Object Details
- Description
- In 1920, Truman L. Kelley (1884-1961) published this adaption of scales originally introduced by Marion Rex Trabue (1890-1972) in his 1916 doctoral dissertation. Trabue believed that the ability of students to complete simple sentences in which a word was omitted was a good measure of the language ability of young students. He devised a set of forty sentences in which one or more words were omitted. Children were asked to fill in as many blank spaces as they could within a fixed time and scored on how many correct words were entered. The test was first published by the Bureau of Publications at Columbia in 1916. It came in eight forms, so it could be repeated easily.
- Kelley’s version of the completion tests was adapted for administration to individuals rather than groups of students. It included sentences requiring completion by a student filling in a blank. This is the “Exercise Alpha” form of the test. Compare to 1990.0034.148.
- Trabue, born in Indiana, obtained an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University (1911) and a master’s degree (1914) and doctorate (1915) from Columbia. During World War I, he worked in the U.S. Army’s psychological testing program. In 1922 he left Columbia for the University of North Carolina, and then, from 1937 was a dean at Pennsylvania State University.
- Kelley, born in Michigan, received an undergraduate degree in statistics (1909) and a master’s degree in psychology (1911) from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate from Columbia University (1914). After various teaching and government positions, he went to Stanford University in 1920 and then to the graduate school of education at Harvard in 1931, where he spent the rest of his career.
- For examples of other scales associated with Trabue and associates, see MA.316371.070 and MA.316371.132.
- References:
- Gray, W.S., “Descriptive List of Standard Tests,” Elementary school Journal, 1918, 17, p. 32.
- “Marion Rex Trabue Penn State Dean,” New York Times, January 13, 1972, p. 44.
- Trabue, M.R., “Completion-test Language Scales,” PhD. Dissertation, New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1916.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- author
- Kelley, Truman L.
- maker
- Columbia University. Teachers College
- date made
- 1920
- Credit Line
- Gift of Samuel Kavruck
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 21.7 cm x 28 cm; 8 17/32 in x 11 1/32 in
- Object Name
- Psychological Test
