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DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE 11/00 Was-p.14 (Mr- '7 —v This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO COUNSELORS IN TRAINING IN THEIR ROLE AT SUMMER DAY CAMP° presented by Silvia Margarete Mathews has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for 5 MASTER degree in SCIENCE /, J win 1144/“) 5‘" Win/JJ Major professor Date .1“: gm /7: /7’/7 O~7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution THE INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO COUNSELORS IN TRAINING IN THEIR ROLE AT SUMMER DAY CAMP By Silvia Margarete Mathews A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Parks and Recreation Resources 1988 ABSTRACT THE INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO COUNSELORS IN TRAINING IN THEIR ROLE AT SUMMER DAY CAMP BY Silvia M. Mathews The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance placed on job satisfaction related factors by youth enrolled in Conselor in Training Programs at summer day camps. The factors investigated were a) achievement, b) recognition c) work itself, d) responsibilty, e) advancement, f) personal growth, g) working conditions, h) status, i) quality of supervision, and j) interpersonal relations. Differences between youth with and without previous camp experience, sex and age groups were also examined. A written questionnaire was distributed to 35 CITs representing three YMCA day camps. The questionnaire was a 5—point Likert Scale that ranged from 1, not important to 5, extremely important. Statements describing the factors were rated for importance by CITS. Mean scores of the responses indicate that all the factors are important to CITs at camp. A t-test revealed that no significant differences (p<.05) exist between experienced youth and non-experienced youth, age groups, or sexes in how they rated the factors. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Nancy Putnam and Michael Mathews for their endless energy and the support they gave me in editing and typing this document. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. II. III. IV. INTRODUCTION............................... ...... ..................1 Statement of the Problem..................... ...... . ....... . ...... 1 Statement of Purpose................................ ............ ..3 Importance........................................................3 Limitations.......................... ....... ......... ......... ....5 Definition of Terms......... ........ . ....... ... ...... .............6 LITERATURE REVIEW .......... . ................. .......... ..... .......7 Counselor in Training Literature ..................... ....... ...... 7 camping Research. 0 O O O O O O O O O O O I O ............. O O O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O .8 Summary of Literature Review ......................... .... ...... ...15 METHODOLOGY............. ........ .. ...... . ...... ....................17 Subjects. ......................................................... l7 Instrument....................... ....... ................ ....... ...17 Procedures................. ....... . .......... . ........... . ..... ...20 Procedures for Analyzing the Data....... .............. . ........... 21 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS.... ........ . ............................... 22 Reliability of Individual Factors ............................. ....22 Mean Scores-Rank Order of Responses. ....... .......................26 t-test............................. ............. ..................31 Program Recommendations............. ............. .. ....... ... ..... 36 Individual Review of Factors. .................... ........... ...... 37 Research Recommendations ...... ...... ............. .......... ....... A1 iv LIST OF TABLES Reliability Scores for Individual Factors ........ ......... ........ ..23 Mean Rating of Importance of Factors............ ...... ..............28 Comparison of Herzberg and CIT Rank Orders of Factors....... ........ 29 t—test for all Factor Ratings Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITS....OCO......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ..... 32 Results for 9 t-tests on Individual Factors Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITs......... ..... ... ................. ..3A LIST OF APPENDICES Becker's Factors Definition and Translated CIT Factors .............. A Introduction to CITS ....... O O O O O O O O 0000000000 O O 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O ...... B CIT Questionnaire. O C O ........... O C O O O O .0 O O O O O O O I ....... O O O O O O O I O O O 0 0C Question Items as they Correspond with the Factors..................D Telephone surveYOOOOOOO ....... ... OOOOOOOOOOOOO ......OOOOOOO... ...... E Administrative Consent Form ............ ... ............. ...... ....... F CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The introduction to this study is presented in five parts; the Statement of Problem, the Statement of Purpose, and Importance, which highlight the contributions this study yields the field of recreation. What is beyond the scope of this study is discussed in Limitations and terms pertinent to this research are defined in the Definition of Terms. Statement of the Problem Many books and articles are available to camp directors which focus on developing successful staff training programs (Hartwig & Peterson, 1950, Henderson & Bialeschki, 1982, Knapp, 1984, Turner, 1961). One aspect of a camp program is often devoted to Counselors in Training. Individuals participating in such programs are refered to as CITs. Two commonly stated objectives of a Counselor in Training program are; l) to ensure a satisfying camping experience and 2) to allow CITs the opportunity to develop skills and gain experience which will prepare them to be camp counselors in the future (Hartwig & Peterson, 1950, Turner, 1961). The CITs are in a transitional stage at camp. They are no longer campers and they have yet to become counselors. A CITs' role differs from that of a camper. They are no longer taking part in activities as mere participants, but rather they are assisting the counselor in organizing, implementing, and supervising the activities for the campers. The CIT is expected to function within a certain work role, accept certain responsibilities and perform specific tasks. It can be argued that the CITs' role is very similar to a paid position. Since a CIT performs a job, and one of the objectives of camp is to 2 provide a satisfying experience, one method of ensuring satisfaction with the CIT program would be through ensuring a CIT's job satisfaction. Most literature on job satisfaction focuses on large corporations or an office setting and not on the camp environment (Dehay, Monday & Sharplin, 1983, Herzberg, 1966, Mescon & Rachman, 1979, Skinner, 1971, Vroom, 1964). Becker (1983), in his doctoral dissertation translated a major theory of job satisfaction into the camp setting. This theory is termed the two factor theory and states that man as an individual has two basic and distinct needs in the working environment. One is the need to avoid unpleasantness and the other is the need for personal growth. Becker's study was primarily based on the work of Herzberg (1959), a leading researcher in the development of the two factor theory. The results of Becker's study indicated that the same factors Herzberg indentified as contributing to job satisfaction in industrial workers were also important to the counselors in their job at camp. These influencing factors were termed as; a) achievement, b) recognition, c) work itself, d) responsibilty, e) personal growth, f) advancement, g) quality of supervision, h) interpersonal relations i) status, and j) working conditions. Another investigator (Servedio, 1981) conducted a similar study on students' attitudes toward summer camp employment. Several of the factors that Servedio identified as being important to students in accepting a counselor position were comparable to the factors described by Herzberg and Becker. These factors are increasing responsibility, opportunity for use of skills and creativity, and personal satisfaction received. Servedio's results indicated that students with previous camp experience placed more importance on some factors than did students without previous camp experience. These factors were, use of skills and 3 talents, and personal satisfaction received. Since the results of Servedio's study indicated that counselors with different levels of experience rated the factors differently, one would suspect that CITs with different levels of experience would also rate the factors differently. Although the studies of Becker and Servedio were conducted in a camp environment, they were limited to counselors. Counselors are older than CITs, they are paid for the services they provide and their responsibilities are greater than that of a CIT. Since the CIT population differs from the counselor population, studies conducted with counselors should not be generalized to CITs. Additional research is necessary to provide information that pertains specifically to a CIT's job satisfaction. Statement of Purpose This study intended to investigate the importance placed on job satisfaction related factors by youth enrolled in Counselor in Training programs at summer day camps. The job satisfaction factors were termed as; a) achievement, b) recognition, c) work itself, d) responsibility, e) advancement, f) personal growth, g) working conditions, h) status, i) quality of supervision and j) interpersonal relations. More specifically an investigation was made of the following questions; 1) Are the job satifaction related factors important to the CITs in their work role at camp? 2) If these factors are important to the CITs, to what degree are they important? 3) Do any differences exist between CITs with previous experience and those without previous experience regarding the importance the factors have for them? Importance The benefits derived from this study are reviewed individually in the following section. These benefits, or statements of importance include; providing information that will aid in attaining specific and general program goals, and providing information for the development and refinement of CIT program goals and objectives, and providing information regarding the retention of CITs as experienced leaders. 1) By identifying factors that contribute to CITs' job satisfaction directors will be provided with specific information that can be used to attain program goals. For example, placing emphasis on the factors associated with job satisfaction will help to meet an important program goal, that of ensuring a satifying experience for the CITs. 2) Information that pertains to job satisfaction and the degree of importance CITs place on factors can guide the development and refinement of program goals and objectives. For example, if specific factors are found to be more important than other factors, CIT programs should emphasize the more important factors. In the same respect, if differences are found to exist between first and second year CITs in how they rate factors, programs can be developed to accommodate these differences. 3) As Becker (l98h) discussed in his article in Camping Magazine, counselor retention from summer to summer has been recognized as a serious problem. Becker (198A) found that as early as the 19305, camp directors were addressing the concerns of frequent turnover in camp staff. This obviously results in a loss of experienced leaders. The CITs are not yet counselors, but the nature of a CIT's job does provide them with experiences and a variety of skills important to the counselor position. Cavins (1959), stated one method of retaining experienced 5 leaders is to meet the needs which tend to lose them. By determining which factors are important to a CIT in their role at camp, directors can provide a program in which the CIT receives such opportunities. The more satisfaction a CIT receives from the program, the more likely the CIT is to return in the future as an experienced counselor. Limitations This study is limited to a population of 35 CITs representing three Michigan YMCA day camps. Additionally the study included first year and returning CITs but did not include CITs that did not return for a second season. Definition of Terms CIT lst year CIT Returning CIT Counselor Day Camp Hygiene Motivation Item Factor Abbreviation for Counselor in Training and refers youth enrolled in a camp program designed to prepare them to be future counselors. A youth participating in the Counselor in Training program for the first time. A youth participating in the Counselor in Training that has completed at least one summer in the previous program. An adult paid to provide direct leadership of camp activities to children in their charge. A camping experience that operates weekdays with children returning home at the end of the day. A term used by Herzberg to refer to factors that cause job dissatisfaction. The factors are as follows; job security, salary, working conditions status, company policy and administration, quality of supervision, quality of interpersonal relations, and fringe benefits. A term used by Herzberg to refer to factors that cause job satisfaction. The factors are as follows; achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth. A term used in the statistical analysis of this study. It refers to the individual question items or statements on the questionnaire used in this study. A group of individual items that refer to the same construct and are statistically related. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter opens with a brief description of what a CIT is, what a CIT program is and an explanation of how the CIT role is similiar to that of a paid position. This is followed by a review of the job satisfaction related research that has been conducted in the camping environment. The later part of this chapter is devoted to Becker's (1983) investigation of counselor job satisfaction which is based on the two factor theory. Counselor in Training Literature According to Turner, author of The CIT in Residence Camp (1961), a CIT can be defined as an older camper enrolled in a leadership training program. Such programs are specifically oriented towards camp, but can apply to many other leadership roles as well. Training programs include teaching a wide variety of skills necessary for camp life. Training includes developing leadership skills, organizational skills, outdoor camp craft skills, and interpersonal skills (Chenery & Hammerman 1983). In a review of the CIT literature (Chenery and Hammerman, 1983, Hartwig & Peterson, 1950, Turner, 1961), one finds two commonly stated objectives of CIT programs. These objectives are; l) to prepare CITs to be future counselors and, 2) to provide a satisfying experience for the CIT at camp. Hartwig & Peterson (1950) summarized a CIT program well by stating that the CIT should be placed in the position where they are given the opportunity to learn new skills and theories in all aspects of a camp experience. They should be given the Opportunity to test and put these skills to use. As part of their training, CITs perform tasks in the every day 8 routine of camp life. These tasks include providing assistance to counselors in the organization, implementation and supervision of camper activities. Although CITs do not hold a job in the same respect that paid counselors do, the tasks and responsibilities they hold, indi- cate that they have a job to perform. As stated previously in the literature review, one of the general objectives of a CIT program is to provide a satisfying experience for CITs at camp. One way to achieve this satisfaction would be to ensure that the CIT receives satisfaction from their job. Camping Research This author was unable to find any literature that examined a CITs job satisfaction in her review of the camping literature. Therefore it was necessary to refer to studies that had been conducted with counselors on the subject of job satisfaction. These studies are reviewed in the following section. In an article published in Camping Magazine, Henderson and Bialeschki (1982), reviewed a book entitled, Bibliography of Research: Organized Campingngnvironmental Education, Adventure Activities, Interpretive Services, Outdoor Recreation Users and Programming, by Judy Brookhiser (1982). Brookhiser's book contains a comprehensive listing of research related to outdoor recreation conducted through 1979. Approximately 33% of the studies were related to specific programs, evaluations, objectives, and specific activities. Twenty percent focused on camp management, 27% focused on human and child development, and approximately th focused on staff development and supervision. A review of Brookhiser‘s book indicates that research related specifically to job satifaction in the camp environment is sparse. In addition, this authors more recent review indicates that studies that have investigated staff 9 development and supervision appear to focus more on the problem of counselor retention and counselors' attitudes towards counseling and not on job satisfaction. Although the purpose of these studies may not have specifically been to investigate a counselor's job satisfaction, these studies are directly related to job satisfaction and can provide relevant information. As early as the mid 1950's inquires were made concerning factors which contributed to counselor retention. To investigate this, several researchers (Merkin, 1955, Metcalf, 1957, Ott, 1956) asked counselors directly what factors were important to them as counselors. These studies are reviewed briefly in the following paragraphs. A Master's Thesis entitled; Studies in CampiCounselor Recruitment and Retention (Merkin, 1955), was a four part study that investigated reasons why counselors decided to take another counseling job. The sample population consisted of 175 camp counselors that represented eight camps in the state of Michigan. Results indicated that out of the counselors surveyed, 51% would take another counseling position for two outstanding reasons. Those reasons were being able to work with children and having the opportunity to work outdoors. Dr Metcalf (1957) of S.U.N.Y. Cortland conducted a study to determine what factors counselors felt were important reasons for returning to the same camp the following year. An informal survey was administered to 17 university students. On the average, the students had three years experience as counselors. The results indicated that adequate time off, relations between staff and director, and food quality were important factors for the counselors in deciding to return to the same camp. Ott (1956), in his unpublished masters thesis entitled, A study of 10 Sources of Camp Counselors and Factors that Affect Their Tenure surveyed 320 counselors. The population represented 26 mid—western YMCA camps. Results of the survey indicated that the main factors that counselors considered to be most important in their jobs were being able to work with youth and being able to work outdoors. Servedio (1981), in his Master's Thesis surveyed student attitudes toward summer camp employment. The sample population consisted of a pool of university students attending Camp Day. Camp Day refers to an annual employment fair that approximately 60 camps attend to hire counselors for the summer. Questionnaires were given to attending students and of the completed questionnaires, 1h3 were usable. Results indicated that factors such as; opportunity to exercise skills and talents, receiving personal satisfaction and enjoyment, having the opportunity to use leadership skills, to be creative, and the chance to gain job related experience were considered to be important factors in selecting and working at camp. There appears to be a void in the camping literature regarding job satisfaction from 1960-1980. This author reviewed the Comprehensive Dissertation Index for these years and was not able to find any related camping literature. However, many studies on job satisfaction in non-camp environments have been conducted between 1960—1980. Factors such as advancement, supervision, and interpersonal relations were referred to as being important to job satisfaction (Smith, Kendall & Hulin, 1969, and Ronan, 1970). Ronan (1970), additionally reviewed several studies and found that the most commonly reported factors in job satisfaction were work itself supervision, management, advancement and work conditions. Becker (1983), in his doctoral dissertation entitled A Study of Job ll Satisfaction Among Returning Counselors, examined job satisfaction among counselors. The primary purpose of Becker's study was to investigate the job satisfaction of counselors and the influence individual factors had in the counselors' decision to return to camp the following summer. Additionally, relationships between counselor job satisfaction and personal characteristics such as age, sex, school major, occupation, long term career goals, previous camp experience and school status were analyzed. Becker based his study on Herzberg's study of the two factor theory (1959). This theory states that man has two distinct needs in the working environment. Those needs are to avoid unpleasantness and the need for personal growth. The results of Herzberg's study indicated that two distinct sets of factors were operating, one contributing to satisfaction and the other contributing to dissatisfaction. The factors that were related to satisfaction were termed motivators. The motivators were achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth. Herzberg found that these factors were associated with increased interest and enthusiasm for ones job, as well as an increase in productivity. The increase in the presence of these factors was found to lead to an increase in the amount of job satisfaction an individual received. The factors related to job dissatisfaction were termed hygiene factors. These factors were job security, salary, status, company policy and administration, quality of supervision, quality of interpersonal relations among supervisors, quality of interpersonal relations among subordinates and fringe benefits. These factors were associated with decreased interest and enthusiasm for ones job. The hygiene factors were also found to be associated with a decrease in productivity and reasons for quitting a job. In summary, it is primarily 12 the motivator factors that are associated with job satisfaction and the hygiene factors that are associated with job dissatisfaction. The results of Herzburg's study on the two factor theory have been supported by several investigators. Similiar studies conducted represented a wide range of occupations, races, sex, skill levels, job levels and organizations (Anderson, Clegg, Gendel, Herzberg, Meyers, Saleh and Schwartz cited in Herzberg, 1959). Cross cultural studies have also been conducted in Hungaria with Hungarian engineers by Peczel (cited in Herzberg 1959) and in Finland with Finnish foreman (cited in Herzberg 1959). The results of these studies supported Herzberg's results that the motivators were associated with job satisfaction and hygiene factors were associated with job dissatisfaction. Although Herzberg's study had been supported by many investigations, the study was conducted in a ”normal“ work environment. Several of the factors as defined by Herzberg required modificatiOn to ensure their appropriateness for the camp situation. Becker utilized results from Ott's (1956) and Servedio's (1981) study to aid in translating Herzberg's factors into the camp environment. For example, the factor, working conditions had originally been defined by Herzberg as "the physical condiditons of the work place". To translate this factor into the camp environment, Becker used items from Ott's study such as staff living arrangements, the quality and amount of food and working outdoors. In addition Becker also conducted a pilot study to ensure that all the factors had been included in the questionnaire. The translation of Herzberg's factors by Becker are summarized in Appendix A. The sample population in Becker's study consisted of 249 counselors who represented a random sample of AS north eastern camps. Of the 45 camps contacted, 28 agreed to participate. The types of camps included 13 in the sample were agency camps, private camps and specialty camps. A mail survey was sent to counselors at the camps which agreed to participate in the study. The instrument utilized in the study was a questionnaire using a 5 point Likert Scale. Available responses ranged from a low of 1, strongly disagree to a high of 5, strongly agree. Respondents were requested to read statements which described each of the factors. Respondents were then requested to rate 1) the degree of satisfaction each factor held for them as a counselor the previous summer and 2) the degree of importance individual factors had in influencing their decision to return as a counselor for the present season. The data was analyzed by calculating mean scores separately for motivator and hygiene factors. The higher the mean score was for the motivator factors, the higher the level of job satisfaction was perceived to be. The higher the mean score was for hygiene factors, the lower the level of job dissatisfaction was perceived to be. A three way analysis of variance was conducted for sex, camp type and college major to determine if significant differences existed among the various levels of personal characteristics. The Student—Newman-Keuls multiple comparison was utilized to determine where significant differences existed. When significant differences existed, a one way analysis of variance was conducted for camp type, sex, school majors and occupations. Results indicated that certain groups of counselors were more satisfied with their camp jobs than others. Counselors who had or were planning careers in the education and human services field, were more satisfied with their camp experience and less dissatisfied than other career groups. Included in the education and human service group were education, ministry and social service majors. The least satisfied and 16 more dissatisfied group included fields such as business, journalism, and agriculture. Differences between these groups were significant at the .01 level. Although reasons for satisfaction were not investigated, Becker reviewed Herzberg's motivation factors for an explination. It would be likely that counselors who are education or human service majors, would rate their camp experience as an excellent opportunity for personal growth and learning of new skills because they related to future careers. Counselors in other fields would not have these same opportunities in terms of how they related to future careers. Becker demonstrated that Herzberg's factors were applicable to counselors in the camp environment. However, his study was restricted to counselors and should not be generalized to CITs. There are at least three reasons why Becker's results should not be generalized to the CIT population. One reason is that the definitions of the factors in Becker's study refer specifically to a counselors job, and are not always appropriate for the CITs' role at camp. For example, the factor Salary is inappropriate for the CITs because the CITs do not receive pay like the counselors do. Other factors as defined by Becker require additional items in order to focus explicitly on the CIT role and not the counselors. For example, the definition of Advancement for CITs should include "having a chance to become a counselor in the future". This item is not included in Becker's definition because obviously the counselors are already counselors. Another reason that Becker's results should not be generalized to the CITs is that Becker exclusively surveyed counselors. A counselors' responsibilities and authority are greater than the CITs' and therefore their role at camp is different. Generally counselors are 18 years or older and the CITs are 12 to 16 years old. As developmental psychology literature indicates, there are great 15 differences between these age groups. Thus an application of Becker's results to the CIT population would be an over generalization. Summary of Literature Review Several researchers (Merkin, 1955, Metcalf, 1957, Ott, 1956, Servedio, 1981) have investigated issues related to counselors' job satisfaction. Accumatively the results of these studies indicate that the following factors are important to counselors in their role at camp; working with children, working outdoors, staff relations, opportunities for creativity and gaining job related experience. Becker (1983) conducted a study on counselors' job satisfaction and included the factors mentioned in the studies above. Beckers results confirmed the results of Merkin's, Metcalf's, Ott's and Serverdio's studies. Becker additionally linked a counselors job satisfaction to the two factor theory. This theory states that the factors achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and personal growth are related to job satisfaction. The factors job security, salary, status, company policy, quality of supervision and interpersonal relations are related to job dissatisfaction. Becker translated the definitions of these factors into the camp environment to reflect the nature of a counselors' job. Becker's investigation indicated that these factors influenced counselors' job satisfaction and their decision to return to the same camp the following year. Becker's study was conducted in the camp environment, but his study was restricted to counselors and the factors that describe a counselor's position. Although CITs do preform a job at camp, their role is differ— ent from a counselor's role and they represent a different population. Therefore it would be appropriate to investigate whether or not Herzberg's factors are also important to the CITs in their role at camp. 16 Information pertaining to the job satisfaction of a CIT would be very useful to camp directors in developing CIT programs. For example, specific information regarding the factors could be used to develop or refine specific program goals. Additionally, programs that contain elements that contribute to CIT job satisfaction will be achieving an important goal, that of providing a satisfying experience. A study which examines the job satisfaction of CITs specifically would provide valuable information regarding CIT programs and possibly contribute to the retention of experienced leaders. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY The purpose of this research was to investigate the importance placed on certain job satisfaction related factors by youth enrolled in Counselor in Training Programs at summer day camps. The following subsections review the various fascets of the research process in detail. These subsections are Subjects, Instrument, Procedures and Procedures for Analyzing the Data. The analysis on the data occurs in chapter IV. Subjects The subjects participating in this study were enrolled in a Counselor in Training Program at one of three summer YMCA day camps. All three camps were located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The researcher agreed to hold the names and exact locations of the camp confidential. The number of subjects participating from each camp were 9, 10, and 16. Of the 35 CITs asked to participate, all 35 volunteered. There were no refusals to participate by any of the CITs at any of the camps. All 35 of the questionnaires completed by the CITs were usable for the analysis. Twenty-six of the subjects participating were enrolled in the program for the first time and nine had also been in the program a previous summer. The ages of the subjects ranged from 12 to 18 with a mean age of IA. The number of females participating was 14, and the number of males participating was 21. All of the participants were white. Instrument The instrument utilized in this study was a written questionnaire (see Appendix B). The first part of the questionnaire gathered the following demographic information; 1. Age of respondents 17 l8 2. Sex of respondents 3. Previous CIT experience of respondent a. Previous camper experience The second part of the questionnaire consisted of a 5 point Likert Scale that ranged from a low of 1, unimportant, to a high of 5, extremely important. This part of the questionnaire consisted of 36 question items that described various factors related to the CIT role. These factors were, a) Achievement, b) Recognition, c) Work itself, d) Responsibility, e) Advancement, f) Personal Growth, g) Working Conditions, h) Status, i) Quality of Supervision, j) Quality of Interpersonal Relations Among Subordinates, Peers and Superiors. (See Appendix D for a listing of question items corresponding with each factor). The CITs were requested to rate how important each of these question items were to them when they were at camp. As was discussed in chapter II the results of Becker's study indicated that Herzberg's factors were also appropriate for the camp environment. Although Becker's questionnaire was appropriate for the camp environment minor modifications were necessary to insure its appropriateness for the CIT role. Additionally, several items in Becker's questionnaire refered to a resident camp and modifications needed to be made to reflect a day camp experience. Procedures for modifying the questionnaire included reviewing the CIT literature, reviewing Herzberg's study and conducting informal telephone interviews with former CITs. Any modifications that were made in Beckers questionnaire to reflect the role of a CIT are noted in Appendix A. The procedures for conducting the informal telephone interviews were as follows. The names and telephone numbers of non returning CITs 19 from the previous camp season were obtained from one of the camps participating in the study. Upon contacting the CITs, the researcher identified herself and stated the reason for the telephone call. The procedures for the interview were explained and the CITs were given the opportunity to decline (see Appendix E). None of the six CITs contacted declined to offer their assistance. The researcher then read the definitions of each of the factors. After the definition of each factor was read, the CITs were asked to indicate whether they felt the definition was appropriate for the CIT role. Additionally the CITs were encouraged to suggest changes they felt were needed to improve the definitions of the factors. Becker's definitions of the factors were rather broad and therefore provided only limited information. The factors were defined more specifically by referring to Herzberg's (1959) original study which provided greater detail and simplified the language (see Appendix A). Additionally a pilot study that had been conducted by this researcher with 9 CITs indicated that the questionnaire was appropriate for the CIT role. As was established previously in this chapter, the questionnaire used in this study was a modified version of Becker's questionnaire from his study entitled, Job Satisfaction Among Returning Counselors (1983). Becker primarily based his questionnaire on the results of Herzberg's study entitled, Motivation to Work (1959). To insure that the results of the current study would be reliable and valid, the author investigated the instruments used in Herzberg's and Becker's studies. The reliability and validity of Herzberg's study has been confirmed by several investigators who used both the same and different measurements on a variety of populations. These studies are discussed in the 20 Literature Review. Becker translated Herzberg's factors into the camp environment by making minor modifications. As discussed in chapter II, results from Ott's (1956) and Servedio's (1982) studies which had been conducted in the camp environment aided Becker in translating Herzberg's factors into the camp environment. Additionally Becker conducted a pilot study to ensure that factors were appropriate for the counselors in the camp environment. In summary, the procedures used to investigate the reliability and validity of the current study included reviewing the studies of Herzberg and Becker and conducting a pilot study with the current questionnaire. Procedures Administrative staff from three YMCA camps located in Michigan were contacted and asked if they would like to participate in the study. All three directors agreed to participate. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the questionnaire and an administrative agreement form was sent to the three camp directors (see Appendix F). Additionally the researcher sent a copy of the questionnairefor the directors to review (see Appendix B). The time and dates for conducting the questionnaires were scheduled over the telephone. The dates were selected to accommodate the schedule of the camps and the directors. Upon the researchers arrival at each of the camps, all youth participating in the CIT programs were summoned by camp personnel to a designated area. Prior to administering the questionnaire, the researcher read out loud statements which described the nature and purpose of the questionnaire (see Appendix B). In addition to the researchers statements, the CITs were requested to silently read statements that reviewed what the researcher had previously discussed with them. All the CITs were assured of confidentiality and were given 21 the opportunity to decline. The researcher distributed the questionnaires, pencils and unmarked envelopes to the CITS. The CITs were allowed to leave the immediate area to individually complete the questionnaire and return it to a box provided. After the questionnaires were deposited, the box was sealed and was not reopened on camp premises. The same individual conducted the research at each camp. Procedures for Analyzing the Data The data was collected, coded and placed into a computer. A program entitled Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to conduct all of the statistical analysis that were performed. The statistical analysis used in this study are reviewed briefly in the following paragraph. The results of these analysis are presented in the next section entitled Results and Conclusions. Reliability coeffecients were conducted for each of the factors to ensure that the items were related to the factors. Mean scores were then calculated for each of the factors to determine the importance each factor held for CITs. These factors were then placed in rank order to determine their relative importance with respect to other factors. A t-test was conducted to determine if any significant differences existed between lst year CITs and returning CITs in how they rated items. Additionally t-tests were conducted to determine if any differences existed between different age groups and sexes in how they rated the importance of the factors. CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Three types of statistical analysis were conducted on the data. The following discussion has been divided into three sections according to the type of test conducted. These sections are, 1) Reliability of Factors, 2) Mean Score—Rank Order of Responses, and 3) g-tests. Each section contains the results, followed immediately by a discussion of the results. The chapter concludes with recommendations for CIT programs and a brief discussion on future research possibilities. Reliabilityiof Individual Factors Reliability coefficients were estimated for each of the factors by using the Cronbach Alpha computer run with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). In the analysis, the factors were considered to be reliable if they had an alpha of at least .50. Factors having insufficient alphas were omitted from further analysis. For a listing of the factors and their corresponding alpha levels refer to Table 1, Reliability Scores for Factors on page 23. Achievement had a reliability coefficient of .80. This factor consisted of the following question items; feelings of accomplishment, leading activities from beginning to end, ensuring that the campers had a good time and being satisfied with the job done. Interpersonal Relations-Superiors received a reliability coefficient of .76. This factor consisted of having good relations with the camp director and counselors. A reliability coefficient of .75 was achieved for Recognition. Recognition consisted of the following items. Having parents, campers or counselors say thank you, receiving a CIT certificate and having someone say "good job". 22 Table l 23 Reliability Scores for Individual Factors Factors Defini tion Cronbachs Alpha Achievement Interpersonal Relations Superiors Recognition Advancement Status Personal Growth Work Itself Being able to lead an activity from .80 beginning to end. To fee 1 like I've accomplished something. Knowing that I helped make sure the camper had a Being To get To get Having Having Having Having good time. satisfied with the job that I did. along with camp director. .76 along with counselors. someone tell me I did a good job. .75 a camper say thank you. a counselor say thank you. a parent say thank you. Receiving a certificate for completing the tr To hav in the aining program. e the chance to become a counselor .62 future. To have the chance to gain experience for a future job. Having Having To be Feelin Being Being Being Being Being counse a staff shirt. .56 special activities for CITs. able to go into the staff lodge. g like part of the staff. able to learn new skills. .55 able to learn things about myself. able to do many different things. .5h able to use my imagination. able to provide assistance to the lors. 2h Table l (Cont'd.) Factors Definition Cronbachs Alpha Quality of To have evaluations that help me to do .h9 Supervision my job better. To have counselors help me when I need help. To be able to talk with counselors about things I am unsure of. Interpersonal To get along with other CITs. .hh Relations Peers To be able to make new friends. Responsibility Being in charge of a specific camp .17 activity. Being able to take on new responsibilities. Working To have evenings and weekends off. .06 Conditions Being able to work outside. Being at camp. The factor Advancement consisted of the items becoming a counselor in the future and gaining work related experience. Advancement received a reliability coefficient of .62. Personal Growth had a reliability coefficient of .55. The factor personal growth consisted of learning new skills and learning about ones self. Work Itself received a reliability coeffeciant of .5h. This factor refers to having the opportunity to do a variety of tasks, using ones imagination and providing assistance to the counselors. A reliability coefficient of .69 was achieved for the factor 25 Quality of Supervision. The items were, having helpful evaluations, receiving help when it is needed and having the opportunity to discuss job related problems with the supervisors. Although the alpha achieved for this factor is very close to the required .50, it was still considered to be insufficient with an alpha of .A9 and was omitted from the analysis. In some cases the researcher was able to increase the reliability of a factor by omitting particular question items from the anaylsis. The deleted items were no longer part of the factors definition. The reliability for two of the factors Status and Interpersonal Relations Peers was increased by deleting question items from the factors. An alpha of .56 was achieved for the factor Status by deleting the item, ”Being a CIT versus a camper" from its definition. Prior to the deletion, the alpha was .49 which was an unacceptable alpha. After the deletion, the factor was defined as having staff shirts, special CIT activities, access to the staff lodge and feeling like a part of the staff. It is unclear why ”being a CIT instead of a camper" would not be highly associated with the other items in the factor. Being a CIT automatically grants the privledges associated with the other items in the scale. It is possible that the word CIT itself means very little and that the associated privileges are independant of the word CIT. Another possibility is that although the questionnarie was confidential and the CITs were encouraged to be honest, the CITs may not have wished to appear status concious and therefore stated that being a CIT over a camper was not important. The alpha for Interpersonal Relations Among Peers was raised from .19 to .AA by deleting "seeing old friends" from the scale. Thus, the 26 scale consists of getting along with other CITs and making new friends. There does appear to be some type of relation between the two items, but the alpha of .44 was not considered to be acceptable for this study. The scale Interpersonal Relations Among Peers was omitted from further analysis. The remaining Factors, Responsibility and Working Conditions received very low alphas, .17, and .04 respectively. The coefficients were considered unacceptable for the purpose of this study. It was not possible to raise the reliability coefficients for either of the two factors and they were omitted from further analysis. Reasons for receiving such a low alpha for Working Conditions may be explained by examining the items in the factor. The factor Working Conditions consisted of time off, working outdoors and being at camp. Although each of the items appear to be related to Work Conditions, it does not necessarily mean that CITs view them as such. Reasons for receiving such a low alpha for Responsibility are not obvious. Apparently "having responsibility and taking on more . responsibility" are two distinct and separate items. Since the reasons for why the CITs rated the factors as they did was not examined, it is difficult to determine why the two items weren't related. Mean Scores-Rank Order of Responses To determine how important each of the factors were perceived to be, mean scores were calculated individually for each factors with an SPSS frequencies run. After the mean scores had been calculated, the factors were placed in rank order. The rank order of the factors and corresponding mean scores are presented in Table 2, Mean Ratings of Importance of Factors on page 28. The CITs were asked to rate the importance that each question held 27 for them. As stated previously in the Methods section, available responses for rating the items ranged from a low of l, unimportant, to a high of 5, extremely important. An analysis of the mean scores for each of the factors indicates that overall, the CITs rated all of the factors rather highly. The lowest mean score was 3.25 for the factor Status and the highest mean score was 4.33 for the factor Interpersonal Relation Superiors. The results of the mean scores indicate that the CITs considered all of the factors to be important or very important in a CITs role at camp. Some of the mean scores for the factors approched a rating of extremely important. None of the factors were rated as being unimportant or somewhat unimportant. An examination of the data of how the CITs rated the factors supports the results of the studies previously conducted with the same factors. Herzberg's (1959) and Becker's (1983) investigations indicate that the same factors were important to individuals in their work role. Unlike the previous studies that focused on adults, this study focused on youth in camp environment. The results of this study indicate that the same factors that were found to be important to adults in their work roles are also important to CITs in their work role at camp. The CIT's rank ordering responses of the factors, differ from the rank ordering of the factors by Herzberg in his original study (Herzberg, 1959). These differences are noted in Table 3, Comparision of Herzberg and CIT Rank Orders on page 29. Reasons for why the factors were important to the CITs and reasons for why the CITs rank ordering of factors would be different from the adults was not investigated. However, one can look towards the adolescent and developmental psychology literature for a possible eXplanation. 28 Table 2 Mean Rating of Importance of Factors SCALE Number Mean Standard Scores Deviation Interpersonal Relations Superiors 35 4.3 .88 Interpersonal 35 4.3 .74 Relations Subordinates Advancement 35 4.2 .92 Achievement 35 3.8 .89 Work Itself 35 3.7 .73 Growth 35 3.6 1.0 Quality of 35 3.6 .74 Supervision Recognition 35 3.5 .89 Status 35 3.2 .83 Note. Available responses ranged from 1 to 5 l = unimportant 4 = very important 2 = somewhat imporant 5 = extremely important 3 = important It should not be surprizing that the two factors concerning interpersonal relations should be ranked the highest of any of the factors by the CITs. Social adjustment and acceptence (Adams, 1980) are extremely important during the adolescent years. Major concerns of adolescents at this time include being sociably desirable and getting long with others. Thus adolescents seek encouragement and acceptance 29 from others. Adams explains that the adolescents need to be liked, is no different than the need experienced at other ages. However, the need tends to be intensified during this time because each individual is still in the process of refining who they are. TABLE 3 Comparison of Herzberg and CIT Rank Orders of Factors Herzberg Oils Achievement Interpersonal Relations/ Supervisors Recognition Interpersonal Relations/ Subordinates Work Itself Advancement Responsibility Achievement Personal Growth Work Itself Working Conditions Personal Growth Status Quality of Supervision Quality of Supervision Recognition Interpersonal Relations Status In the same respect, it is not surprising to find that Advancement was also ranked highly by the CITs. Future employment is also a top concern of this age group and is often ranked as a number one concern (Dusek, 1987). It is during these years that youth begin exploring and making career related decisions. For many CITs, this may be their first exposure to a job. The CIT program experience may be viewed by the CITs as very important preparation for a future career. 30 The factors Achievement, Work Itself, Personal Growth and Quality of Supervision had mean scores that were over 3.5, yet they were lower than 4.0. The greatest numerical differences between the mean scores of these four factors is .14 for Achievement and Quality of Supervision. The difference between the mean scores of the four factors are so slight that one could argue that the differences are negligible. One will recall that the value assigned to the number 3 in the questionnaire was "important" and the value assigned to the number 4 was "very important". According to the results then, these four factors are viewed by the CITs as being important and approaching the rating of very important. By conducting a review of either the developmental or adolescent psychology literature one will find that the four above mentioned factors are discussed to some degree (Dusek, 1987, Nielson, 1982, Schell, 1983). Although these factors are perceived to be important, they are not necessarily perceived as being the most important concerns of an adolescent. This might explain the rank ordering these factors received by the CITs in the current study. The factors Recognition and Status are viewed as important factors to adolescents in the developmental psychology literature (Nielson, 1982, Schell, 1983). These factors are often discussed in conjunction with another factor that was ranked higher in this study. For example, the factor status is often discussed as it relates to interpersonal relations or peer groups (Schell, 1983). The factors that ranked the lowest were Recognition and Status. The mean score for the factor Recognition was 3.49 and the mean score for the factor Status was 3.26. These mean scores indicate that although the two factors were ranked the lowest of all the factors, they were still perceived to be important to the CITs in their role at camp and should be 31 considered in the development of a CIT program. t-Test A two tailed E—test using SPSS was conducted to determine if any significant differences existed at the .05 level of significance between lst year CITs and returning CITs in how they rated the factors. The hypothesis were stated as: Ho: There is no difference between the mean scores on ratings of importance for lst year CITs and returning CITs. H1: There is a difference between the ratings of importance for lst year and returning CITs. Additionally, two tailed g-tests were conducted to determine if any differences existed at the .05 level of significance between age groups and between sexs in how they rated the factors. Since the E-test assumes homogenity of variance and the validity of the p—test rests on this assumption, a F-test using SPSS was conducted to test this assumption. None of the F-tests conducted were significant at the .05 level and and therefore the Pooled Variance Estimate of the E—test was used in the analysis. The results of the t-test conducted for all of the factors, supports the null hypothesis that no significant differences exist between the means of lst year ClTs and returning CITs in how they rated the factors at the .05 level of significance. The results are depicted in Table 4 on page 32, t—test for All Factor Ratings Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITs. Although the results of the E-test were not perceived to be significant, there was the possibility that significant differences existed for some of the factors independently. 32 In an attempt to provide a more detailed analysis of the factors, individual g—tests were conducted for each of the factors. Table 4 t—Test for All Factor Ratings Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITs Experience df M S 3 NO 33 3.7 .68 .21 YES 33 3.8 .41 Note. Mean Scores are not significantly different at p<.05. Since there were 9 factors, 9 t-tests were conducted. The results are presented in Table 5, Results for 9 g-Tests on Individual Factors Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITs on page 34. An examination of the table will reveal that not one of the g—tests were found to be significant at the .05 level. The results of the 9 E-tests support the overall E-test that no differences exist between lst year CITs and returning CITs in how they relate the factors. A E—Test was conducted for different age groups and for different sexes to determine if any differences existed among these groups in how they rated the factors. There were no significant differences found between sexes (E = .23, df = 33, p<.05) or in age groups (5 = .87, df = 33, P<.05) in how they rated the factors. In a review of the developmental and adolescent psychology literature one repeatedly encounters the opinion that establishing the boundries of "Adolescence" is difficult (McCandless and Coop, 1979, Schell, 1983). The age span of adolescence is not clearly defined but is generally accepted as a stage in human development between being a child 33 and an adult. Perhaps that reason that no differences were found between the groups in how they rated the factors is best explained by Dusek (1987), in his book entitled Adolescent Deve10pment and Behavior. Dusek discusses the concept of adolescent transitions. He states that to date there is no evidence that the transitions an adolescent goes through occur in any general sequence and often overlap. These changes occur at different times and in different orders. If changes are occuring at different ages and in different sequences, the differences one might expect to find between the groups of CITs may not exist or may be so slight they are not noticeable. Although the researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis, the failure to do so does support the results of Herzberg's study that the factors are important to all individuals regardless of personal characteristics. Additionally the results of this study are very similiar to Becker's findings. The results of the present study indicate that the same factors Becker found were important to counselors are also important to CITS. Program Recommendations The results of the study indicated that the factors; Achievement, Interpersonal Relations, Recognition, Advancement, Status, Personal Growth, Work Itself and Quality of Supervision were important to the ClTs and should be incorporated into a CIT program. In the following section, the factors are reviewed independently and several actions a director can take to incorporate these fascets into a program are pre— scribed. Incorporating the factors into an already existing CIT program can serve to enhance the programs appeal and increase the satisfaction CITs derive from participating in the program. For directors who are developing new CIT programs, the following discussion provides a foundation on which to build a CIT program. In both instances, directors Table 5 Results for 9 t-Tests on Individual Factors Between lst Year CITs and Returning CITs Factor SD 5 Achievement No .91 .28 Yes .60 Recognition No .94 .86 Yes .68 Work Itself No .83 .22 Yes .35 Advancement No .93 .28 Yes .96 Personal Growth No .2 .06 Yes .78 Status No .84 1.3 Yes .76 Quality of Supervision No .77 .22 Yes .71 35 Table 5 (Cont'd.) Factor M SD 5 Interpersonal Relations - Supervisor No .44 .84 .92 Yes .41 .74 Interpersonal Relations — Subordinates No 4.2 .87 .15 Yes 4.2 .67 BEES; None of the mean scores are significantly different at p<.05. df = 33. who use the following information as quidelines will be on their way to providing the CITs with a satisfying experience and also increasing the possibility that they will return in the future as experienced leaders. In addition to incorporating these factors into a program, it is also important that the value CITs place on the factors is communicated to the counselors. The counselors are the ones who spend most of the time with the CITs and it is important that part of their pre-camp training examines the counselors role concerning CITs. Although this study did not examine effective advertisement for a CIT program, it did determine that specific factors are important to the CITs. If a director has incorporated the factors into their program they could develop a comprehensive marketing strategy based on the factors, or elements of the program. Since these factors were found to be important to CITs, it is likely that these factors would also be important and appeal the prospective CITs. 36 Individual Review of Factors l) Integpersonal Relations Among Superiors. It is very important to the CITs to be able to interact with the camp director and the camp counselors. Interactions between the CITs and their supervisors are a daily occurance at camp. Steps can be taken to ensure that these daily interactions are quality interactions extending beyond the required dialouges. A segment of pre-camp should allow counselors and CITs the opportunity to interact and get to know each other. Such opportunities should not be limited to pre-camp and staff training, but should also occur frequently throughout the summer. The camp director can arrange periodic "get togethers" intended to provide opportunities for generating good interpersonal relations between the CITs and the rest of the staff. Such events could include overnights or picnics. Other activities might include having counselors conduct speciality workshops for the CITs periodically throughout the season. 2) Interpersonal Relations Among Subordinates. Being able to interact with the campers themselves is also very important to the CITs and opportunities to interact with the campers should be made available to CITs. A CIT’s job therefore should not only consist of being a "runner" or assisting in setup and cleanups. Counselors should be sure to allow the CITs opportunities to lead and actively assist in activities for the campers. Thus it is very important that part of the CITs' trlining includes leadership skills necessary to lead activities. Additionally pre—camp training for the CITs should provide them with resources for programming activities. 3. Advancement. CITs should be informed of the opportunities for advancement within the organization. For example, can they become Junior Counselors or Counselors in the future? What steps should they take to 37 prepare for advancement. In smaller camps advancement may be difficult, but directors can still provide opportunities for advancement by providing greater responsibility or a special title such as a Senior CIT. A part of CIT training should focus on the skills CITs are learning and how these skills will make them more marketable for jobs that are both related to camp and other employment. Such skills include but are not limited to leadership skills, organization skills and interpersonal relations skills. Directors should also allow the CITs to explore the different fascets of a camp including administrative procedures such as record keeping, filing and supplies. 4. Achievement. Many types of activities at camp are ideal for promoting a sense of achievement. For example, Directors can provide opportunities for CITs to plan and implement portions of camp wide activities under supervision. With the proper supervision, such events can be successful and leave the CITs with a sense of achievement. Counselors can also provide opportunities for CITs to lead entire activities for smaller groups. It is important to the CITs that they are able to lead activities from beginning to end in addition to assisting the counselors, thus counselors should allow the CITs such opportunities. Counselors also may wish to incorporate the CITs ideas into weekly planning of activities so they have a personal investment in the activities and can derive a sense of achievement in the planning and implementation process. Counselors should not be tempted to rely on Junior Counselors as their primary assistants because they may be older and have more experience. The CITs enjoy providing assistance to the counselors and the counselors should provide ample opportunities for the CITs to help them. 5. Work Itself. As was discussed by Becker (1983) it is very 38 important that counselors understand their duties. This also holds true for CITs. It is also important for the CITs to be able to use their imaginations as well as having the opportunity to do many different activities. Counselors and directors should make certain that CITs are assigned different tasks throughout the summer. This will be especially true as the summer progresses since the CITs will have done several of the typical assignments and tasks over and over again. Directors should also take care to schedule CITs with different counselors and different aged campers throughout the summer. Not only will the CITs be with different people, but they will also be required to perform different activities and tasks due to the different age group and counseling styles. 6. Personal Growth. CITs should be provided with opportunities for learning new skills and experiencing personal growth. This should be a part of the CIT Training as well as the entire summer program. Camp is an ideal setting for such learning to take place since being involved in daily camp activities alone provides such opportunities and these opportunities can be greatly enhanced. One method of achieving this would be to have CITs state their personal goals in the beginning of the summer. A written statement would be best for later reference. Throughout the summer, the director should ensure that the CITs are able to meet their personal goals. This can be achieved by having periodic conferences with the CITS. This will also promote reflection on the CITs' part in terms of the skills they are learning and the personal growth that is occuring. Mini conferences intended to facilitate a sharing of concerns or reflecting acheivements could provide a stimulus for personal growth as well as promote interaction among peers. Additionally, the camp director could have speciality work shops throughout the summer for CIT designed to develop new skills. By 39 conducting an informal survey at the onset of camp, a director can determine specifically what interests or concerns CITs have collectively and develop appropriate workshops. 7. Quality of Supervision. Supervision at camp is obviously necessary and CITs do spend most of their time under the direct supervision of the counselors. It is important for the counselors to remember that the CITs are not campers, they are training to be counselors. During the training period the CITs are bound to have concerns. Counselors should always be available, or set aside a time to discuss with CITs any concerns they might have regarding camp. Directors should encourage this by establishing a framework that allows the CITs and counselors to meet. Performance evaluations should be conducted periodically throughout the summer. Counselors should be involved in the evaluation process since they have the primary contact with the CITs. It is important that the CITs receive constructive criticism and positive feedback while camp is in session and not only at the close of the season. This will allow the CITs to strive for improvement and develop their skills. 8. Recognition. Recognition or appreciation of a CIT's efforts can be as simple as a thank you or a special award or certificate. Depending on the size of the camp, directors may wish to award "CIT of the week, month or season". Conducting mock elections within the CIT unit itself serves to bring recognition to CITs from their own peer group. Although directors and counselors have little control over parents saying thank you, they can encourage campers to say thank you by setting an example themselves. Counselors should take the time to notice a CIT's special efforts and verbalize to them that they did a good job. 40 9. Status. Directors should be aware that receiving items such as staff shirts and staff hats are important to CITs especially when the counselors have such items. They want to feel like a part of the staff. If budgets restrict the funds available for material items, special privileges can be arranged. For example allowing CITs access to the staff lodge, special breaks or special activities specifically for CITs and staff to separate them from the campers. Special CIT activities might include lunches, campfires or graduation from the CIT program. These are inexpensive methods which serve to separate the CITs from the campers and make them feel like a special part to the camp staff. After reviewing the factors and actions a camp staff can take to imcorporate these factors into a CIT program, it is apparent that certain actions were directed towards counselors and others towards directors. As was stated at the onset of this discussion, counselors do have an immense influence over what the CIT experiences, but it is the camp director who is ultimately responsible for setting the standards of the CIT program. Both the counselors and directors must be committed to incorporating these factors into the program. Therefore is is important that when selecting their staff, that directors recruit individuals that will be sensitive to the ClTs needs and help to achieve program goals. Research Recommendations Overall the research that has been conducted in the camp environment is sparse. This is even more apparent in the CIT literature. There is much that camp leaders have yet to learn and the following research questions are only a beginning into the inquiry of CITs and CIT programs. 1) Although the importance of the factors was studied, the reasons for why the CITs placed importance on these factors was not examined. 41 Thus one possible future research question would be, why are these factors are important to the CITs in their role at camp? Understanding what is important as well as why it is important can provide a programmer with valuable insight. If one can both identify the needs of a population as well as understand them, one is better able to meet the needs of the population. 2) The current study was limited to a population of 35 CITs representing 3 YMCA day camps. If this study were to be conducted with a larger population would the results be replicated? 3) Children that attend day camps return home in the evenings while children enrolled in resident camps remain overnight for a period of a week or more. It is possible that being away from home for longer periods could intensify the importance attached to the factors or generate different concerns altogether. Would the same results be generated with CITs who attend resident camps as those who attend day camps? If the importance of the factors were increased or decreased, or if different factors altogether were found to be important, a program could be modified to meet these needs. 4) The reasons for why children attend camps varies. They may wish to make friends or perhaps their parent enrolled them because the parents both work. Other children deliberately chose a specialty camp to learn or improve a specific skill. Diving, computer and horseback riding camps are examples of specialty camps. If the reasons for selecting a camp differ among CITs, the importance placed on the factors may also differ. Thus another future research question is; Does the importance placed on certain factors differ between CITs who attend specialty camps and ClTs who attend a general camp? The purpose of the present study was to provide information that 42 can be utilized by directors who are continuiously searching to maintain or improve the quality of the services they provide. In addition to the information provided for programming, this study has also served to generate future research questions for students in the recreation field. With the invaluable insight contributed by scientific inquiry, recreation professionals will be better able to achieve their goals of providing a quality program from which the CITs derive satisfaction. APPENDICIES APPENDIX A APPENDIX A Becker's Factors Definitions and Translated CIT Factors Factors Achievement begining to Recognition Work Itself Responsibility Advancement Personal Growth Salary Note. (B) Based on Becker's definitions. Becker sense of personal achievement appreciation of effort opportunity for creativeness responsibility of job opportunity for advancement opportunity for personal growth and learning new skills increase in salary from last summer versus a counselors position. (C) Based on responses from CITs during telephone interviews. (H) Based on Herzberg's original definitions. 45 B_1__ Leading activities end (H) Completing a job (H) Feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction (B) Helping camper have a good time (C) Receiving a CIT certificate (C) Having someone say Thank You (H) Doing many different things (H) Providing assistance to counselors (C) Using ones imagination (B) Being in charge of activity (C) Taking on new responsibilities Chance to become a counselor in the future (C) Gaining job experience (C) Chance to learn new skills (H) Learning new things about myself (B) N/A Changes reflect a CITs position Factors Working Conditions Status Quality of Supervision Quality of interpersonal relations among subordinates 46 Becker quality and amount of food, staff living arrangments, time off (daily/weekly) opportunity to work outdoors opportunity for new status and privileqes quality and fairness of supervision fair evaluation and constructive criticism opportunity to work with youth _1_ Having evenings and weekends off (B) Chance to be at camp and work outdoors (B) Feeling like part of the staff (C) Having a staff shirt (C) Access to staff lodge (C) Being a CIT (C) Getting help when needed (B) Evaluations that help me to be a better CIT (B) Chance to work with campers (B) The last factor, quality of interpersonal relations among peers, was divided into two categories. one factor. Quality of interpersonal relations among superiors Quality of interpersonal relations with peers respect and like the camp director liking staff and making new friends In Becker's translation they were originally Get along with director and counselors (B) Get along with CITs (C) Seeing old friends (B) Making new friends (B) APPENDIX B APPENDIX B Introduction to CITs Hello! My name is Silvia Mathews. I'd like to thank you all for being here. In a few minutes I will pass out a survey that asks you questions about being a CIT. This survey will ask you to rate on a scale of l to 5 how important certain things are to you when you are a CIT. Your answers will be used to help improve training programs like this one. There are no right or wrong answers, just try to be as honest as you can. When you are finished with the survey, place it into the unmarked envelope I am going to give you, seal it and place it in this box. This is to make sure that no one at camp will be able to see your answers and that no one will ever know which survey you filled out. Filling out the survey is voluntary and not a camp requirement. If you decide not to fill out or complete the survey, you will not be penalized. Although you do not have to fill out the survey, your help is very much appreciated. . After I hand out the surveys, pencils and envelopes, you may select a place on camp property to fill out the survey. Please make sure that you are by yourself. If you decide not to finish or fill out the survey, please still place it in the envelope, seal it and place it in the box. Does anyone have any questions? After I hand out the survey you may go to your selected area. If you have any questions, I will be right here. (pass out survey, pencils and envelopes). 48 APPENDIX C APPENDIX C CIT Questionnaire Do not put your name on this survey. PLEASE READ FIRST Thank you very much for filling out the survey. Your answers are very important and will be used to help develop and improve CIT Training programs at camp. Remember: You are not required to do this for camp and you may stop filling out the survey at any time. You will not be penalized for not filling out the survey. No one at this camp will ever see your answers and no one will ever know which survey you filled out. When you are finished, place the survey into the unmarked envelope I gave you, seal it and put it in the box. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! (next page) 50 51 Do not put your name on this survey. Please answer each of the questions below. A) What is your age? B) What is your sex? 1) Female 2) Male C) Have you ever been a CIT before this summer? 1) Yes 2) No If yes, how many summers? (next page) 52 Do not put your name on this survey. Please read each statement carefully and circle the number that best describes how important each thing is to you when you are a CIT. 1 = unimportant 2 = somewhat unimportant 3 = important 4 = very important 5 = extremely important 1) Being able to lead an activity from beginning 1 2 3 4 5 to end. 2) Having someone tell me I did a good job. 1 2 3 4 5 3) Being able to do many different things. 1 2 3 4 5 4) Being in charge of a specific activity. 1 2 3 4 5 5) To have the chance to become a counselor in l 2 3 4 5 the future 6) Being able to learn new skills. 1 2 3 4 5 7) To have evenings off. 1 2 3 4 5 8) Having a staff shirt. 1 2 3 4 5 9) To have evaluations that help me to do my 1 2 3 4 5 job better. 10) Being able to work with campers. l 2 3 4 5 11) To get along with the camp director. 1 2 3 4 5 12) To get along with other CITs. l 2 3 4 5 13) To feel like I've accomplished something. 1 2 3 4 5 14) Having a camper say thank you. 1 2 3 4 5 15) Being able to use my imagination. I 2 3 4 5 16) Being able to take on new responsibilities. 1 2 3 4 5 (next page) 53 Do not put your name on this survey. 17) Being able to learn new things about myself. 1 2 3 4 5 18) To have weekends off. 1 2 3 4 5 19) Being a CIT instead of a camper. l 2 3 4 5 20) To have counselors help me when I need help. 1 2 3 4 5 21) To get along with counselors. l 2 3 4 5 22) To be able to make new friends. 1 2 3 4 5 23) Knowing that I helped to make sure that l 2 3 4 5 the campers had a good time. 24) Having a counselor say thank you. 1 2 3 4 5 25) Being able to provide assistance to the l 2 3 4 5 counselors. 26) Being able to work outside. 1 2 3 4 5 27) Having special CIT activities. 1 2 3 4 5 28) To be able to talk with counselors about 1 2 3 4 5 things concerning camp that I am unsure of. 29) To be able to see old friends. 1 2 3 4 5 30) Feeling like I did a good job. 1 2 3 4 5 31) Having a parent say thank you. 1 2 3 4 5 32) To be at camp. 1 2 3 4 5 33) To be able to go in the staff lodge. 1 2 3 4 5 34) Receiving a certificate for completing l 2 3 4 5 the training program. Thank you for your help. Please place the survey in the enve10pe, seal it and put it in the box. APPENDIX D APPENDIX D Question Items as they Correspond with the Factors Achievement Being able to lead an activity from beginning to end. To feel like I've accomplished something. Knowing that I helped make sure the camper had a good time. Feeling like I did a good job. Recognition Having someone tell me I did a good job. Having a camper say thank you. Having a counselor say thank you. Having a parent say thank you. Receiving a certificate for completing the training program. Work Itself Being able to do many different things. Being able to use my imagination. Being able to provide assistance to the counselor. Responsibility Being in charge of a specific camp activity. Being able to take on new responsibilities. Advancement To have the chance to become a counselor in the future. To have the chance to gain experience for a future job. 55 56 Personal Growth Being able to learn new skills. Being able to learn new things about myself. Working Conditions To have evenings off. To have weekends off. Being able to work outside. Being at camp. Status Having a staff shirt. Being a CIT instead of a camper. Having special activities for CITS. To be able to go into the staff lodge. Feeling like part of the staff. Quality of Supervision To have evaluations that help me to do my job better. To have counselors help me when I need help. To be able to talk with counselors about things I am unsure Interpersonal Relations - Among Subordinates Being able to work with campers. Interpersonal Relations — Among Superiors To get along with camp director. To get along with counselors. Interpersonal Relations — Among Peers To get along with other CITS. To be able to make new friends. To be able to see old friends. of. APPENDIX E APPENDIX E Telephone Survey "Hello, my name is Silvia Mathews. I am a student at Michigan State University and I'm doing a study on summers camps. I'd like to ask you a few questions about being a CIT. Your answers and comments will be used to improve CIT Training programs." "Would you like to do the survey?" (wait for reply) (If answer is NO/YES then reply) N9 ”Thank you for your time, good bye" YES (Proceed with the following paragraph) "I have a list of catagories that relate to being a CIT at camp. I will state the catagory and then list a set of items that describe this catagory. After each item I list I would like for you to tell me if you think this item belongs to that catagory. Also, if you think there is an item missing, please describe that item." (After all catagories have been reviewed) "Thank you very much for your help. Good bye." 58 APPENDIX F APPENDIX F Adminsitrative Consent Form Dear ( ), Thank you for agreeing to participate in the survey. As was stated in our telephone conversation, the purpose of this study in to provide information for the deve10pment and improvement of leadership training programs for youth at camp. Enclosed you will find a permission form which states that you have agreed to allow me to conduct a survey at your camp. Please sign this form and I will collect it when I arrive on (date). You will also find a copy of the questionnarie enclosed for your information. Thank you again for your time and support. If you should have any questions please call me collect at ( ). Sincerely, I understand that the purpose of this survey is to provide information to aid in the developing and improving of leadership training programs fOr youth at camp. I understand that all questionnaires will be held confidential and that participation is voluntary. I also understand that individuals deciding not to participate will not be penalized. I agree to allow Silvia Mathews to conduct the CIT Survey and I assume responsibility for this decision. Signature date I would like to receive a final copy of the results. Yes No 60 LIST OF REFERENCES LIST OF REFERENCES Adams, F. J. (1980). Understanding:adolescence. Current development in adolescent psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Becker, W. A. (1983). A study of job satisfaction among returning counselors. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple University, PA. Becker, W. A. (1984). The key to staff motivation. Camping Magazine, 55(7), 32—35. Brookhiser, J. (1982). Bibliography of research: organized camping, environmental education, adventure activities interpretive services outdoor recreation users and programming. Martinsville, IN: American Camping Association. Cavins, T. (1959). Our major concerns. Camping Magazine, 51(2), 11—13. Chenery, M. F., & Hammerman, W. M. (1983). Survey dipicts current pratices in program evaluation. Campinngagazine, 55(2), 17. Dehay, J. 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