DOCUMENT RUNE

ED 099 076 JC 750 016

AUTHOR Bohr, Dorothy H.; And OthersTITLE The Effects of Prescribed Testing and Personalized

Counseling on Enrollment, Attrition, and Success ofNew Students Enrolled in Reading Courses atSacramento City College.

PUB DATE Jul 73NOTE 26p.; Practicum presented to Nov? University in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for theDoctor of Education degree

EDRS PRICE HF-S0.75 HC-$1.85 PLUS POSTAGEDESCRIPTORS College Entrance Examinations; *Counseling

Effectiveness; *Junior Colleges; Practicums; *ReadingSkills; Remedial Reading Programs; *StudentParticipation

IDENTIFIERS California

ABSTRACTThis study is aimed at determining whether

personalized pre-enrollment cennseling based on the results of astandardized English skills test has a positive effect on new studentenrollment, attrition (withdrawal), and success in reading skillscourses. By comparing pertinent data for spring 1972 students whowere not counseled with data for counseled students in spring 1973,it was found that counseled students had a lower attrition rate thanother students in the reading skills classes. Counseling did not tendto increase the rate of enrollment in reading skills courses, nor didcounseled reading skills students experience a higher rate ofsuccess. (NJK)

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THE EFFECTS OF PRESCRIBED TESTING AND PERSONALIZED

COUNSELING ON ENROLLMENT, ATTRITION, AND SUCCESS OF

NEW STUDENTS ENROLLED IN READING COURSES

AT SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE

by

Dorothy H. BohrGerald W. CiasBerneice L. Clayton

PRACTICUM PRESENTED TO NOVA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

Nova University

July 2, 1973

PAGE(S) /- Z. WAe (WERE) WON* (REMOVED) FROM

THIS DOCUMENT PRIOR TO ITS BEING SUBMITTED TO THE

ERIC DOCUMENT REPRODUCTION SERVICE.

-3.

PREFACE

The place of pre-enrollment testing in an "open-door" public community

college needs to'be examined closely. In fact, policies requiring the ACT or

SAT prior to enrollment have already been eliminated in many two year colleges.

The elimination of these tests has led to a void of pre-enrollment test infor-

mation suitable for use by professional counselors in conjunction with new

student orientation programs. More important, the place of a personal inter-

view based on test results with in-coming students needs to be researched.

In spring 1973, the orientation program for in-coming students to Sacra-

mento City College included for the first time a standardized English skills

placement test (Educational Skills Test - College edition, McCraw-Hill, 1971).

The students were told that the test was not being used to screen their

admission to the college, but to give counselors some basis for making scheduling

recommendations to students, particularly for English courses, prior to regis-

tration. Since the test was standardized and had established two year college

norms, counselors could advise students whether they were ready or :eshman

English or whether they should take one of the remedial English courses. Be-

sides the test itself, another new aspect was that the testing procedure re-

quired of each new student a personal planning interview with a counselor - a

practice not used for some time by the counseling staff. Since the studenOs

performance on the test was to be rated in his presence by the counselor at

the time of the interview, the opportunity for quick "feedback" was presented.

Because we were convinced that the personal counseling interview based

on test results would positively affect enrollment, attrition, and achievement,

4

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it was decided to do this study. Furthermore, there is evidence that al-

though two year colleges are quick to innovate, they are lax in follow-up

studies.

I

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THE EFFECTS OF PRESCRIBED TESTING AND PERSONALIZEDCOUNSELING ON ENRCLLMENT, ATTRITION, AND SUCCESS OF

NEW STUDENTS ENROLLED IN READING COURSESAT SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE

This study is aimed at determining whether personal-ized counseling based on test results following thecompletion of a placement test has a positive effecton new student enrollment. attrition and success inreading skills courses. The primary finding 2f thisstudy is the significant p< .02 chi-square (X ) valuefor attrition. This finding strongly'supports thepositive effect of personalized counseling based ontest results given to new students who enrolled inreading skills courses in spring 1973 (Hypothesis B).Hypothesis A, that students who enrolled in readingskills courses as a result,of personalized counsel-ing based on test results would enroll in readingskills courses at a higher rate than students notgiven such treatment, was rejected. Using a chi-

square (X ) 2 x 2 contingency table, the hypothesiswas null. Hypothesis C, that students who enrolledin reading skills courses as a result of personal-ized counseling based on test results would exper-ience a higher rate of success than students notgiven such treatment was also rejected - on the ba-sis of a t-test. However, even though hypothesis CWAR null, there was a positive grade difference of

.41 on a 4.0 scale (a low B grade for students,spring 1973; a C grade for students, spring 1972).

INTRODUCTION

AContext of the Problem

In spring 1973, the orientation program for in-coming students to

Sacramento City College included two new aspects: (1) a Standardized

English skills placement test (Educational Skills Test - Form A, College

Edition, McCraw-Bill. 1971); and (2) a personal planning interview with a

counselor at which the results of the test were interpreted.

6

The test was used to provide counselors with some basis for making

scheduling recommendations to students, particularly for English courses.

Since the test was standardized and had established two year college norms,

counselors could advise students whether they were ready for Freshman English

or whether they should take one of the remedial English courses. Further-

more, since each student's performance on the test was rated and interpreted

by a counselor during a personal interview immediately following the test,

the student received "feedback" prior to registration, at a time when he

could make some sound decisions about courses.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the pre-enrollment

personalized counseling based on the results of the Educational Skills Test

given tc new students had a positive effect on the enrollment, attrition,

and successful completion of reading skills courses when compared with pre-

enrollment group counseling with no test basis given to new students.

Review of Literature

A review of related literature showed that intensified counseling has

an effect on student's performance in public junior colleges. A study by

Moughamean (1969), for example, revealed that intensified counseling did

significantly increase toe graduation rate of students in public junior

colleges. Brown (1955) also found significant differences when counseled

and uncounseled students were compared. That students complain about lack

of assistance from counselors in working through their academic motivational

problems was substantiated by a study done by Kneoll and Medsker (1965).

7

-7

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated:

(a) Ss who enrolled in reading skills courses as a result of

personalizedcounseling based on test results will enroll in reading skills

courses at a higher rate than Ss not given th treatment;

(b) Ss who enrolled in reading _lls courses as a result of

personalized counseling based on test results will experience a lower rate

of attrition than Ss not given such treatment;

(c) Ss who enrolled in reading skills courses as a result of

personalized counseling based on test results will experience a higher rate

of success than Ss not given such treatment.

RationaltLatatittERVIREM

The rationale was that students, having evidence of reading deficiency

(test results) and having been made aware of it in a personal interview with

a counselor where their tests were scored, interpreted, and compared with

national junior college norms, would want to remedy this deficiency in order

to succeed in English and other college courses. Therefore, it was expected

that they would enroll in the reading skills courses in greater numbers.

Furthermore, if they took the reading skills courses of their own volition,

they would stay in the courses and would complete them successfully (grade of

C or higher). Tuckman (Interchange, 1973) cited Pascal's study showing that

student attitudes were more positive when the choice was left to them and it

was substantiated for this study that there was little or no effort on the

part of the counselors to pressure students into reading skills courses.

01.22Iiisisnal Definitions of the Variables

Educational Skills Test - Form A, College Edition, McCraw-Hill, 1971 with

two-year college norms.

--8-

Personalied Counseling - The process in which a new student was even the

opportunity to see a counselor on a one-to-one basis to discuss his goals and

to plan his semester program.

Croup Co - The process in which new students met with one counselor

in groups of ten for orientation purposes.

New Students - students who had not attended college previously and who were

enrolling in Sacramento City College for the first time.

Enrollment - The students identified from college records and instructors'

grade sheets as new students enrolled in the reading skills courses.

Attrition - withdrawal prior to the final examination period in accordance

with college regulations.

Success - a final grade of "C" or better in a reading skills course.

ReaditillsCourse - English B (Basic Reading Skills) and English 71

(Developmental Reading).

Operational Re-Statement of the Hypotheses

Since the new students who enrolled in the reading skills courses in

spring 1973 had a personal interview prior to registration with a counselor

who interpreted the test results immediately following its completion, it was

expected that there would be an increase In the number of new students enrolled

in the reading skills courses when compared with spring 1972. It was also ex-

pected that attrition would he lower and the success rate would be higher when

compared with spring 1972.

Significance of the Study

It was hoped that this study would answer some of the questions which

teachers and counselors have about prescribed placement testing and the value

of a prescribed personal counseling session for new students during orientation.

Sacramento City College has committed its staff and resources to placement test-

inR and personal counseling. Have the results, therefore, merited the continuance

of the process? 9

-9-

METHOD

Subjects - Ss here two groups of new students attending a public "open door"

comprehensive community college who enrolled in the reading skills courses.

The group which enrolled in spring 1973 had taken a proscribed Educational

Skills Test and had a prescribed personal interview with a counselor imme-

diately following the completion of the test, for purposes of interpretation

and advising, prior to registration. The group which enrolled in spring 1972

had no prescribed test and no personal interview with a counselor prior to

enrollment. Both groups were searched out from college and instructors'

records and identified for this study as new students. Although the basis

for selection of the reading skills courses vas not the same for both groups,

it was known that both groups, once enrolled in the reading skills courses,

were given the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Those scoring below the 35th per-

centile were assigned by the reading instructors to English B and those

scoring above the 35th percentile were assigned by the reading instructors

to English 71. Both groups then experienced the same reading program, the

same battery of pre and post progress tests, the same grading standards, the

same instructors, the same classroom environment (the reading laboratory)

and the same final examination.

Independent

Prescribed Placement Test with Prescribed Personal Interview with

Counselor. The experimental group enrolled in the reading skills courses

after the subjects had taken the prescribed Educational Skills Test and

10

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after they had a prescribed personal interview with a counselor immediately

following the test. All of this group scored below the 50th percentile on

the Educational Skills Test (50th being the cut-off for college transfer

English courses as based on the national junior college norms for the test.)

Those scoring at the 25th percentile or below were advised to take English B

(Basic Reading Skills) and those scoring above the 25th percentile were ad-

vised to take English 71 (Developmental Reading), if they chose to take an

English course. The control group enroll, in the reading skills courses with

no test basis and no personal interview with a counselor. This group had

group counseling only, prior to registration.

Dependent Variable9

Enrollment - The dependent variable, higher rate of enrollment, was

determined by examining instructors' and college records to find out which

of the new students enrolled in the reading skills courses in spring 1972

and 1973. It was expected that the enrollment of the experimental group

would be hither.

Attrition - After final grade sheets were submitted by the instructors,

the attrition of the experimental group was compared with that of the control

group. It was expected that the attrition (withdrawal) of the experimental

group would be lower.

Success - After final grades were computed, the mean grade point of the

experimental group was determined and compared with the moan grade point of

the control group. It was expected that the mean C.P.A. of the experimental

group would be higher.

51.

Procedures

In spring 1973, the orientation program for in-coming students to

Sacramento City College included for the first time a standardized English

skills placement test. The students were told that the test was not to be

used to screen their admission to the college, but to give counselors some

basis for making scheduling recommendations, particularly for English courses,

prior to registration. Since the test was standardized and had established

two-year college norms, counselors would be in a position to advise students

whether they were ready for Freshman English or whether they should take one

of the remedial English courses. The test was given on five separate days

during the week set aside for orientation, the week prior to registrations,

and was administered to 726 students. It was conducted by one counselor, a

specialist in testing, assisted by four to five proctors, members of the

English department or the counseling staff. The test took one bout and fif-

teen minutes and consisted of five parts: three parts tested reading com-

prehension: one part tested understanding of mechanics of writing: one part

tested ability to organize and outline. On completion of the test, the

materials were collected by proctors and sent to the counseling center. The

students were then directed to the counseling center where appointments were

scheduled on an individual basis with counselors for scoring and interpretation.

Due to the "ex post fact" nature of this study, a true experimental

design was not possible. The design was rather a criterion design, C being

the type of counseling and X being the test and the interpretation of the

test, while 0 represented the dependent variables: enrollment, attrition,

and success.

4"1.?.1-A0

-12-

The study relied only on a criterion group design and it was obviously

limited. The procedural design of the study did not attempt to deal with

the cause and effect relationships in any great detail.

C X0,0,01 1 3 5

C 0 , 0 , 02 2 4 6

Data Analysis

A Chi-Square (X2) Test was used to analyze the variance between the

experiemental and the control groups on attrition and enrollment.

A t test was used to analyze the comparative success of the experimental

and the control groups.

1.3

-13-

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Hypothesis A

The hypothesis that Ss who enrolled in reading skills courses as a

result of personalized counseling based on test results will enroll in

reading skills courses at a higher rate than Ss not given such treatment

was tested using a chi square (X1), 2 x 2 contingency table (two independent

samples). The X2value 1.11 (two-tailed test) led to the conclusion that

there was little or no relationship between counseling based on test results

and increased enrollment of new students in the reading skills courses when

compared with a group not given personalized counseling based on test results.

The analysis is shown in Table A1.

Spring 197

Spring 197

TABLE Al

Hypothesis A

Total Enrollment in Enrollment of New StudentsReading Skills Courses in Reading Skills Courses

520 B 69

498 D 55

A + C = 1018 B + D m 124

A + B = 589

C + D = 553

N = 1142

1.11, 0.20 (df=1) - No Statistical Significance

Steps to determine X2

(Chi Square):

1. (A+B) (C+D) (A+C) (B+D) = 41, 115, 908, 344

2. A x D = 28,600

3. B x C = 34,362

4. Step 2 - Step 3 = -5762

5. Step 4 N = 6333

5)26. (Step 5) = 40,106,889

7. N x Step 6 = 45,802,067,238

8. Step 7-:- Step 1 = X2 = 1.11

df =1

p .20 . (Tuckman, Appendix B, Table VII, p. 370).

1.5

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Hypothesis B

The hypothesis that Sswho enrolled in reading skills courses as a

result of personalized counseling based on test results will ,experience a lower

rate of attrition than.Ssnot given such treatment was tested using a chi-

square (X?), 2 x 2 contingency table (two independent samples). The YF

value of 5.62 and its corresponding p value<.02, df=1 (two-tailed test)

leads to the conclusion that students who enrolled in reading skills courses

as a result of personalized counsling based on test results did experience a

significantly lower rate of attrition than students who were not given such

treatment. The analysis is shown in Table B1.

1.7

TABLE B1

Hypothesis B

New Student Enrollment New Student Attrition

Spring 1973A

Spring 197

69 C 6

55 D 14

A + B = 124

= 5.62, p<.02 (df=1)

Steps to determineX2

(Chi Square):

C + D = 20

1. (A+B) C+D) (A+C) (B+D) = 12,834;000

2. A x D = 966

3. B x C = 330

4. Step 2 - Step 3 = 636

5. Step 4 - N = 564

5)26. (Step 5)i = 501,264

7. N x Step 6 = 72,193,616

8. Step Step 1 = X.2 = 5.62

df = 1

p = G02 (Tuckman, Appendix B, Table VII, p. 378)

1.8

A+ B = 75

C + D = 69

N12144

,.. Jr- TABLE ...82 ! - 1-1

-7 HYPOTHES I S B ..ATTRITIODT . -4 --L.' 1. ,

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Hypothesis C

The hypothesis that Ss who enrolled in reading skills courses as a

result of personalized counseling based on test results will experience a

higher rate of success than Ss not given such treatment proved to have no

statistical significance when a t-test was run. The analysis is shown on

Table C1, followed by a graph, Table C2.

Steps to determine t-Test value:

Crou

NS 63

E 201

11x2= 40401

41

114

12996

3.19 2.78

t = .09, df = 102 - No Statistical Significance

1. Group Variances

S2= 641.28

S2

= 316.97

2. t- -value

1.

2.

3. (Step 1 x Step 2) = 20.56

(N1-1) S

2 + (N2-1)-1)1

S2 = 514.09

N1+ N

2-2

N + N.1 4 .04

N1N2

.20

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4. %/Step 3 = 4.34

5. X1 - X2 = .41

6. t = It...9.2.1 = .09Step 4

df = N1 + N2 - 2 = 102

TABLE Cl

Spring 1972 A(55 newstudents)

D F Withdrawal X

23 14 2.78

Spring 1973ABCD Withdrawal X

(69 newstudents) 28 23 6 319

Although the reading program, grading procedures, and instructors were

the same, it is interesting to note the difference in the number of A grades

when spring 73 is compared with spring 72. (See Table C1) Furthermore, the

rate of achievement for new students in Spring 1973, although it is not

significantly different in terms of the t-value, the,,41.mean difference is

one grade higher than in 1972, B for 1973 and C for 1972. (See Table C2),

A s

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The fact that Hypotheses A and C--the enrollment and achievement of

new students in the reading skills courses as a result of personalized

counseling based on test results--proved to be of no significance statistically

may be attributed to: (a) the majority of the students tested who were not

eligible for English lA (73.29 percent) did not take an English course; (b)

many of these students did not enroll in any course.

Since Hypothesis B--that the rate of attrition of new students who en-

rolled in the reading st-111 courses as a result of personalized counseling

based on test results--proved true statistically may be evidence enough to

support the continuance of placement testing followed by a personal interview

with a counselor based on test results, at least until further studies are/11.done using either the same design witl2212Lrket:Emi over a longer period

of time or using a true experimental design and randomization.10

The study, besides providing information to the writers who represent

instruction, Administration, and counseling, as well as to the English depart-

ment and counseling staff, is one of the very few follow-up studies done at

Sacramento City College addressing the problem of placement testing and

counseling and its subsequent effects on students.

Discussion

The findings in this experiment have led to the following conclusions:

1. Contrary to what was hypothesized, personalized counseling based on

test results had little or no effect on the total student enrolment in the

reading, skills courses.

2. As hypothesized, personalized counseling based on test results had

a significant positive effect on the attrition of new students enrolled in

the reading skills courses.

3. Contrary to what was hypothesized, personalized counseling based

on test results had no significant statistical effect on the achieviment

(grade point average) of new studenteenrolled In the reading skills courses.

Despite the fact that hypothesis A and C proved to be null, the study con-

tradicted the report by Bossone (1966) that 40-60 percent of those students

who enrolled in remedial English classes in California public junior colleges

earned a grade of D or F. Of the 69 new students who enrolled in the reading

skills courses in spring 1973 only 2 received a grade of D and only 1 re-

ceived a grade of F. In like manner, of the 55 new students who enrolled in

the reading skills courses in spring 1972, only 1 received a grade of D and 3

received a grade of F. (See Table 5.)

4. The study of prescribed uew student orientation based on test results

should be continued and conducted over a longer period of time. The design

of this study will be continued with new students in fall 1973, and spring

1974. These two groups will provide a much larger group and the basis for

conclusions will have a broader implication.

Bibliography

Bossone, Richard N. "Remedial English Instruction in California Public

Junior Colleges: An Analysis and Evaluation of Current Practices".(Sacramento: California State Department of Education, 1966), 22.

Brown, William F. "Student To Student Counseling for Academic Adjustment".Personnel and Cuidance Journal (1955), 17.

Clark, Robert M. "California Community College Testing Survey". (State

Center Community College District, Reedley College, May 1, 1973), 1.

Knoell, Dorothy M. and Leland L. Medsker. "From Junior College To Senior

College". A National Study of the Transfer Student. (American Council

on Education, 1965), 42.

Moughamean, Henry. "The Effects of an Intensified Counseling Program onSophomore Junior College Students". (U. S. Department of Health, Educa-

tion, and Welfare, Office of Education, Bureau of Research, 1969), 3.

Tuckman, Bruce W. "Personality Structure, Instructional Outcomes, and Pre-

ferences". Incnolimm (1973), 1.

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