GATB Aptitude Intercorrelations of Ninth and Twelfth Graders—A Study in Organization of Mental Abilities

This study was conducted to investigate the stability of interrelationships of the aptitudes of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) during high school. GATB intercorrelations were obtained for comparable samples of 7,078 ninth graders and 6,167 twelfth graders from 168 schools. The matrices were significantly different, but the differences in individual correlations were small in size.     

A longitudinal study of change in work values between ninth and twelfth grades as related to high school curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the change in work values which takes place during adolescence between the ninth and twelfth grades. The Occupational Values Inventory (OVI) was the instrument selected for use in the study. This instrument was previously developed as part of the longitudinal Vocational Development Study (VDS) project in the Department of Vocational Education at the Pennsylvania State University. The unique features of the OVI is that it is an ipsative instrument with a forced choice format containing work value statements with a seventh grade reading level. The major hypothesis of the study was that important changes do occur between ninth and twelfth grades and that these changes differ depending on the students' high school curriculum. The sample for the study were 659 high school students who were seniors in the Spring of 1972 and who had taken the OVI 3 yr previously when they were in ninth grade. The results of the study indicate that five of the seven OVI values did change over the 3-yr period and at least some of this change appeared to be related to the students high school curriculum. Other important findings observed were: (1) the “Salary” value experienced the greatest increase; (2) value intensity changed so that strong values grew stronger and weak values weaker; (3) the Home Economics curriculum which is totally female experienced almost no change in work values while all other curriculums change on at least three values.     

Grade, pubertal status, and gender-related variations in conflictual issues among adolescents

The purpose of this study was to describe adolescent perceptions of conflictual family issues, and to ascertain if the intensity of these issues is associated with adolescent grade in school, pubertal status, and gender. The sample was comprised of 279 junior high and senior high school students. Each participant completed a self-report measure of pubertal status, a demographic questionnaire, and the Issues Checklist. Principal factor analysis with varimax rotation of the Issues Checklist resulted in the retention of four factors accounting for 71.59% of the variance. Stepwise regression analyses were conducted for each emergent factor with grade in school, pubertal status, and gender serving as predictors. The results of these analyses indicated that the intensity of School Issues and Household Behavior Issues is greater among seventh and ninth graders than among eleventh graders. Self-Responsibility Issues were perceived as being most intense among transpubertal adolescents. Finally, boys perceived more intense conflict over Persistent Issues and Concerns than did girls.     

Measuring Manual Dexterity with the GATB: Wooden versus Plastic Pegboards

As part of a ten-year longitudinal study of vocational development being conducted in the Department of Vocational Education at The Pennsylvania State University, it was decided to administer the GATB to an entire ninth grade class of 1,050 boys and girls. Because both wooden and plastic pegboards were being used to assess GATB aptitude manual dexterity (M), it was decided to compare the scores obtained on the two different types of boards. Results of the study indicate that those students who were tested using the wooden boards performed significantly better than did students tested on the plastic boards. Converted score differences for aptitude M ranged from 3 to 26 points with an average difference of 11 points.     

双加工发展理论新探——兼及中国一古老推理错觉的跨年级特征

为了检验双加工发展理论及了解中国一古老推理错觉问题的发展特征,从小学五年级至大学二年级各个阶段选取被试385名,对该古老推理错觉及其改良版问题的发展特征进行了调查。结果发现：（1）该古老推理错觉问题及其改良版问题的趋势对比有力的支持了双加工发展理论; （2）从小学五年级始,财会关系推理错觉即存在,表现出跨年级的发展特征。     

A note on occupational values of ninth grade students of 1958 as compared to 1970

The occupational values of a sample of 1958 ninth grade students were compared with those of a sample of ninth grade students in 1970. The overall order of rankings was similar, but some shifts did occur. These shifts suggest that 1958 ninth graders sought a stable enjoyable job, while the 1970 ninth graders hope for enjoyable work at high pay.     

Younger and older adolescents' thinking about commitments

One hundred and sixty-three adolescents listed factors they consider or would consider when choosing a career and a romantic partner, and defined "commitment" in an open-ended essay. Male and female ninth graders, twelfth graders, and college juniors, from public and private schools served as subjects. Gender, grade, and type of school differences were found in the types and number of different types of factors listed for the above commitments, but not in the number of factors listed. Conceptions of the nature of commitment became more complex with grade, and differed as a function of gender and of type of school. Females listed more "internal" factors than did males for romantic commitments. Males described commitment more contractually, women more affectively. Older students focused more upon long-term and internal concerns, and defined "commitment" more in terms of cognitive processing and emotional attachment than younger students. Implications for related areas of work are discussed.     

Developmental differences in risk factors for suicide attempts between ninth and eleventh graders

In order to identify differences in risk factors for suicide attempts throughout adolescence, this study utilized a school-based survey of ninth (n = 1,192) and eleventh graders (N = 1,055). Suicide attempts were associated with cigarette and alcohol use, family violence, and depression for ninth graders and with illicit drug use, school violence, and sexual abuse for eleventh graders, while having friends was protective for both groups. Additionally, having more than one risk factor imparted an exponential risk for suicide attempts (ninth > eleventh graders). The differences detected are consistent with developmental changes of adolescence and represent important information for identification of at-risk youth.     

The transition to high school for academically promising, urban, low-income African American youth

In nine urban Ohio school systems, low-income minority students identified as academically promising in sixth grade are eligible to participate in an intervention program. In the present study, twenty-two African American students in the program were asked to provide their perceptions of the transition to ninth grade. Specifically, the role of motivating factors, peers, school, teachers, parents, and neighborhood were examined. These students faced similar stressors, yet some were more able to achieve academic success. Results highlight the salience of mothers, the challenges of the ninth-grade curriculum, and adjustment to a bigger, more complex school environment for high and low performers. The implications for improving cooperation between school and family are discussed.     

The Effects of a Vocationally Oriented Speech Course on the Vocational Planning Behavior of High School Students

A sample of 407 tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students took a speech course oriented toward assignments concerning career development and decisions. The vocational attitudes and behaviors of the students at the completion of the course were compared with those they reported when the course began. The most significant finding was that both male and female students reported engaging in more frequent informal discussions about career development following the course then they had preceding it. In addition, the girls expressed more certainty about their educational plans at the conclusion of the course than at its outset and had lowered their expected life earnings. The girls also scored higher than the boys on the Vocational Maturity scale of the Vocational Development Inventory both before and after the experiment.     

Predicting Success in Vocational Training By Using the GATB

This study examined the relationship between the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB)and class performance of eleventh- and twelfth-grade high school students enrolled in the Current River Area Vocational School, Doniphan, Missouri. Teachers' grades were used as the dependent variable, and the nine independent variables were scores taken from the aptitude factors of the GATB. The stepwise multiple regression technique was used to determine the optimal set of predictors to be used in establishing a regression equation. The results of the project should help in counseling prospective trainees toward trade or shop areas and tentative vocational planning. If not used out of perspective, the G variable in the GATB was the best single predictor of success; the best combination of variables was the G, N, P, F, and M aptitude factors.     

Activities of Suburban and Inner-City Youth

A questionnaire on out-of-classroom activities was adminstered to 238 inner-city ninth grade students and 382 ninth graders from a high socio-economic suburb. Differences in activity patterns between the two groups were slight, and where differences did exist, they may have been due to financial limitations rather than student preferences. Some differences in attitudes toward school and future expectations did exist, but little relationship is apparent between these differences and out-of-classroom activities.     

The impact of school transitions: A focus for preventive efforts

The relationship between cumulative or single school transfers and a student's academic adjustment was explored. The school records of 250 high school students were examined and school transfers due to either residential mobility or the normative school change from eighth to ninth grade were identified. Correlations between the cumulative number of school transfers in a student's history and their ninth-grade academic performance and attendance record were computed for both ethnic and sex subgroups. Analyses of variance for repeated measures were performed to assess the impact of any single school transition occurring at different points in the child's development. Correlational analyses indicated that high rates of school mobility were significantly related to poor academic performance, particularly for black and Hispanic students. Analyses of variance revealed that while no single school transition due to residential mobility in Grades 1 through 8 had a significant impact on the student's posttransfer adjustment, the normative transition to high school was significantly related to lowered school performance and increased absences, particularly for students with a history of repeated school transfers and for black students.     

Fifth grade school adjustment and later arrest rate: A longitudinal study of middle school antisocial boys

This study investigated the efficacy of three different regression models in predicting arrest rate over the fifth to seventh grade range for a sample of antisocial and at risk control middle school boys (N=76). These boys were selected from a larger sample of approximately 200 boys and their families for inclusion in a long term longitudinal study beginning in the fourth grade. Subjects in the present study were identified when they were in the fifth grade and school measures of adjustment were recorded annually for them on two occasions (fall, spring) through the ninth grade. Predictors were derived from the following variables: (a) teacher ratings of social skills; (b) direct observations of academic engagement in classroom settings; (c) direct observations of the playground social behavior of target subjects and peers; and (d) discipline contacts with the principal's office as extracted from archival school records. These predictor variables appeared to assess respectively teacher related and peer related forms of school adjustment. The regression models investigated yielded R-Squares of approximately 30 between arrest rate and two to three predictor variables in each analysis. However, following the deletion of two subject cases that represented extreme instances of underprediction (i.e., subjects who were arrested [i.e., seven arrests each] but whose fifth grade behavioral profiles suggested they would not be), the obtained R-Squares increased to approximately .55. Implications of the findings for the early screening and identification of at risk students are discussed.     

GATB APTITUDE TESTING OF THE DEAF: PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES

This study, based on aptitude testing of 408 deaf high school students, provides evidence that a modified version of the GATB is a useful instrument for measuring the occupational aptitudes of deaf individuals.     

Preventing Teen Relationship Abuse and Sexual Assault through Bystander Training: Intervention Outcomes for School Personnel

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of exposure to Bringing in the Bystander—High School Curriculum (BITB-HSC) on school personnel, which included a seven session classroom curriculum for ninth through twelfth graders (student curriculum), a bystander training workshop for school personnel (school personnel workshop), and reading materials (handout). We examined how exposure to these various BITB-HSC intervention components was associated with school personnel's knowledge and bystander efficacy, intentions, and barriers specific to student relationship abuse (RA) and sexual assault (SA). Participants were 488 school personnel from 12 high schools in upper New England who completed the 4-month follow-up survey that assessed for intervention exposure (284 participants completed both the baseline and follow-up survey). Whereas 53% of participants were exposed to no intervention components, the other half of the sample were exposed to a combination of intervention components. Higher baseline knowledge and reactive bystander intentions were associated with subsequent exposure to both the student curriculum and the handout, and fewer barriers to bystander action predicted exposure to the school personnel workshop. Exposure to the school personnel workshop, student curriculum, and handout was associated with subsequent greater knowledge, exposure to the student curriculum predicted reactive bystander intentions, and exposure to the handout predicted higher reactive bystander intentions and bystander efficacy. Findings suggest that despite challenges with engagement, exposure to the BITB-HSC components may be a useful tool in improving school personnel's responses to RA and SA among high school students.     

Beginning High School: Christian Students’ Perceptions and Choices

Moving from middle to high school can bring challenges for adolescents in the United States, with self-reports indicating areas that might need attention. Christian ninth grade students gave structured interviews about their perceptions of the transition. Issues like a change in the type (e.g., private to public) or size of school were discussed. Narrative analysis revealed key themes: reasons for a change in the type of school; whether the transition environment was supportive; differing perceptions of middle and high school schedules; and importance of study hall and lunch. Quantitative coding supplemented narratives to elucidate one theme, thereby co-mingling methods of analysis.     

Academic self-concept in high school: predictors and effects on adjustment in higher education

Academic self-concept is considered a relevant psychological construct influencing many educational outcomes directly or indirectly. Therefore, the major focus of the current study is on the predictors and effects of academic self-concept in late adolescence. First, we studied the simultaneous effects of individual, class-average and school-average achievement (i.e., assessed by school grades) on academic self-concept in the final year of high school, thereby replicating and extending previous research on the big-fish-little-pond effect model. Second, the predictive value of high school academic self-concept for academic adjustment and success in the first year of higher education was examined. The sample comprised 536 twelfth grade students (44% boys) recruited from 24 schools (67 classes) that were representative with regard to geographical region and educational network in Flanders. Structural equation modeling showed that, when examining the joint contribution of school- and class-average achievement, only class-average achievement was significantly and negatively associated with academic self-concept. Furthermore, a significant effect of academic self-concept in high school on academic adjustment and success in higher education (in addition to any effects of high school academic achievement) was found. These results highlight the importance of considering academic self-concept in educational research and policy.     

Life satisfaction trajectories among junior high school students in China: The role of parent–child communication

A 3-year follow-up test (from grades 7 to 9) was administered to 807 junior high school students from two regions in Hunan Province, China, using multilevel analysis to examine trends in junior high school students' life satisfaction, differences by gender and location of life and the effects of father–child/mother–child communication on the development of life satisfaction. The results showed that (1) Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction showed a decreasing trend from the seventh grade to the ninth grade, and there was a significant decreasing process in the eighth grade; (2) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant positive predictive effect on Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction and (3) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant negative predictive effect on the decreasing trend of life satisfaction, in which the effect of mother–child communication was particularly significant.     

Race effects on students' track mobility in high school

Race effects on track mobility are hypothesized on the basis of racial differences in initial track placement, learning opportunities, course preferences, and academic guidance. Race differences in patterns of track mobility are observed in a large, longitudinal survey that follows students from ninth through twelfth grade. Initial track placements and changes in track over the school year and between school years are described. Multivariate analyses associate race with the likelihood of changing track and the direction of the track change. Black students are less likely than white students to move to Honors and advanced tracks in Mathematics but more likely than whites to move from the Basic to the Regular track in English. Black students are considerably more likely than whites to drop out of the tracking system in English and Mathematics, except for black students in Advanced English and in Honors and Advanced Mathematics. The results of this study point to tracking as an organizational characteristic of schools that can provide students with unequal access to the curriculum and, therefore, to learning opportunities by race. Close monitoring of track changes is recommended to insure that tracking promotes the academic achievement of all students. This research was funded by Grant #R117E10139-01 from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement and by National Science Foundation Grant No. RED-9311800. The author is grateful to these agencies for their support as well as to Warren Kubitschek for his contribution to the data analysis and to Ann Power for research assistance.