ROUTINE MANUAL FACTOR 313 



2. Improvement in the Eye-board Test. — After considerable enquiry and 

 correspondence, a firm has been found who are prepared to make clips of 

 the necessary size and shape from spring steel, at a reasonable cost, if 

 required in sufficient quantities. Clips made from this material are more 

 durable and require less supervision than the older kind of clip, and so 

 enhance the practical value of the test. 



3. Norms of Performance. — The work of establishing norms of performance 

 at the eye-board manual test has continued. Percentile scores for half- 

 yearly age-groups are available for the various groups described in our last 

 report, and for the above-mentioned group of factory workers. 



B. The Further Analysis and Development of Mechanical Tests. 



1. Improvements in certain of the Tests. — With a view to rendering the 

 administration of these tests easier and more uniform, new selective versions 

 of the tests have been devised together with a special form of chart on which 

 the testee records the responses. This method of administration makes the 

 task of scoring entirely automatic and easy, and has been applied to tests 

 of the ' Models,' ' Diagrams ' and ' Mechanical Explanation ' type (cf. 

 Mechanical Aptitude, Methuen & Co.). 



2. Norms of Performance. — The work of determining norms for various 

 groups at various ages has continued during the current session. The 

 selective version of the Models Test (Mi) has been given to 242 secondary 

 school boys, aged 14-17 years and the calculation of percentile scores for 

 each age group is nearly completed. 



The selective versions of the Models Test (Mi), Diagrams Test (D), 

 and Mechancial Explanation Test (E) have also been given during the past 

 year to 145 boys aged 13+ seeking entry to Technical Schools and the 

 percentile scores for this group are now available, in addition to those 

 for Secondary, Technical and University students referred to in our last 

 report. 



III. The Further Analysis of Mechanical Tests. 



With a view to extending the application of mechanical tests to a wider 

 age-range, two new tests of the ' Models ' type were drawn up and given 

 to two groups of elementary school boys aged 10-14 years. To bring out 

 any differences that might be caused by the introduction of the selective 

 method, the tests were given in both the selective and the inventive forms. 

 In addition to these, tests of general intelligence and two new paper-folding 

 tests were also given. The scoring of the mechanical and general 

 intelligence tests has been completed and that of the paper-folding tests is 

 in progress. It is hoped to continue the work of analysis next session. 



A programme of work directed towards the further investigation of factors 

 in types of ' mechanical ' work not hitherto explored has been drawn up, 

 but owing to lack of financial support it has not been possible to start this 

 yet. 



IV. Correspondence and Dissemination of Information. 



As the result of inquiries arising out of this Committee's work, which 

 have been received from persons interested in the application of manual 

 and mechanical tests for educational and vocational guidance, a fair amount 

 of correspondence (including two meetings with investigators in Birmingham) 

 describing the tests and results so far achieved has been undertaken during 

 the current year. The reprint of an article entitled ' The Bearing of 

 Recent Researches into the Nature of Mechanical Aptitude and of Manual 



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