Problems of Consistent Over-, Under-, and Normal-Achieving College Students as Identified by the Mooney Problem Check List

Abstract

IT IS QUITE evident that, at the present time, greater numbers of students are seeking college I admission than can possibly be enrolled. There is no question that there will be an enormous increase in college and university enrollment in the years ahead. Unfortunately, this expanding | enrollment has tended to lead many colleges and I universities either to neglect or treat in a hap| hazard manner the problem of student failure | and under-achievement, and to concentrate in stead upon selecting from the great number of eager applicants more students to replace those who were lost. This philosophy, if it persists, can have grave imlications leading to the neglect of j the student as an individual. | The neglect of the under-achieveing student is j also founded upon the fact that under-achievej ment is so complex in nature and origin, so wide spread, and in need of such urgent solution in the case of failing college students, that most edu cators, college counselors, and other student per sonnel workers find it impossible to devote an j adequate amount of time to the problem and still carry out other responsibilities. It becomes [ evident that the responsibility for investigating | the problem of underand over-achievement lies with those in the field of education who are es pecially interested in the problem and who have the time and material with which to work. We, as these researchers, must aid our fellow workers by providing them with additional information about the behavior characteristics which will aid in the identification and differentiation of over-, underand normal-achievers. In addition, we must inquire into the underlying causes of the varying degrees of achievement which will pro mote greater understanding and will encourage purposeful action on the part of student person nel workers. In this study, the Mooney Problem Check List was used to determine if differences in the num ber of problems checked discriminated signif icantly among consistent over-, underand normal-achievers in the eleven general problem areas of the Check List. A second purpose was to help locate the most prevalent problem ex pressed within a selected student body which might aid educators in becoming more fully in formed about the needs of college students in general.