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 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation PwbJ sbing UMI EP62841 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 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*