Whitla's Research Reveals Students' Social Freedom

Harvard students do not necessarily stay in the same socio-economic class as their parents, a study now being conducted by Dean K. Whitla, Director of the Office of Tests, has revealed.

"Harvard seems to be a levelling influence," Whitla said. The experience here seems to free the individual from previous environmental influences.

Whitla is currently engaged in a giant three-year study of the classes of '43 and '52, analyzing the relationship between the pre-college records of these students and their occupational records after college.

The study, now in its second year, has already yielded considerable data. Most of this data is being sent to the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey for developing occupational preference tests.

Jeffrey C. Griffith '66, Whitla's faculty aide, said that when the total project is complete, Whitla plans to write articles and possibly a book based on his findings.

Both Whitla and Griffith agreed on the difficulty of conducting such a study. "The project is quite complex." Whitla commented, "because there is no equivalent of college board scores by which to evaluate occupational performance." Questionnaires and personal interviews must be relied upon for information, he said.

Whitla hopes that the results of his study can be used to help students select the occupation for which they are best suited.