Date of Award
Spring 1972
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Ivanoff, John
Second Advisor
Gillespie, Margaret C.
Third Advisor
Nordberg, Robert
Abstract
One major purpose of this investigation was to determine the differences in measured self-concept among college engineering freshmen grouped on the basis of curricular choice. A second major purpose was to determine the trend of measured self-concept within major engineering curricular areas over a five year period. A third major purpose was to ascertain the extent to which self-concept measures, combined with cognitive ability measures and high school rank of entering college freshmen, predict academic achievement at the end of the first academic year and at graduation. The subjects of this research were 437 engineering students from a large, private, midwestern university who were subdivided on the basis of curricular choice into the following three groups: Civil Engineers (CE), Electrical Engineers (EE), and Mechanical Engineers (ME). These groups were further subdivided on the basis of whether they entered the program during the academic years of 1966, 1968, or 1970. Tue Adjective Check List (ACL) was used to measure self-concept; whereas, College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) scores were used as a measure of cognitive ability level. Cumulative quality point average was designated as the criterion and representative of academic achievement. One-way analyses of variance, followed by the Scheffe' method of multiple comparisons, were computed on group ACL and CEEB data to compare mean scores of subjects grouped by curricular choice. Four of the 26 variables were found to be significant at less than the .05 level...