A predictive ability construct for engineering technology students in application-oriented courses

Abstract

Emerging from the Second World War was a strata of post-secondary education known as technical institute education. Programs of this type were designed to be primarily application-oriented in utilizing the principles of science and engineering. Graduates of these programs are considered to be located, occupational wise, between the craftsman and the engineer due to their work performance and educational attainments. In order to determine the potential abilities of prospective students, i.e., primarily high school graduates, it was the purpose of this study to develop a more effective predictor of successful performance for prospective students in engineering technology programs. Such a predictor could serve as a viable criterion for admission to these programs. The ability construct developed in this study included three domains. These were the cognitive, psychomotor, and the affective. Scores were obtained by use of recognized standardized tests in these areas. The General Aptitude Test (GATB) used by the United States Employment service was selected to obtain scores in both the cognitive and psychomotor domains. This battery of tests is made up of seven tests in the cognitive area and five tests in the psychomotor area. Data were collected from two groups of male students enrolled at the University of Houston in Materials and Processes I for the fall of 1973 and the summer of 1974. ...