A Study of Freshman Student Achievement in the School of Fine Arts in the University of Nebraska

Because of the differing amounts and kinds of preparation with which students entered the music department of the School of Fine Arts in the University of Nebraska, a need was felt for studying and determining Freshman student achievement in Theory of Music.General intellectual ability and innate musical capacity were considered two factors which might influence achievement in this situation. In order to study these factors, the Otis Self Administering Test, Form B, was used as a measure of general intelligence and the Seashore Tests of Musical Capacity were given to measure musical capacity.Since no college level test in Theory of Music could be secured which would serve as an adequate measure in this situation, an achievement test, (See Appendix I) including five subsets, was constructed.This test was administered to all Freshmen in Theory of Music at the close of the first semester (Jan. 1928), the results being used as a measure of their achievement.The self-correlation between the results of these two applications of this test was found to be .85 ± .02. The same students again responded to this Achievement test eight weeks later.The self-correlation between the results of the two applications of this test was found to be .85 ± .02; thus indicating the degree of reliability possessed by the test.The correlations were then determined between: - (1) achievement and musical capacity, as measured by the Seashore tests, (2) between general intellectual ability (Otis) and musical capacity (Seashore) and (3) between achievement and general intellectual ability (Otis). These results led to the following conclusions:- The correlation (.1891 ± .07), noted between musical capacity (Seashore) and general intellectual ability (Otis) was small and statistically unreliable. The correlation between achievement and musical capacity (.2228 ± .06) was slight and seemed to indicate an uncertainty in the use of the Seashore tests as a prognostic instrument for prophesying achievement in Theory of Music in this particular School. Achievement and general intellectual ability (Otis) resulted in a correlation of .5244 ± .05. To this extent, therefore, in the School of Fine Arts, a definite relationship existed between general intellectual ability and achievement in Theory of Music. Advisor: Winona M. Perr