Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University. / Reproduced from type-written copy. Bibliography: p. [55]-57.

Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University. / Reproduced from type-written copy. Bibliography: p. [55]-57.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-127).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / The problem--This study was an attempt to construct aptitude tests for predicting success in first-year shorthand. No effort was mad to construct measures for factors concerned with transcription or vocational success. Procedure--Functional factors believed to influence the learning of shorthand were identified. Test items were constructed for tests of (1) Phonetic Perception, (2) Retention Ability, (3) Observation Aptitude, (4) Pattern from Parts, and (5) Hand Dexterity. Before the fundamentals of shorthand were introduced, the proposed shorthand aptitude tests were administered to three sample populations--college, junior-college and business-school, and high-school. The Semester Shorthand Accomplishment Test, by Tilly S. Dickinson, was used as the criterion measure of first-year shorthand achievement. After the fundamentals of shorthand had been presented, seven letters, each consisting of two-and-one-half minutes of material, dictated at progressive speeds, were administered to the sample populations. Intercorrelations, means, and standard deviations were computed for each sample population. In addition, partial coefficients, partial regression coefficients, Beta coefficients, and regression equations were computed. Findings--The multiple R between the scores of aptitude tests and the shorthand accomplishment scores for 128 students in the College Group was .76, with a standard error of ±.04. Correlations between the tests of Phonetic Perception, Retention Ability, Observation Aptitude, Pattern from Parts, and Hand Dexterity and the criterion measure were .36, .44, .18, .28, and .68 respectively. The standard error of estimate for any criterion schore, when predicted from aptitude scores, was found to be ±49.42 score points. The multiple R between scores of the aptitude tests and the shorthand accomplishment scores for 142 students in Junior-College and Business-school Group was .59, with a standard error of ±.06. Correlations between the five aptitude tests as listed above and the criterion measure were .52, .27, .37, .31, and .27 respectively. The standard error of estimate for any criterion score, when predicted from aptitude scores, was found to be ±68.70 score points. The multiple R between the scores of the aptitude tests and the shorthand accomplishment scores for 137 students in the High-School Group was .62, with a standard error of ±.05. Correlations between the five aptitude tests as listed above ad the criterion measure were .49, .24, .32, .46, .47 respectively. The standard error of estimate for any criterion score, when predicted from aptitude scores, was found to be ±54.68 score points. Conclusions--The obtained multiple R for the College Group indicated the presence of a significant relationship between the scores of the aptitude tests and the criterion measure. The multiple R's for the Junior-College and Business-School Group for the High-School Group indicated a relationship of considerable value. The scores from the proposed aptitude tests, together with measures of other factors such as motivation and intelligence, could be used in forecasting group performance for each sample population. For the College Group, the obtained multiple R indicated that the scores from the aptitude tests, together with measures of other factors, could be used to estimate an individual's potentialities to succeed in the first-year shorthand. This study indicated that the proposed aptitude tests could assist teachers and guidance personnel in their efforts to (1) improve the procedure of grouping shorthand students, (2) establish achievement standards for shorthand courses, and (3) identify individual differences and needs of shorthand students within groups.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University. / Statement of the Problem. This study was conducted in an effort to construct tests that will presumably measure a student's ability to master shorthand. Research Procedures and Techniques. The probable factors involved in learning a shorthand system were formulated, and subtests were constructed that might measure a student's ability to learn shorthand. The subtests involved (1) Phonetic Spelling, (2) Reading Shorthand, (3) Writing Phonetics, (4) Writing Shorthand, (5) Writing Speed, and (6) Spelling. In 1957-58 two student populations participated in the experiment-a junior college group of approximately 200 students and a high school group of approximately 480 students. The tests were administered during the first two days of classes, before the students had had instruction in shorthand. At the end of the first semester and at the end of the second semester of study, shorthand achievement tests were administered. These tests included exercises in dictation from studied and unstudied material at varying rates, transcription of this material into longhand, and word lists that test the knowledge of shorthand principles and size of vocabulary, Means, medians, standard deviations, and percentiles were computed for the student populations. An item analysis on the basis of right-wrong answers was completed. Single and multiple correlations were computed on the test data from four groups: (l) 110 high school students after one semester of study, (2) 94 junior college students after one semester of study, (3) 108 high school students after two semesters of study, and (4) 129 junior college students after two semesters of study. Summary of Findings. Using the scores of 110 high school students, the coefficients of correlation between the six subtests--Phonetic Spelling, Reading Shorthand, Writing Phonetics, Writing Shorthand, Writing Speed, Spelling--and the first-semester dictation-transcription test (l957-58) were: .341, .305, .010, .283, .248, .329, and with the total score, .407; for 94 junior college student scores, .317, -.039, .051, -.071, .116, .362, and with the total score, .177. The Multiple R between these high school aptitude test scores and the first-semester criterion was .5028, with a standard error of .0736; with the junior college scores, .453, with a standard error of .O852. Using the scores of 108 high school students, the coefficients of correlation between the six subtests and the second-semester dictation-transcription test (1957-58) were .388, .246, -.OOO8, .182, .222, .367, and with the total score, .339; for 129 junior college student scores, .213, .010, .169, -.019, .130, .350, and with the total score, .227. The Multiple R between these high school aptitude scores and the second semester criterion was .528, with a standard error of .0717; with the junior college scores, .404, with a standard error of .0757. Conclusions. Most of the individual subtests show slight to negligible relationship with the achievement criteria. The Multiple R's for the high school groups indicate a relationship of some value. The test battery seems to predict success more effectively, even though slight, among high school students than among junior college students. Further, among high school students the battery seems to predict success more effectively at the end of the first semester than at the end of the second semester of study. [TRUNCATED]

[No abstract available] / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

[No abstract available] / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

In recent years, many investigations and experiments have been conducted for the purpose of developing a method of teaching shorthand, which would reduce its learning time. New systems of shorthand such as Thomas, Speedwriting, and Stenotype have been invented; manuals have been revised to speed up learning by limiting their word content to words of high frequency; and outstanding teachers of shorthand have been experimenting with various methods of teaching, with a view to developing in their students habits of accurate, fluent reading and habits of accurate, fluent writing. In their experiments, researchers have endeavored to appraise the relative advantages of a reading approach with a reading-writing approach to the learning of this skill subject. In the reading approach, writing is delayed until the students have developed desirable reading habits. In the reading-writing approach, writing begins with the first lesson. Each method has been tried out by outstanding teachers and research students, and the results of their experiments have been recorded. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, their findings were not backed up by sound experimental data. Therefore, it was felt that, if an experimental situation were set up in which two classes were equated and one taught the reading approach and the other the reading-writing approach, the comparison of the results of the two methods of teaching might reveal one to be superior to the other. Two experimental groups of Grade 10 girls in the Fairview High School of Commerce were matched for intelligence, English ability, sex, age, and socio-economical background. The experiment started with 36 matched pairs, and each group was taught by the same teacher. The reading group did not do any writing until the shorthand manual had been covered once, while the reading-writing group proceeded through the manual at half the speed of the other group, because it was writing as well as reading each exercise. The two groups were tested frequently for word recognition and reading, and transcription ability, and on two occasions, they were tested for writing ability. As was expected, the reading group was much inferior to the reading-writing group because of its lack of practice in writing. In the transcription tests, neither group proved superior to the other, as first one and then the other scored higher means. When the two groups were reading and writing and doing parallel work, they were given dictation tests on unprepared matter at varying rates, but here again, the test results were inconclusive as the critical ratios were too low to be considered at all significant. Several factors mitigated against a successful experiment. First, a start was made with too few matched pairs, because when the groups were given their final test only 14 matched pairs could be used. Secondly, disturbing factors such as truancy, illness, and laziness interfered with some of the students' application to their studies. In a large group, these influences probably would have balanced out, but in a small group, they tended to invalidate the test results. Although the study did not prove one method of approach to the learning of shorthand to be superior to another, still it is to be hoped that further experimentation will be carried on with a view to reducing the learning time of Pitman Shorthand, so that the student will learn to use this vocational tool in the shortest possible time. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1961. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 218-223).