K LI ST S I

on LE M CH EC ed
Pll RP OS ES OF TH E
PR . concern
h t the school is an d in the
urricuturn he
the philosophy t a c . students. At t
. on bot h in the
e 1s based is the
lvfodcm educational practic s idea_ has led to change~lege provides it~ Of vieW thods of
v,ith the ''whole person .•, Thi which a s~hool or co .1personnel points these
varieties of perso1mel services hould employ m~
this em pha sis on the mental hygiene and pupt 1 s_ the m. I(n o~ ng -th e
center of
students better the schoo lf et
idea that to widerstand what problems are bothe~i~g of the group itse m~
systematically disc ove ring ract~n stic . tar offerings to
individual and those cha of fact-finding
pro ble ms -th ose of eachcowiseling services and adapt its cur this
ncu
pro cess
school can mo bili ze its •
Lists can contnbute to
these needs. The Pro ble m Ch eck
pla ns for action.
which widergirds intelligent . 194 0's to helpd
, dun ng t~e ~ar ty Students rea
s Pro ble m Ch eck Lis ts were developed e is sim ple . . School or
~o on ey
res s th~ ir per son al problems. The pr?cedu_r School, High of
stu den ts exp or High
Pro ble m Ch eck Lis t-J um le the ones
throt,gh the appropnate of con cer n to the m, circ
the problems which are
Colle.ge for m- un der lin e .
wri te a summary in their own words
mos! concern, and
student proble1!1s.
us abo ut the che ck-list method of observing od
There is nothing my ste rio lee's problems over a pen
ten t cou nse lor can elic it an expression of a counse fro m the run -of -th e-d ay
A ~mnp~
ser van t tea che rs and pri ncipals infer problems By me ans of
of int~rviews. Ob inary matters.
of the stu den t and fro m his conversations on ord lyz ing the stu den t's
beh avi or
Lis t bot h of the se slower methods of ana n can be
the Problem Ch eck oked areas needing attentio
ed, and previously overlo
pro ble ms can be accelerat
bro ugh t to light.

,
of
re the scope or intensity
m Ch eck Lis t is not a test. It does not measu pta tio n to tre at the
Th e Proble score. There is a tem
h a wa y as to yield a tes t onl y as a
stu den t pro ble ms in suc a sco re, but suc h counts must be regarded
cke d as areness of his pro ble ms
nu mb er of ite ms che pro ble ms -lim ite d by his aw
den t's
"ce nsu s cou nt" of eac h stu etation and on res ear ch
Th e sections on interpr

' gn ess to rev eal the m.

an d his wil lin nts.
pro per use s of the se cou
me tho ds wil l ou tlin e the
y for app rai sin g
ob lem Ch eck Lis t app roa ch lies in its eco nom
Th e :.isefulness of the
Pr pro ble ms of eac h
gro up and for bri ngi ng into the ope n the
the 1!1ajor con cer ns of
a is adm ini ste red fall
e rea son s for wh ich the Problem Check List
stu de nt in the gro up . Th
into fiv e bro ad classes.

u of E~ucati~nal Research,
ry Alice Price, Research Associate, Burea from
1 Ac.knowledgment is due Dr. Ma manuals published m 1948,
ive rsity, for ext ensive wo rk in the preparation of the
Ohio State Un
in the present manual is taken.
which much of the material

- 1-
 (J HL rM (;fJF:Cf< LJST
S 1

PU RP OS ES OF 1'111E PR

school is concerned
e is bas ed on the philosophy that the
~o de m edu cation al pra ctic
led to changes both in the
curriculum and in the
ide a has
Wlt!1 ~he '~h ole per son .'' 111 is vides its students. At the
es of persor 1ne l ser vic es which a school or college pro nel points of view is the
vaneti son
1nental hygiene and pupil per
~n ter of this en1phasis on the ts bet ter the school should employ methods of
tan d stu den ing these
idea that to unders at pro ble ms are bothering them. Know
cov eri ng wh up its elf -th e
systen1atically dis l and tho se characteristic of the gro
eac h ind ivid ua erings to meet
pro ble ms -th ose of lin g ser vic es and adapt its curricular off
its cou nse of fact-finding
school can mobilize Lis ts can contribute to this process
ob lem Ch eck
these needs. The Pr plans for action.
which undergirds inteJiigent
40's to help
Lis ts we re dev eloped during the early 19
¥o on ey 's Problem Ch eck Students read
ir pe rso na l pro ble ms . The procedure is simple. ool or
students express the Ch eck Li st- Ju nio r High School, High Sch
Pr ob lem ones of
throt;gh the appropriate ms wh ich are of concern to them, circle the
the pro ble
College for m- un de rli n~ .
summary in their own words
mos~ concern, and write a
ing student problems.
us abo ut the check-list method of observ
There is nothi ng my ste rio blems over a period
eli cit an exp ression of a counselee's pro
A co1npetent cou nse lor can the run-of-the-day
tea che rs and pri ncipals infer problems from
of interviews. Ob ser van t By means of
fro m his con ver sations on ordinary matters.
behavior of the stu den t and the student's
t bo th of the se slo wer methods of analyzing
the Problem Ch eck Lis ion can be
ed, and pre vio usl y ov erl ooked areas needing attent
pro ble ms can be accelerat
brought to light.
or intensity of
t is no t a tes t. It do es not measure the scope
The .Problem Ch eck Lis n to treat the
h a wa y as to yie ld a tes t score. There is a temptatio
stu de nt problems in suc only as a
as a sco re, bu t suc h counts must be regarded
nu mb er of ite ms checked ble ms -li mi ted by his awarenes
s of his problems
of eac h stu de nt' s pro and on research
"ce nsu s co un t" Th e sections on interpretation
to rev eal the m.
an d his willingness
pe r uses of these counts.
me tho ds will outline the pro
my for appraising
Pr ob lem Ch eck Lis t approach lies in its econo
The ~e ful ne ss of the eac h
an d for bri ng ing into the open ~e - probl~°!s of
the 1ilajor concerns of a
gro up
ich the Problem Check Lis
t 1s adm1n1stered fall
up . Th e rea son s for wh
stu de nt in the gro
into five broad classes.

E~ucati~nal Research,
Alice Price, Research Associate, Bureau of
Ac.knowledgment is due Dr. M.ary ls pubhshed m 1948, from
the preparation of the manua
1
y, for extensive wo rk in
Ohio State Universit
the present manual is taken.
which much of the material in

- 1-
 ws
I. To facilitate counseling intervie
interview b ..
l. To prepare students for anproblems a d~ grvmg them an. opportunity to review
and sun1marize their own th
n °se e es.full range of person
al matters
ht discuss with their co
they mig unse Ior or teacher
. . .
2. To save tim e for the interviewehr bY prov,'d'mg ham with a quick review of the
variety of problems wh.ICh are t e expressed concern of the student.

action
ding to plans for individualized
TI. To make group surveys lea
personal
0
out wh at problems you ng peo ple are concerned with in their
1. ~ fiorl
11ves.
er personal help
2• loc ate stu~en ts wh o want and need counseling or oth
T? hel p
school , home, social relationships, per
sonality,
witb proble ms rela ting to hea lth,
or oth er personal problems.
a
ressed within a student body as
3 • To ~elp locate the most prevalent problems exp urricular, and
revisions in the curricular, extrac
b~ is for new developments and
.
guidance programs of a school
programs
As a bas is for hom ero om , group guidance and orientation
III.
is of his needs.
to quicker recognition and analys
1. To stimulate each student are related to the
To ind ica te dis cus sio n top ics and group activities which
2.
the students in any given group.
per son al interests and needs of
ng
tan ding in regular classroom teachi
N. To inc rea se tea che r unders
re personalized
ges t app roa che s by wh ich a teacher can establish a mo
1. To sug
students.
rel ati ons hip wit h eac h of his
" or understand.
ena ble spe cia l ana lys is of students who are hard to "reach
2. To

pro ble ms of youth

V. To con du ct res ear ch on the
, ~ocial
s and dif fer enc es in pro blems in relation to age, sex
1. To sho w cha nge
ere st patterns, and the like.
bac kgr oun d, school ability, int

oci ate d problems.

2. To dis cov er clu ste rs of ass
abo ut by a pla nne d pro blem-reduction program.
3. To me asu re cha nge s bro ugh t
 EcK asrs
DESIGN OF THE PROBLEM Cll
d in awaY
l
Each of the th . . . .
that provid ree fonns m the educational senes 1s printed on a si,c-page fo • ~r the
Of summanzing bY • h
counselor : :: ease of n\arking by the student and ease d itself practical
wit
hundreds of th earch analyst. The present format has prove
ousands of cases.
When the student i hro •• ss results •tn a
count of checks ds t. ugh checking the items the sumrnanzmg proce
ma e in the c.1011owing
• problem areas.
'

COLLEGE
. AND HIGH SCHOOL FORMSl
.,30 items' 30 in
• each area

I. Health
· · es
Financ andL'Physica l Development
II. · (HPD)
S . ' iv1ng Cond' •
III. Soc~al and RecreationS1n s_, ~d Employment (FLE)
IV. oc1al-Psych . ctivities (SRA)
1
Person al p ohog1ca l Relations (SPR)
V.
Courts hi- syc
S ologica
• l Relations (PPR)
VI. P, ex and M •
VII. Home and F~il (H arnage (CSM)
r VIII.
IX.
Moral ,. y
. s and Religion (MR)
F)
Adjust ment to Colle e (
The Future : Vocatio!al School) W~rk (ACW) (ASW)
X.
Curric ulum and T h' and Educational (FVE)
XI. eac ing Procedure (CTP)

JUNIOR IDGH SCHOOL FORM

210 items, 30 in each area

I. Health and Physical Development (HPD)

IL School(S)
III. Home and Family (HF)
l"'/. Money, Work, the Future (MWF)
Boy and Girl Relations (BG)
\'I.
Relations to People in General (PG)
VII. Self-centered Concerns (SC)

The order in which the areas are listed is that used on the College form. The order
2
differs
somewhat on the High School form, though the areas are the same.

-3-
 •

THE 1950 EDITIONS

The J 9SO revision of the three forms have resulted from a series of students and
analyses mad~ _over a decade. A technical and histoticat review of the development of
the several ed1t1ons appears later in this manual.
th
Th~ earlier editions of each form were printed and distributed for several years by the
Oht~ S~te University Press. When The Psychological Corporat ion undertoo k e
publtcatton. the au~ors were ready to make changes in some of the items of the various
forms. none of ,vhtch alter the character or substance of the forms in any important
7?e present editions, however, are described as the "1950 Revisions''· to
distingutsh them from their in1mediate predecessors. 3

CRITERIA FOR CLASSIFYING ITEMS INTO AREAS

While ~eveloping and selecting items for the various editions of the forms, categori es
were th at
for the items were also developed. The criteria for the classification schemes
the categories should:

I. Cover the range of problems collected;

2. Allow for a relatively equal number of problems in each area;

3. Be few enough in number for convenience in summarization;

4. Be pragmatic in pointing the data as much as possible in directions which would

suggest programs of action related to the kinds of services which tend to be
available in schools (see sections on interpretation); I
5. Present a homogeneity of problem content that would facilitate meaningful
interpretation by the counselor or teacher. I
I
g
3
Users of earlier editions will find no difficulty in changing to the current forms as far as counselin
problems for local research
students is concerned. If a school has been keeping a Count of checked
worcing,
purposes, the research analyst should observe that (I) several items have had minor changes in
(2) several items have been replaced, and (3) the order of some items has been changed.

In undertaking the present revision, the goal was to increase the utility of the instrument, to
increase its
of thousands
I
reliability, and to attain a greater homogeneity within areas. This was based on the analysis
Published studies are
of check lists filled in by young people in schools in many parts of the country.
listed in the BibJiography. Item counts were used to eliminate those problems which
concern to most young people, unless such items were diagnostic of particularly serious problems
were of little
. For
I
of the items. Items which
the College form, the test-retest method was used to determine the stability
items to
were unstable were eliminated. A cluster analysis of the items led to the reallocation of some
independ ence between areas.
other areas, resulting in a greater homogeneity within areas and greater
the write-in statemen ts on the back of
Finally, new items were obtained and rewording was suggested by
through the administr ation of a
the check lists. New items were obtained for the College form
populatio n. Items were moved from one
preliminary edition of the Adult form (9) to a college
nded
educational fonn to another when studies of age trends with respect to particular items recomme
result of extensive research based on large
such a change. In summary, the 1950 revisions are the
surveys, coupled with expert judgment and long experience with these instrumen ts.

-4-
 1

High School forms and the

In each of the eleven categories in the current College and
30 items are listed. After
seven categories in the Junior High School form,
best suited to cover the range
experimentation on the trial fonns, 30 seemed the number
too far and compressing others
of probl ems in each area without stretching some areas
to two or more classifications,
too much. Although some items are apparently related
it has been found to be most
each of these is listed only under the one area to which
relevant.

. 5-
 ADMINISTRATl()N ()F Tift PR(JBl,,EM CIIE(~K LIST

GENERAL
The Problem Check Lists are self-administering. All the directions needed ar: on ~he
cover page. CoJJege students sometimes mark the lists outside of class. Junior h1gh
school and high school students usually mark them during a class period. ~hen the lists
are mark-ed in class, it is convenient to read the directions out loud while the group
listens. After ,vork begins, it is well to have supervision to protect each student from
interference by others. fn supervising the group, however, the teacher should take care
not to give the impression to the students that he may be curious about the problems
they are marking. The students are making a personal report and will do beSt UTI<ler
conditions in which their private relationship to the task is carefully respected.

TIME
35
E~i,erience indicates that about two-thirds of a group will finish the checking in
minutes and practically all of the group in 50 minutes. Individuals who are m_uch
slower should be given an opportunity to complete the check list; these persons might
be just the ones most deeply involved in their problems.

ANONYMITY
For many survey and research purposes, it may be desirable to secure responses without
requiring the student to reveal his identity. Class, age, sex, or other educational and
social variables often are all that are needed. Where clerks and teachers, in general, are
to count the problems, such anonymity may be greatly desired and in these instances
the students should be so informed at the time the purpose of the study is explained to
them.

If the student is filling out the Problem Check List for a particular counselor (dean,
teacher, principal, or other adviser), he will, of course, need to provide his identity. This
causes no difficulty in situations where rapport is such that the student trusts the
promise of confidential treatment of his problems.

An intermediate situation arises in which the whole student group is to be studied for
survey or research purposes and those persons whose "problem-levels" are high are to
be screened out for prompt counseling. It is suggested that the counseling office prepare
a set of cards bearing code numbers beginning with, say, 1001. A card is passed out
with each check list. The student writes his name on the card and his number on the
check list. The students should be told that only the counseling office will have access
to the code, and that teachers and clerks who "score" the papers will not know· the
identity of any paper. 4 _

4 As a matter of fact, it is probably highly desirable to provide for anonymity, or a semblance of it,
~h~rever possible in group situations. In a recent study (7) with the Problem Check List, Fischer
indicated that "the use of signatures on personal questionnaires (particularly in the case of highly
personal items or serious problems)" appears to have "a relative inhibitory effect on the honesty and
frankness of the people responding to them." The same results were found by Gordon in an
unpublished study.

-6-
 ¥¥t0 ;g %&

COUNTfNG PROBLEMS
because of the format of the check
~e checked problems are summarized very easily
sts ~d the arrangem~nt of items. Open the sheet so the three center pages are visible
Ii
are the items fot the first problem area
Th~ si~ blocks of five items each across the top
of page 4. Count the circled items and
which is coded in the box at the right•hand edge
which are only underlined, add this
enter the number in th~ box. Then Count the items
in the total box. (In the Junior High
coum to the _number circled, and enter the sum
for each of the problem areas, i.e.. for
School form !terns are only underlined.) Do thfa
total the counts for all the areas and
each set of six blocks of five items each. Then
can be transferred to the spaces on the
record at the bottom. If desired, these values
front cover.

S
COUNSELING WITH THE PROBLEM CHECK LIST

individual case, the aim is to

When using the Problem Check List to understand an
situation and to develop some
analyze the student's problems in relation to his total life
of the individual or for the
plan of action, where necessary, for the guidance
which the student marks on
improvement of his situation. The significance of the items
dered in relation to the whole
the check list bec9mes apparent only when they are consi
on is similar to that required in the
case record of the student. The process of interpretati
use of data from a free interview or free writing.
lem Check List is not a test. it
At all times the counselor must keep in mind that the Prob
ents about the adjustment
does not yield scores on traits or permit any direct statem
). Rather, the Problem Check
status of the person who made the responses (see below
List is a form of simple communication between the
counselee and counselor designed
his real problems.
to accelerate the process of understanding the student and
selee's responses prior to the
Ordinarily, the counselor will want to study the coun
e the focus of the discussion.
counseling interview in which these problems may becom
A useful procedure in preparing to interpret the Prob
lem Check List data in relation to
other available data is as follows.

1. Examine the identifying data on the first page.

the number of items marked in
2. On the three pages of problems count and record
each area and the total number of marked items.
problems marked, and those
3. Note the areas having the greater concentration of
with the lesser.
noting in particular the circled
4. Examine the items marked, one area at a time,
items.

-7-
 mlttizin .
5. Read the answers to the rum d qtte s'tto\'\s to seeure a better underrtand
in~
of the stu den t's attitud es a tto'l'l of him self
n concep

6. Examine the relationship

bet L
ents and the 1tem'i
ween tne sUmmarizing statem
marked.

7. Examine any additional d8 ta that may be available, such as age. grade. fam ily
backgro d d scores. extra-
em ic record, apt itude and achievement test
• 1un ' . s
cumcu ar activ1t1es, interests, etc.
. .
•
8. Interrelate all thi s rnatena1 and set up some hypothesis as to
the d1rect1on that
th Formulate some tentative
st profitably take.
e counseJin~ situation may mo tely.
meet his difficulties more adequa
P ans for helping the student to
1
· hn.
of the Pro ble m C'nee 1• • does not assume any single counseling tee 1que.
k L 1st
The use short and
Th d
the ~he ck list s are use ful in counseling which must be
e a~ fr~ m. eutic, and in
hi:iiite d, in cou nse ling wh ich is deeper and more therap

-
ne ce s~ ly Ch eck LiSI
h dire ctiv e or non dire ctiv e orientation. The Pro ble m
co ~e lm g wit has,
din g of the cas e by the cou nse lor. Furthermore, the counselor
~acilttates understan a reasonable certainty
een light" for discussion. He has
in th~ problems marked, a "gr
1?at l~ttle
situation.
res ista nce wil l be enc oun tered in bringing up these proble
ms in the counseling

-
Fo r the counselee , the
helpful to him in understandin
pro ces s of "so rtin g out " his problems often may be imm
g himself. In fact, in the summa
ediately
rizing statements many
ing out the check list.
I
atte sted to the value of merely fill
I
studen ts hav e spo nta neo usl y , on paper, has
rac teri stic ally rem ark - "Ju st seeing what my problems are
Students cha he problems
and " I hav e obt ain ed a mu ch better understanding of my
been a big hel p," ress rel ief in realizing
oug h fill ing out the che ck list ." Equally often, the students exp
thr
ho w few problems the y really
have.
I
individual, or as a
Pro ble m Ch eck Lis t is use d as an aid in understanding the
When the d.
of points should be kept in min
basis for counseling, a num ber
symbols of the
s ma rke d by the ind ivid ual should be considered as
1. The item rld. Th e item s or
ich comprise his problem wo
experiences and situations wh rld itself.
be mistaken for the problem wo
pro ble ms che cke d should not
blems,
y ma rk the sam e pro ble m or an identical pat ter n of pro
2. Tw o stu den ts ma bec aus e the
the pro ble m wo rld of the two would not be identical
and yet
of his unique experience.
orientation of eac h is in terms
to the ir specific
pro ble ms ma y be ma rke d wit h onl y vag ue notions as
3. So me rke d wit h ver y cle ar
ns, while others ma y be ma
me ani ng in con cre te situatio
referenee to specifics.

are not in the usual school

5
e in point her e is to note the nature of the problems of students who
A cas
grade for their age.

- 8-
 re
item ma y prove tn he mo
rkcd arc n~t of equal significAnce: one ual tha d
4. j::; bl~ ms n~a
ge in the fife of an ind ivid
rcat,ve_ o a S'ubstant1al blocka
e marked.
n a 07e n
others which he may also hav
bl ·
stu den t has a pro ble m is not in itse lf "bad •• Wh eth er a pro em •~
a
S. The fact that "b d" case depends on
to be tak_en. as. a or_ "g? od" or "ne utr al" in an individual
wth or sig nifies a point of
a pom t m pro gre ssion toward gro
.whether It s1gmfi es in one case may be
!ance. tow ard exc ess ive frustration. The same item
,~nb1b~ od.,,
ad and m ano the r cas e "go
r to express them may
6 den ts. wh o can not ~c o~ ize their problems or who fea ognition and
- ~tu se who are free in their rec
"el l m a worse s1tuat10n than tho
e>...'J)ress1on.
sts for a student, though
7 An outside ~bserver may see that a given problem exi
• m exists for him.
recognize that such a proble
the student hin1self may not
nowledge
ck ly tho se pro ble ms which they are wiJJing to ack
S. Students wil l c~e ~n given. If
ic cir cum sta nce s in wh ich the Problem Check Lis t is
under the sp~c1f y become confused by
l not be treated fairly, if the
they are afraid the data wil the time of administration or
if they gen-
s cir cum sta nce s at
som e extraneou list or'the purposes for
they are to do with the check
er~ ly misunderstand what ses.
d, they wil l limit their respon
which the data are to he use
te the problems marked by
poi nts , it is clearly necessary to evalua
In the lig ht of suc h chological situation and
ms of his par ticular environmental and psy
the indivi dua l in ter Check Lis t was given.
lar cir cum sta nce s under which the Problem
in terms of the par ticu ivi dua l's pro ble m
ati on res ult in a rea listic appreciation of the ind
On ly the n can int erp ret ations. Me rel y
tly , in gui dan ce tha t is appropriate in concrete situ
world and, subsequen
ugh for these purposes.
cow1ting pro ble ms is no t eno

LI ST S
TION OF THE PROBL.EM CH EC K
TH E SC RE EN IN G FUNC

t is used as a
pro blems che cke d is of val ue when the Problem Check Lis ble or
The number of
discov er studen ts for wh om personal counseling seems desira
screening device to on
ava ilab le for sel ect ing students for counseling, depending
necessary. Four cues are ini ng and availability of counselors. Studen
ts may
screen ing and the tra
the purposes of
be located by these indications.
the las t qu est ion . Th is qu estion asks whether they wish to
1. By their responses to ble ms or any other problems. Studen
ts who say
e on the che cke d pro
confer with som eon
e abo ut the ir pro blems are logical choices for counseling,
they ·.vant to talk to someon dy to rec eive help. If they know the
particular
sum ab ly mo re rea
since they are pre
h to tal k, op po rtunit y can be afforded them to see this
pers~n with whom they wis lor can conduct the interviews, with
the check
an ass ign ed cou nse
person. Otherwise,
int for the consultation.
list at hand as a good starting po

-9 -
 Students wh~se total
2. numb tr of problrm~ martttd o1't tht tftttf( Hit.
s,· the
cent of the foca• distribution may be likely
numher of probJcms is in the upper 25 pet
themselves to be expressive
candidates for counseJing. These students have shovin
of the opportunity (or further
about many problems and are likely to be appreciative
a direct relationship exists
exploration through conferences. Gordon (9) found that
for counseling; all of those
between the number of problems marked and the desire
marke d desired counseling and
students in the upper 10 per cent in number of problems
d it.
the large majority of those in the upper 25 per cent desire
ular area. Students who mark
3. By the number of problems marked in a partic
unusually large numbers of problems in any particular area may also be helped by
are equipped to deal
counseling, especially in situations where there are counselors who
l areas. For example students
with the specific types of problems appearing in specia te vocational
not have a defini
who lack motivation for academic work because they do and for help in
ation
goal may be referred to the vocational counselor for inform
formulating more definite plans.
in their implication that
4. By responses to particular items. Some items are clear-cut
t marking them. For
aid may be given by the school or community to any studen may, on this basis
ation"
example, a student who marks "needing to decide on an occup
couns elor. Students marking "poor
alone, be screened out for referral to a vocational
l's dentis t. Other items are
teeth" may be selected for initial referral to the schoo
l services which may
similarly useful in selecting particular cases for referral to specia
be available.

VALIDITY
to predict definite patterns
If the Problem Check Lists were personality tests designed
of determining the extent to
of behavior, the process of validation would be simply that
l behavior as judged by
which the predicted behavior patterns corresponded with actua
tests. They are used for a
other criteria The check lists, however, are not built as
data must be considered in
variety of purposes and are so constructed that the obtained
check lists are suggested
the light of many other factors. Several general uses for the
be studied in terms of par-
earlier in this manual, and for each of these the data must
of the validity of the check
ticular people in specific situations. A single over-all index
lists would be therefore quite meaningless.
however, to evaluate certain
Experience with the Problem Check Lists enables us,
which they were built and the
aspects of their usefulness in terms of the assumptions on
lists were devised, it was
purposes for which they were intended. When the check
assumed that:
items;
1. The great majority of students would be responsive to the

2. They would accept the task with a constructive attitude;

3. They would find that the check lists covered reasonably

personal problems with which they were concerned;
well the range of
I
- 10 - I
I
 ~f
CTJV•:N,:...~s o,· A PR OG RA
As A CH EC K ON THE J.:Ffl'E
in 0. P3rticular
enc e of a seri ous concentration of student concern
If a s~h ool has evid e~~e~ by gjv-ing the
. may wis h to test the cffe-ctiveness o( its temedia) pr~ program
area l
after the application of the remedia
1t
Problem Check Li.~, before and
gram in some areas of
nection, however. A temedial pro
An ironic fact arises in this con e'·, atmosphere. On the
in a more genetalJy "permissiv
student problems may result ents may be more emo tion ally free to express
the che ck list the stud
second mar kin g of blems! Even in an
h the resu lt tha t the re is an apparent increase in pro
their pro ble ms. ,vit ms in some or
n. the stud ent s may be inhibited in expressing proble
anonym ous situ atio l pro ble ms but the
s. TI1e spe cifi c cor rec tive me asure may actually reduce the rea
all area ms.
changed atmosphere may Jead
to an increase in exp res sed proble
is inherent in any check list.
This situation is not pec uliar to the Problem Check List but s in any "nose-
ent ory or atti tud e sca le. It illustrates forcefully the danger
personality inv ing of the
e of stat istical ana lysis of data without a critical understand
counting" typ average of 24
forc es in a situatio n. For example, School A may have an
psycho-so cial students
pup il, Sch ool Ba n ave rage of 32. It is not certain that School B
problems per blems.
re pro ble ms; it is onl y cer tain that its students che cke d more pro
actually have mo avoid jumping too
t should help the school staff
Awareness of this qualifying fac
conditions in the school.
quickly to conclusions about the

r DEVELOPMENT OF THE PR
OB LE M CH EC K LI ST S
hor to systematize his
ted in the desire of_the senior aut
The Problem Check Lists origina tion with his work as
blems of young people. In connec
methods of discovering the pro felt a need for more
l and psychological counselor, he
an adnrinistrator and educationa lities of a check list
up me tho ds of ide ntifying problems. The possibi
effi cie nt gro munities were
ch in sur vey s of stud ent s in school and young people in com
approa
explored.
l forms were ready.
ed editions of the three educationa
In 1941 and 1942 the first publish for "Rural Youth" -
nts in Schools of Nursing" and
Tw o other forms - for "Stude 12
6.
were published in 1945 and 194
ich have involved the
ects the great range of studies wh
The Bibliography partially refl refinement of the check
eck Lis ts. Som e of these studies have been aimed at
Pro ble m Ch es are known to
rep ort act ual sur vey s. Nu merous other schools and colleg
lists, oth ers e not been
app rop riat e che ck list s in local studies, but since these hav
have used the not be listed. Data from
be available generally, they can
published or are not kno wn to development of the
l suc h sur vey s hav e bee n shared with the author for his
severa
revised forms.

o State University Press.

12
These forms are available from Ohi

- 17 -
I

SOURCE OF ITEMS

The items for the pre-1950 editjons of the various forms wete selected and developed
from a master list of over 5,000 items from the following sources.

I. Experiences of the author as counselot and administrator.

2. Analysis of case records and counseling interviews with school and college
students.

3. Review of the literature on student problems. .

4. Analysis of paragraphs written by 4,000 high school students describing the1r
personal problems.
12•
5· Intensive analyses of expressed problems of 250 students in grades 7 through

6. Review of 5,000 cards itemizing the "per5onai-educational" needs expressed by

950 students in grades 6, 9 and 12.

7. Other miscellaneous sources.

For the 1950 revisions the senior author and his collaborators had, in addition,
frequency counts of checked problems from various samplings of grades 5 through
college, write-in statements from completed check lists, and data on responses to a
preliminary edition of the Adult form. I
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF ITEMS I
Selection and phrasing of the particular items used in the Problem Check Lists were
based on the following criteria. The items were to be: I
I. In the language of the students;

2. Short enough for rapid reading;

I
3. Self-sufficient as individual phrases; I
4. Common enough to be checked frequently in large groups of students, or
serious enough to be important in an individual case; I
5. Graduated in seriousness from relatively minor difficulties to major Concerns;
I
6. Vague enough in "touchy" spots to enable the student to check the item and still
feel that he can hide his specific problems in later conferences if he chooses to
do so; I
7. Centered within the student's own personal orientation rather than in general
social orientation.
I
- 18 -
 would secure a naive, rapid "feeling··
An additional aim was to select items which erate reaction was sought.
response from the student. Spontaneous rather than delib

FORMS
A BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE EARLIER
e, judges assisted in the selection
Us~ng the criteria for the selection of items noted abov h contained 370 items. This
whic
of items for the first edition of the College Form,
of the results obtained from 200
edition was administered and an analysis was made
of 320 items was prepared. This
s~~ents of a smaJJ coJlege, and a second edition
dial study classes and in mental
ed1~on was then administered to students in reme
ted groups of students in other
hygiene courses at Ohio State University and to selec
ts, a third edition containing 330
~olleges. On the basis of an analysis of these resul
State University Press.
items was prepared and published in 1941 by the Ohio
High School Form. Three hundred
A similar procedure was used in developing the
and on the basis of the results the
r seventy items were tried out on about 200 students,
number was reduced to 320 items in a secon
administered to 110 students in a rural school and
d edition. This edition was then
to 237 students in a city school. On
was prepared and published in
the basis of these results a third edition of 330 items
1941 by the Ohio State University Press.
first tried out on 684 pupils in four
For the Junior High School Form, 225 items were
nts, 337 were girls, and 347 were
junior high schools in a large Ohio city. Of these stude
the eighth grade, and 179 were in the
boys; 302 were in the seventh grade, 203 were in
items was tried out with 650 fifth and
ninth grade. In addition, a modified form of 124
sixth grade pupils in three school systems (24).
210 items was prepared, and after
On the basis of these studies a third edition of
more revisions were made so that a
conferences with teachers and use in a school,
in 1942 by the Ohio State University
fourth edition was finally printed and published
grade levels was practicable in the
Press. The use of the forms at the fifth and sixth
d the items, but their attitude toward
sense that the students could read and understan
that of junior high school students that
their problems was found to be so different from
the seventh grade.
it is generally advisable not to use the lists below

NS
STUDIES WHICH GUIDED THE 19.50 REVISIO
preliminary editions, information was
College Form. In addition to data from the
available from the following sources.
ersity courses in 1948, reported in
1. 168 men and 112 Women in Ohio State Univ
the 1948 manual (3 4).
ding 95 married and 100 single
2. Entwistle's study (6) of veterans in 1948, inclu
men.

- 19 -
 3. 1v1ooney·s study (22) of 17l fre"hm
.
" an women m 1941
4
• SAn unUpu~lish~d study by Bruce Bennett of
300 men in a hyg,ient course at Ohio
tate mvers 1ty in 1950.

5 97 men and lSO women fi-om Gordon's tesearch in connection with developing
•
the Adult Forni.
6 A studYin I 950 by Ryder of 153 men and 126 women at Purdue University (]?).
•
7
• An unpublished cluster analysis of items by Gord
on on 280 co11ege students in
1948.

8• An unpublished item-reliability study by Gordon on 243 college students in

1948.

e students, mostly freshmen,

In all, de~iled an~yses of responses by about 1,200 colleg upper grade levels on the
w~re considered in the _I 950 revisions. The data from the
Hi~ School Fonn, particularly age-trend data (16),
were also considered relevant to
gwde the author and collaborators in revising the items.

on the original 1941 data

High School Form. The 1950 revision of this form was based
and on the following studies.
ing sample, with items
1. The Illinois study of Loveless (16), including the follow
, 6 schools, 393 cases;
analyzed for sex and grade of the students: eighth grade
ninth grade, 9 schools, 1,067 cases; tenth grade, 3 schoo
grade, 57 schools, 6,719 cases. The grand total was 8,443
ls, 264 cases; twelfth
cases - 4,082 boys and
r high school grades.
I
4,361 girls. The High School Fonn was used in the junio

2. Cowan's study (5) of Asheville, North Carolina stude

nts included 196 eighth
nth grade pupils in a
I
grade, 155 ninth grade, 152 tenth grade, and 100 eleve
negro school. Of the 603 cases, 230 were boys and 373
School Fonn was used in the junior high school grades.
were girls. The high
I
3. Chun's study (2) of Honolulu, Hawaii students -1,1
total of 2,49 8-in the tenth (893), eleventh (830), and
82 boys and 1,316 girls, a
twelfth (775) grades. I
4. A Louisiana study by Jameson (14) and Mooney
(20) including 202 boys and
223 girls, a total of 425 cases, in the eleventh grade in
five communities.
I
ng nine rural and small-town
5. From the 1948 manual (37) 553 cases representi
eleven, and 145 in grade
communities: 205 were in grade ten, 203 in grade
twelve; 236 were boys and 317 were girls.
which items were checked by
The authors had available to them the frequencies with
grades eight through twelve, in 75
these 12,522 students (5,932 boys and 6,590 girls) in
schools.

- 20 -
 .
School Form • For th,s fonn, the original da ta
from l 94 2 \.',-ere supplemented
Junior High ie
by th es e Stud s

1. The Illinois
study noted abo ve.

ud y noted above.
2. The Cowan st
I . were 1.085
's st ud y( 30 of P it ts lm rg hP nsy van1a_school children. Tdheeireght.
3. Y ou ng en
and 539 ir l s) fr om 8 schools m grades seve
n an
ca se s (5 46 boys g
. g
y by E st he r A hr .
C o l~ b u s, O hio, 1950, involvin
he d st ud am s in .
4. An unpusbl(3is32 girls an d 290 b s) .in grades seven, eight and nine
622 ca se oy

-t 5 • 191 ca se s (88(3bo
1948 m an ua l
ys
9). an
d 103 • l •
grr s) tn grad

data
es

he
.
ei gh t an d nine, as reported

lpful in the I 950 re

vision.
in the

nt ribu ted
s in 20 schools co
In all, 3,854 case
I THE Q U E S T IO
N O F FORMAT
r" the
gr ee to w hich students "discove mo-
the de the ho
M oo ney (10) studied o f five, by problem areas. Although scovered

' Gordo n an d ts few di

ngs o f items in se udents, relatively
horizontal groupi ps o f five was apparent to some st is grouping was described at
ou th
geneity o f the gr ping o f items by area, even though an important feature of the
the horizontal g
ro u
the pre-19 50 editions. This is s ar e obvious, studen
ts
f p ag e 6 in the gr ou pi ng
the bottom o sinc e, in instruments
where
ip en tire areas that ap
pear
h ec k L is ts du al to sk
Problem C a tendency for th
e indivi
such cases there is
also a
se lo rs re p o rt ad th e item s. In
and coun without bothering
to re er social
p ri at e to th em in ar ea s th at th ey feel have low ck
inapp ro em s the Problem. Che
m a rk ing too many it T he form at o f
tendency to a vo id y areas. e
y, su ch as th e sex or personalit gr ou pi ng s o f problems which ar
acceptabilit presenting
co m es th es e d ifficulties while
Lists over r and survey anal
yst.
r th e co un se lo
convenient fo