LOIS M. WELLOCK, Ph.D.
Scores on the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey made by freshmen who later successfully completed work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum at the University of Michigan were compared with scores of eighteen other freshmen groups at the university. Physical therapy students ranked highest on the Biological Science Interest, Social Adjustment, and Emotional Adjustment scales, and lowest on the Infrequent Response, Social Undesirability, and Creative Personality scales. The conclusion was that freshmen who later completed work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum exhibited different opinions, attitudes, and interests than did other freshmen at the university.
A t the University of Michigan, at tempts were made to determine the additional data which could be used in selecting students for the Curriculum in Physical Therapy. Past academic achievement, while controversial, has long been one source of prediction of success in the program. In this article, findings are presented for one area of an ongoing study on predictors of success. Currently, many applica tions are reviewed from students with a grade point average (GPA) of a three plus on a four-point scale, and decision making based on GPAs is difficult. When a student with a high GPA encountered difficulty during the profes sional year of his education, we were apt to say: "But he just doesn't think or act like a physical therapist." In order to gather informa tion on characteristics of past students, scores from the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey (OAIS) 1 were studied. Assuming a person's opinions, attitudes, and interests influence the manner in which he thinks and acts, a comparison was made of selected OAIS scores obtained by new freshmen
Dr. Wellock is Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Re habilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Volume 55 /Number 4, April 1975
in the various schools at the university and the scores obtained by freshmen students who later, during the years 1968 to 1972, success fully completed the work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum. Data were available for students in the schools of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Music, Architecture and Design, Natural Resources, Pharmacy, and Education*. Because scores were available for only thirty-six transfer students, the physical therapy students in this study were mainly those who attended the University of Michigan for all four years. Of the seven students who attempted, but did not complete, the final year of the physical therapy program during the years 1968 to 1972, four were transfer students with no OAIS scores available. The remaining three students were not considered as a group for an analysis. The OAIS, usually administrated to collegebound high school seniors or entering college freshmen, includes factors related to academic interest and success. It is a multidimensional inventory, yielding fourteen scores from 396 true-false responses to self-description or atti-
* Data furnished by Benno G. Fricke, Ph.D., Director, Evaluation and Examination Office, Univer sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
371
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Comparison of Opinions, Attitudes, and Interests of Physical Therapy Students with Other Students at the University of Michigan
DATA USED—OAIS SCORES Response Bias
The three measures of response bias were the scales of Set for True (ST), Infrequent Re sponse (IR), and Social Undesirability (SU). "The ST scale was designed to measure a student's tendency or set to mark 'True' as his answer to the statement in the test booklet." 3 A student with a high ST score would be more apt to accept or comply passively than would a student with a low ST score. "The IR scale was designed to measure a student's tendency to give atypical or uncommon responses." 3 High scores are obtained on the IR scale by students who have marked answers not often marked by other students. Low scores are obtained on the IR scale by students who have marked answers which are more typical, common, or popular responses. "The SU scale was designed to measure a student's tendency to give socially undesirable or overly frank responses." 3 High scores are obtained on the SU scale by students who have been quite open and honest, perhaps even self-deprecatory. Low scores are obtained on the SU scale by students who have given more socially desirable responses and by stu dents who have attempted to paint a desirable picture of themselves socially, emotionally, and academically.
have been shown to predict success in college about as well as scores from college entrance examination tests, such as Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT). The AP scale score, however, is an independent or separate predictor of academic achievement; it measures something important for academic success not measured by the usual ability tests. An estimate of the student's intelligence and intellectual orientation is pro vided by the IQ scale score. The IQ scale measures intelligence through the use of nonintellectual material. Although scores from the IQ scale have a fairly strong relationship with scores from standard ability tests (SAT and ACT), they do not predict college grades as well as scores from the typical ability test or the AP scale. "Students who obtain high CP scores tend to think and feel like students who are found by teachers to be imaginative, original, creative, and highly capable of reorganizing ideas and material." 4 Psychological Adjustment
The two scales of Psychological Adjustment used were the Social Adjustment (SA) and the Emotional Adjustment (EA). "The SA scale measures psychological factors associated with interest in and capability for good interpersonal relations." 3 It measures attributes associated with a "nice personality." High scores on the SA scale are usually obtained by students who get along well with others and are well-liked by their classmates. Scores from the SA scale correspond to ratings of social adjustment and popularity as made by student peers and others in a position to make valid judgments. "The EA scale measures psychological factors associated with feelings of security, optimism, personal worth, and calmness." 3 Counselors have judged students who scored high on the EA scale as self-confident, mature, and in good control of themselves, and as having a sense of well-being.
Academic Promise Educational-Vocational Interest
The three measures of academic promise were the scales of Achiever Personality (AP), the Intellectual Quality (IQ), and the Creative Personality (CP). An estimate of the kind of grades a student will get in college is provided by the AP scale score. Scores from the AP scale
372
The five measures of educational-vocational interest used were the scales of Business and Commerce (BU), Humanities and the Arts (HU), Social and Behavioral Science (SS), Physical Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
PHYSICAL THERAPY
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tudinal items. The objective in the construction of the scales is to furnish a measurement of factors in scholastic success not assessed by ability tests. Detailed information on test development, construction, validation, and in terpretation is available elsewhere. 1 , 2 Some psychologists 2 question the adequacy of the statistical evidence presented by the originator 1 of OAIS. For purposes of this article, the assumption was made that the scales do measure what they purport to measure.
TABLE 1
OPINION, ATTITUDE, AND INTEREST SURVEY SCORES Bias
Academic
Adjustment
Interest
Group
ST
IR
SU
AP
IQ
CP
SA
EA
BU
HU
SS
PS
BS
LSA a
(1,628 men) 1970-71 LSA (1,431 women) 1970-71
48 44
77 71
70 70
66 71
69 79
70 80
26 22
37 29
12 06
50 66
34 43
51 39
17 21
LSA (1,587 men) 1969-70 LSA (1,595 women) 1969-70
48 44
71 65
70 64
60 66
69 74
70 75
26 31
33 29
14 10
50 61
38 43
45 33
14 17
Engg b (749 total) 1970-71 Engg (781 total) 1969-70
48 53
71 65
64 70
60 55
57 57
58 51
26 31
41 37
14 17
27 27
26 22
67 62
25 25
Nursg c (197 women) 1970-71 Nursg (234 women) 1969-70
54 53
65 50
64 58
60 60
51 51
45 45
36 36
37 37
17 12
32 39
30 30
33 33
30 40
Music (155 total) 1970-71 Music (148 total) 1969-70
48 53
71 58
64 64
66 61
63 63
70 65
31 31
33 37
10 10
66 56
38 35
27 33
30 30
Arch & Des d (121 total) 1970-71 45 Arch & Des (154 total) 1969-70 53
81 66
70 70
60 60
63 63
84 64
16 26
26 30
06 14
56 56
26 26
51 45
21 25
Nat Res e (83 total) 1970-71 Nat Res (53 total) 1969-70
53 53
81 72
70 64
60 66
57 52
65 58
16 31
27 37
06 12
61 38
14 22
46 51
35 52
Pharm f (51 total) 1970-71 Pharm (34 total) 1969-70
49 54
71 50
59 65
56 60
45 45
58 45
19 31
42 42
24 18
27 27
23 23
39 51
25 41
Educ g (66 total) 1970-71 Educ (82 total) 1969-70
54 67
77 72
58 52
44 39
33 23
58 58
36 31
33 38
34 24
38 32
34 26
22 27
30 35
Phys ther grads as freshmen* 1 (155 total) 1968-72
46
39
49
63
59
42
51
45
22
32
37
40
46
a b c d
Literature, Science, and the Arts. Engineering. Nursing. Architecture and Design.
(PS), and Biological and Health Sciences, and Agriculture (BS). An estimate of a student's interest in financial matters, material wealth, power, and practical concerns is provided by scores from the BU scale. An estimate of a student's interest in ideas and artistic expres sion is provided by scores from the HU scale. An estimate of a student's interest in people and human interactions and problems is pro vided by scores from the SS scale. An estimate of a student's interest in inanimate objects and symbols and their manipulations is provided by scores from the PS scale. An estimate of a student's interest in living things and life Volume 55 / Number 4, April 1975
e f g h
Natural Resources. Pharmacy. Education. Physical therapy graduates, scores as freshmen.
processes is provided by scores from the BS scale. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
As shown in Table 1, physical therapy students in this study differed from other students at the University of Michigan in the OAIS scores obtained. The Literature, Science, and the Arts groups included fifty freshmen who later became physical therapy students, so the difference between the scores of other LSA students and physical therapy students is probably even greater than the figures here
373
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Median Scores of New Freshmen and Physical Therapy Graduates (scored as freshman) at University of Michigan
TABLE 2 Rank of Physical Therapy Graduates on Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey Scores Academic Promise* 5
Adjustment 0
Educational-Vocational Interest^
ST
IR
SU
AP
IQ
CP
SA
EA
BU
HU
SS
PS
BS
15
19
19
6
9
19
1
1
4
13
5
10
1
a
ST, set for true; IR, infrequent response; SU, social undesirability. AP, achiever personality; IQ, intellectual quality; CP, creative personality. c SA, social adjustment; EA, emotional adjustment. d BU, business and commerce; HU, humanities and the arts; SS, social and behavioral science; PS, physical science, engineering, and mathematics; BS, biological and health sciences and agriculture. b
indicate. As shown in Table 2, physical therapy students ranked at extreme ends, either first or nineteenth, in six of the scores. Scores on the Response Bias scales suggest that physical therapy students will not comply passively, nor will they accept statements with inadequate attention to their content as readily as will students in fourteen of the other groups. Physical therapy students responded with more typical, common, or popular responses, and with more socially desirable responses than did students in any of the other eighteen groups. This type of response indicates that the physical therapy students were concerned about what other people think about them and expect from them. More so than students in the other groups, physical therapy students at tempted to paint a desirable picture of them selves. On the Academic Promise—Achiever Per sonality scale, the range of scores was not great. Five groups were slightly higher and two groups were considerably lower than the physical therapy students. On the Academic PromiseIntellectual Quality scale, eight groups were higher, ten were lower. On the Academic Promise—Creative Personality scale, physical therapy students ranked nineteenth. Academic Promise scale scores indicate the physical therapy students were close to the middle in characteristics of achievement and intellectual orientation, but were the lowest group in characteristics of creative personality. Students who score lower on the creative personality scale have responded like students who are more conventional in their ideas and behavior. Studies have shown that if any relationship exists between grades earned in college and CP scores it is a tendency for those who obtain 374
high CP scores to obtain lower grades. 4 In an unpublished study by this author, a higher positive correlation was found between CP scores and physical therapy GPAs (r of .13) and CP scores and on-the-job evaluation (r of .16) than with CP scores and student clinical affiliation ratings (r of .06). On both the Social and Emotional Adjust ment scales, the physical therapy students ranked first, thus indicating, by comparison with the other groups, that these students exhibited a high capacity to get along with others, a tendency to be well-liked, a high degree of self-confidence and maturity, and a sense of well-being. According to Fricke, students with extremely high CP scores are apt to have low SA scores, thus creating problems for themselves and the "establishment." 5 The physical therapy students in this study had neither extremely high nor low CP and SA scores, forty-two and fifty-one respectively; however, the scores gave the physical therapy students a ranking of nineteenth in CP and first in SA. On the Educational-Vocational Interest scales, the rank of the physical therapy students indicated their estimated interest was greater than that of two-thirds of the other groups in living things and life processes; financial mat ters, material worth, power, and practical concerns; and people, human interactions, and problems. Estimate of interest in a particular area does not automatically assure success in the area, but interest should serve as a motivational factor. This study has shown the opinions, attitudes, and interests which differentiate the physical therapy students from the other groups of students. Perhaps the profile of the OAIS scores PHYSICAL THERAPY
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/55/4/371/4567827 by University of Texas at Dallas - McDermott Library user on 16 February 2019
Response Bias a
independently as in interpersonal relation situa tions. They exhibited a higher degree of self-confidence, maturity, and sense of wellbeing, and a higher interest in living things and life processes. They showed greater interest than did fifteen of the other groups in financial matters, material worth, power, and practical concerns; and greater interest in people, human interactions, and problems than did fourteen of the other groups.
SUMMARY
REFERENCES
By comparison with eighteen other freshmen groups at the University of Michigan, physical therapy graduates, as freshmen, exhibited dif ferent opinions, attitudes, and interests as indicated by responses on the Opinion, Atti tude, and Interest Survey (OAIS) scales. They responded with more typical, common, or popular responses and attempted to paint a more desirable picture of themselves. They indicated that they were more conventional and that they could function about equally well
1. Fricke BG: Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey: A Guide to Personality and Interest Measurement. Ann Arbor, OAIS Testing Program, 196 5 2. Crites JO, Webster H: Tests and Review. In Sixth Mental Measurements Yearbook, edited by OK Buros. Highland Park, New Jersey, 1965, pp 336-339 3. College of Literature, Science, and the Arts: A Handbook for Academic Advisors. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, 1972-1973 4. University of Michigan: Student's Guide to Under standing His OAIS Scores. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan 5. Fricke BG: Personal communication, February 26, 1974
Anatomy of the Trunk A Review BARBARA E. KENT, M.A.
Divided into two parts, this review is presented to help physical therapists evaluate and treat patients who have neck or back problems with greater understanding and increased effective ness
Paper, 36 pp, illus, $2.00
Order from:
American Physical Therapy Association 1 1 56 1 5th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 Volume 55 / Number 4, April 1975
375
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contains clues to indicate characteristics which make a student think and act as he does. The next step might be to find out which, if any, of the opinions, attitudes, and interests of the physical therapy students are similar to those of practicing physical therapists. Once this has been determined, then further consider ation can be given as to whether, or to what extent, the OAIS might be used in the future selection process.
Scores on the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey made by freshmen who later successfully completed work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum at the University of Michigan were compared with scores of eighteen other freshmen groups at the university. Physical therapy students ranked highest on the Biological Science Interest, Social Adjustment, and Emotional Adjustment scales, and lowest on the Infrequent Response, Social Undesirability, and Creative Personality scales. The conclusion was that freshmen who later completed work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum exhibited different opinions, attitudes, and interests than did other freshmen at the university.
A t the University of Michigan, at tempts were made to determine the additional data which could be used in selecting students for the Curriculum in Physical Therapy. Past academic achievement, while controversial, has long been one source of prediction of success in the program. In this article, findings are presented for one area of an ongoing study on predictors of success. Currently, many applica tions are reviewed from students with a grade point average (GPA) of a three plus on a four-point scale, and decision making based on GPAs is difficult. When a student with a high GPA encountered difficulty during the profes sional year of his education, we were apt to say: "But he just doesn't think or act like a physical therapist." In order to gather informa tion on characteristics of past students, scores from the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey (OAIS) 1 were studied. Assuming a person's opinions, attitudes, and interests influence the manner in which he thinks and acts, a comparison was made of selected OAIS scores obtained by new freshmen
Dr. Wellock is Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Re habilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Volume 55 /Number 4, April 1975
in the various schools at the university and the scores obtained by freshmen students who later, during the years 1968 to 1972, success fully completed the work in the Physical Therapy Curriculum. Data were available for students in the schools of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Music, Architecture and Design, Natural Resources, Pharmacy, and Education*. Because scores were available for only thirty-six transfer students, the physical therapy students in this study were mainly those who attended the University of Michigan for all four years. Of the seven students who attempted, but did not complete, the final year of the physical therapy program during the years 1968 to 1972, four were transfer students with no OAIS scores available. The remaining three students were not considered as a group for an analysis. The OAIS, usually administrated to collegebound high school seniors or entering college freshmen, includes factors related to academic interest and success. It is a multidimensional inventory, yielding fourteen scores from 396 true-false responses to self-description or atti-
* Data furnished by Benno G. Fricke, Ph.D., Director, Evaluation and Examination Office, Univer sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
371
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Comparison of Opinions, Attitudes, and Interests of Physical Therapy Students with Other Students at the University of Michigan
DATA USED—OAIS SCORES Response Bias
The three measures of response bias were the scales of Set for True (ST), Infrequent Re sponse (IR), and Social Undesirability (SU). "The ST scale was designed to measure a student's tendency or set to mark 'True' as his answer to the statement in the test booklet." 3 A student with a high ST score would be more apt to accept or comply passively than would a student with a low ST score. "The IR scale was designed to measure a student's tendency to give atypical or uncommon responses." 3 High scores are obtained on the IR scale by students who have marked answers not often marked by other students. Low scores are obtained on the IR scale by students who have marked answers which are more typical, common, or popular responses. "The SU scale was designed to measure a student's tendency to give socially undesirable or overly frank responses." 3 High scores are obtained on the SU scale by students who have been quite open and honest, perhaps even self-deprecatory. Low scores are obtained on the SU scale by students who have given more socially desirable responses and by stu dents who have attempted to paint a desirable picture of themselves socially, emotionally, and academically.
have been shown to predict success in college about as well as scores from college entrance examination tests, such as Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT). The AP scale score, however, is an independent or separate predictor of academic achievement; it measures something important for academic success not measured by the usual ability tests. An estimate of the student's intelligence and intellectual orientation is pro vided by the IQ scale score. The IQ scale measures intelligence through the use of nonintellectual material. Although scores from the IQ scale have a fairly strong relationship with scores from standard ability tests (SAT and ACT), they do not predict college grades as well as scores from the typical ability test or the AP scale. "Students who obtain high CP scores tend to think and feel like students who are found by teachers to be imaginative, original, creative, and highly capable of reorganizing ideas and material." 4 Psychological Adjustment
The two scales of Psychological Adjustment used were the Social Adjustment (SA) and the Emotional Adjustment (EA). "The SA scale measures psychological factors associated with interest in and capability for good interpersonal relations." 3 It measures attributes associated with a "nice personality." High scores on the SA scale are usually obtained by students who get along well with others and are well-liked by their classmates. Scores from the SA scale correspond to ratings of social adjustment and popularity as made by student peers and others in a position to make valid judgments. "The EA scale measures psychological factors associated with feelings of security, optimism, personal worth, and calmness." 3 Counselors have judged students who scored high on the EA scale as self-confident, mature, and in good control of themselves, and as having a sense of well-being.
Academic Promise Educational-Vocational Interest
The three measures of academic promise were the scales of Achiever Personality (AP), the Intellectual Quality (IQ), and the Creative Personality (CP). An estimate of the kind of grades a student will get in college is provided by the AP scale score. Scores from the AP scale
372
The five measures of educational-vocational interest used were the scales of Business and Commerce (BU), Humanities and the Arts (HU), Social and Behavioral Science (SS), Physical Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/55/4/371/4567827 by University of Texas at Dallas - McDermott Library user on 16 February 2019
tudinal items. The objective in the construction of the scales is to furnish a measurement of factors in scholastic success not assessed by ability tests. Detailed information on test development, construction, validation, and in terpretation is available elsewhere. 1 , 2 Some psychologists 2 question the adequacy of the statistical evidence presented by the originator 1 of OAIS. For purposes of this article, the assumption was made that the scales do measure what they purport to measure.
TABLE 1
OPINION, ATTITUDE, AND INTEREST SURVEY SCORES Bias
Academic
Adjustment
Interest
Group
ST
IR
SU
AP
IQ
CP
SA
EA
BU
HU
SS
PS
BS
LSA a
(1,628 men) 1970-71 LSA (1,431 women) 1970-71
48 44
77 71
70 70
66 71
69 79
70 80
26 22
37 29
12 06
50 66
34 43
51 39
17 21
LSA (1,587 men) 1969-70 LSA (1,595 women) 1969-70
48 44
71 65
70 64
60 66
69 74
70 75
26 31
33 29
14 10
50 61
38 43
45 33
14 17
Engg b (749 total) 1970-71 Engg (781 total) 1969-70
48 53
71 65
64 70
60 55
57 57
58 51
26 31
41 37
14 17
27 27
26 22
67 62
25 25
Nursg c (197 women) 1970-71 Nursg (234 women) 1969-70
54 53
65 50
64 58
60 60
51 51
45 45
36 36
37 37
17 12
32 39
30 30
33 33
30 40
Music (155 total) 1970-71 Music (148 total) 1969-70
48 53
71 58
64 64
66 61
63 63
70 65
31 31
33 37
10 10
66 56
38 35
27 33
30 30
Arch & Des d (121 total) 1970-71 45 Arch & Des (154 total) 1969-70 53
81 66
70 70
60 60
63 63
84 64
16 26
26 30
06 14
56 56
26 26
51 45
21 25
Nat Res e (83 total) 1970-71 Nat Res (53 total) 1969-70
53 53
81 72
70 64
60 66
57 52
65 58
16 31
27 37
06 12
61 38
14 22
46 51
35 52
Pharm f (51 total) 1970-71 Pharm (34 total) 1969-70
49 54
71 50
59 65
56 60
45 45
58 45
19 31
42 42
24 18
27 27
23 23
39 51
25 41
Educ g (66 total) 1970-71 Educ (82 total) 1969-70
54 67
77 72
58 52
44 39
33 23
58 58
36 31
33 38
34 24
38 32
34 26
22 27
30 35
Phys ther grads as freshmen* 1 (155 total) 1968-72
46
39
49
63
59
42
51
45
22
32
37
40
46
a b c d
Literature, Science, and the Arts. Engineering. Nursing. Architecture and Design.
(PS), and Biological and Health Sciences, and Agriculture (BS). An estimate of a student's interest in financial matters, material wealth, power, and practical concerns is provided by scores from the BU scale. An estimate of a student's interest in ideas and artistic expres sion is provided by scores from the HU scale. An estimate of a student's interest in people and human interactions and problems is pro vided by scores from the SS scale. An estimate of a student's interest in inanimate objects and symbols and their manipulations is provided by scores from the PS scale. An estimate of a student's interest in living things and life Volume 55 / Number 4, April 1975
e f g h
Natural Resources. Pharmacy. Education. Physical therapy graduates, scores as freshmen.
processes is provided by scores from the BS scale. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
As shown in Table 1, physical therapy students in this study differed from other students at the University of Michigan in the OAIS scores obtained. The Literature, Science, and the Arts groups included fifty freshmen who later became physical therapy students, so the difference between the scores of other LSA students and physical therapy students is probably even greater than the figures here
373
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Median Scores of New Freshmen and Physical Therapy Graduates (scored as freshman) at University of Michigan
TABLE 2 Rank of Physical Therapy Graduates on Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey Scores Academic Promise* 5
Adjustment 0
Educational-Vocational Interest^
ST
IR
SU
AP
IQ
CP
SA
EA
BU
HU
SS
PS
BS
15
19
19
6
9
19
1
1
4
13
5
10
1
a
ST, set for true; IR, infrequent response; SU, social undesirability. AP, achiever personality; IQ, intellectual quality; CP, creative personality. c SA, social adjustment; EA, emotional adjustment. d BU, business and commerce; HU, humanities and the arts; SS, social and behavioral science; PS, physical science, engineering, and mathematics; BS, biological and health sciences and agriculture. b
indicate. As shown in Table 2, physical therapy students ranked at extreme ends, either first or nineteenth, in six of the scores. Scores on the Response Bias scales suggest that physical therapy students will not comply passively, nor will they accept statements with inadequate attention to their content as readily as will students in fourteen of the other groups. Physical therapy students responded with more typical, common, or popular responses, and with more socially desirable responses than did students in any of the other eighteen groups. This type of response indicates that the physical therapy students were concerned about what other people think about them and expect from them. More so than students in the other groups, physical therapy students at tempted to paint a desirable picture of them selves. On the Academic Promise—Achiever Per sonality scale, the range of scores was not great. Five groups were slightly higher and two groups were considerably lower than the physical therapy students. On the Academic PromiseIntellectual Quality scale, eight groups were higher, ten were lower. On the Academic Promise—Creative Personality scale, physical therapy students ranked nineteenth. Academic Promise scale scores indicate the physical therapy students were close to the middle in characteristics of achievement and intellectual orientation, but were the lowest group in characteristics of creative personality. Students who score lower on the creative personality scale have responded like students who are more conventional in their ideas and behavior. Studies have shown that if any relationship exists between grades earned in college and CP scores it is a tendency for those who obtain 374
high CP scores to obtain lower grades. 4 In an unpublished study by this author, a higher positive correlation was found between CP scores and physical therapy GPAs (r of .13) and CP scores and on-the-job evaluation (r of .16) than with CP scores and student clinical affiliation ratings (r of .06). On both the Social and Emotional Adjust ment scales, the physical therapy students ranked first, thus indicating, by comparison with the other groups, that these students exhibited a high capacity to get along with others, a tendency to be well-liked, a high degree of self-confidence and maturity, and a sense of well-being. According to Fricke, students with extremely high CP scores are apt to have low SA scores, thus creating problems for themselves and the "establishment." 5 The physical therapy students in this study had neither extremely high nor low CP and SA scores, forty-two and fifty-one respectively; however, the scores gave the physical therapy students a ranking of nineteenth in CP and first in SA. On the Educational-Vocational Interest scales, the rank of the physical therapy students indicated their estimated interest was greater than that of two-thirds of the other groups in living things and life processes; financial mat ters, material worth, power, and practical concerns; and people, human interactions, and problems. Estimate of interest in a particular area does not automatically assure success in the area, but interest should serve as a motivational factor. This study has shown the opinions, attitudes, and interests which differentiate the physical therapy students from the other groups of students. Perhaps the profile of the OAIS scores PHYSICAL THERAPY
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/55/4/371/4567827 by University of Texas at Dallas - McDermott Library user on 16 February 2019
Response Bias a
independently as in interpersonal relation situa tions. They exhibited a higher degree of self-confidence, maturity, and sense of wellbeing, and a higher interest in living things and life processes. They showed greater interest than did fifteen of the other groups in financial matters, material worth, power, and practical concerns; and greater interest in people, human interactions, and problems than did fourteen of the other groups.
SUMMARY
REFERENCES
By comparison with eighteen other freshmen groups at the University of Michigan, physical therapy graduates, as freshmen, exhibited dif ferent opinions, attitudes, and interests as indicated by responses on the Opinion, Atti tude, and Interest Survey (OAIS) scales. They responded with more typical, common, or popular responses and attempted to paint a more desirable picture of themselves. They indicated that they were more conventional and that they could function about equally well
1. Fricke BG: Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey: A Guide to Personality and Interest Measurement. Ann Arbor, OAIS Testing Program, 196 5 2. Crites JO, Webster H: Tests and Review. In Sixth Mental Measurements Yearbook, edited by OK Buros. Highland Park, New Jersey, 1965, pp 336-339 3. College of Literature, Science, and the Arts: A Handbook for Academic Advisors. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, 1972-1973 4. University of Michigan: Student's Guide to Under standing His OAIS Scores. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan 5. Fricke BG: Personal communication, February 26, 1974
Anatomy of the Trunk A Review BARBARA E. KENT, M.A.
Divided into two parts, this review is presented to help physical therapists evaluate and treat patients who have neck or back problems with greater understanding and increased effective ness
Paper, 36 pp, illus, $2.00
Order from:
American Physical Therapy Association 1 1 56 1 5th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005 Volume 55 / Number 4, April 1975
375
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contains clues to indicate characteristics which make a student think and act as he does. The next step might be to find out which, if any, of the opinions, attitudes, and interests of the physical therapy students are similar to those of practicing physical therapists. Once this has been determined, then further consider ation can be given as to whether, or to what extent, the OAIS might be used in the future selection process.
