NCJ Number
26722
Date Published
1974
Length
131 pages
Annotation
STUDY EXAMINES THE ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF A GROUP OF YOUTHS RELATIVE TO THEIR APPROVED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE, AND REVIEWS THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERING REGIMES OF APPROVED SCHOOLS.
Abstract
NINE INTERMEDIATE APPROVED SCHOOLS WERE SELECTED FOR THE STUDY AND APPROXIMATELY FIFTY BOYS WHO WERE SIMILAR IN THEIR EXPERIENCE OF DELINQUENCY CONSTITUTED THE SAMPLE AT EACH SCHOOL. THE BOYS WERE QUESTIONED AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THEIR PERIOD OF TRAINING AND THEIR VIEWS WERE SOUGHT ON SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE APPROVED SCHOOL PROGRAMS. DATA WAS ALSO COLLECTED ON THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BOYS, STAFF VIEWS ON THE BOYS, AND THE BOYS' SUCCESS AFTER TRAINING. A SUCCESS RATE FOR EACH OF THE SCHOOLS WAS CALCULATED, BASED ON THE PROPORTION OF BOYS WHO REMAINED FREE FROM RECONVICTION DURING THE FOLLOW UP PERIOD. BASED ON THE RESPONSES OF THE YOUTHS, AN ANALYSIS OF THE STRENGTHS, WEAKNESS, AND OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMS AND AN EXAMINATION OF THE ORIENTATION AND EMPHASIS OF EACH SCHOOL PROGRAM WERE CONDUCTED. SCHOOL SUCCESS WAS THEN RELATED TO SCHOOL PROGRAM ORIENTATION, CONTROLLING FOR DIFFERENCES IN THE SCHOOL POPULATION. THIS ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT SCHOOLS WHICH WERE DECIDEDLY WORK-ORIENTED WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN OTHER SCHOOLS.