Review of Educational acceleration: Appraisals and basic problems

Abstract

Reviews the text entitled "Educational acceleration: Appraisals and basic problems" by S. L. Pressey (see record 1950-03867-000 ). This book, which should be of interest to all who are concerned with policies in all levels of educational institutions, presents the results of a research project conducted at Ohio State University. Pressey has shifted the emphasis to the question of what justification there might be for continuing to prolong adolescent status and delay mature social functioning and productivity. He has found little or none. The work is organized around three basic concepts which lend clarity and direction to the studies: maturity, prime (defined as peak biological potentiality), and individual differences. After chapters dealing with these basic concepts and with the opinions and studies of other educators and psychologists, the rest of the book seems to fall into three main sections: one part deals with the trend toward delayed completion of training; another presents the data bearing on the results of acceleration; the third is concerned with alterative methods of acceleration. In the latter two sections, which are the more important, Pressey shows that, contrary to popular notions, accelerated students tend not only to be superior in academic achievement (even when matched with non-accelerates with equal aptitude), but they take part in as many social activities, and, after graduation, make equally good or better job and life adjustments. Included in this section is a study demonstrating the need for guidance in selecting students for acceleration. The most serious criticism of this book lies in the area of the presentation of the data. The conclusions are based on differences between percentages of various groups meeting certain criteria. Yet nowhere is there presented a test of the significance of these differences. Whatever the shortcomings of the analysis, Pressey has done a masterful piece of work in clearing the ground so that the real issues can be clearly seen. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)