Individual differences in grammar grade children. A comparative study of forty-four seventh and eighth grade pupils

Reports a comparative study of 22 seventh and 22 eighth grade pupils which calls attention to the great variation in all forms of ability that exists in any group of children ordinarily treated alike. The Ss were examined with respect to age, height, weight, strength of grip (using a hand dynamometer), quickness of perception, ability to add, ability to spell (with a list of words used by Thorndike), rapidity of association (adapted from Thorndike), auditory and visual memory. The results show extremes of ability among children of the same school grade in every physical and mental trait examined; identical range of ability in the two grades in all the traits except those of age, height, weight, and strength of grip; and none of the traits were distributed along a normal frequency curve. Suggests that pupils should be tested in a great variety of traits for obtaining a correct insight into the individual qualities and weaknesses.