A quantitative study between the components of the California test of personality and achievement in an elementary school

It was the purpose of this study (1) to investigate the relationships between measured achievement and certain personality factors and (2) to state quantitatively the extent of the relationships by means of correlation techniques. The tests employed in the investigation included the New California Short-Form Test of Mental Maturity, for the purpose of determining the level of intelligence of the group; the Progressive Achievement Test, Elementary, Form A; and the California Test of Personality, Elementary, Form A. The tests were administered according to the instructions prescribed in the Manuals of Directions. The 100 individuals in the sampling were composed of 86 members of the fourth grade and 14 members of the fifth grade of Highlands Elementary School, Highlands, Texas. This group represented the entire fourth grade population which was augmented by the random selection of 14 fifth grade pupils to complete the sampling. The administration of the New California Short-Form Test of Mental Maturity resulted in a mean intelligence quotient of 101.3 with a distribution of scores which may be considered as statistically normal. The results of the Progressive Achievement Test, expressed in raw scores, ranged from 61 to 274 with a mean of 185.05 and a standard deviation of 51. The distribution of scores indicated a negative skewness. The median percentile scores of the California Test of Personality were Self Adjustment, 36.65; Social Adjustment, 51.5; and Total Adjustment, 46.0. After correlating the results of the Progressive Achievement Test with the California Test of Personality it was found that there was very slight relationship between personality traits and academic achievement. The correlations of the component parts of the personality test with achievement ranged from -.029 to .328 with Self Adjustment, Self Reliance, and Community Relations having very slight significant relationship with achievement. The correlations of the remaining personality factors with achievement, being less than four times their probable errors, may be attributed to chance factors in sampling.