SUBJECT MATTER AND CLASSROOM CLIMATE - A TEST OF HOLLAND'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROPOSITIONS

• NCJ Number: 52429
• Journal: American Educational Research Journal Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (WINTER 1978) Pages: 111-124
• Author(s): J C HEARN; R H MOOS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH16026; AA02863
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Agriculture; National Institute of Mental Health; Veterans Admin
• Corporate Author: American Educational Research Assoc
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE HOLLAND TYPOLOGY IS USED TO TEST THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLASSROOM SUBJECT MATTER AND CLASSROOM PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE. THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTAL SCALE IS APPLIED TO 207 HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES.

Abstract

THE SAMPLE CLASSES WERE ASSIGNED TO THE FOLLOWING FIVE TYPOLOGIES BASED ON THE HOLLAND SYSTEM: (1) REALISTIC, WHICH INCLUDES AUTO REPAIR COURSES, GENERAL SHOP, AND MACHINE SHOP; (2) INVESTIGATIVE, WHICH INCLUDES MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS, AND SCIENCE COURSES; (3) ARTISTIC, WHICH INCLUDES ART, COMPOSITION, LANGUAGES, AND DRAMA; (4) SOCIAL, WHICH INCLUDES ECONOMICS, HISTORY, AND SOCIAL STUDIES; AND (5) CONVENTIONAL, WHICH INCLUDES BOOKKEEPING, SHORTHAND, AND TYPING. THE FOLLOWING ENVIRONMENTAL TYPES WERE CORRELATED WITH THE TYPOLOGIES IN THE HOLLAND SYSTEM: REALISTIC--ASOCIAL AND MATERIALISTIC; ARTISTIC--DISORDERLY AND IMAGINATIVE; AND SOCIAL--FRIENDLY AND IDEALISTIC. STUDENTS AND TEACHERS PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT THEMSELVES AND ABOUT THE SOCIAL CLIMATE OF THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE STUDENT DESCRIPTIONS OF CLASSROOM CLIMATES WERE OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO THE STUDY. UNIVARIATE AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE DATA. RESULTS SHOW THAT THE HOLLAND-BASED CLASSROOM TYPOLOGIES WERE RELATED PREDICTABLY TO CLASSROOM SOCIAL CLIMATES. ARTISTIC CLASSES, AS EXPECTED, RECEIVED HIGH RATINGS ON INNOVATION AND LOW RATINGS ON COMPETITION, RULE CLARITY, AND TEACHER CONTROL. INVESTIGATIVE CLASSES RECEIVED HIGH RATINGS ON TASK ORIENTATION AND TEACHER CONTROL. THE SCORES OF THE HOLLAND TYPES ON THE TWO DISCRIMINATE FUNCTIONS, TASK ORIENTATION AND RULE ORIENTATION, WERE GENERALLY IN LINE WITH EXPECTATIONS, AND THE ORDERING OF CLASS TYPES BY DEGREE OF SIMILARITY WAS POSITIVELY, ALBEIT WEAKLY, RELATED TO HOLLAND'S HEXAGONAL MODEL PROPOSITIONS. IT IS NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN SCHOOL CLASSES MAY NOT FIT THE HOLLAND TYPES AS WELL AS PARTICIPANTS IN OTHER WORK ENVIRONMENTS FIT THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL TYPES. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)