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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1960)
10 MAIL TRIIUNI, M.dford, Or. Sunday, April 1, 1sO Oregon's 'Talent Loss' Topic Of Study at Monmouth School (Editor's noiei This ii an clhtr in eri of articles en research and public service activitiai of in itala'i tax supported col lege, and university. It was writtan tor tha slata syitam oi highar aducation by Mrs. Wilma Morrison, long-tima Oragon education reporter.) By WILMA MORRISON If 1,201) students in five Willamette valley high schools constitute a sampling, Oregon has as many capable young sters who do not plan on col lege as do. The statistical evidence in Oregon of the "talent loss that has become a matter of national concern, is a by product of a two-year study at Oregon College of Education in Monmouth. Another by-product of even more significance to parents and educators, is the over whelming evidence that it is the family pattern far more than the school that determ ines the child's attitude to ward learning - and college. Also shown by the tests and Interviews is the fact that al most twice as many Drigm girls as bright boys see little value in training beyond high school. Project Launched The OCE research project, conceived and directed by Dr. Jack V. Edling, was launched one year ago under a $60,000 National Defense Education act grant. It is an attempt to find out whether some of the Madison Avenue advertising techniques that whet the pub lie appetite for deep freezes and tail fins, could be used by schools to Inspire children who don't want to learn. I The focus of the study has been narrowed to one area - the attitude of students to ward college. In this case, col lege is broadly defined to mean college or any kind of technical schooling beyond high school. "College-capable" has also been broadly defined to Include those above the 100 IQ median. Dr. Edllng'i Idea: that where the school has a group ot children who are indiffer ent or opposed to a sublect or concept, some kind ot dcliVer- attitude no auoio - visual appeal u ,choolng goals or interests are - how ever trivial - might serve to motivate them. Shapes Advertising This la the approach that, under the name "motivation al research," now shapes the advertising campaigns, and the buying habits, of the coun try. The first job is to Identify the "market" to be sold - in this case, the group of young sters who are able to profit from education beyond the high school, but who do not want it, or at least, are not making any effort to get it. The OCE study proposes to examine, through tests and in terviews, the background, at titudes and interests of 5,000 Willamette valley high school students. The end product will be two films designed to ap peal to what the staff determ ines to be the distinctive char acteristics of the group of college-capable children who are indifferent about college. "If we asked 100 profes sional firms to prepare films that would influence children to go to college, we would get 100 different emphases," Dr. Edling said. "We think that the contributions of psychol ogy and behavioral sciences generally, can narrow down the appeals to a few specific ones that will have an effect on those we want to reach." Findings Offer Evidence Whether the films that will later he designed from the motivational research findings will be demonstrably effective when tested by comparison with control groups, Dr. Ed ling can't prophesy. His find ings, however, already offer evidence that there are pro nounced and distinctive char acteristics common to the group of college-capable, college-indifferent children. The 1,200 youngsters whose tests and interviews have been recorded thus far are from Clackamas, Woodburn, Milwaukie, Lebanon and North Salem High schools. They have been divided Into four categories: (1) Those who are capable of education beyond high school and who intend to go on either to col lege or Into technical school abopt 30 per cent. (2) Those who are capable but do not intend further schooling about 30 per cent. (3) Those who, on basis of intelligence scores, do noi nave necessary college aptitude and who do not plan further education 30 per cent. (4) Those who do not have the aptitude but who say they intend to go to col lege 10 per cent. Group 2 is the o.ne the OCE experiment is concentrating on. Range of Intelligence The range of intelligence as shown on IQ tests is about the same in groups 1 and 2 It runs from 101 (about ave rage) to 145 (very superior). There are just as many su perior and very superior iw scores among the Group 2 youngsters, Dr. Edling said, as among Group 1, those who, intend to go to college. There are almost twice as many girls as boys in Group 2. The Group 2 children come from larger families and re port greater financial blocks to schooling. But, Dr. Edling said, their answers show that money is not by any means the only, or even the chief, factor that influences Ineir toward luilhar Following are some of the characteristics of the Group 2 children, as shown on what Edling regards as the best in lerest inventory lest available, the "Dynamic .Factors Opin- test, "Your Educational Plans." which is designed to give family background in formation as well as the as pirations of the student. 'Non-Reinforced Group' These children are, in psy chologists' language, "a non reinforced group." Approxi mately three-fourths of them said their parents do not con sider education beyond the high school important. Over and over again, these students, when .they faced questions about what their parents thought about higher educa tion, would tell the interview er, they didn't know how to answer because, "They never talk about it. "Here is a group whose narpnli riirin'l on tn colleee. whose brothers and sisters didn't go to collpge, whose best friends aren't going to college," Dr. Edling said. Their goals are immediate -a job or marriage, and their job and monoy aspirations are either low or unrealistic. Their ideal jobs-store clerk, salesman, repair man, wait ress, beautician, etc. - are the same as showed in answers of Group 3 students, those who have neither the necessary college aptitude nor the inten tion of going to college. Other Differences Other- differences between these Group 2 children and their college-bound equals in capacity "are so significant that they would occur less than one In several thousand times, if it were due to chance," Dr. Edling said. They show dependence as contrasted with self - reliance. They are conformists, and most markedly, they seek se curity as contrasted with ad venture or risk. These charac teristics show up most strong ly among the girls most of whom see early marriage as synonymous with security. They show a greater need, both for attention from others. and for entertainment, diver-! lions. I There are other distinctive traits which have been "fac- j tored out" as far as the film designing end purpose of the research is concerned. But they add to the total picture ol this group ot non-school-; ........... - f l- 1 .....,ubw juuu(aiEis, iu in stance, their answers show that they are generally low on quantitative thinking, and low on aesthetic interests, ap preciation of art, literature, music. They show an allergy COLLEGE INTENT VS COLLEGlTABILITY (O.C.E. HIGH SCHOOL STUDY) There ire no earth faults! Since 1951 the total use of During the same period, eolor to an English Channel new. paper, by advertiser. In newspaper ,d, ha. nc e.s tunnel, a study shows. I ha. increased 40 per cent. ! ed more than 100 per cent. . HIGH ABILITY . COLLEGE BOUND , 30 . s- ' H.GH ABILITY V . 'V . NON-COLLEGE BOUNOV ' '' i t-V ' ' MED SELLING) ' io" r ' , LOW ABILITY , j ' COLLEGE BOUND X NEED UNSELLINGX N. A 30 X LOW ABILITY NON-COLLEGE BOUND y CHART OF LOSS Oregon's loss of poten- Oregon College of Education, aimed to find tial college and technical trainee is told in out whether Madison Avenue advertising this chart. Percentages reflect findings of techniques can sell the value of learning, unusual "motivational research" study at Christ- Prepared for Public Life With 40 Days o B.Y THE RT. REV. MSGR. J. M. KELLY Editor, The New World Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Written for UPI During the holy season of Lent our thoughts naturally turn to penance and sacrifice. We have as our prime exam ple the forty days and nights Christ spent in the desert in prayer and fasting in prepara tion for His public life. Even though He was the f Prayer, Fasting Son of God and totally sin less, He chose to strengthen His mind and will by an ex tended period of voluntary mortification. He knew well the grave burdens that lay ahead of Him-His task of teaching, the bitter opposi tion He would face, and fi nally His sufferings and death on the cross. Most of us certainly will never be faced with the ex treme trials and labors that Christ had to endure: yet we all have our own burdens and countless temptations to face as we go through life. There is no better way for us to prepare ourselves than by embracing some voluntary mortification especially dur ing these days. By giving up some of the things we like we will strengthen our souls and will therefore be much better prepared to face our problems and to live in the imitation of Christ, Salem-dlPO-A legal educa tion series to be held as part of the Oregon Justice Depart ment staff conferene in Port land April 6 will discuss col lecting debts due the state. t .:. ..- 4 DAYS ONLY! BEGINS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6th Get a Beautiful 5x7" Picture of Your Baby Q jT v On or two chIN If I - dron In any ono nnlv VI II will bo pho- t i- A 1 tooraphod SINOIY I M tbo first picture. LL lon additional WDM child under five, $1.30 for tbo picture. Cheese any one of .ovorol aoiplotoly finished photographs ... ad In alPerant pose. ... far only 49c. You wHI not be urged to buy, vt M ye wish you can buy the remaining photograph. t enty 1.JS lor the Art. $1 for the Sod and 5 for any oddMonal pl PHOTOGRAPHER'S HOURS: 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pixn Ptm-Upa Exclusively nt Penmen9 ion purvey, mm mi ......-. , Ior precision, all things requir "" ' ling exactness and detail. Pattern of Dislike 1 While the OCE research has not included high school grade records in its documen tation, Dr. Edling said, the Group 2 children, in answer to questions, placed themselv es lower on the grade scale than did those in the college hound group. And, unlike their college-focused contem poraries, they showed a pat tern of dislike of high school. Anyone looking over the in terest and background records of these average and superior students who, obviously, have not been "motivated" in high school, and are not "motivat ed toward college or techni cal training, winds up with the big question: Has the school - can the school-do much to make them self-starting learners when the home and society does not? Dr. Edling's answer was, "As yet, no. But we are hop ing . . ." Ex-God Hill Woman Dies in Texas Gold Hill -Word has been received here of the death of Mrs. Nellie Winn, former Gold Hill resident, in Odessa, Tex., recently. Mrs. Winn lived here several years ago, and was active in the Amethyst Mebckah lodge, the local Methodist church and the Past Nobel Grands club. Survivors Include her hus band. Dave Winn, Odessa; a daughter, Mrs. Sam Ledbet ter; a son, Alvis Winn, who live In California. G r a n d c h lldren of Mrs. Winn are Miss Jennie Lou Thompson and her brother, Paul Thompson, who live with their paternal grand parents, Mr. and Mrs. Taiil Thompson, Gold Hill. thos yfld be yu. A Father Says ... Savings at JACKSON COUNTY FEDERAf ARE . . . SAFE . . . SECURE . . . INSURED 4c per annum Q current dividend rate- NOTICE! The American Laundry Has Sold Their Business EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 1960 All American Laundry Customers Will Now Be Served by Dumas Domestic Laundry and DRY CLEANERS 30-32 North Riverside Phone SP 2-6154 Crystal White Laundry and CLEANERS 811 N. Central Ave. Phone SP 3-6226 THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY OFFFICE, 132 S. Central, Will Be Open 2 Week, for Your Convenience A Mother Says Saving Money at JACKSON COUNTY FEDERAL by the 10th . . . EARNS from the Ittl 4 per annum currant dividend rata- A Young Saver Says . . . Your Savings Add Up Faster . at JACKSON COUNTY FEDERAL Jackson County Federal SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION "It does make a difference where you save!" Home Office 126 E. Main Medford, Ore. Ashland Branch 337 E. Main Ashland, Ore.
