. Limitations The limitations of the questionnaire include the dif­ ficulty of validating the responses, of tabulating unstruc­ tured responses and of obtaining complete cooperation in all instances. Limitations of the respondents include their biases, their interest in the study and the accuracy of their replies. Organization of the Study CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION The introduction includes: purpose of the investiga­ tion; questions to be answered by the study; significance and value of the study; definition of terms; limitations of the study; organization of the study. CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE The review of related research and literature includes history; description, purpose and intent of the GED Test; validity, reliability and current usage of the GED Test; success of GED examinees in college situations. CHAPTER III. THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE The research procedure includes: the research design; description of the questionnaire; description of the analy sis process. 11 CHAPTER IV. A N A L Y S I S OP D A T A A N D FINDINGS The analysis of data and findings includes: the setting; the sample population; the correlation analysis and statistical tests. CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The summary, conclusions and recommendations include: synopsis of the problem; conclusions and recommendations. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE Development of the CEP Teat The creation of a high school equivalency program became a reality in the United States in 19^5* The equiva­ lency certificate was designed to provide assistance to ser­ vicemen and women who had left high school before graduation to join the military during World War II. The issuance of equivalency certificates was based on scores obtained from a battery of five General Education Development Tests devel­ oped through the American Council on Education and adminis­ tered by the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI). The inception of the GED Tests was in 19^-1 when the War Department established the USAFI with the express purpose of enabling men and women engaged in active duty to continue their education. The USAFI also served as a clearing house for the records of educational experiences in the military to be used by civilian schools and employers after the w a r . ^ To meet the needs of the military personnel, the USAFI pro­ vided programs of correspondence courses, off-duty classes and a testing program for any member of the Armed Forces interested in improving his educational status. ■*-°Carl W. Hansen, "The Armed Forced Institue," Jour­ nal of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars, Vol. XIX, No. k, (July 19i|4), pp. k3k~k39. 12 13 In April, 19^2, a special committee of the American Council on Education, together with the subcommittee on edu­ cation of the Joint Army-Navy Committee on Welfare and Recreation, selected the University of Chicago to construct tests that would assess the educational gains made by indi­ viduals involved in programs administered by the USAFI. Dr. Ralph W. Tyler, a leader in the field of tests and measure­ ments, was appointed director of the total project while the specific tests of General Educational Development were under the direction of E. P. Lindquist of the University of Iowa. The GED Tests were developed, in part, because of the widespread dissatisfaction with the "blanket credit" system of accreditation employed following World War I. It was hoped that the GED Test would ease the post war problem faced by educational institutions in evaluating in-service educational experiences of veterans in order to determine their appropriate placement when they returned to school. In 1945> the American Council on Education established the Veteran's Testing Service so that the civilian restricted forms of the GED Tests might be made available to civilian educators for the testing of veterans and non-veterans. In July of 1963 the name of the Veteran's Testing Service was changed officially to "Official GED Agencies."11 Major Purposes of the GED Test3 In the fall of 19lf-2, Dr. Lindquist reported that the .committee had decided to create two distinct batteries of the 11United States Armed Forces Institute of Tests of General Educational Development (High School level). Examiner's Manual, (New York: American Council on Education, 1945)» P* 5* 24 Tests of General Educational Development, one for use at the high school level and the other at the college level. The original examiner’s manual indicates that the major purposes of both batteries of the Test of General Educational Develop­ ment were: 1. to provide a more adequate basis for the educa­ tional and vocational guidance of those who have served in the armed forces. 2. to assist the schools in the appropriate place­ ment in a program of general education of the stu­ dents returning from military service. 3. to help the schools determine the amount of aca­ demic credit which should be granted students for their educational experiences in the m i l i t a r y . ^ The specific purpose of the college level tests of General Educational Development was stated in the test manual as follows: The tests are accordingly designed to measure the extent to which all of the past educational experiences of the individual tested— including the experiences gained in military service--have contributed to his general educational development, or to his ability to carry on successfully in a program of general educa­ tion of the type which the academic high school and the first^two years of the liberal arts college aim to provide. 3 The specific purposes of the high school level of the GED Test were stated in this way: The high school level tests are intended for use primarily with service men or veterans who either had never attended high school or had completed only a part of their course before entering the service. With such individuals these tests may be used to determine whether--through formal or informal educa­ tional experiences, both in and out of the service— they have acquired the equivalent of a general high •^Examiner's Manual, 196l|., p. 2 13ibid. education, or are as able to carry on in a program of general education at the college levels as are students who have formally completed high s c h o o l . ^ Description of the Tests The high school level battery of the Tests of General Educational Development consists of five separate tests: Test I. Correctness and Effectiveness of Expression Part 1. Twenty spelling exercises, each consisting of four words, one of which is m i s­ spelled . Part 2. Four themes which might have been written by a high-school student. These themes contain errors in: punctuation, capitalization, redundancy, word choice, uniformity.and sentence structure. Test II. Interpretation of Reading Materials in Social Studies llhe Social Studies Test measures ability to read and interpret correctly passages in history, economics, and world events. Each passage is followed by a number of multiple choice questions based on the passage. Test III. Interpretation of Reading Materials in the Natural Sciences The Natural Science Test measures ability to interpret passages dealing with the different aspects of science encountered in every-day life. Each passage is followed by a number of multiple-choice questions based on the passage. Test IV. Interpretation in Literary Materials The English Test measures ability to inter­ pret passages of prose and poetry. Each passage is followed by a number of multiplechoice questions based on the passage. Test V. Te3t of General Mathematics Ability The General Mathematics Test measures ability to use the fundamentals of arithmetic such as is taught in a high school general mathema­ tics class. The problems include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, deci­ mals, simple algebra and geometry. ■^Examiner’s Manual, p. 7, 19^5 16 Each of the five tests is in a separate booklet and each may be taken at a different time completed as a unit battery- but all five must be Each of the sub-tests of the GED Test has a time limit of two hours. However, they are described as "work limit" tests and not "time limit tests," and additional time may be taken if needed, although two hours per test has been found adequate for most e x a m i n e e s . ^ The college level battery of tests consists of four sub-tests which correspond to the first four tests of the high school battery list. This dissertation focuses on the use of the high school battery of the GED Test, therefore the college battery will not be examined in any detail within the review of the literature. Content of the Battery The high school level battery of GED Tests as a whole was designed to minimize some of the short range content objectives of specific high school subjects such as the retention of factual information. It instead emphasizes the student's ability to make application of concepts, ideas and generalizations based on the specific subject areas. The sub-test of Correctness and Effectiveness of Expres­ sion, according to Lindquist, attempts to measure the mechanics of writing and a judgment of adequacy of grammatical usage.1^ -^United States Armed Forces Institute Tests of General Educational Development (High School level). Exam­ iner's manual. (New York: American Council on Education, I 9 6 I4.), p. 1 0 . ^ E . F . Lindquist, "The Use of Tests in the Accredi­ tation of Military Experience and in the Educational Placement of War Veterans," The Educational Record, XXV, P* 3&9* 17 The aub-teats of Interpretation of Reading Materiala in the Social Studiea, Interpretation of Reading Materiala in the Natural Sciencea and the Interpretationa of Literary Materiala all bear the same characteriatica in their struc­ ture. The3e passages, according to Lindquist, cannot be com­ prehended readily or interpreted easily by individuals who do not have rich backgrounds of experience in these different fields or who are not already familiar with and have done some thinking about the problems and concepts in these fields. ^ The Teat of General Mathematical Ability attempts to be a teat of general problem solving ability of a very practi­ cal sort. The problem situations include simple business transactions, insurance, taxation, algebra, geometry measure­ ment and graphs. It should be emphasized that the GED Test does not try to measure all the qualities that a high school aims at develo­ ping in its students. Therefore, no attempt was made to m ea­ sure such factors as interests, appreciations, attitudes- or citizenship practices. Norming of the High School Level GED Tests The following information, relating to the original norming of the GED Test was obtained from the Examiner’s Manual (High School l e v e l ) ^ and Dr. Lindquist’s address before ^Eu.E Lindquist,’’The Use of Tests inthe Accreditation of Military Experience and in the Educational Placement of War Veterans," p. 3 6 8 . 1 ft Examiner’s Manual, I9 6 I4., p. if-. -'■^Examiner’s Manual, 196if., p. 6. the National Association of State Universities.20 Standards of achievement on the GED Tests were obtained by testing 35*000 students from schools representative of different sections of the country during the spring of 1943* More than 880 high schools were contained in the original sample. Separate norms were established for different sections of the country by dividing the forty-eight states into six regions. The results obtained from the performance of these high school students were used as a basis for determining minimum passing scores. The median score on the GED Tests during the 1943 norming study was a standard score of 50. 1943 norming, Prom the results of the the American Council on Education recommended that an average standard score of 45 for the five tests, or a standard score of 35 or more on each of the individual tests was acceptable for the purposes of qualifying for a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. This recommendation would have resulted in failure of approximately 20 percent of the sample upon which these tests were standardized. The results also showed that some regions of the country had more than 20 percent of their students scoring below the minimum stan­ dards for passing the GED Tests. Therefore, strongly recommended that the individual the Commission state departments of education designate minimum scores on the tests, at levels that would be consistent with the educational standards of their respective states. 20 Lindquist, "The Use of Tests in the Accreditation of Military Experience and in the Educational Placement of War Veterans," pp. 337-376. 19 In 1955 it was decided that a new set of norms should be developed. The same procedures used in 19i|-3 were employed in 1955 so that the norms would be comparable. The 1955 norms were established by a sample of 3 8 , 7 7 7 public high school seniors tested in April-June 1955. just before their graduation from a general (non-technical or non-trade) high school. The median score of performance by the students in the 1955 sample was slightly higher than the 19lj-3 sample, but it was felt that the difference was not great enough to war­ rant a change in the minimum passing scores for the tests. In 1967* a norming study was conducted in the same m an­ ner as those in 19U3 and 1955* The only difference was that non-public schools were also included in the sample. study involved 28,773 high school seniors. differences in achievement levels were found This No significant to warrant the revision of minimum passing scores on the GED Test. Description of the Examinees and Use of rhe GED Test Battery Table 1 illustrates the increase in the number of agencies participating in the Equivalency Certificate Program and the number of persons tested between 19^9-1968. 21 This situation has developed over the last decade where a larger number of non-veterans participated in the High School equiva­ lency program than veterans. The following information was taken from the annual statistical report of the American Council on 21 , Comparative Data on High School Level GED Testing at Official GED Centers 19^-9-1968, (American Council on Education, High School Level GED Testing, 1968). 1967 l,19ij. H xO O' VA H xO O' P H xO O' VO H vO O' CD p 0 CD O H -0 P VA -0 0 OD OD 1. ->J VA « P* O' CD w 0 OD O ro H 0 O' H H x£> O' O H xO va xO H vO VA CD H vO VA -0 H vO VA O' H vO VA VA O' Vo P VA vO -x] VA VA H xO VA * * P H vO VA Vo H xO VA VA OD -0 VA -O I-1 VA O' OD VA VA pp* to CD p 0 P Vo * H O' ro ro H xO VA H H xO VA O VA O' VO VA O' Vo VA to H xO P xO k! CD P *1 j.1 * O Vo H vO ro OD ro O' VA CD O' O' 0 O' P O' VA O' <• P vO O' VA OD <• -0 Vo P * VA VA Vo P P p ro « * i~j -0 P VO « O -J OD P VA H OD • H ro ro ro ro xO • VA -0 VA OD VA Vo VA O ro ro ro Vo O' P OD vO vO vO vO CD o H O H O H O H O H O vo V o V o V o V o V o V o V o p p Oj ppH O' CD VA Vo O' -0 H H O' % OD -0 ro P ro ro CD ro H t. O vO Vo Vo ro -0 p* P O' p p CD ro Vo ro *• CD xO ro rv> ro O Official GED Centers in Operation * VA «* VA OD P Vo O' w OD VA Vo VO xO to O H O' VA CD O' VA O' H ❖ *v * •1. Vo -0 Vo VA Vo OD •I* J TU * ❖ Unclassified P to Total Number Tested Veterans P 'ifc VA xO VA CD —J O' 0 to # 1—1 « VA VO Vo NO 0 -0 VO Vo ro H • \n • ro ro 0 v*. ro ro ro VA H P H Vo VA H H O' O' xO ro VA ro 29.59.7 29.59.7 vO vO —0 Average Age Vo xO vO CD -J l-j Average No. Years of previous Schooling * VO 39.9 36 3 0 .6 30 U) VO va cd ro vn r o r o r o r o r o r o r o r o r o r o f o - O vO V a O' vo p ro p vo c d c d Vo ro * ro o vo NO ❖ ❖ ❖ $ $ # ❖ * % Planning Further Study % Failing to Meet State Standards LEVEL GED 19^9-1968 H CD VA -0 -0 COMPARATIVE DATA ON HIGH SCHOOL TESTING AT OFFICIAL GED CENTERS 218,386 1968 1,336 265A99 Data not available H x£) O' O' 21 Education.22 The average age of examinees at the time of the 1968 GED testing was 29.5* The average number of pre­ vious years of schooling was 9»7« failing the GED Test was 3 0 .6 . The percentage of examinees Of the examinees, 39*9 percent stated that their purpose in taking the GED Test was to qualify for further education. Review of Related Literature The GED Tests as a means of certification for high school equivalency have been the subject of varied amounts of research. gories: In most cases the research focused on two cate­ (1) research examining success of equivalency holders in college situations; (2) research concerning the validity and reliability of the GED Test battery. Use of the GED Tests in College Success of equivalency certificate holders in colleges and universities has been the main focal point of the research that has been done on the GED (high school level) battery. The various research studies tended to be more favorable about using the GED than unfavorable, although it must be pointed out that equivalency degree holders as a group were not as successful in college as regular high school graduates. Contained below are summaries of some of the representative studies that have been done concerning the success of GED examinees in college situations. 22Annual Statistical Report for the Calendar Year 1968, GED Testing Service, American Council on Education, Washington, D.C. 23 Putnam’s study at the Vanport Extension Center for the winter-quarter of 19^7 examined the scholastic achievement of ninety-six non-graduates admitted on the basis of the high school level GED Tests and compared their achievement with 1 ,14.014. veterans who were high school graduates. Mean grade- point averages slightly favored the GED students but the dif­ ferences were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in percentages of the two groups on the honor roll or on probation. There was, however, a larger proportion of the equivalency certificate students leaving school. Putnam concluded that this study indicated that high school graduation is not essential to successful scholastic achievement in c o l l e g e . ^ Dixon, at the University of Missouri, compared the college achievement of 2£0 GED equivalency holders with an equal number of students admitted by high school graduation. Members of each group were matched by pairs according to a number of significant variables such as age, sex, date of entrance to the University, and aptitude test score. The results indicated that the total grade-point average was slightly higher for the high school graduates than for the GED group. Dixon pointed out in his conclusions that the achievement of veterans admitted by GED Tests, while not equal to that of the matched group of high school graduates, was ^ P h i l H. Putnam, ’’Scholastic Achievement of GED Stu­ dents at the Vanport Extension Center,” School and Society, LXVI (1914.7) $ pp. 161-63. 23 close enough to continue the practice of using the GED Test Battery to determine admission.^" Hartung reported a study of fifty-nine GED admissions at the University of Tennessee Junior College. He concluded that acceptable GED Test scores are not a satisfactory sub­ stitute for high school work. He based this conclusion on the fact that the mean grade-point ratio of the fifty-three GED veterans was 1.37 as compared to 2.29 for women students, 2.01 for male non-veterans and 2 . 1 3 for high school graduate veterans; a ratio of 1.1+0 is necessary to remain in school and receive full credit for completion of the entire two year program. Wiegel, at Ohio State University in 191+7* examined the GED Test Battery as a means of receiving high school equivalency and admission to college. Prom his sample of 111 veterans who had been admitted to Ohio State University on the basis of the GED Test Battery, he found only half of them performing at a level that would allow them to graduate. Wiegel emphasized this point in his conclusions--that the use of the GED Test as a substitute for a high school diploma was not the issue in question, but rather what minimum scores on the GED Tests should be used to determine college admissions. p/L 2^-Paul T. Dixon, "Scholastic Achievement of Students Admitted to the University of Missouri on the Basis of Per­ formance on Tests of General Educational Development,1' (Unpub­ lished Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri, 191+8) . ^ A r t h u r W. Hartung, "The Case of the GED Student," School and Society, LXVII (191+8), pp. 137-38. 2&Donald p. wiegel, "A Study of the General Educa­ tional Development Tests," (Unpublished MasterTs Thesis, Ohio State University, 191+7)- 2k Roeber, at Kansas State Teachers College in 1950, compared grades earned during one semester by seventy-one veterans admitted to Kansas State on the basis of the GED Tests with the grades of 397 high school graduates. The GED group had an average educational level of ninth grade with a range from the sixth to the eleventh grade. The results found GED g r o u p .averages were lower than the high school graduates but the grades assumed a normal distribution similar to that of regular students. Percentage of students achieving a "C" average or better was 7 2 percent, as compared to 85 percent of the high school graduates. Roeber concluded that achieve­ ment of these non-graduates was sufficiently high to warrant the use of the GED Test Battery as a means of measuring col­ lege aptitude.^7 Batmale, at the City College of San Francisco in 1955* compared 100 regular high school graduates with 100 veterans who had successfully passed the GED Test Battery. Batmale hypothesized that since the veteran group had not completed high school, they might do better in the semi-professional programs than in the professional programs. of the study were that: The conclusions the veteran group and the non-veteran group were of equal scholastic aptitude; the GED graduates majoring in the professional curricula did as well as those majoring in the semi-professional curricula; and the correla­ tions between the academic performance of the GED graduates ^ E d w a r d c. Roeber, ,fThe GED Tests as a Measure of College Aptitude," Educational Research Bulletin XXIX (1950)* pp. 14.0 -i+l. 2£ and the educational factors studied, i.e., aptitude, age, semesters of high school were low and failed to establish any substantial relationship between these factors and the pQ academic success of the veteran group. Griffith, at Marshall College in 1950» made a study of 112 equivalency certificate holders who were admitted to Marshall College as students. Seventy-one percent of those students failed to achieve the minimum grade average for graduation. This study indicated below average success for equivalency certificate holders enrolled in Marshall College. Griffith concluded that if the sole criterion for admission to college for non-high school graduates was the GED Test Battery, the "cutting scores" should be higher than those being currently u s e d . 2 ^ Bledsoe, at Peabody College in 1952, investigated the results of 579 non-high school graduates admitted to three Southern Colleges on the basis of their performance on the high school level GED Tests. The study attempted to deter­ mine the extent to which the scores on the high school level GED Tests predicted scholastic achievement, and to determine if any relationship existed between grade-point average and the factors of age, and number of high school units previously ^^Louis Batmale, Achievement in College of Students Graduated from High School on the Basis of Performance in the General Educational Development Tests, Ed.D., University of California, January 1955* 2<^Linda Griffith, "A Study of the Armed Forces Insti­ tute Tests of General Educational Development as an Entrance Examination to Marshall College for Non-High School Graduates," (Unpublished Masters Thesis, Marshall College, 1950)* 26 earned. The results showed no significant relationship between number of high school units completed at the time of entrance and success in college. The older the student was at the time of entrance the better his grade-point aver­ age. The best predictor of success in college was sub-test I (Correctness and Effectiveness of Expression) of the GED Test Battery.30 To summarize the success of GED students in college, S. A. N ockTs comments on the admission of non-high school graduates are appropriate. ...The completion of a satisfactory high school course is likely to continue to be the normal gateway to higher education. But if the return of veterans has done nothing else for us, it has taught us that maturity and stability are frequently sound substitutes for formal instruction, and it has diminished our certainty that four years of high school are necessary prerequi­ sites to college.31 Validity of GED Test Battery Despite their wide application, the GED Tests are lacking in validity data, since the validity of a test depends a great deal upon defining clearly what traits or abilities are being measured. Graduation from high school has no clear measurable meaning. The validity of the GED Tests hinges upon the tests showing that the tasks set in the battery are desirable outcomes of educational programs and those that 3®John Bledsoe, "An Evaluation of the General Educa­ tional Development Tests," (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, George Peabody College for Teachers, 1952). 31S . A. Nock, "Admission of Non-High School Graduates," American Association of Collegiate Registrar's Journal, XXI, 1W6',' pp. 390-391.------------- ^ ----------- -------------------------- pass the tests without having had formal educational experi­ ences can handle other assignments for which high school graduation has been considered a prerequisite. It should be noted that the available research indicates that the GED Test predicts scholastic performance rather than measures educa­ tional growth. Contained below are the summaries of several studies and articles concerning the validity of the GED (high school level) battery of tests. Ostlund, at Oklahoma A. and M . , administered the GED Test to 136 students at the University. He matched the 32 individuals who scored below the 10th percentile on one or more of the sub-tests with 3 2 of the highest performers on the test. Validation was investigated by comparing the per­ formance of students on the GED Tests with other measures of scholastic performance. the A.C.E. e x a m . ^ 2 One of the tests administered was The conclusions were that the GED Tests had provided a valid instrument for the population tested, for the individual's who scored low on the GED Test also scored low on other measures of scholastic achievement.33 In considering the validity of the GED Test Battery, Anderson considered the GED Tests a more reliable indicator of college success than the usual scholastic aptitude tests, 32 J The research available on the American College Entrance Exam has shown it to be one of the best predictors of college success. It has a high level of predictive validity. ^Leonard ostlund, "An Evaluation of a General Education Program," School and Society. Jan. 8, 1955, PP- 5-8. 28 because it avoided memory for details and instead attempted to interpret the examinee’s competence in handling generaliza­ tions .3^4Dressel and Schmid evaluated the GED Tests from their beginning to 1950. They made a comprehensive study of the literature of GED Tests, including purposes and use of the battery, validity and reliability of the tests. The test of validity, according to Dressel and Schmid, was whether the GED Battery served the purposes for which it was con­ structed. Their results indicated that the tests have served the purpose for which they were constructed since they found high correlations between GED test scores and high school and college grade-point averages. 35 Reliability of the GED Battery The available research on the GED Test Battery shows a high level of reliability. This is in part due to the length of the test, especially since no real time limit exists, for reliability is always influenced considerably by test length. Contained below are two representative studies done on the reliability of the GED Tests. The University Examination Service of the State Uni­ versity of Iowa made two separate studies on the GED Test Bat­ tery focusing on the sub-tests of social studies, natural College 3^-G. V. Anderson, TIThe Validity of GED Tests for Entrance,” College and University,23: pp. 3 7 1 -3 8 1 . 3^P. L. Dressel and J. Schmid, "An Evaluation of the Test of General Educational Development,” (Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 1951)> P* 58* 29 science and literature. One study consisted of seventy-eight girls who had completed two quarters of work in the School of Nursing36 while the other examined 300 men entering the Col­ lege of Liberal Arts.37 jn both studies the reliability coef­ ficients were the same, using the Kuder Richardson short method and were as follows: ture test .90 social studies test .93* litera­ and natural science .92. Findley and Andregg, in two studies at the United States Air Force University, using 500 men for each trial, found reliability coefficients of .88 and .93 for the mathe­ matics test of the GED Test b a t t e r y . 3® Summary The high school equivalency program was begun in the United States in 1914-5* Originally designed to help military personnel who had left school before graduation during World War II, the program awarded an equivalency certificate based on scores obtained on the GED Test Battery. The GED Test Battery was constructed to answer the general question: Does the veteran through his informal education experiences 3^Test scores and Grades for First year Students in the School of Nursing, Research Report No. o, (Iowa City: State University of Iowa, June 191+9)* 37Reiationships Among the Tests Given to Students Who Enter the College of Liberal Arts, Technical Bulletin No. 1+, (Iowa City: State University of Iowa, April 1914-9). 3®Warren G. Findley, "Review of the Tests of General Educational Development," Third Mental Measurements Yearbook, ed., 0. K. Buros (New Brunswick, tf.J.: frutgers University Press, 1914-9), p. 0 I4.. 30 have the equivalent of a general high school education and should he be granted a high school equivalency diploma? The use of the test battery has increased since its creation and more non-veterans have taken the GED Test than veterans over the last ten years. The available research examining the GED Test Bat­ tery was concentrated between the years 19l|.5-1952. Since that time a very limited amount of research has appeared in the journals. Although the available research on the GED Test Bat­ tery is not extensive nor current, it indicates that the bat­ tery has a high level of reliability and validity. The majority of research has been centered around the success of GED stu­ dents In college situations. The results have been varied; In general the GED Test has proved favorable, although as a group the equivalency degree holders have not been as suc­ cessful in college as regular high school graduates. CHAPTER III THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE The Population The population consisted of the lj.3 6 persons who had registered for "T.V. High School,r during the spring of 1969* The registration list was compiled by having all interested persons fill out an application that was published in the newspaper or call in their name and address to the "T.V. High School" office. "T.V. High School" was publicized through newspaper and T.V. releases before the spring ses­ sion began. Pre-test The pre-test consisted of one sub-test of form K of the GED Test Battery. All registrants were asked to come into the "T.V. High School" office to take a pre-test. Since the GED Test Battery takes 10 hours to complete, only one sub­ test of the battery was used for the pre-test measure. Parti­ cipants were randomly assigned the five different sub-tests of the GED Test, giving a composite set of 25 complete batteries. Post-test All registrants of "T.V. High School" were notified upon the completion of the "T.V. High School" series to come into the "T.V. High School" office and take the GED Test. 31 A 32 copy of this letter appears in Appendix A. The post-test measure of this study was the (1) form of the GED Test bat­ teries • Reinforcement Since "T.V. High School" personnel had no contact with the participants, two (friendly) reinforcement letters were sent to the participants in the hopes of increasing the future return rate of the questionnaire. encouragement to stay with the program, One letter expressed the other one thanked those participants that had taken part in the pre-test. Copies of the reinforcement letters are in Appendix B* The Questionnaire A tentative questionnaire, prepared by the author using the guidelines suggested by Backstrom and Hursh, Survey Research, 39 covering those areas which were considered neces­ sary to obtain data relevant to the objectives of the study, was reviewed by a research consultant of the College of Educa­ tion, Michigan State University. The questionnaire was revised along the guidelines suggested by the consultant and contains a cover letter explaining the problem and asking the full cooperation of those being studied. The questionnaire was mailed upon the completion of the "T.V. High School" video tape series. Self- addressed stamped envelopes were enclosed for the convenience of the respondents. A copy of the questionnaire and cover 39(jharles H. Backs trom and Gerald P. Hursh, Survey Research, (North-Western University Press, 196if.), Chapter III. 33 letter appear in Appendix C. Three hundred and five participants sent in the questionnaire giving the study a return rate of 69.7 percent. Follow-up Procedure Two weeks after the questionnaire was mailed low up postcard was sent to those who had not mailed questionnaire. a fol­ back the A copy of the postcard appears in Appendix D. Two weeks after the postcard was mailed, a follow-up letter including another copy of the questionnaire, was mailed to those who had not responded. A copy of the letter appears in Appendix D. Analysis of the Data Upon return of the questionnaire, the author latedthe data in terms of the categories the questionnaire. tabu­ provided for in To answer the specific questions proposed by this study, the following analysis was used. QUESTION I s What are the stated purposes of the participants in taking a program of this type? The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown of the responses. QUESTION 2 ; Is "T.V. High School" an effective means of preparing persons to pass the GED Test? (a) A Cochran (Q) test was used to determine if a sig­ nificant difference exists between the proportion 3k of persona passing the pre-test as compared to the proportion of persons passing the p o s t - t e s t . ^ (b) A flt,T test of significance was run between the pre­ test scores of the participants on the GED Test and their post-test scores to determine if "T.V. High School" is an effective way of preparing per­ sons to pass the GED Test.^-1 (c) A crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed between "T.V. High School" participants scores and the national GED Test aver­ ages . SUBQUESTION 2 ; Is there any relationship between demographic factors of age, sex, race, marital status, employment status and the successful completion of the GED Test? (d) A Pearson Product Correlation was run between success­ ful completion of the GED Test and the variables, the last grade completed and age, to determine if any significant linear relationships existed.^-2 (e) A crossbreak: analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed among the variables of age, sex, marital status, last grade completed, ^ W . G. Cochran, The Comparison of Percentages and Matched Samples. Biometrika 37, pi 256. ^ S i d n e y Siegal, Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company’, 1956), p. 152. k^pred N. Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavioral Research, (New York: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston Co."I pp. 202- 213 . 35 employment status and passing or falling of the GED Test.^-3 QUESTION 3 : Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through State Departments of Education by successfully passing the GED Test? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown of the responses. SUBQUESTION 3 i Does age, marital status, sex, race, employment status or last grade completed have any effect on the awareness of the GED Test? (b) A crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed among the variables of age, sex, marital status and awareness of the existance of the GED Test. QUESTION it; What are the future educational plans of the partici­ pants upon the completion of "T.V. High School"? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown of the responses. SUBQUESTION U i Does marital status, age, sex, race and last grade com­ pleted or employment status make a difference in educa­ tional plans of the participants? (b) A crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed among the variables of age, marital status, race, sex, last grade com­ pleted and employment status. ^ I b i d ., pp. 6 2 l4.-6 l4.9 - 36 QUESTION 5 ; What is the amount of participation in previous adult education programs? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown. SUBQ.UESTION 5 : What are the participants’ stated reasons for not par­ ticipating in previous adult education programs? (b) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown. QUESTION 6 : What are the recommendations of the participants for improvement of ”T.V. High School” ? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown. (b) A crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed between passing and fail­ ing of the GED Test and the respondents' recommenda­ tions for improvements of "T.V. High School.” QUESTION 7 ; What are the participants’ stated reasons for dropping out of ”T.V. High School” before its completion? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and a percentage breakdown. SUBQUESTION 7 : Is there any relationship between age, sex, employment status, marital status or dropping out of ”T.V. High School” ? (b) A crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence was computed among the variables of age, 37 sex, marital status, race, last grade completed, employment and dropping out or completing of "T.V. High School." QUESTION 8 : Is there a relationship between the stated amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the passing or fail­ ing of the GED Test? (a) The data was analyzed by a crossbreak analysis using a chi-squared test of independence and was computed between the passing or failing of the GED Test and the amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School." QUESTION 9 : What type of person is enrolled in a home study course In preparation for the GED Test? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and per­ centage breakdown of the type of person who has identified himself as wanting to take part in "T.V. High School." QUESTION 10: How do the participants in "T.V. High School" become aware of the program? (a) The data was analyzed by a frequency count and percentage breakdown of the responses. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OP D A T A AND FINDINGS Results related to the questions The purpose of this study was to explore the use of "T.V. High School" as a means of preparing persons to pass the General Education Development Test* The main objectives were; to determine whether "T.V. High School" was an effective way of preparing persons to pass the GED Test; to determine whether there were any rela­ tionships between demographic factors as defined by this study and the completion of this program; to determine whether there were any relationships between demographic factors and the GED Test results. A discussion of the findings for each ques­ tion follows. Question 1 ; What are the stated purposes of the participants in taking a program of this type? The response patterns of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (sex) Table 1; (age) Table 2; (males in relationship to race and employment status) Table 3; (females in relationship to race and employment status) Table I4.. 38 TABLE lj.,1 STATED PURPOSES ACCORDING TO SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E 23 k 13 k Women 131 11 17 Total 15k 15 30 Men P G H 1 TOTAL 29 26 15 0 k 118 29 63 81 kl 5 29 lj-13 33 92 107 62 5 33 531 H I PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION D E P 11.0 3.3 2if.£ 22.0 12.7 0 3.3 2.6 if.l 7.0 15.2 19.6 11.3 1.2 7.0 2.8 5-6 6.2 17.3 20.1 11.6 .9 6.2 A B Men 19.if 3.3 Women 31.7 Total 29.0 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. C G Enjoy learning about things, Needed my GED Diploma to continue in my present job. Needed my GED Diploma to get a promotion in my present job. Wanted something to do. Needed my GED Diploma to get a better job. Always wanted to get my GED Diploma but didn't know how until I heard of "T.V. High School." Wanted to take a college course. No special reason. Other. TABLE l±.2 STATED PURPOSES ACCORDING TO AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Age A - 25 - 30 - ko 24-1 " 50 £l or above 18 26 31 9*421 Totals B C 52 68 5 $ D 7149 8 9 E P G H I TOTAL 18 8 5 6 24IO 0 0 0 0 3 8 7 _8 91 118 12|.0 16 8 20 9 JLL 106 63 5 32 836 76 17 2 i+ 16 26 35 2 10 9 28 5 _i Jl __I 21 1*4-Jfc 223 65 96 107 139 31 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Age 18-25 26-30 31-lj.O ij.1-50 £1 or above A B 22.9 12.6 23.0 29.6 32.1 36.3 1.6 3.5 1.2 Totals 26.6 7.7 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. c D 18.0 9.8 S.h 6.7 8.146 .24. 6 .14. 9.0 5.1 16.5 ll.il. 12.7 E P G H 1 18.5 26.3 17.7 10.0 5.1 i+.l 17.5 22.0 22.1 20.7 k* 3 8.7 6.7 li|..2 11.6 1.2 0 0 0 0 1 .I4 3.2 6.7 10.3 16.6 12.6 7.5 .5 3-8 5.o Enjoy learning about things. Needed my GED Diploma to continue in my present job. Needed my GED Diploma to get a promotion in my present job. Wanted something to do. Needed my GED Diploma to get a better job. Always wanted to get my GED Diploma but didn't know how until I heard of "T.V. High School." Wanted to take a college course. No special reason. Other. TABLE I4..3 STATED PURPOSES ACCORDING TO MALES IN RELATIONSHIP TO RACE AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E P G White 10 1 3 3 16 15 8 Non-White 12 3 10 1 12 11 6 Employed 15 3 9 h 10 22 3 0 0 0 ^ 0 Unemployed H I TOTAL k 60 0 0 55 13 0 0 76 6 1 0 lii- PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B c D E P G H 1 White 16.6 1.6 5-0 5.o 26.6 25.0 13.3 0 6.6 Non-White 21.8 5-if 18.1 1.8 21.8 20.0 10.9 0 0 Employed 19.7 3.9 11.8 5.2 13.1 28.9 17.1 0 0 Unemployed 21.if 0 0 28.^ if2.8 7.1 0 LEGEND: A. B. C. 0 0 Enjoy learning about things. Needed my GED Diploma to continue in my present job . Needed my GED Diploma to get a promotion in my present job. D. Wanted something to do. E. Needed my GED Diploma to get a better job. P. Always wanted to get my GED Diploma but didn't know how until I heard of "T.V. High School." G. Wanted to take a college course. H. No special reason. I• Other. s k2 TABLE STATED PURPOSES ACCORDING TO FEMALES IN RELATIONSHIP TO RACE AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION White Non-White Employed Unemployed Housewives A B C D 6k 77 59 15 58 2 11 11 1 0 5 13 15 0 l 15 11 12 2 15 White Non-White Employed Unemployed Housewives LEGEND: 31.0 27.7 29.3 3*4..0 33.9 F G H I TOTAL 1*415 3*48 22 60 51 27 11 14-3 20 *4-3 27 2 16 1 14-2 3 2 0 16 11410 3 16 206 277 201 I4I4171 - PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A E B c D E F G H I .9 3.9 5-k 2.14I4..6 7.14- 7.2 3.9 5-9 it*5 6 .7 5.141 6 .9 29.1 1 8 .k 13.14- .1^ 15.1 1.141+.5 7.7 5.0 if.9 18 . 1 12 .8 25.1 9.7 15.5 13.1414-5 9-3 2.2 0 0 *5 8.7 25.0 0 6.8 9.3 A. B. Enjoy learning about things. Needed my GED Diploma to continue in my present C. Needed my GED Diploma to get a promotion in ray present job. Wanted something to do. Needed my GED Diploma to get a better job. Always wanted to get my GED Diploma but d i d n ’t know how until I heard of "T.V. High School." Wanted to take a college course. No special reason. Other. job . D. E. F. G. H. I. The percentage distribution of the total sample responses is; s 29 percent enjoyed learning; 2.8 percent k-3 needed the GED Diploma to continue in their present job; 5.6 percent needed GED to obtain a promotion in their pre­ sent job; 1 7 percent wanted something to do; 20 percent always wanted their high school equivalency diploma but did not know how to get it until hearing about "T.V. High School" 17.3 percent needed GED Diploma to obtain a better job; 11.6 percent wanted the GED Diploma to get into college; •9 percent had no special reasons; 6.2 percent had other reasons for taking part in "T.V. High School" which included personal satisfaction, wanting to set a good example for children at home and self improvement. A survey of tables l-ij. suggests that no large devia­ tions exist between the total samplets response pattern and the response patterns contained within these categories. The results of question one suggest that the primary motivational factor behind the participants enrolling in "T.V. High School" was to utilize the equivalency degree to upgrade employment status or to enter college. The high percentage of respondents selecting the item "wanting some­ thing to do" is appropriate since over 33 percent of the sample was composed of housewives who were not wage earners A nor did they plan to become wage earners upon the completion of the GED Test. Question 2 ; Is T.V. High School an effective means of preparing persons to pass the GED Test? A Cochran Q statistic was calculated between the pro­ portion of persons who passed and failed the pre-test as Wcompared to the proportion of those who passed and failed the post-test. The Cochran Q statistic was 2.0 indicating that a significant difference does not exist between pre-test and post-test proportions at the . 0 5 level. A "t" test of significance was calculated between the means of the pre-test and post-test. The "t" statistic was -0.958 indicating that a significant difference does not exist between pre- and post-test means at the . 0 5 level. A contingency table illustrating the percentage of individuals who passed or failed the GED Test on a national basis with the percentages of "T.V. High School" participants who passed or failed the GED Test appears in Table £. A chi-squared test of independence found no significant dif­ ference at the .05 level between the national GED percentages and those of "T.V. High School." TABLE i^.5 NATIONAL GED TEST AVERAGES PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B Pass 75. 69. Pail 22j..3# 3 0 .6 # LEGEND: A - "T.V. High School" B - National GED Averages The results of question two suggest that "T.V. High School" is not an effective means of preparing persons to pass the GED Test. These results are not only apparent from the pre- and post-test results, but they are also exemplified when national GED Test completion rates and those of ’'T.V. High School” are compared. Sub Question 2 ; Is there any relationship between demographic varia­ bles of age, sex, race, marital status, job' description and the successful completion of the GED Test? The data indicate that a linear relationship does not exist between passing of the GED Test and the age of the par­ ticipants or their last grade completed in school. The result­ ing Pearson Product correlations are -0.09101 for age and suc­ cessful completion of the GED Test and 0.08821 for last grade completed and successful completion of the GED Test. Contingency tables were constructed and a chi-squared test of independence was used to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between the successful comple­ tion of the GED Test and the variables of: (age) Table 6; (sex) Table 7; (race) Table 8; (marital status) Table 9; (employment status) Table 10. ^6 TABLE 4- 6 AGE H 1 F O FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION 26-30 18-25 41-50 50+ Total Pass 11 k 8 14 13 49 Fail 1 5 k k 2 16 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION "41-50— T8-25 .. 2 6 - 3 0 ' " Pass 2 2 .4 8 .1 16.3 28.5 26.5 Fail 6.2 31.2 25.0 25.0 12.5 31^40 50+ TABLE 4*7 SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Male Female PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Total Male Female Pass 9 41 50 Pass 18.0 82.0 Fail 3 13 16 Fail 18.7 81.2 kl TABLE I4..8 RACE PERCENTAGE! DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A : B Pass 36 13 k9 Pass 73.il- 26.5 Fail 3 12 15 Fail 2.0 8.0 LEGEND: Total B A White Non-white A. B. TABLE ij. , 9 MARITAL STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION B C D A PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Total A B C D Pass 6 1|0 I| 0 £0 Pass 12.0 80.0 8.0 0.0 Fail 1 13 0 2 16 Fall 6.2 81.2 0.0 12.0 LEGEND: A. B« C. D. Single Miarri ed Divorced Separated TABLE 1^.10 EMPLOYMENT STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total A B C D E F G Pass 2 0 5 k 25 1 12 k-9 Fail 0 1 2 3 5 0 5 16 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION E F 0.0 10.2 8.1 51.1 Fail 0.0 6.2 12.5 18.7 31.2 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. E. G. G 0 ij.,0 • Pass ro D B 0 • 0 C A 31.2 Self-employed In business Skilled tradesman (plumber, electrician, etc •) Office worker Factory worker Housewife Unemployed Other The Pearson statistics obtained as a result of the chi-squared tests of independence were not significant at the .05 level for the variables of: age, sex, race, marital status, employment status and the successful completion of the GED Test, k9 Question 3 ; Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through State Departments of Educa­ tion by successfully passing the GED Tost? The percentage distribution of the sample revealed that 14.1 * 3 percent were aware of the existence of the high school equivalency certificate before hearing of "T.V. High School." Thirty-eight percent of the female participants were aware of the GED Test before "T.V. High School" as com­ pared with 51 percent of the males. An analysis by employ­ ment status found I4.7 percent of those employed aware of the high school equivalency degree compared with only 1 5 - 7 per­ cent of the unemployed. Sub Question 3 ; Does age, marital status, sex, race, employment status or last grade completed have any effect on the aware­ ness of the GED Test? Contingency tables were constructed and a chi-squared test of independence was used to determine if any statistically significant difference existed between the awareness or unaware­ ness of the GED Test and the variables of: (marital status) Table 12; (age) Table 11; (sex) Table 13; (race) Table II4.; (employment status) Table 15; (last grade completed) Table 16 . 5Q TABLE 1*.*11# AWARENESS ACCORDING TO AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION 18-25 26-50 51-hO 51-50 50+ Total Aware 32 26 31 25 12 126 Non-aware 38 25 31 51 31 176 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION 18-25 26-30 3 1 -14-0 14-1-50 50+ Aware 25•3 20.6 21*..6 19.8 9.5 Non-aware 21.5 lij..2 17.6 28.9 17.6 TABLE AWARENESS ACCORDING TO MARITAL STATUS PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D 79 8 13 12k Aware 19*3 63-7 6.14. 10.k Non-aware 214- 125 13 13 175 Non-aware 13.7 71.14- 7.14- 7.14- Aware LEGEND: 214. A. B. C. D. Total A B C D Single Married Divorced Separated # Significant at the .05 level baaed on a chi-aquared analysis. 51 TABLE k» 13* AWARENESS ACCORDING TO SEX PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total A B Male 37 35 72 Female 87 lip- 1214. 176 Total Sample LEGEND: A. B. B A Male 51.3 I4-8 . 6 228 Female 38.1 61.8 300 Total Sample ip.. 3 59.7 Aware Non-aware TABLE 1+..IZ4. AWARENESS ACCORDING TO RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Total A B White 53 90 lij-3 White 37 63 Non-white 69 173 214.2 Non-white 2 8 .£ 71.5 LEGEND: A. B. Aware Non-aware * Significant at the .O£ level based on a chi-squared analysis 52 TABLE AWARENESS ACCORDING TO EMPLOYMENT STATUS PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B Total Employed 81 91 172 Unemployed 12 61*. Housewife 36 21 LEGEND: A B Employed 1*7 53 76 Unemployed 15.7 81*.. 3 57 Housewife 63.1 36.9 Aware Non-aware A. B. TABLE I*..16* AWARENESS ACCORDING TO THE LAST GRADE COMPLETED FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION 3 U- 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Aware 0 0 0 1 0 8 29 56 27 2 Non-aware 0 0 0 2 1*. 16 29 51 59 10 9 10 11 Total 121*. 171 PERCENTAGE : D ISTRIBUTION 3 h 0 .0 0.0 Non-aware 0 .0 0.0 Aware ' 12 b 7 8 0.0 0.8 0.0 6.5 22.6 I4.6 . 8 21.8 1.6 0 .0 1.2 2.3 9.1*. 7.0 29.8 31*-.5 5.8 * Significant at the .05 level based on a chi-squared analysis The Pearson statistics obtained as a result of the chi-squared tests of independence were not significant at the . 0 5 level for the variables of marital status and employment status. Significant differences were found at the .05 level among the variables of sex, last grade completed and age, and 53 the a w a r e n ess or l a c k of awareness of the h i g h school e q u i v a ­ lency certificate. The results of q u e s t i o n three suggest that the h i g h school d r opout w h o has p a r t i c i p a t e d in "T.V. H i g h School" is g e n e r a l l y u n a w a r e of the h i g h school e q u i v a l e n c y degree w h i c h is a w a r d e d t h r o u g h state departments of education. A post h o c teat^- was c a l c u l a t e d to determine the s i g n i f i c a n t comparisons w h i c h c a u s e d the r e j e c t i o n of the n u l l h y p o t h e s e s w i t h i n the ch i - s q u a r e d test of inde p e n d e n c e f o r the s t a t i s t i c a l l y significant v a r i a b l e s of sex, c o m p l e t e d a n d age. The results suggest: last grade a statistically s i g n i f i c a n t p r o p o r t i o n of those individuals b e l o w a 8 t h grade e d u c a t i o n w e r e u n a w a r e of the existence of the G E D T e s t b e f o r e "T.V. H i g h School"; a stat i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t p r o p o r t i o n of p a r t i c i pants over $1 years of age w e r e una w a r e of the existence of the G E D Test b e f o r e "T.V. H i g h School"; and a s t a t i s t i c a l l y si g n i f i c a n t p r o p o r t i o n of f e m a l e s w e r e una w a r e of the existence of the GED T e s t before "T.V. H i g h School." Q u e s t i o n h-z W h a t are the future educational plans of the p a r t i c i ­ p ants u p o n the co m p l e t i o n of "T.V. H i g h School"? The resp o n s e patterns of the p a r t i c i p a n t s were e x a m i n e d th rough a f r e q u e n c y and p e r c e n t a g e d i s t r i b u t i o n w i t h i n the f o l l o w i n g categories: (males in r e l a t i o n s h i p to race) T a b l e 17; (females in r e l a t i o n s h i p to race) Table 18. ^ ‘iHaoharcl A. M a r as cUilo-, " L a r g e-sample M u l t i p l e C o m ­ p arisons," Psych o l o g i c a l Bulletin, 1966, pp. 280-290. 'TABLE I*. 17 E D U C A T I O N A L A S P I R A T I O N S OP M A L E S R E L A T I O N S H I P TO RACE IN FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total a r.'B C D E P White 2 8 5 5 7 9 36 Non-white 1 3 8 10 3 3 28 fe P PERCENTAGE! D I S T R I B U T I O N A B c D W hite 5-5 22.2 13.8 13.8 19.14- 25.0 N on-white 3-5 10.7 28.5 35.7 10.7 10.7 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. W i l l take some classes in Adult E v e n i n g High School. Have no special e d u c a tional plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. W o u l d like to enter a technical school. W o u l d like to enter college. Other. TABLE &-.18 EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OP FEMALES IN RELATIONSHIP TO RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION White Non-white A B C D E P Total 16 32 28 5 15 8 118 3 22 11; 23 17 21 100 E P PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A White Non-white LEGEND: A* B. C. D. E. P. B c 17.0 3 i; . 0 19.0 3.0 22.0 11;. 0 D 5.3 1^.9 8.5 23.0 17.0 21.0 Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other 56 The percentage distribution of the total sample is; 1 5 • 9 percent planned to take further adult evening classes; 22.3 percent had no further educational plans; 20 percent planned to take classes in a Junior College; 12.8 percent planned to enter a technical school; 10.9 percent planned to enter a four year college; and 7*8 percent had other educa­ tional plans which included correspondence courses, art school and practical nursing courses. A survey of the male response patterns (Table 1?) reveals that non-whites had lower educational aspirational levels than whites. Higher percentages of non-whites planned to enter technical schools and take courses at a Junior Col­ lege while higher percentages of white males planned to enter four year colleges. Higher percentages of white males and females are contained in the category of (no further educa­ tional plans) than non-whites. Sub Question li: Does age, marital status, sex, race, last grade com­ pleted or employment status make a difference in educational plans of the participants? Contingency tables were constructed and a chi-squared test was used to determine if any statistically significant differences existed between the variables of: (marital status) Table 20; (sex) Table 21; (age) Table 19; (race) Table 22; (last grade completed) Table 23; and (employment status) Table 2k. 57 TABLE 4-19 EDUCATIONAL PLANS ACCORDING TO AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION B d _8 16 8 11 15 _9 1*3 59 A 18-25 26-30 31-14.0 14.1-50 50+ 1* 9 9 Total Total D E F 10 9 10 15 _9 9 9 17 10 0 Ik 2 12 k _7 9 9 6 9 62 1*6 55 66 73 1*5 39 36 265 '" PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION B A 18-25 26-30 3 1 -1*0 1*1 - 5 0 50+ Total LEGEND: C D E F il*.5 11*.5 65 19.6 1 6 .14. 19.7 22.2 25.8 17.1* 20.0 22.7 25.0 16.1 19.6 18.2 22.7 2 5 .O 19.6 12.7 15.2 0 22.6 1*.3 21.8 6.1 19. k 10.9 17.1 22.8 23.8 13.6 11.3 12.ij. A. B. C. D. E. F. 19.6 13.6 Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other 58 TABLE ij..-20 EDUCATIONAL PLANS A C C O R D I N G TO M A R I T A L STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Single Married Divorced Separated B £ 30 5 3 11 U-0 3 $ Total E 6.. A 6 9 38 22 £ k 3 l k 26 3 5 6 25 1 3 41 181 20 21 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A Single Married Divorced Separated LEGEND: B. C. D. E. P. C D 12.2 16.6 26.8 22.1 11*..6 21.0 22 12.2 25.0 15.0 23.8 25.0 15.0 I4..8 34.3 A. B 19.0 E 9.8 14-4 15.0 23.8 IP1 111..6 13.8 5.0 14*3 Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Wo u l d like to enter a technical school. W o u l d like to enter college. Other. TABLE 1+.21* EDUCATIONAL PLANS ACCOlfolNG TO SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E F 2 12 13 11+ 11 9 61 1+0 1+7 l+o 21 28 27 203 Male Female Total PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A Male B C D E F 3-3 19.7 21.3 23 18 11+.8 Female 19.7 23.2 19.7 10.3 13. 8 13.3 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other Significant at the .05 level based on a chi-squared analysis 60 TABLE- :}±.Z2h EDUCATIONAL PLANS ACCORDING TO RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E P Total White 18 40 22 10 23 16 129 Non-white 24 16 31 27 20 23 141 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION D P A B White 13.9 31 17.0 7.7 17.8 12.4 Non-white 17.0 11.3 21.9 19.1 14.1 16.3 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. C E Will take some classes in Adult Evening High. School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other & Significant at the .05 level based on a chi-squared analysis 61 y TABLE. 11..23 EDUCATIONAL PLANS ACCORDING- TO LAST SCHOOL GRADE COMPLETED FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelveth Total A B C D £ F 0 0 0 1 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 12 11 -2 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 15 10 .1 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 15 5 2 IS 9 1 11* 10 21 0 0 0. 0 0 1 3 8 21 17 _3 1*0 58 S3 35 38 31* ■ E F 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 .0 0 .0 0.0 0.0 0 .0 5 .3 0 .0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelveth LEGEND: A B 0.0 0.0 s.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.3 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0 1 .0 3.0 8 .0 21.0 17.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 20 12.£ 37*5 22.5 2.5 A• B. C o D. E. F. 21*.1 29.3 26.2 0.0 5.7 20.0 3k. 3 31. k 8.6 21.1 39.5 26.3 7.9 5.9 29.1* 1*1*. 1 11*. 7 5.9 Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School. Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other. 62 TABLE ij.,2^ EDUCATIONAL PLANS- ACCORDING TO EMPLOYMENT STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Employed Unemployed Housewife A " B 23 19 k 7 IS 23 "TT 29 r> 21 7 14- 8 16 FT 26 1423 F Total 23 II4.I 2 28 13 98 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A c -B < 2 0 .5 . Employed 16.3 Unemployed 11*..2 25 1 I4..2 Housewife 15-3 23.4 16.3 LEGEND: A. B. C* D. E. F. .13.14- "T> ' fi F ltj..8 1 8 .14. 16.3 25 114..2 7.1 8.1 2 3 .14. 13.2 Will take some classes in Adult Evening High School* Have no special educational plans. Plan on taking some classes at a Junior College. Would like to enter a technical school. Would like to enter college. Other. The Pearson statistics obtained as a result of the chi-squared test of independence were not significant at the .Of? level for the variables of: age, marital status, last grade completed and employment status. Significant differences were found within the variables of sex and race. A post hoc test was calculated to determine the sig­ nificant comparisons which caused the rejection of the null hypotheses within the chi-squared test of independence for 63 the statistically significant variables of sex and race. results suggest: The a statistically significant proportion of whites had no further special educational plans; a statisti­ cally significant proportion of blacks wanted to enter technical schools; a statistically significant proportion of females would enroll in future adult educational programs; a statistically significant proportion of males selected vocational schools. Question 5 : What is the amount of participation in previous adult education programs: The responses of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (sex) Table 25; (employment status) Table 27; (race) Table 26; (age) Table 28. TABLE lj..25 SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION LEGEND: 'total A B 27 k? 69 109 Ilk 223 Male Female PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A. B. Yes No A B Male 39.1 60.9 Fe m a l e 51.1 1+8.9 6^ TABLE lj..26 RACE PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION B White £8 8£ 114-3 White l4.o.£ £9.£ Non-white 78 71 li^-9 Non-white 50.3 14-7.7 LEGEND: Yea A. Total B. A B A No TABLE I4..2 7 EMPLOYMENT STATUS PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total A B Employed 77 79 1£6 Unemployed 10 22 Housewife 14.1 £7 LEGEND: Yes A. B. A B Employed 14-9.3 14-0.7 32 Unemployed 30.3 69.7 98 Housewife 14.1.8 5 8 .2 No TABLE I4..28 AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Yes 18-25 31-14-0 14.1-50 50+ 26-30 23 23 3£ 39 i£ No PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Total 65 28 3£ 28 63 714. 14-3 18-25 26-30 3 1 - 14.0 i4-i-£o 50+ Yes No 3£-3 14-8.9 ££.£ £2.7 31*-. 8 6 £. 3 £1.1 1|4.£ 14-7.3 65.2 65 A survey of the total sample revealed lj.6.5 percent of the sample had been previously involved in adult educa­ tion programs. A survey of tables 25-28 suggests that no large devia­ tions exist between the total samples’ response pattern to this question and the responses obtained when examined by the categories discussed above. The only notable exceptions were: 3 0 percent of the unemployed had been previously involved in adult education classes; and 3 5 * 1 percent of those individuals in the total sample between 1 8 - 2 5 had been involved in adult education classes and 3b percent of those over 5 0 had been involved in previous adult education. Sub Question 5 : What are the participants stated reasons for not participating in previous adult education programs? The response patterns of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (sex) Table 29; (race) Table 3 0 . The response patterns of the total sample are: 11^.8 percent felt programs were too costly; 2 2 . 9 percent felt pro­ grams were not offered at a convenient time; 1 6 . 6 percent felt their job prevented their involvement; 2 0 . 7 percent felt they did not have enough time; 0 percent felt the courses would not help them; 1 1 . 7 percent did not know they were offered; and 9 percent had other reasons which included: to night school; and baby sitting problems. not safe to walk 66 TABLE 1^,29 STATED REASONS ACCORDING TO SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Male Female A B C D E F G H 6 11 12 10 2 0 9 1 29 k2- 26 i+1 7 0 19 10 m G H Total PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B C D E F Male 11.7 21.5 23.5 19.6 3.9 0 17.6 1.9 Female 1 6 .6 2 l±. 0 II4..9 25.5 lj..O 0 10.9 5*7 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. They were too costly. They were not offered at a convenient time. My job prevented it. I d i d n ’t have enough time. The classes offered wouldn't help me. I didn't qualify. I didn't know they were offered. Other. 0 TABLE If.30 STATED REASONS ACCORDING TO RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E G H Total White 22 31 19 28 2 17 6 125 Non-white 12 20 19 2If 7 11 1 9if P ERCENTAGE D I S T R I B U T I O N A B C D E G H White 17.6 2/ f .8 15.2 2 2 . If 1.6 13.6 If .8 Non-white 12.7 21.2 20.2 2£.5 7 . if 11.7 1.0 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. They were too costly. They were not offered at a convenient time. My job p r e v e n t e d it. I didn't have enough time. The classes offered w o u l d n ' t h e l p me. I didn't qualify. (NOT USED) I didn't k n o w they were offered. Other. A survey of tables 29 and 30 suggests that large deviations do not exist between these categories and the response patterns of the total sample. 68 QUESTION 6 ; What are the stated recommendations of the partici­ pants for improvement of ”T.V. High School” ? The response patterns of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (sex) Table 31$ (race) Table 32. TABLE 24-.31 STATED IMPROVEMENTS ACCORDING TO SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B 0 D E F Total Male 27 23 3k 10 13 6 113 Female 68 89 112 60 k3 324- ij. 0 6 E F PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION B A C D Male 23.2 1 9 .8 29.3 1 1 .2 1 1 .2 5.1 Female 16.7 21.9 27.5 1*4-.7 1 0 .5 8.3 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. Personal helper Classroom meetings with teachers A telephone number to call for help over the phone Records I could buy or check out Other books I could get Other TABLE 1^.-32 STATED IMPROVEMENTS ACCORDING TO RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION White GO C\J Non-white 66 B D E P o A 35 19 26 222 76 38 37 Ik 303 E P C 72 Total PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B C D White 1 2 .6 1 9 .8 , 31.5 15.7 8.5 11.7 Non-white 21.7 23.7 25 12.5 1 2 .2 I4..6 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. Personal helper. Classroom meetings with teachers. A telephone number to call Tor help over the phone. Records I could buy or check out. Other books I could get. Other. The percentage distribution of the total sample responses is: 1 6 .3 percent recommended tutoral help be pro­ vided with the program; 1 9 . 6 percent wanted classroom situa­ tion for GED instruction; 29.1 percent recommended a telephone number to call to obtain clarification or assistance; 1 3 .14percent recommended records to be purchased to help make up for missed programs or clarification; 1 0 . 7 percent recommended supplemental texts; 7 * 7 percent had other recommendations which included better viewing time when children are in school, 70 specific homework assignments, slower pace even if it included more lessons, free books or library-type book system. A survey of tables 31-32 suggest that no large devia­ tions exist between the total samples' response pattern and the response pattern contained within these categories. The results indicate that "T.V. High School” partici­ pants emphasized recommendations which focused on two way communications between themselves and teachers or tutorers. A contingency table illustrating the percentage of individuals who passed or failed the GED Test and their recom­ mendations for improvement of the course appears in Table 33. A chi-squared test of independence found no signifi­ cant differences at the . 0 5 level between passing and failing the GED Test and the participants' recommendations for improvements. Question 7 : What are the participants' stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School"? The response patterns of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (stated reasons according to sex) Table 3k-i (stated reasons according to race) Table 35; (stated reasons according to employment status) Table (stated reasons according to age) Table 37. 36; At the time of the questionnaire, 37 percent of the participants indicated they were no longer watching "T.V. High School." only 26 percent At the end of the running of "T.V. High School" of the total sample had completed the by taking the GED Test. program 71 TABLE k*33 S T A T E D I M P R O VEMENTS A N D T H E P A S S I N G OR F A I L I N G OF T H E GED T E S T FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Pass 11 16 25 Fail 6 9 3 jy, ■ ■ Total T T 12 9 87 k k 3k E F CD • 6 ' . C A 16 13.7 2 1 .8 8 .8 23.5 11.7 1 1 .7 11*8 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION Pass 1 2 .6 1 8 .3 Fa i l 1 7 .6 2 6 .14. LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. F. C B ro A D Pers o n a l helper. C l a s s r o o m meet i n g s w i t h teachers. A telephone nu m b e r to call for h e l p over the phone. R e c o r d s I could buy or check out. Other books I c o u l d get. Other. TABLE 1+V-31+ STATED REASONS ACCORDING TO SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total A B C D E F G H I J Male 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 3 3 7 29 Female 1 1+ 1 5 1 19 2 6 23 27 87 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B a D E F G H Male 3«1+ 5-3 3-k 3.1+ 3.1+ 31+.1+ 3.1+ 10.3 10 •3 20.3 Female 1.3 1+-5 i .i 5.7 1.3 21.8 0J • C\] 6.8 26 -1+ 31 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. J. I The programs were not interesting. A l r e a d y k n e w what they were talking about. The lectures seemed hard. I f e l t I couldn't pass the exam. Books were too hard. H a d pers o n a l reasons. A T.V. p r o g r a m came on at the same time that some other m e m b e r of m y f a m i l y liked. I p r e f e r r e d to work at a slower rate. H a d no one to go to f o r h e l p w h e n I did not u n d e r s t a n d something. Other. J 73 TABLE ^ 3 $ S T A T E D R E A S O N S A C C O R D I N G TO R A C E FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Total A B C D E P G H I J White 0 1^. 2 k 0 16 0 k 12 13 US Non-white 0 0 0 0 5 13 Ur 5 15 22 55 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B C D E P 0 8.8 k-k 8.8 0 35-5 0 Non-white 0 0 0 0 9 2 3 .6 7.2 White LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. J. G H I j 8.8 26.6 28.8 9 2 7 .2 2 3 .6 The programs were not interesting. A l r e a d y k n e w what they were t a l k i n g about. The lectures seemed hard. I felt I c o u l d n ’t pass the exam. Books were too hard. H a d p e r s o n a l reasons. A T.V. p r o g r a m came on at the same time that some o t h e r m e m b e r of m y f a m i l y liked. I p r e f e r r e d to w o r k at a slower rate. H a d no one to go to for h e l p w h e n I did not u n d e r s t a n d something. Other. 71* TABLE lj.736 STATED REASONS ACCORDING TO EMPLOYMENT STATUS FR E Q U E N C Y D IS T R I B U T I O N A B c D E P G H I J Employed 0 1 2 k 1 15 3 7 11 15 59 Unemployed 0 1 0 0 0 7 0 0 3 7 18 Housewife 0 2 0 2 0 7 1 2 11 13 28 I J Total PERCENTAGE DI S T R IBUTION P A B C D E Employed 0 1.6 3.3 6 .7 1.6 2^.7 0 Unemployed 0 0 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 38.8 0 2£.0 3.5 Housewife LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. J. 7.1 7 .1 G H 11.8 18.6 25.1* 0 16.6 3 8 .8 7.1 39.2 i4.6.i|. The programs were not interesting. Already k n e w what they were talking about. The lectures seemed hard. I felt I couldn't pass the exam. Books were too hard. Had personal reasons. A-T.V. prog r a m came on at the same time that some other m e m b e r of m y f a m i l y liked. I preferred to w o r k at a slower rate. Had no one to go to for h e l p when I did not vinderstand something. other. TABLE 4* 37 STATED REASONS ACCORDING TO AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION 18-25 26-30 31-40 14.1-50 5 0 plus A B c D E P G H I 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 11 5 6 1 1 2 1 1 2 h 1 7 *49 1 0 1 0 2 J Total 9 14 h 6 2 3*430 23 19 8 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION 10-25 26-30 31-40 41-50 5 0 plus LEGEND: A B c 0 £•8 6.6 *4-5 5-5 3 .3 0 0 0 0 0 A. B. C. D. E. P. G. H. I. J. 0 0 0 1 2 .5 D 5.8 6.6 *4-5 0 12.5 E ' 0 0 0 $.5 0 P 32.3 16.6 22.7 5.5 12.5 G 5 .8 3 .3 0 0 H 2.9 3-3 9.0 22.2 12.5 1 20.5 13.3 40.9 27.7 25 J 26.4 40.6 18.1 33.3 25 The progr a m s were not interesting. A l r e a d y knew what they were talking about. The lectures seemed hard. I felt I c o u l d n ’t pass the exam. Books were too hard. H a d pers o n a l reasons. A T.V. p r o g r a m came on at the same time that some other m e m b e r of m y f a m i l y liked. I p r e f e r r e d to w o r k at a s l o w e r rate. Had no one to go to f o r h e l p when I d i d not u n d e r s t a n d something. Other. 76 The percentage distribution of these respondents1 stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School” are: 8 percent felt the programs were not interesting; 10.3 per­ cent vfelt that they already knew the material; 1.7 percent felt the lectures seemed too hard; 5*1 percent felt they couldhlt pass the GED Test; .8 percent felt the books were too hard; 2 5 percent of the sample had personal reasons; 2.5 percent found ,TT.V. High School” conflicting with family television programs; 7.7 percent preferred to work at a slower pace; 22.5 percent had no one to go to for help; 2 3 percent had other reasons which included: lack of books, didn't know where to buy books, work conflict, started watching ”T.V. High School” too late to catch up on missed work and didn't have enough time. A survey of tables 31+-37 indicates no large devia­ tions between the total response patterns of the sample and the response patterns contained within these categories. The results of question seven indicate that a major reason for dropping out of "T.V. High School” was the way communication existed between the program and the partici­ pants. This problem was also focused on in the recommenda­ tions for improvement of the program by the participants. Sub Question 7 ; Is there any relationship between age, sex, marital status, race, job description or last grade completed and dropping out or completing "T.V. High School"? Contingency tables were constructed and a chi-squared test was used to determine if any statistically significant 77 d i fferences existed b e t w e e n the variable of: (sex) Table 39; (marital status) (job description) Table 3 8 (age) Table lj.0; (race) Table I4.Ij Table I4.3 ; (last grade completed) Table 1^.3* TABLE 4.38 AGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION ij.1 - 5 0 50+ Total 18-25 26-30 Dropped-out 57 k2 52 56 28 235 Completed 11 9 12 18 16 66 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION 18-25 ■ "26-375' . 30+ 31-UO Dropped-out 2k-3 17.9 22.1 2 3 .8 11.9 Completed 18.2 1 3 .6 18.2 2 7 .3 22.7 TABLE k .39 SEX PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B Total Dropped-out 59 17k 233 Completed 12 $k 66 LEGEND: A. B. Male Female A B Dropped-out 25.3 71+.7 Completed 18.2 8 1 .8 78 TABLE MARITAL STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION B ' A Dropped-out C ompleted C D Total ko 15 17 2k 23k 7 53 k 2 66 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A .... " ” B ------ ' d "TT" Dropped-out 15.7 68.0 7.0 8.7 Completed 10.6 8 O.3 6.1 3.0 LEGEND: A. B. Single Married C. D. Divorced Separated TABLE 1*.41 RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION Dropped-out Completed LEGEND: A. B. s PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B •total lOlj. 127 231 39 25 White Non-white 61j. A B Dropped-out 1*1*.6 51*.5 Completed 60.9 39.1 79 TABLE I4..1+2 JOB DESCRIPTION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C D E F G Total Dropped-out 0 15 25 30 70 29 50 219 Completed 2 1 7 7 30 1 17 65 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION C D A B Dropped-out 0 .0 6.6 10.9 13.1 3 0 .6 1 2 .7 2 1 .8 Completed 3-1 1.5 1 0 .8 1 0 .8 1+6 . 2 !.5 2 6 .2 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. E F Self-employed in business. Skilled tradesman (plumber, electrician, Office Worker. Factory Worker. Housewife. Unemployed. Other. G etc.) 80 TABLE i+:.1+3 LAST GRADE COMPLETED FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION 3 if 5 6 7 '' 8 9 10 11 12 Total Dropped-Out 0 0 0 3 3 16 kz 14.1 6k 10 229 C o m p leted 0 0 0 0 l 7 16 18 21 2 6$ 7 8 ... PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION 5 Dropped-out 0 . 0 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.3 7 •0 0 • 0 ' 6 if 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 10.8 5 Completed “T" ""TO"" 11 18.3 39.7 27.9 k-k 2I4..6 27.7 32.3 3.1 9 The Pearson statistics obtained as a result of the chi-squared test of independence were not significant at the .0 5 level for the variables of: age, sex, race, marital sta­ tus and job description. QUESTION 8 : Is there a relationship between the amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the passing or failing of the GED Test? A contingency table was constructed and a chi-squared test was used to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between failing or passing the GED Test and the amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School," Table i+lj.. 81 TABLE STA T E D A M O U N T OF T I M E SPENT W A T C H I N G P R O G R A M S A C C O R D I N G TO PAS S I N G OR F A I L I N G G E D TEST FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C b E Pass 1- 2 3 9 3k k9 Fail 0 1 k 5 6 16 t 6t AL PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B Pass 3 lj..O Fail 0 6.3 LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. F. -- b E 6.1 18.3 69*3 25.0 31*3 37.5 No time spent w a t c h i n g the p r o g r a m s One time p e r w e e k Two times p e r w e e k Three times p e r w e e k F o u r times per w e e k F i v e times per week T h e r e s u l t i n g Pea r s o n statistic indicates that a s i g ­ n i f i c a n t d iffer e n c e did not exist at the .05 level between p a s s i n g o r f a i l i n g of the G E D Test and amount of time spent w a t c h i n g "T.V. H i g h School." This d a t a f u r t h e r re i n f o r c e s the results obtained f r o m q u e s t i o n two i n d i c a t i n g that the p r o g r a m m a d e no re a l d i f f e r e n c e as to w h e t h e r a p e r s o n p a s s e d or f a i l e d the GED Test. 82 QUESTION 9 i What type of person is enrolled in home study course in preparation for the GED Test? A frequency and percentage distribution of the demo­ graphic information of the sample appears below: 1. 2. Frequency Percentage 73 23.9 75.7 SEX Male Female AGE 26-30 31-5-0 kl -50 50+ 3- 5-- 5- 6. 231 RACE White Black Yellow MARITAL STATUS Single Married Divorced Separated EMPLOYMENT STATUS Self-employed Skilled tradesman Office worker Factory worker Housewife Unemployed Other (unskilled laborors) 70 51 65 75 23.0 16.0 21.3 24.6 kk i5-.it 1^5 5-7.5 155- 52.0 l .3 5-8 15.7 67.9 207 21 26 2 6.9 8.5 .7 it.9 15 31 39 10.2 101 30 12.8 33.1 9.8 62 20.0 3 1.0 LAST GRADE COMPLETED 3 ----------------------------------- $ 6 I 9 10 II 12 525- 60 109 87 12 1.3 7.9 19.7 35.7 28.5 3.9 83 An examination of the demographic data suggests: 1. The sample was predominately composed of women* 2. Forty percent of the sample was over forty years of age. 3* Equal distribution existed among whites and blacks. Ij.. Less than 10 percent of the sample was unemployed with 33 percent of the sample housewives and 33 per­ cent engaged in semi-skilled occupations. 5« Seventy percent of the sample was married. QUESTION 1 0 ; How did the participants in "T.V, High School” become aware of the program? The response patterns of the participants were examined through a frequency and percentage distribution within the following categories: (sex) Table 1+5; (race) Table 1+6; (employment status) Table JLj.7• The percentage distribution for the total samples' responses are: 1S»U- percent heard about "T.V. High School” over television; 17.0 percent heard about "T.V. High School" through friends; 53 percent read about the program in the newspaper; 5*2 percent heard about "T.V. High School" through community action programs; .9 percent heard about "T.V. High School" through church announcement; 8.1 percent heard about "T*V. High school" In other ways which included: employment office, employers, ADC workers. A survey of tables 1+5-57 suggests that no large devia­ tions exist between the total response pattern of the sample to this question and the responses obtained within these categor­ ies. The results clearly indicate the best way to publicize a course of this type is through extensive newspaper and TV coverage• SUI­ TABLE SEX FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A B C Male 17 12 39 Female 30 k0 123 Total E F 7 0 6 81 9 3 19 22^ D PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A B Male 20. k 1 4 .8 Female 13-3 1 7 .8 LEGEND: A* B. C. D. E. F. C D E F Zj.8.1 8.6 0.0 7-k lj..O 1.3 8 .14. Heard about it over T.V. Heard about it from my friends. Read about it in the newspaper. Heard about it from my community action center. Heard about it from my local church. Other. 85 TABLE 4*1*6 RACE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION A fe C D E E total 9 140 White 13 29 86 2 1 Non-white 19 22 74 13 2 C 1> 144 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A White Non-white LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. B E "1 £ 9.2 20.7 61.4 1.4 .7 6 .4 13.1 15.2 51.3 9.0 1.3 9.7 Heard about it over T.V. Heard about it from my friends. Read about it in the newspaper. Heard about it from ray community action center. Heard about it from my local church, Other. 86 TABLE lt.ylj.7 EMPLOYMENT STATUS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION B C D E 23 30 88 8 1 Unemployed k 2 15 1 Housewives 10 20 60 4 Jt 1 _7 102 k7 52 162 16 3 25 305 D E P Employed Total Sample P Total A 161|. 30 if PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION A C 53.3 1*.8 .6 8.4 Unemployed 13.3 6.6 5 0 .0 13-3 3.3 13.3 Housewives 9.8 19.6 58.8 3.9 .9 6.8 33.1 5.2 .9 CO LEGEND: A. B. C. D. E. P. 15-1* • Total Sample • 18.1 H 13.9 H Employed O B Heard about it over T.V. Heard about it from my friends. Read about it in the newspaper. Heard about it from my community action center. Heard about it from my local church. Other. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary This study was initiated as a means of evaluating "T.V. High School" as an effective way of preparing persons to pass the General Education Development Test. objectives of the study were: The main first, to determine whether "T.V. High School" is an effective way of preparing persons to pass the GED Test; second, to determine whether there are any relationships between demographic factors as defined by this study and the completion of this program; third, to determine whether there are any relationships between demo­ graphic factors and the GED Test results. In order to obtain the information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of "T.V. High School" a series of questions was formulated. The purpose of these questions was to provide a general framework upon which to base the study. The following questions were used: 1. What are the stated purposes of the participants in taking a program of this type? 2. Is "T.V. High School” an effective means of prepar­ ing persons to pass the GED Test? Sub 2. is there any relationship between demographic factors of age, sex, race, marital status, employment status and the successful completion of the GED Test? 87 88 3. Is the high school dropout aware that an equivalency certificate is available through state departments of education by successfully passing the GED Test? Sub 3. Does age, marital status, sex, race, employment sta­ tus or last grade completed have any effect on the awareness of the GED Test? ij.. Sub What are the future educational plans of the partici­ pants upon the completion of "T.V. High School"? Does marital status, age, sex, race and last grade completed make a difference in aspirational level of the participants? 5* Sub 5. 6. 7Sub 7* What is the amount of participation in previous adult education programs? What are the participants' stated reasons for not participating in adult education programs? What are the recommendations of the participants for improvement of "T.V. High School"? What are the participants’ stated reasons for dropping out of "T.V. High School" before its completion? Is there any relationship between age, sex, employ­ ment status and marital status and dropping out of "T.V. High School"? 8. Is there a relationship between the amount of time spent watching "T.V. High School" and the passing of the GED Test? 9* What type of person is enrolled in a home study course in preparation for the GED Test? 10. How do the participants in "T.V. High School" become aware of the program? The total population of Ij.3 6 persons who registered for "T.V. High School" in Detroit during the spring of 1969 was designated as the sample to be used in the study. of the registrants in the program was Each asked to come into the "T.V. High School" office and take a pre-test consisting of a sub-test of the GED Test Battery randomly assigned to the participants. Upon completion of the program, all 89 registrants in the program were invited into the office to take the GED Test. Form L of the GED Test Batteries was used for this post-test. A questionnaire was developed by the author in coopera­ tion with the Michigan State University College of Education Research Department and mailed with a cover letter to registrant. each A total of 305 returns were received represent­ ing 69.7 percent of the participants. When the questionnaires were received and the data tabulated, the following statistical techniques were used: 1. Frequency counts and percentage distributions were tabulated for all categories specified by the ques­ tions of the study. 2. Chi-squared tests of independence were calculated among the demographic variables of: age, sex, race, job description, employment status and last grade completed and the categories specified by the ques­ tions of the study. 3- Post hoc tests were calculated to determine the sig­ nificant comparisons which caused the rejection of the null hypotheses within the significant chisquared tests of independence. I4.. A Cochran (Q) was calculated to determine if a sig­ nificant difference existed between the proportion of persons passing the pre-test as compared to the proportion of persons passing the post-test. 5. A tft,f test of significance was calculated between pre-test scores and post-test scores. 90 6. A chi-squared test of independence was calculated between the percentage of "T.V. High School" partici­ pants who passed the GED Test and national GED pass­ ing averages. 7» A Pearson Product correlation was calculated between successful completion of the GED Test and the variables of age and last grade completed. Conclusions The statistical analysis of the data led to the fol­ lowing 1. conclusions based on the results of the study: "T.V. High School" is a means to an end rather than an end in itself for the participants. The stated reasons for involvement in "T.V. High School" were centered upon upgrading employment and social status. 2. Participants took part in this particular program because so few other programs seemed available to them. 3. "T.V. High School" is not an effective means of pre­ paring persons to pass the GED Test based upon preand post-test data. k., "T.V. High School" is no more effective than the informal means available of preparing persons to pass the GED Test based on national averages. 5?. The lack of a relationship between demographic data and the successful completion of the GED Test sug­ gests that specific demographic variables cannot be identified as potential predictors of GED success. 91 6. There seems to be a relationship between whether one Is employed and awareness of the GED'. 7* The lack of awareness by the participants of the existence of the GED Test indicates that schools, social agencies and employment agencies are not doing their job of making individuals aware of the alter­ nate means of receiving a high school diploma. 8. The publicity of "T.V. High School" has informed many dropouts of the existence of the GED Test and the high school equivalency diploma who would other­ wise not be aware of it. 9. Although significant differences exist between aware­ ness of the GED Test and the variables— last grade completed, sex, employment status--it is beyond the scope of this study to deal with the complexity of the causal factors which brought about these results. These results do, however, further reinforce the notion that methods must be employed to make the drop-out aware of the existence of the GED Test and that no systematic method is currently available. 10. "T.V. High School" is reported as a means of fur­ thering educational aspirations. Many aspire to the junior and four year college level. 11. Non-white participants perceived "T.V. High School" as a means to an end rather than an end in itself while white participants perceived "T.V. High School" as an end in itself, it is beyond the scope of this study to deal with the complexity of the causal fac­ tors which brought about these results. 92 12. The majority of "T.V. High School" participants had not previously participated in adult education courses suggesting that adult education programs as they currently exist are not meeting the needs of the high school dropout. 13. The relationship between involvement in adult edu­ cation courses and employment status suggests that adult education courses as they now exist are doing even less in meeting the needs of the unemployed dropout than the employed dropout. ll|.. A large emphasis in the recommendations made by the participants was the need for personalized two-way communication between the program and the partici­ pants. These recommendations are, in part, a result of the participants not being accustomed to an in­ structional program of this mechanical type. The significance of the recommendations is enhanced by the fact that significant differences were not found between those that passed or failed the GED Test and their recommendations for improvement of the program. 15* A major reason for dropping out of "T.V. High School" centered around the lack of two way communication between the program and the participants. This pro­ blem is partly inherent in the program due to its uniqueness, but also increased due to the lack of orientation of the participants at the beginning of the program. 93 16. The lack of significant differences among the demo­ graphic variables and dropping out of "T.V. High School" suggests that demographic factors cannot be U3ed to identify the type of person who would not complete a program of this type. 17• Significant differences were not found between those who passed or failed the test and the amount of time spent watching the program. This further reinforces previous conclusions that "T.V. High School" is not an effective way of preparing persons to pass the GED Test. 18. The hopes of reaching the hard core unemployed through this program were not achieved. Involvement in "T.V. High School" was primarily among housewives who were taking advantage of the accessibility of the program in their h o m e s . 19. Extensive newspaper coverage is the major means of communication with individuals who need and would use a program of this type. Recommendations from the study Upon the basis of the conclusions relative to "T.V. High School" and its evaluation, the following recommendations are appropriate: 1. High school dropouts should be made aware of all the alternative ways of receiving high school certifica­ tion, especially the GED Test. Adult education programs should begin to develop programs that prepare persons to pass the General Educational Development Test. Research is needed to determine the acceptance of the GED Test by industry and colleges today. Future programs that employ a one-way communication channel between the program and the participants should include an orientation period prior to the instruction. This orientation period would famil­ iarize the participants with the limitations and benefits of a one-way communication channel in order to maximize the instruction presented during the program. Future T.V. instructional programs should attempt to incorporate the suggestions for improvements made by the participants involved in "T.V. High School." Future programs preparing persons to pass the GED Test should not have any entering restrictions based on the demographic variables of: status, race, age, sex, marital job description, employment status and last grade completed as a result of this study. Further research is needed to determine the reasons why "T.V. High School" participants who passed the pre-test (K form of the GED Test) did not finish "T.V. High School" or take the GED Test after they were notified of their pre-test results. 95 8. Future programs of this type should be flexible in terms of times offered. 9* Further research should attempt to isolate demo­ graphic variables and reduce the number of confound­ ing variables so as to get at causal relationships; e.g., employment status and participation in adult education programs, race and educational plans. Recommendations seen through the Author1s Eyes 1. If the GED Test, as we know it, is to continue for high school certification purposes, colleges, univer­ sities and state departments of education should join together to provide programs that prepare persons to pass the GED Test. 2. Exploratory studies need to be undertaken to corre­ late the GED Test Battery with standardized achieve­ ment tests in order to establish the minimal reading and mathematical levels necessary to pass the GED Test. 3« Students dropping out of school should be provided with an opportunity to take the GED Test Battery. If the student has the minimal educational skills he should be awarded the GED equivalency certificate. If he does not have the minimal skills necessary to pass the GED Test, he or she should be directed to a support program that will bring them up to a level of proficiency that will enable them to pass the GED Test. Variable proficient levels should be made available to pass the GED Test. A student planning to use the GED Test as a means of upgrading employment status should not have to meet the same standards that a person planning to enter college should meet. GED programs should not only focus on means of raising educational levels to pass the GED Test, but they should also focus on ways of enhancing the self con­ cepts of the participants. Passing of the GED Test and receiving a high school equivalency certificate is not enough to counteract the negative feelings associated with dropping out of high school. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Backstrom, Charles H., and Hursh, Gerald P. Survey Research. Chicago, 111.: Northwestern University Press, l$6i*.« Kerlinger, Pred N. Foundations of Behavioral Research. New York: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston Co., T96I|.. Miller, Henry. Rich Man Poor M a n . Crowell Company, 19&i*-« New York: Thomas Y. Siegal, Sidney. Nonparametrie Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 195&* Periodicals Anderson, Gordon V. "Validity of the GED Tests for College Entrance," College and University, XXIII (1948), 371381. Cochran, W. G. "The Comparison of Percentages and Matched Samples," Blometrika, XXXVLI, 2£6. Hansen, Carl W. "The Armed Forces Institute," Journal of American Association of Collegiate Registrars, XTX (July, 1944), i m - 4 3 9 . Hartung, Arthur W. "The Case of the GED Student," School and Society. LXVIII (19l*-8), 137-138. Lindquist, E. F. "The Place of Tests in the Accreditation of Military Experiences and in the Educational Place­ ment of War Veterans," The Educational Record, XXV (191*4), 389. Nock, S. A. "Admission of Non-High School Graduates," Ameri­ can Association of Collegiate Registrars Journal, XXI (19551,- 390-391.------------- ---------------Ostlund, Leonard A. "An Evaluation of a General Educational Program," School and Society, (January, 1955), 5-8. 97 98 Putnam, Phil H. "Scholastic Achievement of GED Students at the Vanport Extension Center," School and Society, LXVI (19i|-7), 161-163. Roebor, Edward C. "The GED Tests as a Measure of College Aptitude," Educational Research Bulletin, XXIX (1950), U0-5T: ________ . "Relationships Among the Tests Given to Students Who Enter the College of Liberal Arts," Technological Bulletin, LV (19ij-9)• Pamphlets and Teat Manuals Harris, Norman C. The High School Completion Program for Adults and Out-of-School Youth. Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Department of Public Instruction. M62 Examiner's Manual: United States Armed Forces Institute Tests of General Educational Development High School Level. New York: American Council on Education. 19^5* Examiner's Manual: United States Armed Forces Institute Test of General Educational Development High School Level. New York: American Council on Education. 196i|.. _________• "T.V. High School" Lansing, Mich.: Michigan Blue Schield Public Relations Department. 1968. Reports Dressel, Paul L. and Schmid, John. An Evaluation of the Tests of General Educational Development. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 195>1. GED Testing Service. Report of the Service. Annual Statisti­ cal Report for the Calendar Year 1968. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education. 1968. United States Bureau of the Census, United States Census of Population. Subjects Reports. Educational Attain­ ment Final Report. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. United States Bureau of the Census of Population. Subject Reports. Characteristics of the Population - Part 2h Washington, D.C.: Government ^Printing Office. 19637 GED Testing Service. Report of the Service. Comparative Data on the High School Level-GED Testing at official GED Centersi Washington, D . C .: American Council on Education. 1968. U n p u b lish ed M a te r ia ls Batmale, Louis. "Achievement in College of Students Graduated from High School on the Basis of Performance in the General Educational Development Tests." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, 1955* Bledsoe, John. "An Evaluation of the General Educational Development Tests." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, George Peabody College for Teachers, 19^2. Busby, Walter. "A Multivariate Analysis of the Relationship of Academic Motivation, Aptitude, Socioeconomic Status, an Age to Persistance in an Adult Evening School." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1965* Dixon, Paul T. "Scholastic Achievement of Students Admitted to the University of Missouri on the Basis of Per­ formance on Tests of General Educational Development." Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University of Missouri, 19*4-8. Griffith, A • "A Study of the Armed Forces Institute Tests of General Educational Development as an Entrance Exam to Marshall College for Non-High School Graduates." Unpublished Masters Thesis, Marshall College, 19E>0. Wiegel, A. "A Study of the General Educational Development Tests." Unpublished Masters Thesis, Ohio State University, 19*4-7. Yearbooks Findley, Warren G. "Review of the Tests of General Educational Development," Third Mental Measurements Yearbook. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 19*4-9. APPENDICES 100 APPENDIX A ANNOUNCEMENT OP POST TEST TO "T.V. HIGH SCHOOL" PARTICIPANTS Urban Adult Education Institute 8721 John C. Lodge Detroit, Michigan lj.8202 13 June 1 9 6 9 Dear T. V. High.Student: G.E.D. testing for the T. V. High School program will be offer­ ed July 7 - 19, 1969, Monday through Saturday from 8:30 A.M. i|.:00 P.M. at the Urban Adult Education Institute, 8721 John 0. Lodge, Detroit, Michigan. The test is given in five parts, one for each of the subjects studied. Each part requires approximately two hours to com­ plete. You may arrive as early as 8:30 A.M. but no later than 1:30 P.M. for testing. To register for the test, please call 873-2025 between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. Sincerely, Roy L. Roulhac, Coordinator G.E.D. - T.V. High School RR/va 102 APPENDIX B REINFORCEMENT LETTERS 103 T.V. High School 8721 John C. Lodge Detroit, Michigan This letter is being written to thank you for your time and effort in coming in and taking the GED pre-test. We are happy to inform you that your score on the pre-test was equal to or greater than forty-five. This score is sufficient to pass the one section of the GED Test that you took as a pre-test. We will retain the score you earned on the pre-test unless you score higher on this section of the GED Test when you come in to take all five sections of the GED Test upon the completion of T.V. High School. If you would receive a lower score on this section of the GED Test, we will disregard your final score and use the pre-test score. Therefore, the taking of the pre-test can only be an aid to your final score. Your score on the pre-test indicates that with your current ability and the practice provided from T.V. High School, you will have no difficulty passing the entire GED Test and receiving your high school equivalency degree. If you have any questions or problems concerning T.V. High School, feel free to call our office. Again may I congratulate you on your pre-test score. I hope to see you at the end of this running of T.V. High School when you come in to take and pass your GED Test. Yours truly, Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director T.V. High School MAK:cm T.V. High School 8721 John C. Lodge Detroit, Michigan This letter is being written to let you know that T.V. High School has not forgotten about you since you registered for our course. We know that your interest in wanting to further your education and receive your high school equivalency degree are the main factors in successfully completing a T.V. study course such as ours. We also know that the material seems difficult and people think about quitting the program because they are afraid that they will not be able to pass the test. Let me assure you that the material is hard. The material has been made more difficult than the GED Test in order to insure that people like yourself will pass the GED Exam upon completion of this home study course. Therefore, don't get discouraged when the material seems difficult. We know you can make it. If you are having some real difficulty with the course, feel free to^call our office and we will try to solve your problem. Again may I thank you for registering for T.V. High School and I hope in a matter of weeks upon the completion of T.V. High School that I will see you in our office taking and passing your GED Test and receiving your high school equivalency degree. Yours truly, Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director T.V. High School May 26, 1969 T.V. High School 8721 John C. Lodge Detroit, Michigan Dear T.V. High School Viewer: Since we are in the last four weeks of T.V. High School, I thought I would write you a few lines of encouragement as we near the end. I know that on warm spring days it is very difficult to study and you can use a little encouragement. I feel, along with the rest of the T.V. High School staff, that you can and will provide the final effort necessary to finish the course. These last four weeks will go so fast that before you know it, you will be in our office taking your GED Test. I also know that you will pass your GED Test as have most of the people who completed T.V. High School in the past. As we approach the final weeks of T.V. High School, we will announce over T.V. the time and place of testing. If you have any other problems or questions concerning T.V. High School, feel free to call our office at any time. Yours truly, Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director T.V. High School APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE AND COVER LETTER T.V. High School 8721 John C . Lodge Detroit, Michigan June 16, 1969 Dear T.V. High School Registrant, T.V. High School is interested in finding out more about the interests and desires of people who are working toward a High School diploma. We hope to use the information to enlarge programs for adults who do not have High School diplomas. There are many problems facing us. We wish we could sit down and talk with each of you individually, for you are the only ones who have the information that will help us. Since this is not possible, we have prepared the enclosed question­ naire which we would like you to fill out and return to us. you are not watching T.V. High School any more, we need your response to find out why T.V. High School did not meet your needs. Your feelings and recommendations are very important, so please be honest and frank. We are trying to do a better job for those students who are going to follow you. Please fill out the questionnaire and put it in the already stamped, today. addressed envelope. We wish you would do it Thank you very much for your help. Sincerely, Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director T.V. High School If 108 T.V. HIGH S C H O O L I N F O R M A T I O N SHEET On the following questions we would appreciate your checking the appropriate boxes. 1. Your name:_____________________________________________ ____ 2. Your age: 18 - 25 26 - 30 3« Your sex: I4.. Marital Status: 5. Male 1 Single__ _____ Married D ivorced _____ Separated ij. _____ 5 3 over 5 What race are you a member of? _____ black _____ yellow What was the last grade you attended in school? circle) 3 8. " _____ Female 2 _____ white 7. over 51 How many children do you have? 0 6. 31 - hO hi - 5 0 ii- 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Please 11 12 Please check the job category to which you belong: _____ self employed in business skilled tradesman (plumber, electrician, etc.) _____ Office worker _____ factory worker h ousewife unemployed other Please tell us. 9. As a wage earner in your family, you are: _____ the main wage earner _____ the only wage earner providing additional money to your husband's (wife's) salary not earning money 109 I am no longer watching T.V. High School this session. I am still watching T.V. High School and plan to take my GED test. I am still watching T.V. High School but do not plan to take my GED test after this running of T.V. High School. _ 10. 11. Have you ever been refused a job because you have not had a high school diploma? _____ frequently 12. _____ sometimes _____ never If you are a housewife, do you plan to: _____ work outside the house upon the completion of GED. _____ remain a housewife upon the completion of GED. 13. Have you ever been involved in adult education classed before enrolling in T.V. High School? yes li±. no If you h a ven11 taken any adult education classes after leaving school except for T.V. High School, please check your reason or reasons below. _____ They were too costly. _____ They were not offered at a convenient time. _____ My job prevented it. _____ I d i d n ’t have enough time. _____ The classes offered wouldn’t help me. _____ I d i d n ’t qualify. _____ I didn’t know they were offered. Other ________ 15* Do you have any plans after you recive your GED Diploma? I will _____ I have I plan _____ I would I would Other 16. ____ take some classes in adult evening high school. no special educational plans. on taking some classes at a junior college. like to enter a technical school. like to enter college. Which T.V. High School program do you usually watch? 6:30 a.m. 6 : 3 0 p.m. 110 17. We would like to help you and others get their GED Diploma. What would you suggest to improve the program? (Check as many of the suggestions you feel apply.) _____ personal helper _____ classroom meetings with teachers _____ a telephone number to call for help over the phone _____ records I could buy or check out _____ other books I could get _____ other (Write any additional comments you would like to m a k e •) 18. We would like to know good way of preparing tell us how often you the average number of during the week. _____ none 19* 1 if you feel that television is a people for the GED Exam. Please watch T.V. High School. Circle T.V. High School programs you watch 2 3 h 5 People have many reasons for wanting a GED Diploma and participating in T.V. High School. We would like to know why you were interested. (Please check as many as were important to y ou.) _____ Ienjoy learning about things. _____ I needed my GED Diploma to continue in my present job. _____ I needed my GED Diploma to get apromotion in my present job. _____ I wanted something to do. _____ I needed my GED Diploma to get a better job. _____ I always wanted to get my GED Diploma but didn't know how until I heard of T.V. High School. _____ I wanted to take a college course. N o special reason. Other. Please tell us. 20. Did you know that you could get a GED high school equiva­ lency certificate before you heard about T.V. High School? yes 21. no Have you ever taken the GED Exam (the pre-test for T.V. High School does not count.) _____ yes no 22. In order to help us further develop opportunities for persons to participate in GED programs, please tell us how you found out about T.V. High School. I heard about it over T.V. _____ I heard about it from my friends. _____ I read about it in the newspaper. _____ I heard about it from my community action center. _____ I heard about it through my local church. Other. Please tell us:____________________________ 23. (Question 23 should only be answered by persons not watching T.V. High School.) If you are no longer watching T.V. High School, please check your reason or reasons for no longer watching. _____ The programs were not interesting. _____ I already know what they were talking about. _____ The lectures seemed hard. _____ I felt I could not pass the exam. _____ Books were too hard. I had personal reasons. _____ A T.V. program came on at the same time that some other member of my family liked. _____ I preferred to work at a slower rate. _____ I had no one to go to for help when I did not under­ stand something. Other. Your cooperation in filling out this questionnaire is sincerely appreciated. Please place it in the addressed, stamped envelope and drop it in the nearest mailbox. 112 APPENDIX D (1) FOLLOW-UP POSTCARD (2) FOLLOW-UP LETTER (1) FOLLOW-UP POSTAL CARD D ear_________________________ : Have you completed the questionnaire we sent you on concerning "T.V. High School"? If not, please try to complete it as soon as you can. Your help by filling out the questionnaire will be gratefully appreciated. Thank you. Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director "T.V. High School" Ilk (2) FOLLOW-UP LETTER T.V, High School 8721 John C. Lodge Detroit, Michigan July 18, 1969 Dear T.V. High School Registrant: We haven't received your T.V. High School information sheet as yet. It might have been lost in the mail or mis­ placed at our office. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate your filling out another information sheet for us. We have enclosed a stamped envelope for your convenience. We need everyone's opinion, whether you watched T.V. High School or not, in order to do a better job of providing programs for persons who want to receive a high school equiva­ lency certificate. So please drop this questionnaire in the mail today. Sincerely, Matthew A. Klein Evaluation Director T.V. High School MAK/jaj Enclosure