Research Work at Birmingham into the use of Psychological Tests in Vocational Guidance
It is gratifying to hear from time to time of the increasing co-operation of educational bodies with the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. The Birmingham Education Committee have recently drawn up a report on their research work and by the courtesy of Dr Innes we are allowed to reprint it here: ?
The Birmingham Education Committee have always realised the import- ance of exploring every method of giving vocational guidance to children leaving school. As might be expected, therefore, they have directed their attention to the use of Vocational Tests.
In 1925, the generosity of a local Trust made it possible for the Committee to send two members of the staff of the Juvenile Employment and Welfare Department to London to receive a course of training at the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. In 1927 the Education Committee decided to under- take definite research work and inaugurated two experiments.
The First Experiment
The object of the first experiment was to ascertain from the point of view ?f a Juvenile Employment Committee the practical value of a certain series of
tests for selecting boys with innate aptitude and ability for engineering work. The tests chosen were given to a group of engineering apprentices at the Central Technical College and also to a group of boys who were just com- pleting a two,year full time course at a Junior Technical School. These groups were ranked by the teaching staffs in order of ” apprentice ability ” and com- parison was then made with the test results. Consideration was given to temperament and personality traits, and it is interesting to note that when allowance was macfe for particular temperament traits the agreement between the test results and the teachers’ rankings was over 90 per cent. Research work is still being continued in connection with these tests. They are being given to every boy admitted to the Junior Technical School and careful records are being kept in order that they may be compared with the school records at the conclusion of the course. Information will thus be ob- tained as to the value of the tests in selecting boys for admission to the School. The tests are also being used at the request of certain firms with a view to judging their value in selecting boys for apprenticeships.
The Second Experiment
The aim of the second experiment was to find out whether certain tests known to be of value in estimating aptitudes and qualities required in industry could be put to practical use in advising boys and girls in their choice of careers. During four terms the children leaving three Elementary Schools were divided into two groups. The children in one group were given vocational guidance in accordance with the general method followed in Birmingham and constituted the ” control group.” The children in the other group constituted the ” tested group ” and were given guidance based on the results of a series of psychological tests studied in conjunction with social, scholastic, medical and temperamental reports.
The industrial careers of the children in both groups were watched during a period of two years and the resulting data were studied from various aspects, viz., duration of posts, reasons for leaving posts, views of employers as to the efficiency of the children and the opinions of the children themselves as to the suitability of the posts. It was found that, from whatever aspect the evidence was studied, children whose vocational guidance was partly determined by the results of the series of tests and who entered posts in accordance with the guidance were more satisfactorily placed than any of the other children. While the Education Committee deprecated any final conclusions being drawn from the results of either of the two experiments, they were satisfied that both enquiries appeared to indicate distinctly that young people might be more effectively guided if the special means of supplementing the usual methods of giving vocational advice were available and had been standardised. As already indicated, the Committee are continuing the research work in con- nection with engineering ability. So far as the second experiment is concerned, it should be stated that the results confirmed conclusions reached in a larger experiment in London. The next step was to examine methods of putting this scientific practice into operation. About 15,000 children leave School each year in Birmingham and it would be a task of some magnitude to apply a scheme of special vocational guidance necessitating the use of a series of psycho- logical tests to such a large number of scholars. Consideration was conse- quently given to the possibility of arranging for selected Teachers to apply the tests to the children in the Schools. Head Teachers were consulted, and it was found that there were so many volunteers that only a proportion could be chosen. Arrangements were made for a course of training in the Scientific Methods of Vocational Guidance to be given to fourteen Teachers drawn from seven Elementary Schools, and to other Juvenile Employment Officers by the two Investigators who had conducted the original experiments. These Teachers and Officers have been trained in the general theory underlying the use of psychological methods and have been shown the special technique necessary in the application of various group and individual tests. They have had a con- siderable amount of practice in the work and have undergone an examination conducted by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. It is, therefore, now possible to enlarge the scope of research work into the practical use of scientific vocational guidance. In each of the schools it is proposed that the specially trained Teachers shall apply tests to children during their last term at school. The Investigators will be in general charge and will co-operate with the Teachers in the interpretation of the results. Vocational Guidance will be given and arrangements will be made to ” follow up ” the children in order that the results may be examined at the end of at least a two year period. While this first Group of Teachers is proceeding with their investigations, the second Group of Teachers will begin a Training Course so that eventually, a sufficiently large number of schools and children will have had experience with the new methods to enable the Education Committee to form a reliable estimate as to the value of the system.
In view of the fact that the Training Course arranged by the Birming- ham Education Committee is the first effort of its sort in this Country, it may be of interest to give some particulars. The Course was conducted by Mrs. E. P. Hunt and Mr. Percival Smith. The training given was definitely limited in scope, but within the severe limitations it was very thorough. A special library was provided, and the members of the class were urged to undertake a certain amount of reading. In addition to the theoretical background, they were required to obtain a considerable amount of practice in the special tech- nique necessary in applying various types of tests. The subjects included in the Course were:?General Testing Methods, Group Tests of Intelligence, Performance Tests, Mechanical Ability Tests, Manual Dexterity Tests, Clerical Tests, Temperament and its Assessment and Elementary Psychological Statistics. At the conclusion of the Training Course an examination was arranged by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. Each member of the class taking the examination was required to pass a theoretical and a practical examination. At the practical examination which was supervised by Dr A. Macrae of the National Institute, each candidate interviewed and examined by means of certain Performance Tests and Tests of Manual Dex- terity, a child with whom he or she had no previous acquaintance. Forms were provided for recording the test results, and the information gained con- cerning home conditions, leisure, interests, vocational inclinations and so forth. The candidates were required also to record, on a specially prepared rating scale, their judgments of certain tendencies of temperament and character. The children had previously been given a verbal intelligence test, the results of which, together with copies of the school-leaving cards completed by the Head Teachers were made available to the candidates.
The examinations of the children were conducted in separate rooms and Dr Macrae observed in each case the initial handling of the child and the beginning of the testing. At a later stage in the testing he returned to make further observations. Finally, when the testing had been completed and the various forms filled in he questioned the candidate regarding the methods generally and, in particular, the conclusions formed concerning the child examined. The total time spent in observation of, and discussion with, each candidate was forty minutes.
The report on the examination received from the National Institute of Industrial Psychology states that considered as a whole the standard of work achieved by the candidates appeared to be distinctly higher than might reason- ably have been expected, and seemed to reflect great credit on both the instruc- tors and the instructed. The examiner was impressed by the enthusiasm of the teachers, their grasp of the practical methods of testing, their appreciation of both the merits and the limitations of the psychological technique, and their frank recognition of their own limitations as practitioners. In the opinion of the National Institute, the experiment of giving teachers a limited training in these methods would appear to be justified. ” Indeed,” the report states, ” the candidates were so good that it may perhaps be advisable to consider an exten- sion of the training particularly in the direction of assessing temperament.” Very careful consideration has been given to the question of the issue of some sort of certificate to the successful candidates. Naturally, they have expected some definite recognition of what they rightly regard as a special qualification. It will be realised that these teachers will now begin using certain psychological tests in the schools. Undoubtedly, when this fact becomes known there may be a tendency for such tests to become over-popular, and other teachers who have not had any specialised training may begin to use them. It would seem therefore, that only by the issue of some form of certifi- cate will it be possible to control the further use of the tests. It must also be realised that good as the training is, within its own limits, it is not sufficient to enable the recipients to do more than the preliminary work in administering tests and, where teachers are concerned, to use their knowldgc of the children in the scientific assessment of temperamental characteristics. Any final con- elusions as to vocational guidance will obviously necessitate a more intimate knowledge of industrial conditions entailing additional qualifications. Considerable thought has also been given to the question as to who should issue the certificate which I would again emphasise is to give some form of recognition to the teachers and juvenile employment officers who are going to assist in the experimental work in the immediate future. It was felt, there- fore, that for the present purpose a certificate should be issued by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology and countersigned by the Chief Officer of the Local Education Authority responsible for the Training Course.
Great care has been exercised in drafting the certificate which places adequate restriction on the use of tests and the giving of vocational guidance, and the Officers of the Board of Education and the Ministry of Labour have been consulted in regard to the matter.
It is perhaps desirable to emphasise the fact that this pioneer work which may have in the future a great effect on the whole system of vocational guid- ance, and which in any event is of the greatest importance as research work, has only been made possible by the receipt of voluntary funds specially given for this purpose. P. D. INNES, September, 1933. Chief Education Officer,
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