Purpose. This study was designed to investigate the effects of a special remedial program on the intellectual, academic, and behavioral functioning of underachieving, culturally disadvantaged, mentally gifted minors. The study also concerned itself with student school attendance and parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences. Variables. The selected variables for this study were IQ, academic achievement, student behavior, student attendance, and parent attendance at teacher conferences. IQ was measured with the Stanford-Binet LM intelligence test. Academic achievement was measured with two instruments, the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills in Reading, Language, and Arithmetic, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test in Reading Recognition, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Spelling, General Information, and a Total Test score. Student disruptive behavior was measured by means of behavior warrants issued by teachers for inappropriate school behavior. Student absences and parent conference attendance were recorded for both groups for later statistical comparison. Sample. The sample of this study consisted of 157 male and female fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students who had qualified as underachieving, culturally disadvantaged, mentally gifted minors. Procedures. The students were randomly placed into either the control group or the experimental group. The control group students were placed in regular fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes while the experimental group underwent a special nine-month remedial program. Analysis of covariance was used for the hypotheses that dealt with IQ and academic achievement. Analysis of variance was used for the hypotheses that dealt with student behavior, student attendance, and parent attendance at teacher conferences. Findings Intelligence. The students in the experimental group scored significantly higher on the Stanford-Binet LM than the control group students. These results were significant at the .05 level of confidence. Achievement. The students in the experimental group did significantly better on the CTBS Reading subtest and the PIAT Reading Comprehension and General Information subtests. The male students in the experimental group did significantly better than their female classmates on the CTBS Reading and Language subtests and on the PIAT Reading Comprehension and General Information subtests. Behavior. The students in the experimental group actually demonstrated more disruptive behavior than the control group students. In the hypotheses dealing with student attendance and parent attendance at teacher conferences, statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the groups. In summary, it would appear that the treatment program was effective in increasing student IQ scores and helped to maintain or increase performance in all measured academic areas. However, it was not effective in improving student behavior, student attendance, or parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-4458 |
| Date | 01 January 1980 |
| Creators | Widdup, Douglas Charles |
| Publisher | Scholarly Commons |
| Source Sets | University of the Pacific |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations |
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