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Show Need for Determining and Correcting Causes of Scholastic Failures . By IL GLICKSMAN, Assistant Dean, University of Wisconsin. Principal causes of scholastic failures are: Outside work, poor health, nental disquiet, extra-curricular activities, social diversions and the lure of college life in general, noisy surroundings and undesirable associates, inadequate methods of study, meager natural endowments and plain indifference indif-ference and neglect. There are no two failhg students in whom these various causes operate oper-ate in the same combination. In educational science, as in the other sciences, sci-ences, we need to draw farther away from the once popular doctrine that disorders are referable to single and separate causes. More intimate contact between teachers and officials on the one hand and students on the other would help to detect causes of undergraduate failures, and also help us to find and apply remedies. We need more and more to determine what students have come for an education and what students have come merely to "go to college." If a freshman is found to have the enthusiasm, perception and industry with which to thrive and rejoice over a program, let us say, of English composition, composi-tion, elementary foreign language, medieval history and general chemistry, chemis-try, he is a hopeful risk anddeserves careful development. : We must not be afraid to say to a student singularly lacking in such enthusiasm and perception and industry that he is not promising college material. |