Author

John A. Call

Date of Award

5-1-1972

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Past research indicates that the number of students in a high school is related to the students' behaviors and subjective experiences. Students of small schools, vis-a-vis students of large schools (1) enter more different kinds of activities, (2) hold more responsible positions, and (3) experience more satisfactions in connection with their nonclass activities. Thus, the question was raised whether or not this higher rate of high school nonacademic achievement among students from small high schools had any more or less permanent effects on the student's college nonclass activities.

The’ Non Class College Setting (NCCS) Questionnaire was devised and administered to 130 subjects. Ninety-seven subjects were eventually selected as the sample, the screening criteria being marital status, residence at school, and location of high school.

The results of the study indicated that college students from small high schools (1) participate more often in nonclass college activities, (2) hold more responsible positions in their activities, (3) spend more time in these activities, and (4) participate in activities that have fewer total active members than do college students from large high schools. These findings demonstrate that the student's high school environment is related to his future behavior in college nonclass settings, thus displaying an instance of how the environment interacts with human behavior.

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