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COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A GROUP HOME AND A CAMP PROGRAM IN CHANGING THE SELF CONCEPTS OF DELINQUENT BOYS

NCJ Number
49242
Author(s)
C M BENTZ
Date Published
1974
Length
176 pages
Annotation
A BOYS GROUP HOME OPERATED UNDER DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES IS COMPARED WITH A CAMP PROGRAM OPERATED GENERALLY ON MILITARISTIC PROCEDURES IN TERMS OF EFFECTS ON SELF-CONCEPTS OF PARTICIPANTS.
Abstract
THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 14 BOYS RESIDING AT THE SAN FELIPE BOYS' HOME AND 56 BOYS RESIDING AT CAMP ERWIN OWEN. ALL SUBJECTS HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE HOME OR CAMP BY A SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE IN KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE TENNESSEE SELF CONCEPT SCALE WAS USED TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF MEASURES OF SELF-CONCEPT. PRETEST AND POSTTESTS WERE ADMINISTERED AND SCORED FOR ALL SUBJECTS USING THE FOLLOWING STATISTICAL TOOLS: MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, F RATIO, ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, AND ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE. SIXTY DAYS WAS THE PERIOD SEPARATING THE PRETEST AND POSTTESTS. RESULTS SHOWED FOUR AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE ON THE PRETEST AND POSTTEST FOR SUBJECTS AT THE SAN FELIPE BOYS' HOME - PERSONAL SELF SCALE; FAMILY SELF SCALE; THE DEFENSIVE POSITIVE SCALE; AND THE GENERAL MALADJUSTMENT SCALE. THE CAMP ERWIN PROGRAM DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF THE SELF-CONCEPT SCALE; TOTAL SELF CONCEPT; IDENTITY; SELF-SATISFACTION; BEHAVIOR; PHYSICAL SELF; PERSONAL SELF; FAMILY SELF; GENERAL MALADJUSTMENT; AND PSYCHOTIC. STATISTICALLY, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PROGRAMS, AS EACH PROVIDED POSITIVE GROWTH IN SELF-CONCEPT. DATA FROM THE STUDY ARE PROVIDED, AND THE APPENDIXES GIVE A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE PROGRAMS OF THE HOME AND CAMP, AS WELL AS PROVIDING A SAMPLE OF THE INSTRUMENT OF TESTING USED. REFERENCES ARE ALSO GIVEN.