NCJ Number
52735
Date Published
1978
Length
11 pages
Annotation
TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL TYPING ON STUDENTS' SCHOOL CAREERS, TEACHERS' NOMINATIONS OF PERSONS FOR A REMEDIAL READING PROGRAM ARE COMPARED WITH THE NAMES OF PERSONS SELECTED USING STANDARD READING TEST CRITERIA.
Abstract
CICOUREL AND KITUSE IN 'THE AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL' (1963) OBSERVED THAT SOCIAL TYPE DESIGNATIONS ARE ASSIGNED TO STUDENTS BY THEIR SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND THAT THESE DESIGNATIONS HELP DETERMINE THE CHILD'S SCHOOL CAREER. THEY DEFINED THREE CAREER LINES: THE ACADEMIC, THE EMOTIONAL, AND THE DELINQUENT. THIS STUDY EXAMINES HOW TEACHERS REACT TO THESE DESIGNATIONS IN TERMS OF PROCESSING AND TREATING CHILDREN. STUDY DATA WERE GATHERED FROM OBSERVING SCHOOL OPERATIONS IN A NEW YORK STATE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND REVIEWING SCHOOL RECORDS FOR ALL THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE PUPILS IN THIS SCHOOL. ANALYSIS OF THESE DATA SUGGESTED THAT THE STUDENTS WERE SYSTEMATICALLY CATEGORIZED AS ACADEMIC, VOCATIONAL-REMEDIAL, OR EMOTIONAL-TROUBLEMAKER. RESEARCHERS THEN ATTEMPTED TO ISOLATE THE REASONS WHY TEACHERS NOMINATED PARTICULAR STUDENTS TO THE REMEDIAL READING PROGRAM, PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT DID NOT MEET THE ACADEMIC CRITERIA FOR PLACEMENT OUTLINED BY STANDFORD DIAGNOSIS READING TEST (SDRT) SCORES USED BY THE READING SPECIALIST. IT WAS FOUND THAT A SUBSTANTIAL DISAGREEMENT EXISTED BETWEEN THE TEACHERS' NOMINATIONS AND THE READING SPECIALIST'S SELECTIONS. (77.5 PERCENT OF TEACHERS NOMINEES DID NOT MEET SDRT CRITERIA.) APPARENTLY, TEACHERS NOMINATED THE STUDENTS FOR A 'CAREER' STUDY LINE ON A NONACADEMIC BASIS. FURTHER ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT MANY TEACHERS HAD NOMINATED STUDENTS FOR REMEDIAL READING BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN IN THE PROGRAM PREVIOUSLY. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)