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REFORT TR ESUMESED 013 246SP 001 287;% COMPARISON OF STUDENTS SCORING ABOVE THE EIGHTIETHPERCENTILE OR DELOW THE TWENTIETH PERCENTILE ON EITHER THESCHOOL AND COLLEGE ABILITY TEST OR THE WATSON- GLASER TEST OFCRITICAL THINKING.BY- CURRY, JOHNNORTH TEXAS STATE UNIV., DENTONOCT 67PUB DATEEDRS PRICE MF-- 0.25 HC- 1.0025P.*DESCRIPTORS-- *ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, ADMISSION CRITERIA,EDUCATION MAJORS, GRADES (SCHOLASTIC), MATHEMATICS,*PREDICTIVE ABILITY (TESTING), *PREDICTIVE MEASUREMENT,*PREDICTIVE VALIDITY, SEX DIFFERENCES, TEACHER EDUCATION,TRANSFER STUDENTS, WATSON GLASER TEST OF CRITICAL THINKING,.SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ABILITY TESTIN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF A CUT -OFF SCOREFOR ENTRANCE INTO TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT NORTH TEXASSTATE UNIVERSITY, SCORES OF 1,346 STUDENTS WHO EITHER PLACEDABOVE THE BOTH PERCENTILE (N-672) OR BELOW THE 20THPERCENTILE (N -674) ON EITHER THE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ABILITYTEST OR THE WATSON- GLASER TEST OF CRITICAL THINKING WERECOMPARED WITH THEIR ACADEMIC RECORDS. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS WAS'PLACED ON THE SCORES OF THE 164 TEACHER EDUCATION MAJORS WHOWERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. IT WAS FOUND THAT (A) MATHEMATICSMAJORS PERFORMED BEST ON THE TESTS---58.62 PERCENT SCORINGABOVE THE BOTH PERCENTILE AND ONLY 1.72 PERCENT BELOW THE20TH,. (B) FEMALES SCORED BELOW MALES BUT MADE HIGHER GRADESIN EDUCATION AND HAD HIGHER OVERALL ACADEMIC AVERAGES, (C)ELEMENTARY EDUCATION STUDENTS MADE LOWER SCORES ON THE TWOTESTS THAN DID SECONDARY EDUCATION STUDENTS BUT EARNED HIGHERGRADES IN EDUCATION COURSES AND HAD HIGHER OVERALL ACADEMICAVERAGES, (D) JUNIOR COLLEGE TRANSFEREES SCORED BELOWSTUDENTS WHO TOOK ALL THEIR WORK AT NORTH TEXAS STATE ANDALSO HAD LOWER GRADES AND LOWER OVERALL ACADEMIC AVERAGES,(E) THERE WAS LITTLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SCORES MADE ONTHE TESTS AND GRADES MADE IN THE STUDENT'S MAJOR. IT ISCONCLUDED THAT THE 20TH PERCENTILE ON EITHER TEST SHOULD NOTBE USED AS A CUT -OFF POINT SINCE THE GRADE POINT AVERAGE OFTHOSE WHO SCORED BELOW THIS FIGURE ON THE SCAT WAS 1.66 AND1.67 ON THE WATSON- GLASER. (AW)

OCT 1 3012870.1.t\Ire\I-10CIA COMPARISON Or STUDENTS SCORING ABOVE ligeEIGHTIETH PERCENTILE OR. BELOW THE DIENTrETHPERCENTILE ON EITHER THE SCHOOL ANDCOLLEGE ABILITY TEST OR Mil;WATSON-GIASER TESTOF CRITICAL THINKINGLLJByJohn CurryNorth Texas State UniversityDenton, TexasOctober, 1967a-U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFAREOFFICE OF EDUCATIONTHIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THEPERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS. OF VIEW OR OPINIONSSTATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATIONPOSITION OR POLICY.IV

A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS SCORING ABOVE THE EIGHTIETH PERCENTILE ORBELOW THE TWENTIETH PERCENTILE ON EITHER THE SCHOOL AND COLLEGEABILITY TEST OR THE WATSON- GLASER TEST OF CRITICAL TIMINGWhen the formal program ofRanission to the teacher education programwas initiated at North Texas State University inadmission procedure was the1963,one phase of theadministration of a battery oftests.Thetests chosen were the SCAT and the Watsone Glaser plus a personality testwhich has been changed from time to time.The two tests have been administered to approximately 4,000 students during the past four years.In September,1967,a check was made of the records maintained inthe admissions office to locate all students who had scored above the80th percentile on either test or below the 20th percentile on either test.After locating the names and scores made by these subjects, the students'records in the Registrarb Office were obtained to gather additional data.Any students whose records were not complete were eliminated from thestudy.There were 428 students who were thus not used in the analysisof the data.Some of these were accounted for in that they had probablymarried and could not be located.completing an additional term.Others had dropped out of school beforeIn several instances, it was impossibleto include a student because he had not taken additional work in his teaching field.There were 122 students who were below the 20th percentile onthe "atson-Glaser who could not be included.percentile but excluded.Fifty-one were above the 80thOn the SCAT there were 108 above the 80thpercentile and 78 below the 20th percentile who were not included.A tabulation was made by areas of those who scored. above the 80thpercentile or below the 20th percentile on the SCAT.in Table I.1These data are presented.

2TABLE ITHE 80TH PERCENTILE ORNUMBER AND PERCENT OF STUDENTS SCORING ABOVESCATBELOW THE 2CTH PERCENTILE ON THEAbove 80thBelow 20thTotal Wm:00erElementary MajorsSocial StudiesPhysical EducationIndustrial ArtsSpeech-DramaHome Economics.EnglishScienceForeign LanguageMusicBusinessMathematicsArtNorth Texas StudentsTransfer-Sr. CollegeTransfer-Jr. 320.026218.28tomshow that of the 421 elementary majorsAn examination of Table I willandincluded in this study, 27.31 per cent were below the 20th percentilethe SCAT. The vast majority11.63 per cent were above the 80th percentile onThe norms used were national,were naturally between the 80th and the 20th.than 49 should have been aboveand it seems fairly apparent that many moretaken the tests.the 80th percentile out of many hundreds who havestudy, mathematics majors hadcoveredinthisOf the subject areasOnly one mathematicspercentage (58.62) in the top 20 per cent.the largestScience was close behind. with 52.77major was in the bottom 20 per cent.the 20th.per cent above 80th and 5.55 per cent below

3The area with the smallest per cent above the 80th was physicaleducation with 4.38 per cent.There had been only five physical educationmajors who had been in the top twenty per cent.Art, home economics, andindustrial arts were the other areas with a small per cent above the80tb. percentile.One would expect approximately 20 per cent to fall ateither end of the scale.A similar tabulation was made for students who had attended NorthTexas since their college enrollment, those who bad transferred fromsenior colleges and those transferring from junior colleges. A study ofTable I will show that 28.02 per cent of the students who had transferredfrom a junior college and who were included in this study were below the20th percentile in the SCAT while 18.28 per cent were above the 80thpercentile.ETSU students were slightly higher with 14.66 per cent in thebottom one.fifth and 24.25 per cent in the top one-fifth. A slightlysmaller per cent of the transfers from senior colleges were below the 20th(14.66) and also, fewer (23.73) were above the 80th.These data wouldseem to indicate that junior college students score lower on the SCAT thando transfer students from senior colleges or students who have been atNTSU for all of their program.A similar tabulation was made for the results on the Matson.GLaser.The data are presented in Table II.From Table III it becomes apparentthat the students included in this study did not do as well as they didon the SCAT.BO group had more than 30 per cent of its members above the80th percentile.It might also appear that the subjects did better on

4TABLEnNUMBER MID PERCENT OP STUDENTS SCORING ABOVE THE 8GTH PERCENTILEOR BELOW THE 20TH PERCENTILE ON THE WATSON-GLASERTotalElementarySocial StudiesPhysical EducationIndustrial n languageMusicBusinessYathematicsArtNorth Texas StudentsTransfer-Sr. CollegeTransfer-Jr. CollegeBelow 20thAbove 112149.6066393.7.6o11.50.skill tests situations such as are found. in the SCAT than they did withthe nthinkingnproblems of which the Watson.Glaser is compoied.Junior college transfers did. not do as well on this test as did eithertransfers from senior colleges or students who had. been enrolled onlyat North Texas.There were 563 students remaining in the study who were on theopposite ends of the scale in the SCAT. These data are presented in Table--;44,v0.1444:-0,400 4''

5TABLE IIIMEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, AND FISHER t FOR STUDENTSABOVE THE 8CTH PERCENTILE OR BELOWLE ON THE SCATTHE 20TH PERCHVialerImMiliN111111100,Below 20thN 252Above 80thN 311aWatson Glaser77.347.0063.088.6721.55Total Hours N.T.44.9417.4941.7315.972.59Grade 11.90Hours 1st Field35.0016.2931.9816.532.16Grade ours Education16.028.2817.949.37Grade P.A.G.P.A.-2.57A study of Table III will show that students who were below the 20thpercentile on the SCAT had significantly lower scores on the Watson. Glaser,significantly lower grade point average on work taken at North Texas, signi.ficantly lower grade point average in first teaching field and a significantlylower average in education.The only area in which the differencewas infavor of the lower group was in the number of hours taken in education.The lower group had taken an average of 1.92 more hours of education thanhad those above the 80th percentile.

6While there was a highly significant difference in each instance, itshould be pointed out thatonthe students whoscored below the 20th percenttl.e.,14.e SCAT still maintained a G.P.A. of 1.66 on all work attempted, anaverege of1.63It seemsin the first teaching field and 1.80 in education.quite obvious that the 20thpercentile cannotbe used as a cut-off pointon the SCAT if academic grades are a criteria of success.Data relative to those above the 80th percentile or below the 20thpercentile on the Watson.Glaser are presented in Table IV.TABLE IVMEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, AND FISHER t FOR STUDENTS ABOVEPERCENTILETHE 80TH PERCENTILE OR BELOW THEON THE WATSON-GIASERafmBelow 20thN 314Above 80thN 501.67.4410.19Hours 1st Field33.1317.1333.7716.08- .41Grade ours . Ethic.14.918.8317.039.16.2.50Grade CAT62.4612.02Total Hrs. NT39.03Grade PointsGPAGPAGPAM

low on theA study of Table IV will reveal that students who scoredwasWatsonGlaser also scored low on the SCAT. The difference in meanshighlysignificant.Students below the 20th percentile had taken morehours than those above the 80th percentilewere significantly lower.and hadreceived grades whichin theirThe low group had also taken more hoursfirst teaching field but received lower grades.significant at better than .01.The difference wasThe same situation held for educationhad completed an average ofwhere the students below the 20th percentile80th percentile17.03 hours With a G.P.A. of 1.83 while those above theG.P.A. of 2.29. As withhad completed an average of 14.91 hours with apercentile still made quitethe SCAT, students who scored below the 20threspectable grades.The 20th percentile could not be used as a cut.offbe successful.point on this test without eliminating students who canis presented inData relative to the performance of men and womenTable V.TABLE VMEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, AND FISHER tFOR MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTSMaleFemale1045NN mimMOIMMINNINgm.MMIMII 8418.43.716.978.9114.079.1216.0050.47Watson GlaserHours at NT49.4070.9642.75Grade 75.741.7417.1837.189.3822.422.13.51SCATG.P.A.Hours 1st FieldGrade PointsG.P.A.Wars EducationGrade PointsG.P.A.69.2042.523.29.244tr