Research in Higher Education: Papers Prepared for the First Regional Conference on Higher Education Held under the Joint Auspices of the United States Office of Education and the University of Oregon at Eugene, Oregon, April 14, 15, and 16, 1931. Bulletin, 1931, No. 12

The application of scientific method to the study of college problems in the field of curricula, methods, administration, and student personnel is increasing rapidly. The experimental method--the setting up of alternative procedures in such a way that the factor under study may be isolated for measurement--appeals more to college faculty members than other methods of investigation. It is the method to which many of them are accustomed in their academic fields. It is the method which allows for greatest objectivity, and hence carries the greatest weight. Recognizing the fundamental importance of this experimentation, the Division of Colleges and Professional Schools of the United States Office of Education hopes to shape its program so as to be of as great assistance as possible in stimulating experimentation in the universities and colleges. The conference in the Pacific Northwest at which the papers published in this bulletin were read, was the first of what it is hoped may be a series of regional conferences where results of experimentation may be reported and discussed. The present bulletin is the first of what it is hoped may be a series of bulletins to be published by the United States Office of Education, making available the results of experimental studies in higher education. Following a foreword by Fred J. Kelly and an introduction by Henry D. Sheldon, papers presented in this bulletin include: (1) How reliable are college marks? (Howard R. Taylor and Clifford L. Constance); (2) Improvement of the essay type examination (R. W. Leighton); (3) An evaluation of certain tests and information for predicting success in normal school (C. C. Upshall and Harry V. Masters); (4) The significance of personnel measures at the University of Oregon (Howard R. Taylor and Clifford L. Constance); (5) A study of the college aptitude and ability of high-school seniors (John S. Jordan); (6) Remedial reading instruction as a phase of personnel work in higher education (F. W. Parr); (7) The prediction of success in English composition (L. Kenneth Shumaker); (8) Remedial measures for college freshmen (J. DeWitt Davis and Harold Saxe Tuttle); (9) An aptitude test as an aid in administering large sectioned courses (A. B. Stillman); (10) Establishing a student mental hygiene clinic (Othniel R. Chambers); and (11) Teacher-aptitude tests and teacher selection (Nelson L. Bossing). Individual papers contain footnotes, tables, and bibliographies. [Best copy available has been provided.]