A COMPARISON OF THE REACTIONS TO FRUSTRATION OF CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY ADVANCED WITH THOSE OF CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY RETARDED

88 Pages·4.199 MB·English

by  JUNKEN, ELIZABETH M

Sponsoring Committee; Dr* Milton Sohwebel, Dr* Henrietta Fleok,
and Dr* Frances Mayfarth
A COMPARISON OF THE REACTIONS TO FRUSTRATION OF
CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY ADVANCED WITH THOSE OF
CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY RETARDED.
Elizabeth M. Junken
100 Dwight Place
Englewood N.J.
Submitted in Partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy in the School of Education
of New York University
1952 . Thesis accepted
I hereby guarantee that no part of the dissertation
or document which i hs.ve submitted for publication has been
heretofore published and (Sr) copyrighted in the United States
of America, except in the case of passages quoted from other
published sources; that I am the sole author and proprietor
of said dissertation or document; that the dissertation, if
published contains no matter which, if published, will be li­
belous or otherwise injurious, or infringe in any way the
copyright of a.ny other party; and. that 1 will defend, in­
demnify and hold harmless 'New York University against all
suits and proceedings which may be brought and against all
claims which may be made against New York University by rea­
son of the publication of said dissertation or document.
■eptember 16, 195
b.ba+ynr*+ rs-P TV»^n< •
A COMPARISON OF THE REACTIONS TO FRUSTRATION OF
OHILBREN ACADEMICALLY ADVANCED WITH THOSE OF
CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY RETARDED.
Elizabeth M Junken
100 Dwight Place
Englevfwod N.J.
The purpose in this investigation was to compare the re­
actions to frustration of children reported to be advanced academical­
ly with those of childfen reported to be adademically retarded at the
fifth and sixth grade level* The specific problem was to compare the
degree and the direotion of aggression expressed, extrapunitive* out­
ward against the environment; intropunitive> inward against the Belf| or
impunitive) attempting to evade the experience, by both groups*
The two groups were equated as to ohronologioal age, intelligence,
and grade level .The Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study (P-F Study)
and a Teachers' Rating Sheet devised for this investigation, present­
ing situations comparable to those in the P-F Study, were used to measure
the degreee and direction of aggression expressed*
p
Using the t test and jK to establish the significance of differ­
ences between the academically successful and the refejtijrded groups, the
following conclusions were reaohedi
When aggression in response to frustration was compared, with­
out relation to the frustrator, no significant differences were
found between the two groups, either in degree or direction.
then fehe frustrator, peer or adult was considered, the super­
ior group conformed to the expected response in reaction to peer
frustration more closely than did the retarded group by a signifi­
cant difference at the 5^ level of confidence, t- 1*95*
When the aggression expressed was further broken down into
direotion of aggression, there was significant difference in ex-
trapunitiveness, the successful group exceeding the retarded group
with at of 2*51, significant at the *5# level, in reaction to
peer frustration*
The retarded group exceeded the superior group in their ex­
pression of impunitiveness, by a significant differenoe, yielding
a t of 2.55, in response to adult frustration*
When trend tendencies, or the reaotion to the first half of
the piotures of the P-F Study were compared with the reactions to
2
~
the last half, the retarded, group exceeded the successful group
"by a significant difference in evasiveness toward adults with a
t of 3*20, significant at the l/» level,
The successful group showed more trend tendency toward ex-
trapunitiveness against adult frustration than the retarded group
yielding a t of 2.41; significant at the % level of confidence.
The results of the Teachers' Hating Sheet showed that teachers
considered the retarded group the more outwardly aggressive "by a
significant difference at the level; t-1.8l
Both groups in this study showed more extrapunitive ness than
the norm for this age level. They were identical in expression of
self-blame and showed less than the norm. The retarded group showed
more impunitiveness than the norm and than the successful 3*o\ip. None
of these differences were significant.
Comparing the results of the two methods, teachers seemed to have
observed expressions of aggression by students which are different from
the aggression expressed by students in response to the P-F Study. The
difference was significant in extrapunitiveness, X -6.9
Conclusions drawn from this investigation indicate that childdren
who are more free to express aggression against adult frustration also
seem more able to achieve academically than those who use evasion in-
response to the same situations, it is also indicated that the success­
ful group handled, their feelings of aggression with more social accep­
tance, since teachers rated them less extrapunitive than the retarded
group, but they actually expressed more extrapunitiveness in their
trend tendency on the P-F Study,
Findings would imply that good human relationship between teacher
and student develop trust and confidence which may psychologically free
the student to achieve academically with more success than if impeded
by fear of authority which leads to evasiveness,
II ?b2l) UL I I []?
Vt Y v : ‘ 7 .
Aoknow1ed gment
The writer of this investigation wishes to
express sinoere thanks to Dr* Milton Schwebel*
Dr* Victor Eimicket Miss Constance Chilton*
Mrs* Archibald Fiske and Miss Lilliam Bopp,
without whose guidance and sustained encourage*
ment this pursuit could not have been carried
to completion*
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page.
1 The Problem and its Scope 1
11 Related Literature 7
111 Methods and Instruments
of the Study 21
IV Presentation and Analysis
of Results 31
V Summary and Conclusions 51
Appendix Rosenzweig P-F Study 63
Record Blank for Scoring of
the Rosenzweig P-F Study
Form letter to Authorities
Teachers' Rating Sheet
Bibliography 68
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
I Comparison of Age Levels 32
II Comparison of Grade Levels 32
III Comparison of I.Q's, 33
IV Differences in Percentage of Agreement
of the Responses of Groups A and B with
the Group Conformity Batin? 35'
V Comparison of Total Conformity 35
VI Comparison of Peer Conformity 36
VII Comparison of Adult Conformity 36
v m Comparison of Direction of Aggression
Expressed* with regard to age level* by
percentages, frcm Rosenzweig 3d
Difference in Comparison of Groups A and B with
Ix
Norma for this Age level* by percentages
for Direction of Aggression expressed on
the P-F Study 39
X Comparison of Groups A and B as to Direction
of Aggression Expressed on the P-F Study 39
XI Difference in percentage of Agreement of
Groups A and 3 in Conformity of Direction
of Aggression expressed in response to
Peer and Adult frustration, when-compared
with -the expected response on the -P-F Study 1*0
XII Comparison of Conforming E, I, and t*,
Reactions of Groups A and B to Peer and
Adult Frustration hi ^
XIII Trend Tendencies in Peer Adult and Total
Frustration on the P-F Study* shown by
Groups A and B 1*2
XIV Comparison of Trend Tendencies found in the
Responses of Groups A and B on the P-F Study 1*3
XV Comparison of the E, I, and M, Reactions of
Group A and B Reported by the Teachers on
the Rating Sheet h6
XVI Direction of Aggression* by Percentages* of r.
Groups A and B rated on the Teachers' Rating.;
Sheet, 1*6
XVII Comparison* by Percentages, of E, I, andM .
expressed by Groups A and B on the P-F Study with
the Rating Sheet, 1*3
XVIII Comparison of Average Paar and Adult Conformity
on the P-F study with the Average Results
of the Teachers' Rating Sheet, by Percen­
tages • 1*9
XIX Comparison by percentages* of the Direotion
of Aggression Expressed on the P-F Study,
the Rating Sheet and the Norm. 1*9
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
Frustration, to some degree, is present in every learning
situation. The response which the individual has learned to
use towards frustrating events and the level of his frustration
tolerance determine for him whether the experience is devastat­
ing, inhibiting or healthfully stimulating. Our problem is to
ascertain what relation, if any, there is between the indivi­
dual's handling of frustration and his academic achievement.
Statement of the Problem
The purpose in this investigation is to compare the reactions
to frustration of academically advanced children with those of
academically retarded children at the fifth and sixth grade level.
The specific problems considered are as follows:
1. Do children academically advanced respond to frus­
tration with a greater degree of aggression than
do children who are academically retarded?
2. Is there a difference in the direction in which the
aggression is released, as evidenced by their re­
sponses on a test of frustration:
a. extrapunitive, i.e. outward against the
environment;
b. intropunitive, i.e. inward against the self;
c. impunitive, i.e. evasive, attempting to
gloss over?
3. Is there a difference in the direction in which the
aggression is released, as evidenced by the reactions
to behavioral situations reported by the teachers on
a rating sheet devised for this study:
I: !§&§gS8l&?lj
c. impunitive?
Definition of Terms
^frustration, in this study, is defined as that con-
2
dition which exists when there is interference with the oc­
currence of an instigated goal-response at its proper time
in the behavior sequence; as proposed by Dollard and his col­
laborators.^
2. Aggression is defined as a response to frus­
tration, expressed in physical or verbal behavior as an end
product to relieve the tension caused by frustration; as pro-
2
posed by Maier.
a. As implied by the aggressive responses on
the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study
(hereafter referred to as the P-F Study)
b. As implied by ratings of teachers.
3. Academically advanced children are those whose
academic records show achievement one standard deviation or
more above the class mean on a standardized test of academic
achievement.
*f. Academically retarded children are those whose
academic records show scholastic retardation of one standard
deviation or more below the class mean on a standardized aca­
demic achievement test.
5. Behavioral situations refer to incidents in the
child's school life, which are observed by teachers and re­
ported by them.
6. Teachers' ratings refer to such behavioral re­
ports made on rating sheets.
Delimitations
Sixty children of intelligence range from 95-115 I»Q*
1. J. Dollard, et al. Frustration and Aggression.
Yale University Press 1939
2. N. Maier, Frustration. McGraw Hill Book Co. 19^9. p. 105, 106.