A comparison of what senior high school students want to learn with what their parents want them to be taught

413 Pages·012.965 MB·English

by  Durbin, Robert P

A COMPARISON OF WHAT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
WANT TO LEARN WITH WHAT THEIR PARENTS
WANT THEM TO BE TAUGHT
A Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education
by
Robert P. Durbin
June 1950
UMI Number: DP25776
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UMI DP25776
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This dissertation, written under the direction
of the Chairman of the candidate’s Guidance
Committee and approved by all members of the
Committee, has been presented to and accepted
by the Faculty of the School of Education in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Education.
& £ & _
...
Dean
Guidance Committee
Chairman
^
.^1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PART I
THE PROBLEM
I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS IMPORTANCE............ . . 1
The problem.......... 1
The importance of the problem............... 3
Importance to the educational philosopher • 3
Importance to the administrator .......... 5
Importance to the school counselor . . • . 6
Importance to the curriculum coordinator . 7
Importance to the psychologist. 8
II. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES...................... 9
Interests and needs of y o u t h . . 9
Needs of youth as expressed by adults . . . . 12
Needs stated in terms of problem areas . . . 13
Preferences of high school pupils . . . . . . 24
PART II
PROCEDURE'
III. THE GENERAL PROCEDURE AND SETTING OF THE STUDY 32
IV. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHECK-LIST........... 35
V. THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE TABULATION OF THE
CHECK-LIST . . . . . ....................... 56
Administration of the check-list........... 56
Tabulation of the check-list . 61
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
VI. THE STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF THE DATA ......... 63
PART III
FINDINGS
VII. PUPIL CURRICULUM PREFERENCES................. 69
Boy preferences . . . . . ... ................. 70
Curriculum preferences of all the boys . . 70
Curriculum preferences of boys from
different grade levels ................. 70
The significance of the difference found
between preferences of boys from the
different grade levels ................. 81
Preferences for topics within subject areas 83
Girl preferences.......... ................. 106
Curriculum preferences of all the girls • . 106
Curriculum preferences of girls from
different grade levels . ............. 115
Preferences for topics within subject areas 117
The difference between boy andg irl preferences 139
Differences within subject areas . . . . . 139
The significance of the difference between
boy and girl preferences............... 140
Summary . 142
VIII. PUPILS1 IMPORTANCE RATINGS ........ 144
Importance ratings of the boys . . . . . . . 144
iv
CHAPTER : PAGE
The importance ratings of all the boys . . 145
The importance ratings of boys from
different grade levels • ............. 147
Importance ratings of the girls • ........ 147
The importance ratings of all the girls . ♦ 151
The importance ratings of girls from
different grade levels • • • • • • . . . 151
A comparison of the importance ratings of boys
and girls....................... .. . . • . 153
A comparison of rank order ratings . . . . 157
The significance of the differences between
boys * and girls1 ratings of importance . 157
Summary ................... . . . . . . . . . 158
IX, PARENT CURRICULUM PREFERENCES................. 162
Subject area preferences of fathers and mothers 162
What parents said their sons should be taught l63
The difference between what fathers and
mothers said their sons should be taught. 163
What parents said their daughters should
be taught • ......................... 166
The difference between what fathers and
mothers said their daughters should be
taught....................... 169
V
CHAPTER PAGE
Preferences of parents for individual
topics within the subject areas • • • • • • 169
Responses of parents to individual topics
that they wanted their sons to be taught 172
Responses of parents to individual topics
that they wanted their daughters to be
t a u g h t .................................. 180
X. PARENTS1 IMPORTANCE RATINGS.................... 202
The importance ratings that parents gave to
topics they wanted their sons to be taught 202
The importance ratings that parents gave to
topics they wanted their daughters to be
taught . . . ............................. 206
XI. A COMPARISON OF THE CURRICULUM PREFERENCES AND
IMPORTANCE RATINGS OF PUPILS WITH THE
CURRICULUM PREFERENCES AND IMPORTANCE RATINGS
OF PARENTS.................................. 212
A comparison of pupil and parent curriculum
preferences................................ 213
The curriculum preferences of boys compared
with the curriculum preferences of parents
of boys ..................... 213
The curriculum preferences of girls compared
with the curriculum preferences of parents
CHAPTER PAGE
of g i r l s ................................ 215
Differences between parent and pupil
preferences for individual topics in the
subject areas . . * ......................... 219
A comparison of pupil and parent importance
ratings . . . . . .......................... 234
The importance ratings of boys compared
with the importance ratings of the
parents of the boys.......... 235
The importance ratings of girls compared
with the importance ratings of the
parents of g i r l s ................... 235
PART IV
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
XII. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................... 241
Summary of the problem.............. 241
Summary of the procedure . . . ........... 242
Summary of the findings 243
Summary of findings In terms of what students
wanted to learn in high s c h o o l ........ 244
Summary of findings in terms of the
importance ratings that students gave to
their curriculum preferences........... 246
vii
CHAPTER PAGE
Summary of findings in terms of what
parents say should be taught to their
sons and daughters......................... 247
Summary of the findings in terms of the
importance ratings parents gave to their
curriculum preferences............ . . . 249
Summary of the comparison of curriculum
preferences and the importance ratings
of pupils and parents • 250
Recommendations . . . . . 251
Recommendations for curriculum construction 252
Recommendations for further research . . . 257
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 258
APPENDIX.................................... . . . . 262
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. Curriculum Preferences of High School Boys • • 71
II. Curriculum Preferences of Freshman Boys • . • 73
III. Cur ri cu lum Preferences of Sophomore Boys . . . 7*+
IV. Curriculum Preferenc es of Junior Boys . . . . 76
V. Curriculum Preferences of Senior Boys . . . . 77
VI. Curriculum Preferences of Boys from Different
Grade Levels Showing Per Cent of Likes
and Dislikes . . . . 78
VII. Curriculum Preferences of Boys from Different
Grade Levels Shown in Bank Orders 80
• • • • •
VIII* Differences between the Preferences of
Freshman and Senior Boys for Subject Areas
Expressed in Terms of Critical Ratio . 82
IX. Differences between the Preferences of
Freshman and Junior Boys for Subject Areas
Expressed in Terms of Critical Ratio . . . . 81+
X. Differences between the Preferences of
Freshman and Sophomore Boys for Subject
Areas Expressed In Terms of Critical Ratio ♦ 85
XI.-XXI. Responses of Boys to Individual Topics
Expressed in Terms of Per Cent Liked . 87-105
• • •
XXII. Curriculum Preferences of High School Girls 107
XXIII. Curriculum Preferences of Freshman Girls 108
• • •