566 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—L. 
under the same control, using a week-in and week-out system, the student 
in a five-year course experiences all sections of productive output, from the 
foundry to the drawing office, and from the machining and fitting shops 
to the tool room. He is brought up against estimating, costing, and selling. 
The exercise no longer exists, and the student is engaged in interesting 
productive work throughout his whole course. 
Mr. J. R. Bonn, M.B.E.—Agriculture (11.5). 
Mr. W. A. BrockIncToN, C.B.E.—Summation (11.20). 
DISCUSSION (11.35). 
REPORT OF COMMITTEE on The teaching of science, with special reference 
to biology (Dr. Littan J. CLarKE; Dr. E. L. Hirst; Mr. G. W. 
O.trve; Sir F. Gowianp Hopkins, Pres.R.S.; Dr. W. W. 
VAUGHAN) (12.0). 
DISCUSSION. 
AFTERNOON. 
Visit to Rugby School and Rugby Day Continuation School. 
Monday, September 11. 
Jomnt Session with Section J (Psychology) on The predictive value of 
school examinations and psychological tests :— 
Prof. C. W. VALENTINE.—The unreliability of entrance examinations 
to secondary schools and the awarding of university scholarships 
(10.0). 
Dr. D. W. Oates.—Some factors in scholastic ability and their pre- 
dictive value for secondary education (10.15). 
(1) Why predictive values are low. The implied assumption that the 
criterion is non-variable and represents the ideal. The distinction between 
ability and capacity. 
(2) The need for a sharper definition of what the secondary school 
demands. Recent evidence of the importance of specific abilities in the 
secondary school. ‘ Success in the various subjects depends more upon 
specific abilities than upon general capacity.’ 
(3) The ‘ snapshot’ impression of a single examination, even with the 
best examination technique, may present a distorted and badly weighted 
index of a pupil’s normal achievement and power. The discrepancy 
between the entrance examination result and subsequent achievement is 
not necessarily due to faulty measures of achievement, but may be the 
natural result of other factors. 
(4) The results of investigations of the factors in scholastic ability. The 
importance of some traits which we can crudely describe but for which we 
have at present no tests that are even approximately objective. The bearing 
of certain personality factors other than intelligence upon academic success. 
(5) The predictive value of a written examination, intelligence test, 
head-teachers’ estimates, and ratings and tests for temperament qualities 
as revealed by correlation with subsequent secondary school achievement. 
