Comparing The Democratic Maturity Of 50 College Science Majors With 154 High School Jrotc Cadets

College Student Journal, March, 1999 by Rosemarie Kolstad, John P. Slovar, Dennis L. Ritter

The most critical element in human development today has to do with the attainment of "democratic maturity," which serves as the basis for human freedom and tranquillity. It is a basic essential for successful life in a democracy, and it includes the work place, community, and even the home. It is becoming increasingly clear that "democratic maturity' is our most critical educational goal, and that it does not simply occur by growing older (Cassel, 1996 and 1998).

Groups Involved

Two different groups were involved in the study: a group of 50 science majors from a university in Texas, and a second group of 154 Air Force JROTC cadets from a high school in San Diego, California.

Science Majors

The science majors ranged in age from 18 to 40 years with a mean age of 21.88, and with a standard deviation of 5.03 years. Thirty-seven were females, and 13 were males. There were 19 freshmen, 12 sophomores, 12 juniors, 5 seniors, and 2 graduate students.

JROTC Students

There were 154 Air Force JROTC students from a high school in San Diego, California. They ranged in age from 14 to 20 years with a mean age of 16.05 years, and with a standard deviation of 1.03 years. Seventy of them were females, and 84 were males. There were 81 sophomores, 49 juniors, and 24 seniors.

Test Used

The Democratic Maturity Test (DEMO) (Cassel and Kolstad, 1998) was used in the study. It is a 200 true/false item test based on the John Dewey theory that democracy is: the "interdependence of independent individuals" (Cassel, 1953). The first four part scores of the DEMO test seek to assess the personal maturity or independence of individuals; while the second four part scores deal with interdependence and seek to assess social integration.

Part I-Personal Maturity:   Part II. Social Integration:

1. Self-esteem-EST          5. Conformity-CFM
2. Coping Skills-COP        6. Sympathy-SYM
3. Assertiveness-ASS        7. Withdrawal-WIT
4. Locus of Control-LOC     8. Anxiety-ANX

Part I Total-PERMAT         Part II Total-SOCINT

            Overall Total - DEMOTOT

Comparing Science Majors and JROTC Students

The data contained in Table 1 below displays a comparison between the means for the college students and the JROTC cadets on all part scores for DEMO by use

****of a t-statistic. There was a statistically significant difference in DEMO means for the Air Force JROTC students for nine of the 11 DEMO part scores, and eight of the nine were at the 0.000 level of confidence. Only one of the scores was significant and in favor of the college science majors; it was SYM (sympathy). It is clear from this data that democratic maturity as measured by the DEMO test is not only a function of age or growing older; but is a learned phenomenon that must be acquired in school instruction. It is obvious and surprising that it is not included in the typical college science curriculum. It should be observed that ANX (anxiety) is higher for JROTC cadets, and that it is a good quality when it serves as a motivating force.

Table 1 Comparing the Means for College Science Majors With Air Force JROTC Cadets (N=204; Science Majors=50; JROTC Cadets=154)

 DEMO    College                     High School
Scores   Science Majors               AF JROTC     Difference

  1.     Self-esteem-EST:
         M     47.68                   67.63        19.95
         SD     8.47                   13.90
  2.     Coping Skills-COP:
         M     67.69                   73.32         5.63
         SD     7.19                   15.09
  3.     Assertiveness-ASS:
         M     43.92                   61.52        17.60
         SD    12.76                   13.95
  4.     Locus of Control-LOC:
         M     53.44                   61.52         8.18
         SD     6.55                   13.93
  5.     Personal Maturity-PERMAT:
         M    212.64                  364.52        51.88
         SD    20.19                   42.89
  6.     Conformity-CFM:
         M     48.40                   55.64         7.214
         SD     9.12                   12.85
  7.     Sympathy-SYM:
         M     72.80                   63.61        -9.19
         SD     8.82                   13.20
  8.     Withdrawal-WIT:
         M     45.68                   55.25         9.57
         SD    10.63                   13.19
  9.     Anxiety-ANX:
         M     48.96                   51.25         2.29
         SD    12.24                   19.15
 10.     DEMO Total-DEMOTOT:
         M    428.48                  490.18        61.70
         SD    23.86                   60.76

College
Science Majors              t-Statistic   Probability

Self-esteem-EST:
M     47.68                    9.578         0.000
SD     8.47
Coping Skills-COP:
M     67.69                    2.583         0.010
SD     7.19
Assertiveness-ASS:
M     43.92                    7.908         0.000
SD    12.76
Locus of Control-LOC:
M     53.44                    4.007         0.000
SD     6.55
Personal Maturity-PERMAT:
M    212.64                    8.252         0.000
SD    20.19
Conformity-CFM:
M     48.40                    3.689         0.000
SD     9.12
Sympathy-SYM:
M     72.80                    4.598         0.000
SD     8.82
Withdrawal-WIT:
M     45.68                    4.658         0.000
SD    10.63
Anxiety-ANX:
M     48.96                    0.793          n.s.
SD    12.24
DEMO Total-DEMOTOT:
M    428.48                    6.216         0.000
SD    23.86