Date of Award
1982
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between knowledge change and attitude change in prospective teachers when presented information about minorities, in the form of a Multicultural Instructional Unit. The treatment text, Kleg and Rice: Race, Caste and Prejudice (1970), was accompanied by its achievement test, the Kleg-Puglisi: Cognitive Measuring Instrument which was used to measure cognitive change. A modified Bogardus Social Distance Scale, and a modified Kelly, Ferson, and Holtzman Desegregation Scale were the attitude change measuring instruments. Statistically significant differences were sought between experimental and control groups in cognition and attitudes, and attitude and cognition level differences were computed for each student relative to demographic variables. Statistical tools employed in the study were the coefficients of correlation and analyses of covariance. The study population consisted of second year students at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Three null-hypotheses were tested. The first null-hypothesis stated that there will be no relationship between attitude change and cognitive change as measured by change scores for each student (posttest minus pretest) for the experimental group. Null-hypothesis one was accepted. The second null-hypothesis stated that there will be no statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups pre- and posttreatment observations in (1) attitudes, as measured by Social Distance Scale adjusted means, (2) attitudes, as measured by Desegregation Scale adjusted means, and (3) cognition, as measured by Cognitive Measuring Instrument adjusted means. It was concluded that attitudes toward ethnic groups, as measured by Social Distance Scale, were not modified. Attitudes toward Blacks and desegregation, as measured by the Desegregation Scale, were modified and change in cognition did occur. Null-hypothesis two, part (1) was accepted; parts (2) and (3) were rejected at the .05 level. Null-hypothesis three tested the effect of demographic variables on cognitive and attitude change and was accepted.
Recommended Citation
Friedrichs, Gisele Iren pesti, "A Study of Cognitive and Attitude Change in Teacher Education Students Toward the Minority Child." (1982). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3716.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3716
Pages
131
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.3716