COMPARISON OF GROUP TRAINING IN PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS AND SHORT-TERM GROUP COUNSELING IN THE TREATMENT OF ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS ON PROBATION

• NCJ Number: 56635
• Author(s): S H KLARREICH
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 203 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO - DOCTORAL THESIS

Annotation

TWO FORMS OF GROUP WORK, GROUP TRAINING IN PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS AND GROUP COUNSELING, WERE EVALUATED WITH RESPECT TO THEIR EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS ON PROBATION.

Abstract

SIXTY ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS FROM THE ONTARIO PROBATION SERVICE (CANADA) VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: GROUP TRAINING, GROUP COUNSELING, AND CONTROL. EACH GROUP CONTAINED 20 SUBJECTS. THE TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WERE EACH RANDOMLY SUBDIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 10 MEMBERS EACH. EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS MET WITH THE SAME RESEARCHER FOR 2 HOURS ONCE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRETESTS AND POSTTESTS USED WERE THE TENNESSEE SELF CONCEPT SCALE, THE FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONS ORIENTATION-BEHAVIOR TEST, AND THE LIFE SKILLS PROBLEM CHECKLIST. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRESS CHECKLIST WAS ADMINISTERED DURING THE THIRD AND SIXTH WEEKS OF THE PROGRAM. ADDITIONAL TESTING WAS DONE 2 MONTHS AFTER THE POSTTESTING. RESULTS INDICATED THAT GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON PROBATIONERS. SKILL TRAINING DID DEMONSTRATE SOME POSITIVE RESULTS, HOWEVER, WHICH JUSTIFY FUTURE RESEARCH ON THIS APPROACH'S APPROPRIATENESS FOR GROUP WORK FOR PROBATIONERS. FIGURES, TABLES, A BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND EXTENSIVE APPENDIXES PRESENTING THE CONTENT OF THE GROUP PROGRAMS, THE TEST INSTRUMENTS, AND ADDITIONAL RESULTS, ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--CFW)