Organization of Leisure Time Activities in Czechoslavakia - Research Report (From Loisirs - une des mesures de prevention de la delinquance juvenile, P 193-206, 1976, Alice Parizeau, ed. - See NCJ-70512)

• NCJ Number: 70524
• Author(s): K Vecerka
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: French
• Country: Canada

Annotation

The Czechosalovakian Institute for Criminological Reseach studied the leisure time activities do delinquent and nondelinquent youths to descover if there were significant differences between the two groups.

Abstract

The study proceeded on the hypothesis that the absence of positive activities that are soocially acceptable for youths makes a gap that can be easily filled with socially undfesirable activities, especially for youths who have a weak system of values. A questionnaire was administrered to 1186 delinfquent youths from a correcitonal institution and 194 nondelinquent youths from a vocational training school. The questionnaire addressed these youths' favorite was of passing their free time both inside and outside the home. Nondelinquent youths generally preferred, a wider variety of leisure time activities, with more than 50 percent indicating watching television, reading, working with a tape recorder, and listening to the radio as preferred at-home activities. Delinquent youth favored watching television and working with a tape recorder (chosen by 80 percent of the delinquent youths, with 50 percent indicating only these two activities as preferable). Nondelinquent youths seemed to be more motivated in their activities by their social and familial interests than delinquent youths as shown especially by the former's willingness to perform domestic chores. Delinquents seemed to prefer more passive forms of entertainment, and nondelinquents were noticeabley more interested in reading. As for activities outside the home, delinquents preferred going to restaurants and to the movies and strolling while nondelinfquents preferred going to the movies and to sports events and above all, participating in sports. The juvnile delinquents appeared to prefer going above any other activity altogether, while nondelinquent youths preferred movie-going only of activites outside the home. No data were conclusive regarding the influence old age or educaitonal level on the preferences. Finally, when a blank was left on the questionnaire so that the youths could fill in preferences beyond what was listed, nondelinquents were consistently much more imaginative and delinquents showed no initiative to make the intellectual effort to explore their interests further. --French.