Selection and guidance of students in certain American teacher-training institutions

153 Pages·06.835 MB·English

by  Miller, E. H

SELECTION AND GUIDANCE OP STUDENTS
IN CERTAIN AMERICAN TEACHER-TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
A Thesis
Presented to
the F aculty of the Department of Physical Education
The U niversity of Southern C alifornia
In P a rtia l F ulfillm ent
of the Requirements fo r the Degree
M aster of A rts
by
E ric Holmes M iller
September 1942
UMI Number: EP62841
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Dissertation PwbJ sbing
UMI EP62841
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This thesis, written hy
...£RIC...HQLMEa..MILLER.........
under the direction of hLQ.. Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
ment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER .TS
Dean
....
Secretary-
...Fe.br.uar.y....l.9.45.........
Date.
Faculty Committee
airman
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................... . . . . . . . 1
Statem ent of the Problem • 1
Purpose of the in vestig atio n • • • • • * • • 2
Importance of the study . . . . . . . . . . 2
Method of procedure ..................................................... 5
R elated inv estig atio n s • • • • • . . . • • • 6
Student personnel .......................• • • • 6
S elective adm ission ................................................ . 7
Admission to p ractice teaching . . . . . . . 8
Selection and elim ination in sta te teachers
colleges • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • 10
Selection and advisement of student
teachers . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11
Cumulative personnel records • • • • • • • • 13
O rganization of remaining chapters • • • • • 14
II. PERSONALITY FACTORS IN SELECTION AND GUIDANCE 15 •
Importance of effectiv e perso n ality in
teaching • • • • • ....................... 15
P ositive e ffects . • ................................................ 16
Place of emotions ................................ 17
Studies of effectiv e teaching p erso n ality . 18
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
The Commonwealth Teacher-Training
S tu d y ............................................................................ 19
P ractice-teaching and certain f,tr a its u • . 20
Who get the teaching positions? • • • • « 22
Scholarship and p e r s o n a lity ........................... * 23
Are teachers m aladjusted? 25
B uffalo S tate Teachers College Study • • • 26
Adjustment d iffic u ltie s of women teachers 27
C h aracteristics of successful teachers . . 29
P ersonality needs of te a c h e r s * 31
What is personality? • • • • . ........................ 33
P erso nality facto rs in selectin g and
guiding student teachers • • • • • • • • • 35
S electing ................................................................. 35
Guiding ........................ . . . . . . . 36
Mental hygiene programs in teachers colleges 37
B all S tate Teachers C o lle g e ....................... * 39
Program a t S tate Teachers College,
Superior, Wisconsin • • • • • • « • • • 40
The plan . . . . . . 41
Values of the plan .......................................... • 42
Symonds1 Program of Mental Hygiene . • . • 43
A nalysis of cases • • • . • • • • • • • • 46
Mental hygiene classes • • • • • • • • • • 46
V
CHAPTER PAGE
M ontclair S tate Teachers College . . . • ■ • 47
I I I . ADMINISTRATION OP PERSONNEL SERVICES.................... 49
Scope or personnel work • • • • • • • • • • 49
Philosophy of personnel services . . . . . . 51
C entralization in a small college . . . . 53
C entralized program a t New Jersey S tate
Teachers College • • • • • • • ........................ 54
Personnel cabinet .................................. . . . . 54
Counselor’s group • • • • • • • • • • • • 55
A dvisers to classes, clubs, and
organizations .....................................• • • • • 55
In teg ration board on in stru ctio n ................... 55
Faculty committee on the improvement of
college in stru ctio n ........................................... 55
The s ta ff . . • • • • ................................................ 56
New Jersey S tate Teachers College S taff . 57
Personnel d ir e c to r ................................ 57
R esp o n sib ilities of the personnel d irec to r 58
Personnel committee ..................................................... 59
R esp o nsib ilities of personnel committee • 59
Personnel records .......................• • • • 60
Admission • • • • • ................................................ 63
H ealth . 1 . . . . . . . ............................ . 63
P ersonality ....................... 63
vi
CHAPTER PAGE
General records • • • • • • • ........................ 64
Personnel records a t the U niversity of
Wyoming . • • • • . . . . • • • • • • • 64
The cum ulative record • . . • • • • • • . 66
P re-college record • . • • • • • • • • • • 65
The college record • • • • • • • • • • • • 65
The post-college record • • • • • • • • • 65
Cumulative records a t New Jersey S tate
Teachers College ........................... 66
General 66
Guidance records * • • • • • • • • • • • 67
Report of the v isitin g teacher and
psychiatric so cial worker • • • • • • 68
The student teaching records • • • • • • 68
The adm inistrative research records
and d iscip lin ary records . . . . . . . 69
Cumulative records • • • • • • • • • • • • 70
C rite ria fo r judging personnel records • . 70
Personnel p o licies • • • • • • • • • • • • 71
IV. SELECTION OF STUDENT TE&CHERS IN TEACHER
TRAINING INSTITUTIONS ................................................ 75
C rite ria for selection • • • • • . . . • • 77
Recruitm ent • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • 78
S elective facto rs ................................. • • • • 80
v ii
CHAPTER PAGE
Measuring d e v ic e s .............................................................. 83
Selection p ractices in certain schools and
colleges » • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 85
Syracuse U niversity .................................................... 86
Milwaukee S tate Teachers College . . . . . . 87
U niversity of U ta h • 88
S tate Teachers College, B uffalo, New York • 89
Spearfish Normal School ....................... 89
Paterson S tate Teachers College .................... « 92
San Diego S tate Teachers College ................... . 96
Continuous selection .................................................... . 99
D iffic u ltie s of selectio n ........................................... 100
Basic p rin cip les of selection ....................... • 102
V. GUIDANCE OP STUDENT TEACHERS IN TEACHER-
TRAINING INSTITUTIONS................................ 104
Aims and objectives of a guidance program • • 107
O rientation • • • • • • ................................................ 109
O rientation programs • • • • • • • • • • • » 109
O rientation p o licies .................................................... 110
H ealth guidance • • • • • • » • ............................. I ll
Faculty advisers ................................. . . 112
E x tra-cu rricu lar a c tiv itie s • .................................. 114
Living conditions • * • » • • • • • * • • • • 115
Follow-up s e r v i c e ............................................................. 116
v iii
CHAPTER PAGE
Guidance p rin cip les . 117
VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . 120
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Conclusions • • • • • • • • . . . . . . . . 125
Recommendations • • • • • • • . . 128
BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................. 130
APPENDIX............................................................................................... . 143
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Statem ent of the problem# This was an attem pt to
in v estig ate and evaluate current p ractices in selectin g
and guiding student teachers.
In an e ffo rt to ascertain the most successful methods
and p o lic ie s, certain schools were selected on the basis of
the work already being carried on.
Included In the study were the problems of the
selectio n of students applying for adm ission and also the
problems of continuous selectio n and elim ination during
th e ir train in g period. Selection facto rs included the
methods of te stin g , prognosis of teaching a b ility , person­
a lity ratin g s, and academic a b ility . High school u n its,
subjects and grades were not considered, in any d e ta il,
assuming th at an average standard of sch o lastic a b ility
had been met.
The to ta l guidance or advisement of each individual
student during the fu ll course of train in g was included.
In th is sense, guidance covered personal, professional,
so c ial, h ealth , and p erso n ality problems. Again, th at part
of guidance, pertaining to purely c u rricu la r problems was
not considered*