A COMPARISON OF THE ATTITUDES OF PUPILS TOWARD OFFENSES AGAINST PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND THE SAME OFFENSES AGAINST CORPORATIONS

99 Pages·04.297 MB·English

by  JACKS, ROBERT W.

DOCTORAL D IS SE R T A T IO N SERIES
A
Comparison o f -the. A Pupil*.
i m

t it l e
A Qd in !
a w A h d Of f e n s e s S>1 P riv a te , h d i ir'idu.dls
dnJ if)p Samp, O f f e n s e s A d a i ns / G o t hn rail o n s
M A Y
j 1
d l W
DATE
Pennsylvania Stale C o lle g e
UNIVERSITY.
h a D
(nS
/
DEGREE . PUBLICATION NO.
mu i mi Mil! 1111111
'1
y UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS
^ U N I
An ANN
A R B OR M I C H I G A N
The Pennsylvania State College
The Graduate School
Department of Education and Psychology
A COMPARISON OF THE ATTITUDES OF PUPILS TOWARD
OFFENSES AGAINST PRUT ATE INDIVIDUALS
AND THE SAME OFFENSES AGAINST
CORPORATIONS
A Thesis
W
Robert W. Jacks
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May, 19A3
Approved
Director of Educational Research
Head of Department
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
INTRODUCTION..................... *................. 1
I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM................... 4
II. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH............... 6
III. PROCEDURE.............................. 14
*
IV. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS.................... 31
V. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS (Continued)........ 71
VI. CONCLUSIONS....... 82
LIST OF TABLES
Number Title Page
I. Test Results by Grades in School A, Showing
Mean Individual and Corporation Scores and
the Mean Difference Between the Scores.... 33
II. Test Results by Grades in School B, Showing
Mean Individual and Corporation Scores and
the Mean Difference Between the..Scores.... 35
III. Test Results by Grades in School C, Showing
Mean Individual and Corporation Scores and
the Mean Difference Between the Scores.... 37
IV. Test Results by Grades in School D, Showing
Mean Individual and Corporation Scores and
the Mean Difference Between the Scores.... 39
V. Pupils of the Three High Schools Arranged
According to the Differences Between Their
Individual and Corporation Scores........ .. 45
VI. Pupils of the B’our Elementary Schools
Arranged According; to the Differences Be­
tween Their Individual and Corporation
Scores...................... 47
VII. Test Results for High School Boys in the
Three Schools. . ............................. 50
VIII. Test Results for High School Girls in the
Three Schools.......................... 50
IX. Test Results for Elementary School Boys in
the Several Districts........................ 52
X. Test Results for Elementary School Girls in
the Several Districts........................ 52
XI. Mean Corporation Scores of Under-Age, Normal
Age and Over-Age Pupils in the Four Elemen­
tary Schools................................. 62
XII. Classification of High School Pupils Accord­
ing to Parental Occupation, Showing the Num­
ber of Pupils and the Mean Difference Be­
tween Individual and Corporation Scores in
Each Group................................... 66
LIST 01 TABLES(Continued)
Numb e r Title P age
XIII. Classification of Elementary School Pupils
According to Parental Occupation, Showing
the Number.of Pupils and the Mean Difference
Between Individual and Corporation Scores in
Each Group........ .......... 67
XIV. Classification of Elementary and Secondary
Pupils According to Parenta.l Occupation, Show­
ing the Number of Pupils and the Mean Differ­
ence Between Individual and Corporation Scores
in-Each Group.................................. 68
XVi Differences Between Mean Individual and Corpo­
ration Responses of High School Pupils to the
Twenty-Five Paired Situations................. 73
XVI. Differences Between Mean Individual and Corpo­
ration Responses of Elementary School Pupils
to the Twenty-Five Paired Situations.......... 77
XVII. Comparison of High School and Elementary
School Differences Between Mean Individual and
Corporation Responses, Showing Trend Toward
Responses Favoring the Corporation............ 80
LIST OF GRAPES
Figure Title Page
1. Comparison of Mean Differences Between Indi­
vidual and Corporation Scores of Under-Age,
Normal and Over-Age High. School Pupils . . 57
2. Comparison of Mean Differences Between Indi­
vidual and Corporation Scores of Under-Age,
Normal and Over-Age Eleiaentarj^ School Pupils.. 60
INTRODUCTION
Within the past few decades increasing emphasis has
been placed in educational circles upon the development
of proper attitudes and beliefs in the mind of the grow­
ing child* A glance at any of the periodical indices of
this period will show a relatively large amount of space
devoted to this important side of the pupil’s nature.
Hundreds of articles have been written on the subject,
attacking the problem from many diverse angles and points
of view.
In spite of the voluminous literature on the subject,
little substantial advance has been made toward the solu­
tion of the many and varied problems involved. This lack
of progress has been due to two main causes: (1) the in­
tangible nature of attitudes, and (2) the absence of ad­
equate devices for measuring the outcomes of attitude in­
struction. Numerous tests and scales have been devised
for the latter purpose but all meet with the same diffi­
culty. They measure the individual’s attitudes by observ­
ing his overt behavior or verbal statements of opinion.
Verbal statements of opinion are frequently open to
question while overt behavior is not an infallible proof
1
that a similar attitude exists in the subject*s mind.
Because of this uncertainty the results of many elaborate
experiments are not really so conclusive as we should
like them to be.
The present study suffers to a certain extent from
the limitations listed above. However, the author is not
so much interested in the exact quantitative measurement
of a single attitude as he is in the observance of dif­
ferences in attitude that appear when the same offense is
directed against two different types of organization. It
is naturally assumed that many pupils who took part in
the experiment stretched the truth to a certain extent,
but it is hoped that these deliberate or unintentional
errors have been cancelled out by the manner in which the
test was prepared.
The author wishes to thank Dr. Charles G. Peters,
Director of Educational Research at the Pennsylvania
State College, Dr. Frank Butler and Dr. E. B. Van Ormer,
Professors of Education and Psychology respectively at
the same institution, for their invaluable assistance in
the preparation of this thesis. He also wishes to ex­
press his appreciation to the following principals who
permitted him to perform the experiment at their schools:
Mr. Harry L. Price, Mr. Frank Shambaugh, Mr. L. B.
Henderson and Mr. W. L. lacks. Above all he wishes to
thank his wife, Christina M. Jacks, for the considerable
moral and material assistance rendered him during these
five years of advanced study.
CHAPTER I
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
It has teen frequently observed that many people will
condone an offense against certain persons or groups of
persons while they would deplore the same offense If it
were directed against other persons or groups. The element
of like or dislike for the recipient of the offense enters
to a considerable extent in determining the attitude of
an individual toward the same kind of conduct under dif­
ferent circumstances. For instance, a business man xvho
is extremely honest in his dealings with his friends and
neighbors may be just the opposite in competition with
his financial rivals. As further examples, consider the
discriminatory legislation directed against the Negro in
certain states or the treatment to which racial minori­
ties are subjected in many countries of the world. It
is a very difficult proposition to judge a certain line
of conduct impartially when attitudes favorable or un­
favorable to the principals are inextricably mixed with
the situation.
The purpose of the present study is to determine
whether there is an underlying antipathy among children
4