This investigator studied the relationships of the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning, overall level of career aspiration, and reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Specifically, answers to the following questions were sought: (1) Is there a relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the overall level of career aspiration of twelfth-grade students? (2) Is there a relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students? (3) Is there a relationship between the overall level of career aspiration and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students? / The sample for this study was drawn from the population of seniors in a rural county in Northern Florida. A total of 210 students participated in the study. The sample consisted of 103 males, and 107 females who had between 4.0 and 13.6 reading grade-equivalent levels. / Three instruments were utilized in this study: the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills: Reading (CTBS) instrument, of which the total reading score was used to measure an individual student's level of reading achievement; the Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS), an eight-item multiple choice instrument designed by O. A. Haller (1963) to measure level of occupational aspiration; and the Fallacies in Reasoning Test (FRT), which was originally developed by Gall (1973), and extended by Johnson (1974), Hurst (1977), Mosley (1978), and this investigator. The FRT consists of 56 multiple-choice items, with seven questions for each of the following eight fallacies: false authority, either-or, improper data, self-contradiction, appeal to conformity, part-whole, stereotyping, and sexism. / The data were analyzed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, an index of the degree of linear relationship between two variables. Three null hypotheses were tested, all of which were rejected at the .001 alpha level. On the basis of the data obtained, the following conclusions are substantiated: (1) There is a statistically significant relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the overall level of career aspiration of twelfth-grade students. Within the sample, the Medium Group (students with total reading scores in the middle 40%, between the 31st and the 70th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segment in the association of the FRT and OAS. Students in this range appeared to be more realistic in their career aspirations. This realistic approach to their career choices is in line with the students' ability to recognize written fallacies in reasoning. (2) There is a statistically significant relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Within the total sample, the Medium and Low Groups (students with total reading scores between the 1st and the 70th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segments in the association of the FRT and CTBS. Students in the Medium and Low Groups appeared to be affected by their reading achievement in their critical reading skills. (3) There is a statistically significant relationship between the overall level of career aspiration and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Within the Total Group, the Low Group (students with total reading scores between the 1st and the 30th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segment in the association of the OAS and CTBS. This may indicate that students with low levels of reading achievement are most affected by their reading ability in their career choices. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-05, Section: A, page: 2033. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74179 |
| Contributors | HOLIHAN, DIANE DOEPKER., The Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 136 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.013 seconds