A Study of a Mechanical Aptitude Test in a Trade School Hermon R
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1930 A study of a mechanical aptitude test in a trade school Hermon R. Clark University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Clark, Hermon R., "A study of a mechanical aptitude test in a trade school" (1930). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 1398. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/1398 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. * UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0306 7564 4 FIVE COLLEGE DEPOSITORY A Study of Dr. O'Connor's Mechanical Aptitude Test No. 5 as Applied to a Trade School Hermon R Clark This thesis is not to be loaned outside the library building. For this purpose, use the copy in the department where the work ot the thesis was done. This thesis is not to be loaned this outside the library building. For purpose, use the copy in the department where the work ot the thesis was done. ?64 A STUDY OF A MECHANICAL APTITUIT. IF, ST IK A TRADE SCHOOL By Hermon R. Clark Thesis submitted for the degree of wastur of science Massachusetts Agricultural College Amherst, Mass. 1930. i ANALYTICAL OUTLIfSF Chapter I. Introduction A. Purpose? To make a study of 0« Connor 1 s Wisely Block in relation to its posrible use as a prognostic, vo- cational test in the Springfield Trade School ............... B. The elimination problem in the Trade school a. Result of Research Departments Study , <#>> i b. Comparison with typical high schools 2 C. Present selective methods 2 d. Need for reliable mechanical aptitude tests 4 C. Typica 1 m thods employed in the devising of aptitude tests 5 I), Favorable conditions present in a tra.de school 7 Chapter II, The Trade School Organization A* Trades represented ......................... 8 B. Approximate times devoted to different sub- jects 9 C, Basis for graduation 9 T>. Individual nature of instruction 10 ~ . Test conditions 11 Chapter III, Mechanical Aptitude Tests 13 A # The Stenquist te,st ....... a. stenquABt's conception 01 vmat is being measured 14 ii b. Results of research in other fields 14 c. Conclusions as to wh~t is measured ........................ 15 B. The Macquarrie test for mechanical ability. 16 a. Elementary functions measured ... 16 b # Research results ................ 16 C« ©•Connor's "iggly Block a. The unique point of view of its author 17 b. Results obtained in industry .... 19 c. Author's conception of what the test measures 21 D. Selection of test for this study .......... 23 Chapter IV, The Administration of #5. A. Brief description 24 B. Test conditions a. In O^Connor^s laboratory 24 b. Local conditions compare* with O'Connor 1 8 26 C. Details of administration 28 D. Scoring a. Age Factors , 32 b. Korms 32 c. Improvement factors •• 33 Chapter V. Research Proceuure A* Probable number of cases involved 34 B. Progressive records involved. a. Age norms •••• 34 b. Relationship between "shop hours" and "test scores" for all 15 year olds • 35 c. Relationship between "accepted hour8" and "test scores" for all 15 year olds 36 iii d. Age norms for untrained boys ... 37 e. The graduates 37 f . Those leaving to work at trad* . 38 g. The withdrawals ........ 38 h. Those "droi)ped" 38 C. A special criterion for machine shop graduates . ........... 39 P. School marks a. How obtained 40 b. Subjective aspects 41 E # Relationship between #5 and Academic marks , ..................... 43 7, Relationship between #5 and "Related" marks for each department .......... 43 G. Relationship between shop marks and #5 ... 44 Chapter VI. Establishment of Forms and Age Factors - He t hod and Results A. Method of establishing norms 45 B. Graph showing distribution of cases according to age and test scores ... 46 C. Graph showing final percentile curves ..... 47 D. Graph showing comi^rative age norms (Gen- eral Electric Co., and Sprinufie id Trade School) 48 X. Method of obtaining age norms ............ 49 F. Method of obtaining age factors •••••••••• 50 G« Establishment of Trade School norms and age factors 51 H. Gra.h showing percentiles used in this study 53 iv I« Graph showing age-norm curves used in this study ........ • • 54 J. Special study of 16 ye^r old norms , 55 K. Improvement factors 60 trial-age norms L. 3raph showing 63 M. Gra<.h showing age norms (average of three trials - no improvement factors) 64 7 . Results of improvement factor study ...... 65 0. Graph showing age norms (with new improve- ment factors) 67 p. Distribution of test scores among toe different departments 68 q. The effect of training on test scores ....Si-69 Chapter VII, Trial with criteria A . The graduates 72 a* Graph showing distribution of graduates and withdrawals accord- ing to scores in #5 ............ 74 B. Those "dropped" 76 C. The withdrawals 78 a. Graph showing distribution of withdrawals according to age and score in #5 ................ 81 D. Shop Murks 82 1. "Related" Harks 94 F, Combined rating of departments from the five criteria 95 G. Variation in teachers* marks with length of experience with boys .............. 97 H. A study of different methods of scoring #5 , 98 I. Results of the special criterion for machine shop graduate £ 101 a* Different m thods of scoring ..... 104 b. present rersus ultimate cap- acity .............. 105 c. Teachers* HU-rks -versus esti- mates . 106 d. Teachers* murks for different ports oX the course 107 j. Academic marks versus #5 108 Chapter VIII. Summary and Conclusions A. Age factors 108 B. Scoring of giggly Block 111 measures 112 C # what the wiggly Block 113 a # "Intelligence" and #5 b. Training and #5 114 114 . c. Conclusions d. Why results may fall short of 115 expectations D. How the wiggly Block should be used to select boys for training in a trade school 117 Cubjects for Further Research 121 Acknowledgements 123 Bibliography m 126 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION. The purpose of this research is to make a study of Dr. Johnson o^Connor's Wiggly Block (^orkaample #5), a measure of mechanical aptitude, with regard to its possi- ble use in the Springfield Trade School as a prognostic vocational test* "In order to determine the holding power of the Springfield Trade School, a study of the 2018 students admitted to the school during the past 18 years was made by the Department of Research and Guidance. Of and these 2018 students, 292, or 14.47,^ were graduated granted diplomas. 1726 hoys, or 8o.53£ of the total number, left before completing the course in which they the were enrolled. Of the 1726 boys, 444, or 25% of months total, left school after an attendance of two number or less. 1268 students, or 72.9£ of the tot*l remained in school for one year or less. A further elimina- study was made to determine whether this heavy the echo ;- tion had been constant throughout the years had changed had been in existence or whether conditions -2 during the recent years* The results indicated that in each succeeding fire-year period there is a progressively greater elimination from school," (1)# "That such a great number of withdrawals is not typical of the average high school, we learn from a study by Counts," Using data collected fro. 16,263 high school students in Bridgeport, Mount Vernon, St, Louis and Seattle, he found that for all who entered the freshman year, 37,2" remained to start the senior year, (2) The fact that 6G% of the Trade School *s graduates are working at the trade for which they tralneu is evi- dence of the value of the courses in actually preparing boys for industry, (1) The average high school is a continuance of the "literate" education of the grammar and junior high schools and having fulfilled the "literate" requirement for entrance, success in completing the same type of course is better assured. But no such meci.an- ical requirement is essential for entrance to the Trade School, In the State of Massachusetts trade schools are open to all applicants who are fourteen years of age umbers in larentheses refer to the references so num- back of the book. bered in the bibliography in th« " -3 and who hare completed the sixth grade. (3) While "finding" course sof a Ji.echanicul nature are present in the junior high schools, there is little evidence that vocational guidance toward the trade school is cased on other grounds than failure in the "literate subjects* It ia assumed that such failure indicates a compensating mechanical aptitude and so the school receives all sorts of misfits, who sometimes "find" themselves because they are mechanically inclined, hut more often mark ti e until the compulsory school age limit of lu is reached, when they drop out, their own problem unsolved, and ut the same time reducing the efficiency of instruction for those who belong in that type of school, on the other hand, this ty±e of guidance has directed boys who had both the "literate" and "manipulative" aptitudes through the regular high school, only to have them turn to the Trade rchool for the specialized training nee ed for placement. At present we have in the Trade School ei^ht graduates of the other high schools. The writer has an evening school class of over fort> and all are hijh school (graduate a except four. The popularity of trade training has increased rapidly and a large waiting list has made selection possible.