Results from a quantitative questionnaire on likes and dislikes used with a group of college freshmen

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology 1927-04, Vol.11 (2), p.85-94
• Main Author: Kornhauser, A. W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aversion; College Students; Colleges; Human; Student Attitudes
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/h0073120

Report on results obtained from a 164-item questionnaire on likes and dislikes, given to 110 university freshmen. Each item was checked with the appropriate one of 5 symbols, which represented feelings ranging from marked dislike to its opposite. The percentage of a low scholarship group who marked an item a certain way was obtained; then that of a high scholarship group; then the difference and the standard error of the difference were taken. This difference indicates "the excellence of differentiation between the students with low marks and all other students." A similar procedure was used in determining "how well each question differentiated between the high group and all other students." Each of the items and symbols which gave good differentiation was noted. A checking of the results showed points of unreliability: the correlation between questionnaire score and first year marks varied greatly from one group to another; a comparison of the results with a second questionnaire showed a wide difference in correlation of total scores. The authors conclude that no use can be made of the questionnaire in predicting college work of students; however, it may be useful as an indicator of student opinion and attitude and of the likes and dislikes of individual students.