A PROGRAM FOR PROMOTING ADAPTIVE BEHAVIQfi 3KILLS IN TRAINABLE MENTALLY RETARDED BOYS THROUGH SCGUTING Thesis Tor IIw Degree OI Ed. D. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Marion LeRoy Reynolds 1968 THESI89~ This is to certify that the-u. thesis entitled A PROGRAI-‘i FOR PROE’IOTING ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SKILLS IN TRAINA BLE IVIENTALLY RETARDED BOYS THROUGH SCOUTING presented bg Marion LeRoy Reynolds has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Doctors mmnmin Education D (7%,; “‘0 (at? . a. I" “we April 25, 1968 0-169 dogv— _. ,. -fl, ABSTRACT A PROGRAM FOR PROMOTING ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SKILLS IN TRAINABLE MENTALLY RETARDED BOYS THROUGH SCOUTING by Marion LeRoy Reynolds Does the Scouting program established by the Boy Scouts of America hold any value for Trainable Mentally Retarded (TMR) boys? Will it help the TMR boys grow in the areas of social behavior, self-care, communication, basic knowledge, practical skills, body usage and overall in the area of Adap- tive Behavior? To answer these questions, a project was planned using a trOOp of THE boys from Ingham County, Michigan as an ex- perimental group and an equal number of TMR boys from Cal- houn County, Michigan as the control group. The T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severely and Moderately Retarded and the Vineland Scale of Social Matur- ity were selected as instruments to measure the Scouts' pro- gress. Using Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity members as instructors, special education teachers as consultants and other adults as troop leaders, a one year program was designed. The Scouting activities were planned to operate in conjunction with the boys' school program. Meetings were held during the school day. Activities included hikes, field trips and an over night camping experience. Marion LeRoy Reynolds Wherever possible the program was kept within the rules and regulations established by the National Boy Scout Coun- cil. Individual lesson plans were made for each Scout for each area covered in the Tenderfoot requirements. Frequent rewards were made by presenting a Scout-related award at the completion of each step of the requirements. The following division of the Tenderfoot requirements and the awards made were as follows: Step 1: Reward: Step 2: Reward: Step 3: Reward: Step h: Reward: Step 5: Reward: Boy Scout Oath; Boy Scout Motto; Boy Scout Slogan; Boy Scout Sign; Boy Scout Salute and Boy Scout Handclasp. Neckerchief Uniform; Badge; U.S. Flag; Patrol Yell and Name. Patrol Patch Whip the two ends of a rope and tie the Sheet Bend, Clove Hitch, Bowline, Two Half Hitches, Square Knot and Taut-Line Hitch. Neckerchief Slide The twelve parts of the Scout Law. A framed COpy of the Law The Out Door Code and what to do to become a Second Class Scout. Tenderfoot Badge Boys were given Opportunities to assume leadership roles in the troop organization. Parents were encouraged to participate with their boys. Marion LeRoy Reynolds Analysis of variance was used to interpret the data re— sulting from the pre and post-test gain scores of the two scales. Correlations were run between the two scales' total test results and between the sub-tests of the two scales as well as within the sub-tests of each scale. The T.M.R. Performance Profile results indicated that for TMR boys, Scouting is valuable in promoting Adaptive Behavior growth. The VSSM results were not significant. The areas of Communication, Practical Skills and Body Usage (T.M.R. Performance Profile) and Self-Help (VSSM) resulted in significant F ratios. The Pearson r correlations showed that within the T.M.R. Performance Profile, sub-tests were highly correlated while the VSSM sub-tests were not. Overall, the two scales cor- related at .56, which was significant at the .05 level of confidence. It would appear that the T.M.R. Performance Profile and the VSSM are tending to measure the same abilities, with the T.M.R. Performance Profile more nearly measuring the same abilities as the VSSM Occupation sub-test. Both the empirical and statistical evidence appear to indicate that Scouting is valuable as a method of teaching TMR boys in the broad area of Adaptive Behavior and speci- fically in Communication, Practical Skills and Body Usage as measured by the T.M.R. Performance Profile and Self-Help as measured by the VSSM. A PROGRAM FOR PROMOTING ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SKILLS IN TRAINABLE MENTALLY RETARDED BOYS THROUGH SCOUTING BY Marion LeRoy Reynolds A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION College of Education Department of Elementary and Special Education 1968 s 5: 6‘30 M :g . (1.3" A C KN OW LED GE MEN TS The accomplishment of any worthwhile task is the re- sult of the efforts, c00peration, understanding and ded- ication of many people. Perhaps, in reference to a doc- toral thesis, this is even more true because that final goal is primarily set for one person, but is brought about through the help of several. The following people were instrumental in assisting me in planning and carrying out this study and in the final written presentation. First there was Judy, Karen, Michael, Susan and John Reynolds, the primary reasons for undertaking a doctoral program. Then retarded children, especially the sixteen in the experimental troop, for whom it is hOped the re- sults will benefit. Special acknowledgements go to Dr. Douglas Gilmore, Committee chairman, Dr. Donald Burke, Dr. George Johnson, and Dr. Denton Morrison, a committee Who did more than just guide, they inspired. Mrs. Mary Sandborn and staff of Towar Garden School and Mr. Seagers and staffs of Brownlee Park School and Kambly School; Dr. Hugh Lockhart, Scoutmaster for Troop 181, APO boys, instructors for the troop and the East Lansing Kiwanias Club. Dr. William F. Hawkins was most helpful in prepar- ing chapter III and Mr. Howard Holland was a most under- standing supervisor. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Introduction 1 History and Present Status of the Problem 7 Importance of The Study 9 Statement of Purpose 12 Definitions lu Organization of The Study 16 II. History and Methodology 18 Introduction 18 History of the Project 18 Program Strategy 21 Adult leadership of Troop 181 22 Organization of Troop 181 2h TrOOp meeting organization 26 Planning troop meetings 26 Organization of material 28 Planning and evaluation 30 Experimental Procedures 31 Selection and description of population 32 Experimental Population 33 Control Population 3h Measures 36 T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severely and Moderately Retarded 36 Vineland Social Maturity Scale El ii CHAPTER III. IV. Statistical Procedures Statistical Analysis Statistical Methods Comparison of Experimental and Control Groups Analysis of Variance of the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile Test Results Analysis of Variance of the VSSM Test Results Coefficient of Correlation T.M.R. Performance Profile with cor- relations VSSM within correlations Correlations between the sub-tests of the VSSM and the T.M.R. Performance Profile Correlation between the Social Quotients of the VSSM and the Habil Index scores of the T.M.R. Performance Profile Chapter Summary Guidelines for Establishing a Boy Scout TrOOp for Trainable Mentally Retarded Boys Pre-Organizational Activities Adult Leaders Charter Institution iii PA GE E2 1+3 All its 60 6O 61 61 ‘ 61+ 65 66 66 CHAPTER Scoutmaster Assistant Scoutmaster Special adult leaders TrOOp Plans Time and place of trOOp meetings Records Tenderfoot requirements Lesson plans Individualized Lesson Plan Instructor's Reports C ourt of Honor Guides For Teaching the Tenderfoot Re- quirements Boy Scout Sign, Salute and Handclasp Boy Scout Oath, Motto and Slogan Motto. "Be Prepared" Slogan. "Do a Good Turn Daily" Uniform Badge U.S. Flag Patrol Name and Yell Camp Outs Camp schedule - first day Camp schedule - second day Chapter Summary iv PAGE 66 66 66 69 70 7A. 74 75 80 81 85 9O 91 93 95 96 96 98 99 10h 104 105 105 TABLES TABLES l The Experimental POpulation 2 The Control POpulation 3 Comparison of the Experimental and Control Groups on the Pre and Post-tests of the T.M.R. Performance Profile U Comparison of the Experimental and Control Group's "Habil Scores” 5 Comparison of the Experimental and Control Groups on the Pre and Post-Tests of the VSSM 6 Comparison of the "Social Quotients” for the Experimental and Control Groups 7 Summary of Analysis of Variance of the Experi- mental and Control Group's T.M.R. Performance Profile Gain Scores 8 Simple Analysis of Variance of the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile Gain Scores for the Experimental and Control Groups 9. Summary of Analysis of Variance of the Experi- mental and Control Groups' VSSM Gain Scores 10 Simple Analysis of Variance of the VSSM Gain Scores for the Experimental and Control Groups 11 r Scores Resulting From Correlations between the Sub-Tests of the VSSM and the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile and within each of the scales PA GE u) \J'L LL? RB M9 FIGURES FIGURES PAGE 1 Organizational chart of the adult leaders and advisors of Boy Scouts of America, East Lansing Troop 181 25 2 Organizational chart of Boy Scout Troop 181 with Alpha Phi Omega Instructors, showing their relationships 3 T.M.R. Performance Profile Gain Scores for Ex- perimental and Control Groups 53 h VSSM Gain Scores for the Experimental and Control Groups 57 S Troop 181: Progress Chart At End of 1966-1967 Year 76 6 Court of Honor Room 87 vi ompmmH Appendices Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D E Appendix APPENDICES vii PAGE 120 121 122 123 l2u 125 CHAPTER I Introduction The National Council of Boy Scouts of America has, for several years, been interested in develOping programs for handicapped boys. Surveys have been made by the University of Michigan Survey Research Center (1955, 1960, 196R) that were designed to evaluate the needs and interests of boys in Cub Scout (8 - 11 years), Boy Scout (11 - 17 years), and Explorer Scout (l7 - 21 years) age groups. Since this in- terest has develOped on the National level, many handicapped youth have been exposed to Scouting. The approximate extent of this exposure, in terms of number of handicapped boys in Scout troops, is easily deter- mined. The question of paramount importance, however, is the value of such involvement. It would seem that any in- volvement with other boys in an organized activity would have value for handicapped boys, if only from association with their peers. The next question might be concerned with the integra- tion or segregation of the handicapped with.normal boys in local Scout troops. It may be practical for most handi- capped to be integrated into regular tr00ps. Blind boys, for instance, who are not hampered by limited intellectual aability, might be able to bridge the gap that separates the :Bighted from the non-sighted effectively enough to function zadequately in a regular troop. This might also be true about 1 2 many of the other types of physically handicapped youngsters. Since their disability is physical, some modification of Scouting procedures might be desirable, but intellectually, there could still be the ability to learn the required mate- rial and to readily understand the intended meanings. But what about the trainable retarded, those boys who have limited ability to learn and understand? How could their handicap effect their progress? ‘ Questions suCh as these seem to warrant consideration. The idea of Scouting for the trainable retarded is intriguing. It could be that the precepts of Scouting would prove to be keys that could help to unlock doors to the education of trainable retardates that have long been shut to other more conventional methods. The search for successful methods of teaching the train- able mentally retarded has been even more of an enigma than the quest for finding ways to teach those educable retardates who function on a higher intellectual level. The challenge, then, is clearly that of discovering whether Scouting is an activity that is adaptable and profitable for use in educat— ing trainable mentally retarded boys. According to a report issued by Scout Headquarters, with offices in New Brunswick, New Jersey (1966), five hun- dred twenty-one (521) troops for mentally retarded boys had been established in the United States. Although there is no information available, it is thought that the number of these trOOps that were specifically for trainable retarded boys is probably very small. 3 Trainable mentally retarded children have often not received the attention that they deserve and need. Not only have the laymen felt incapable of dealing with such complex problems, but they have been a challenge to professionals also. However the State of Michigan has long been a leader in the area of programs for the trainable mentally retarded. The State Aid Act (Act 312, Public Acts of 1957, as amended) of the Michigan Legislature provides opportunity for inter- mediate school districts to establish programs for trainable students. Both the schools participating in this study were established by this authority. Such programs have greatly improved communities' ability to aid in the education and training of these children, yet even more must be done be- cause parents are still taking the major responsibility for their trainable children, especially the mother, who has had the continuious home care. The President's Panel on Mental Retardation(l962) stated that "No mother can be ex- pected to carry the responsibilities of a retarded child without outside support." (p.89) It is one thing to state that the community should shoulder some of the responsibility of caring for the train- able mentally retarded, it is another to pin-point that responsibility. Which agency or agencies should the com- munity look to? Has the church some obligation? Do social agencies, other than schools, need to assume greater roles in the care and training of these persons? Or, is the school in a position to carry most of the load? h Cruickshank (1958), in answer to a statement by Goldberg, feels that the public schools should not have the responsi— bility since the trainable retarded will not be able to "as- sume a self-directed role in society." as a direct result of their schooling. Goldberg feels that schools are the best qualified and equipped agencies to assume the task. Unfor- tunatly, many communities either agree with Cruickshank, that the responsibility for trainables should be with some com- munity agency other than the schools or they agree with Goldberg to just "let the schools" do it. A close consideration of this controversy indicates that the question is no longer whether the schools should or should not work with trainable mentally retarded children. The fact is that schools have increasingly become involved with this level retardate. The central question now is what kinds of programs can the schools Operate? Regardless of the nature of the programs, they should be developed in close c00peration with other community agencies. ‘And, as has been stated, since the schools have taken the leadership role in planning for these peeple, they must co- ordinate not only programs, but the use of professional staffs' talents as well. The lack of trained personnel to work with trainable retarded children, prescribes that professional leadership for new projects will be hard to come by. With out such leadership, laymen.have not felt they could do the job. However, most professionals in the field of mental retardation will assume consultant roles when requested to do so. S The problem of adequately trained staff is only one of the hurdles that schools have to conquer. If they continue to plan for the trainable mentally retarded, they must also develop new curriculums. Scouting may be a foundation upon which schools can build these programs and around which new techniques can be tried. Although Scouting is not generally thought of as a school day function, there is no reason why it could not be. If it were found to be a valuable aid in the education of trainable retardates, Scouting should become part of the curriculum. Logically then, time would be allocated during the school day for Scout meetings. This plan would solve the problem of transportation. Also the teachers could act as consultants to the adult leadership of the troop. Another consideration is that if Scouting is to be help- ful educationally, the Scouting activities must correlate well with areas that have been identified as important for instruction of the trainable child. Some of these areas are; (1) Social Behavior, (2) Self-Care, (3) Communication, (A) Basic Knowledge, (5) Practical Skills, (6) Body Usage (DiNola, Kaminski andStermfeld, 1963). These six units are easily identified within the ex- isting frame work of the Scouting program. A quick review of the Boy Scout Handbook (1966) illustrates this state- ment. Some examples are: 1. Social Behavior; "Cheerfulness", "Community, help- ing in", and "Home, helping in“. l 2. Self-Care; "Safety", ”Cleanliness", "Feet, care of". 6 . Communication; "Distress call", "Lost, what to do". Basic Knowledge; "Reading", "Animals", "Country". Practical Skills; "Ax", "Fire", "Cooking". (>me . Body Usage; "Exercise", "Fitness", "Hiking". These are a few of the topics covered in Scouting that can stimulate the imagination toward planning to meet the needs of trainable retarded boys. Those areas that have been stated as important parts of an educational program for trainable mentally retarded children, plus the basic concepts of Scouting, can be woven into a use- ful curriculum. Learning to get along as a member of the Scout team in both play and work activities could help pre- pare the boy for his adult role in leisure time and voca- tional pursuits. Camping experiences and care for his uniform and equipment could provide many Opportunities for learning lessons of self-care. The Scout must learn to communicate if he is to suc- cessfully compete in the advancement requirements which stress basic knowledge and practical skills. In addition, Scouting programs are filled with activities of a physical nature. There is ample Opportunity in Scouting for each boy to develOp his body, to learn better coordination and become aware of his physical capabilities. The Scout Master's Handbook (1963), outlines programs and lists responsibilities of adult Scout Leaders. This handbook was written with the normal boy in mind, but it has direct implications for adults working with retarded boys. 7 "We must take him (the boy) as we find him and help him grow into the man he hopes to be by using what he has and what skill we have to help him row into his best possible self...By helping him 'learn by doing" we give him a chance to ac- quire Scouting skills that will make him self- reliant, strong and helpful. We encourage him to practice good citizenship in his patrol and in the troop, to get along with others, to fair play. (p.71) Some collective study and discussion by all concerned could result in innumerable adaptations of the Scouting pro- gram for planning to meet the needs of the trainable boy. The National Boy Scout Headquarters reports five hun- dred twenty-one trOOps for retarded boys currently Operat- ing in the United States. There is, unfortunately, no delineation as to how many are for educable mentally re- tarded boys and how many for trainable mentally retarded. An attempt to determine this separation has not been fruit- ful. However, two existing troops for trainables were located: one in Saginaw, Michigan and one in Charleston, West Virginia. Neither of these troops had been organized and Operated in the same way as the troop discussed in this study. Correspondence with Scout Leaders, both locally and nationally, a search of the literature, and personal con- versation with numerous Scout Leaders have not uncovered any published or unpublished material on programs of cur- rently Operating trOOps or proposed trOOps except on a very general level. 8 The National Association for Retarded Children has some material available on Scouting for the retarded. A Scouting conference was held jointly by NARC and the Boy Scouts of America in 1963. Their purpose, at this conference, was "To increase the use of Scouting as an "educational bridge" to the retarded boys Of America and to bring to them the plea- sures and benefits of the Scouting program". (196R) National Scout Headquarters also has an unpublished document pertaining to Scouting for educable retarded boys (1966). This paper is an empirical presentation and Offers little for programs for the trainable retarded. Recently a pamphlet was published by Boy Scouts of America (1967) which incorporated much of what was said in the 1966 unpublished document. Basically the pamphlet discusses how retarded boys can be helped through Scouting. However, a large portion of the instructions are not applicable to working with trainable boys. Franklin J. Keller (1967), feels that on occasion a mildly retarded boy can become an actively participating member of a regular Boy Scout Troop. He suggests that "The Scoutmaster might have a talk with the boy's teacher". (p. 36) He further recommends that a parent-Scoutmaster conference is a necessity. NO reports on Scouting specifically for trainable boys could be found. The lack of available information on the subject plus the hypothesis that such activities would be valuable to trainable boys as part of their habilitation pro— 9 gram were considered good reasons for planning a study on the subject.* Importance 2£_The St dz. "Mental retardation has received more attention in re- cent years than any other area of exceptionality." (Dunn, 1963, p.8). Much of this attention has been focused toward assisting the retarded to function more normally in his society. Especially on the trainable level, the importance of adapting to the codes of society is paramount. At the present time it is thought doubtful that the trainable men- tally retarded can be taught to achieve beyond a very mini- mal level academically. The result is that the bulk of their training is aimed at habilitating them to perform on acceptable social and vocational levels. (O'Connor and Tizard, 1956). This may be in competitive employment or in a sheltered workShOp, but in either instance a relatively high degree of socialization ability is required. Stanley Powell Davis (1959), wrote "whether carried on by the public school, by the home, by the institution, or through com- munity agencies, the ultimate aim of all work with the re- tarded is socialization..." (p.215). *The literature is filled with references to the "re- habilitation" of the mentally retarded. Yet only in a very small percentage of the cases is this term correctly used. Only when a person becomes retarded some years following birth can he be "rehabilitated, since'rehabilitation" imr plies that the person was habilitated at one time and then lost that status. .A person born retarded has never been "habilitated" so it would not be possible to restore that person to a status he has never achieved. lO Research.has shown that retardates fail, especially in vocational areas, most Often because of inter-personal pro- blems (Kirk, 1962, p.115). They tend to be lacking in the ability to adjust well to other people in social situations. It would seem that Scouting Offers learning situations that can be most helpful in preparing retardates to adjust socially. As stated by NARC, "It gives the handicapped boy a sense of belonging, Of accomplishment, and an Opportunity to associate with more normal boys." (bulletin number 3M567). One of the best ways to help the trainable retarded develOp socially is through interaction with others in their environment (Hanson, Daly, and Campbell, 1966, p.53). In this way, they learn how to develop socializing techniques that best work for their particular personality. The basic organization of Boy Scouts provides members an Opportunity to meet, work and play with others. With their peer groups, they can interact at Scout functions. They also have an Opportunity to interchange experi- ences with members of the Chartered Institution and the TrOOp Committee -- the group of men who have accepted the responsibility of guiding the trOOp (Boy Scout Handbook, 1966, p.9h). All these people provide opportunities for socializing experiences. Social adjustment is not something a person can learn by himself. It is "the adequacy of the pupil's interaction with other pupils and adults in all his social eXperiences." (Hanson, et. al., 1966, p.53). A primary consideration in this whole educational ef- fort towards acquiring a higher degree of socialization is 11 to make the student realize the importance of such learning. He must want to achieve this goal. "A child learns only when he is motivated to learn." (Symonds, 1965, p.1). This concept is a relatively new one in the field of educational psychology, but has rapidly become very important in the development of new programs for the trainable mentally re- tarded. It would seem.that Scouting would be an excellent way of motivating boys to learn. If the boy becomes a Scout, he can wear the uniform, go on field trips, camping, hikes and numerous other "boy-type" activities. However, to be a Scout and thus be able to participate in all those events, it is necessary to learn and to advance. Primarily Scouting is thought of as a recreational acti- vity. ‘Yet it may have potential for far more importance. The National Association for Retarded Children believes that Scouting is one of the major activities through which.mentally retarded youth can be helped to attain their Optimum develOp- ment. This endorsement of the basic idea of Scouting for re- tardates suggest the need for research to determine the real value of such programs. At present the idea is merely a belief based on empirical evidence. Before the National As- sociation for Retarded Children or any other organization or disipline can categorically endorse such a program, there is a need for studies, well designed, conducted and carried out with the results carefully analyzed and reported. 12 Statement 2; Purpose. The statement that "mentally retarded children are more like normal children than dislike them" is found often in the literature (Warner, 196b,, Kirk, 1962, and Hill 1963). If this is a true statement, then Scouting should be a meaning- ful activity for trainable retarded boys. Joseph.A. Brunton, Jr., Chief Scout Executive, writing to the "New Scout" (Boy Scout Handbook, 1966), sets the goals of Scouting in clear terms. He states that by following the "ideals of a Scout", by living "up to the Scout Oath and Law" a boy "will find new paths to knowledge, to fun, and to ad- venture" and most importantly "It will help you become a true American Citizen." That Mr. Brunton's position has been accepted by Americans for nearly sixty years, is evidenced by the fact that over thirty-four million boys have been Scouts since the organization's inception on February 8, 1910 in washington D.C. Most of the ideals that are accepted as morally sound for America's youth are embodied in the prin- ciples of Scouting. The proof Of.America's adult pOpulation's support of Scouting can be found in every community and social level of our country where adult leadership guides the Scouting programs. These facts seem to lend credence to the value of Scouting. If a Scout troop for trainable boys were established, would active membership is Scouting programs significantly increase the trainable's performance in activities of daily living. WOuld it improve their ability to get along well with.their peers, take care of their basic needs, communicate, 13 learn at least the basic knowledge necessary for community living, and help improve proper body usage? Would their teachers be able to detect improvement in their adaptive behavior in the classroom? Would they develop habits and learn the practical skills that would benefit them as they prepare for participation in vocational activities? These were some of the questions that needed to be studied. Since no previous work had been done in these areas, the questions could only be answered empirically. The decision to attempt to find some of the answers was based on the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' social behavior. Hypothesis 2; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' self-care Hypothesis 3; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' communication abilities. Hypothesis u;.Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' range of basic knowledge. Hypothesis 5; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' practical skills. 1h Hypothesis 6; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' body usage. Hypothesis 7; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' adaptive behavior. In addition to these seven hypotheses, the advisibility of modifying the Boy Scout Handbook for use by the trainable “mentally retarded will be considered. Do the adult, non-professional, Scout leaders need special training? This is an important point needing clari- fication. Local trOOps will have to locate competent peOple to provide the necessary training if it is a need. Is there a need for help with the troop beyond the nor- mal number of adult leaders? Should the adult leadership/ Boy Scout ratio be more in line with what public schools have, or is a lower ratio indicated? Should there be a change in the chronological age limit- ation for boys in a trainable troop? We know that we can expect trainable mentally retarded boys to function only about one-third to one-half of the rate of normal boys of the same chronological age. Should we then extend the upper age limit for these boys to provide for their slower growth rate in terms of mental age? Definitions . , 1. Trainable mentally retarded. Those students who have 15 ‘been.found to be functioning on a severely retarded level as cistermined by the school system they attend. Generally this .includes those students who "at best can assume only partial- Jy'his responsibilities in the family and community". (State of Michigan Department of Education, Circular #6, 1966). 2. Educable Mentallngetarded. (EMR) "The Mentally Handi- capped individual who has enough potential capacity to achieve some successes in a school program adapted to his needs and ‘who, within limited expectations, can make reasonably satis- factory adjustments tO his job and community." 3. Social Behavior. The reaction of a person to the people with whom.he comes in contact during his daily acti- vities: the ability to function within the limits of general- ly accepted normal behavior: and the practice of acceptable social amenities. h. Self-Care. The ability of a person to independently care for himself while eating; to look out for his own safe- ty; to keep himself clean and neat; and to look after his Own dressing and elementary clothing needs. 5. Communication. The ability of a person to make his wants and needs known by way of gestures and/Or verbal means. 6. Basic Knowledge. The ability of a person to deal effectively with basic weights and measures, shapes and sizes, numbers and money; to be aware of ownership; changes in weather and have a concept of time; to know basic information such as name and address; colors; alphabet and basic signs such as stOp, go, men, and women. 16 7. Practical Skills. The ability tO use effectively, tools that are normally found in a household (broom, toaster, stove, etc.). Being able to remember to accomplish certain chores assigned to him as his part of the routine of the home. The ability to be punctual; recognize authority fig— ures; and to have some realization of the value of money. 8. Body Usagg. The ability of a person to perform elementary calisthenics, have good basic health habits, and be able to demonstrate enough coordination abilities to not significantly hamper his activities. 9. Adaptive Behavior. The activities a person is usually expected to perform.each day in his home, school, and community and the person's ability to learn to perform them satisfactorly. Organization gf The Stud . ' Chapter I includes the introduction which outlines the problem, a history of the problem, an outline of its impor- tance, the hypotheses and other questions to be answered plus definitions of terms. Chapter II describes the history of the project, the population used in the study, the tools used in the evalu- ation and the procedure followed to carry out the research. Chapter III is an analysis of the statistical results of the study. Chapter IV is a detailed description of the Scout pro- gram conducted for this study. This chapter also contains a discussion of the subjective questions found in Chapter I, 17 following the list of hypotheses. These include a presenta- tion of the major premises that resulted from.the experiences the writer gained during the year as the Assistant Scout- :master for Troop 181. This chapter is designed to give de- tailed help to others who may be interested in duplicating the research project and those who want to organize a troop for the trainable mentally retarded. Chapter V contains the summary, conclusions, limitations, implications and suggestions for further research. CHAPTER II History and Methodology Introduction There are many Scout troops for mentally retarded boys currently in operation in the United States. Most of them have been chartered by the Boy Scouts of America and are active functioning troops. There is, however, no available evidence to indicate that they are supplying more than a common group participation experience. There is a need to determine just how valuable these troops are for providing effective activities that are helpful in the education and training of trainable mentally retarded boys. Research should also be designed to discover ways of adapting regular Boy Scout methods for use by trainables. History 2£_the_Project 8 Alpha Phi Omega is rather unique as a social fraternity on college campuses through out the United States. In ad- dition to the social life shared by its members, the group puts an emphasis on service projects in the community and on the college campus. Another singular characteristic of this group is that before a young man can become a brother he must have, at one time, been a Boy Scout. A member of the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity, from the Michigan State University Campus, must be given credit for the original ideas of this project. While enrolled in a course in mental retardation this student spoke to his 18 19 instructor about the possibility of members of Alpha Phi Omega working with retarded boys in a Scouting situation. The instructor expressed an interest in the idea and accept- ed an invitation to address the fraternity's membership on the tOpic of mental retardation. This speech was brought to the attention of the local Boy Scout Executive who was a member of the East Lansing Kiwanis Club. Through him other East Lansing Kiwanians became interested in the idea. This growing interest resulted in the instructor being asked to attend a meeting to discuss the possibility of such a pro- ject. An opinion was expressed, at the meeting, that if this project were undertaken it should be on an experimental basis. The instructor felt that if a carefully controlled project were started it might well be a very beneficial and significant activity. Those present at the meeting decided to organize a Scout trOOp for trainable mentally retarded boys as a first step. Plans were made to ask the East Lansing Kiawanis Club to act as the Charter Institution. This is the title assign- ed to the organization, usually a service club, church or fraternal group, that agrees to help the troop in various ways such as financially, providing transportation and/or adult leadership. Also from.the membership of this club, a Troop Committee would be selected. A troop committee is re- sponsible for asisting the Scoutmaster in every way to assure that the boys derive as much from Scouting as possible (Scout- master's Handbook, 1963, p.76). 20 The man chosen to be the Scoutmaster was a member of the Michigan State University Staff and the father Of a trainable mentally retarded girl. The suggestion was made that the troop be composed of boys attending the Towar Garden school located near East Lansing. Towar Garden School's population consisted of train- able retarded children from.Ingham County. The request was formally submitted to the East Lansing and Ingham County Public School Officials and permission was granted. The troop began meeting unofficially during the Fall of 1965. Soon afterwards an official Charter was petitioned from.the National Council of Boy Scouts Of America. Eventually the trOOp was designated as East Lansing TrOOp 181. Questions were raised at this time concerning the pos- sibility that such trOOps might have already been chartered and studies made of their activities. The Boy Scout Execu- tive was not aware of any, but indicated that he would con- tact the National Council of Boy Scouts of America for fur- ther information. His efforts resulted in a visit to East Lansing by Mr. Donald M. Higgins, Director of Health.and Safety Service of the National Council Of Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Higgins reported that no such project had been undertaken, but the National Council was eager that one should be started. He reinforced the suggestion that the troop be planned as a research study. The instructor was asked to plan the study, but he de- clined because of other commitments. He did, however, indi- 21 cate that a doctoral student might become interested in the project. His suggestion resulted in the writer being asked to consider the idea as a dissertation topic. All the pre-project events, outlined above, occurred during the Fall and early Winter Of the school year 1965- 1966. During the remainder of that school year, the writer became acquainted with the adults associated with the trOOp, Troop 181 Scouts and the Towar Garden School Staff. Meetings were held with these perSOns as well as with the writer's Doctoral Committee. Plans were made tO begin the project in the Fall of the 1966-67 school and to continue through the year. Program Strategy In this Chapter, the description of the Scout program will be brief. A complete and detailed presentation will be made in Chapter IV. The intent here is to provide enough information for the reader to understand the basic design of the study. A program.was planned to organize the troop into an ex- tension of the educational goals of the school. These goals were to help the boys develop in the areas of 1. Social Be- havior, 2. Self-Care, 3. Communication, A. Practical Skills, 5. Basic Knowledge, 6. Body Usage. Collectively these might be thought of as Adaptive Behavior, which has been described as "the effectiveness with which the individual copes with the material and social demands Of his environment. .Adap- tive Behavior is a composite Of many aspects of behavior and 22 is, in addition, a large range of abilities and disabilities." (Heber, 1960, p.uh9). ‘ Since Troop 181 had already been in Operation for part of the school year 1965-1966, many Of the necessary adult leaders were actively functioning in selected roles. The task in the Fall Of 1966 was to determine whether additional help was necessary and whether those already assigned respon- sibilities should continue in their present roles or should be changed. So the first decisions made during the Summer Of 1966 concerned the adult leadership. Adult leadership 2: Troop 181. The Scoutmaster request- ed that the writer assume the position of Assistant Scout- master. In addition to the normal duties that belonged to that position, the.Assistant Scoutmaster was to be the pro- ject director. He would plan troop meetings in cooperation with the Scoutmaster. From these plans, he would have the responsibility for developing procedures for presenting the learning material to be covered. At all times and in all areas his first duty was to act as the professional consul- tant. Normally a patrol leaders' council is formed to plan the activities of the troop. However, since the Scouts in TrOOp 181 were trainable mentally retarded and the planning of troop activities was an essential part of the over all 23 research.project, the decision was made to exclude this council.* Knowledge of the trOOp's membership, indicated that there were probably as many different kinds of learning pro- blems present as there were members. It was recognized that two adult leaders would not be enough to adequately instruct the total group. A request was made to the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity Members to participate in the project as instructors. The members elected to accept that challenge. Since members of the fraternity had previously been or were presently Boy Scouts themselves, they were perhaps, more aware Of the im- protance of such a program than most college students might have been. Enough of them volunteered so that troop leaders were able to select one.A1pha Phi Omega member to serve as instructor for each two boys in Troop 181. The Alpha Phi Omega President appointed one or the volunteers to act as the liaison between the fraternity and the troop. This young man was also appointed to the position of Troop 181 Senior Patrol Leader. The teachers at Towar Garden School were asked to be con- sultants to the project and meetings were scheduled for once a month. The Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and Senior sit is doubtful that with a troop of trainable boys, that a patrol leaders' council would ever be able to func- tion independently. Still after such a troop becomes well established, the patrol leaders should be included in the planning meetings, at least on an experimental basis. 21; Patrol Leader attended each meeting to discuss the trOOp's activities. An attempt was made to relate Scouting activi- ties to classroom assignments. From time to time, other area leaders in the education of trainable mentally retarded children were asked to contribute to the planning. The Troop Committee members met and functioned as sug- gested in the Scoutmaster's Handbook (p.75-82). Figure 1 shows the organization of the adult leaders of TrOOp 181. The parents did not Officially belong to the formal organization of the adult leadership, but they were always invited to participate in troop activities. This "associate" affiliation is indicated, in Figure l by a broken line. I Insert Figure 1 Organization gf_Trogp 181. Sixteen boys from Towar Garden school joined the troop. They were divided into two' patrols with eight boys in the first patrol and seven in the second while the one remaining Scout was made the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. Each patrol determined its own patrol name and call. A patrol Leader and an.Assistant Patrol Leader were selected for each patrol by the patrol members themselves. The first group adopted the Cat as their identi- fying symbol, while the second group chose the Wolf. Figure 1 Area Boy Scout Executive Chartered Institution Troop Committee Alpha Phi Omega Instructors Fig. 1 Organizational chart Of the adult leaders and advisors of B0 Scouts of America, East Lansing TrOOp l l. J - -- * Scoutmaster HTTowar Garden School Staff Assistant Scoutmaster Senior Patrol Parents Leader 26 Figure 2 gives the trOOp's organization. This generally follows the recommended organization of Scout members as outlined in the Boy Scouts of.America Handbook. The excep- tions are that the Senior patrol Leader was not a member of troop 181 and the Instructors, except for the Scoutmaster and the Assistant Scoutmaster are not necessarily found in a troop's organizational plan(Scoutmaster's Handbook, 1963, p. 55). Insert Figure 2 Trogp meeting organization. A troop meeting organiza- tional plan was devised to insure a consistent procedure each week. It was thought that a structured plan would enable the boys to learn what to expect during each troop meeting, thus assuring a feeling of security which might result in a greater amount Of learning. The following meeting schedule was used through out the year. Activity Time Opening 12:50 - 12:55 Review 12:55 - 1:15 Activities 1:15 - 1:35 » New Material 1:35 - 1355 Closing 1:55 - 2:00 Planning troop meetings. Frequently the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and the Senior Troop Leader met tO plan for future troop meetings. At these times, any changes in the assignment of boys to particular Instructors were 27 Figure 2 Senior Patrol | Leader | 1 l Cat Patrolr Patrol Leader* Assistantr Patrol Leader Assistant* I _ Senior Patrol Leader % Wolf Patrolr I Patrol Leader*l Assistant* Patrol Leader [Patrol Membersm Patrol Members4 Alpha Phi Omega 1 Instructors Fig. 2 Troop 1 1 wi Organizational chart of Boy Scout th Alpha Phi Omega Instructors, showing their relationships. *Indicates areas of responsibility for train- able mentally retarded Scouts. l 28 discussed and implemented. There was continuous effort to make assignments that would best meet each boy's needs. Only after very careful consideration was a change ever made, since it was thought that such moves might seriously disrupt Scout-Instructor relationships and create feelings of in- security among the Scouts. These meetings also provided a chance for short term evaluations of the program plus time for general future planning. The Assistant Scoutmaster was assigned the task of breaking down these general plans into workable weekly trOOp meeting assignments. Organization 2f material. The over all plan for troop meetings was to use the Scout Tenderfoot Requirements as the foundation for instruction. With this information as a base, the Instructors were asked to follow guides provided for them before each meeting. All sixteen of the boys did not learn the material at a common rate, so these general les- son plans pertained primarily tO those Scouts who were learning most rapidly. Every Alpha Phi Omega instructor received a COpy of the general lesson plan and was instructed to keep them in a file so that if he were to be assigned one of the slower boys, he could use an earlier lesson plan and progress through the later plans at the Scout's own learning rate. Also an Instructor and the Assistant Scoutmaster might decide that a more specific lesson plan would be helpful for a particular Scout. On such cases an individual plan was prepared. 29 These lesson plans contained not only a general outline of instruction, but specific suggestions for ways to present the material being covered. Sometimes special instructional techniques were develOped for an individual Scout. Much thought and consideration was expended in dis- covering ways to present the Tenderfoot Requirements. Not only was the goal to teach the basic information, but to best use the material to benefit the boys in terms of adap- tive behavior. Finally the decision was reached to divide the Tender— foot Requirements into five parts. The rationale for such a decision was simply to permit rewards to be presented at the completion of each step, rather than after all steps were completed, in hopes of creating and sustaining the Scout's motivation. The concept of rewarding small increments of successful positive learning is a commonly accepted practice in working with lower level retardates(Holland and Skinner, 1961). The following is a breakdown of the Tenderfoot require- ments into five steps. This list also includes the rewards that were given at the time of successful completion of each step. Step 1: Boy Scout Oath; Boy Scout Motto; Boy Scout Slogan; Boy Scout Sign; Boy Scout Salute and Boy Scout Handclasp. Reward: Neckerchief. Step 2: Uniform; Badge; U.S. Flag; Patrol Yell and Name. Reward: Patrol Patch. 30 Step 3: Whip the two ends of a rope and tie the Sheet Bend, Clove Hitch, Bowline, Two Half Hitches, Square Knot and Taut-Line Hitch. Reward: Neckerchief Slide._ Step h: The twelve parts of the Scout Law. Reward: A framed copy of the Scout Law. Step 5: The Out Door Code and what to do to become a Second Class Scout. Reward: Tenderfoot Badge. NO strict order was followed for teaching this material. Plans were devised for each boy individually and instruc- tion was based on his interests and readiness. Often a part Of one step would be learned and then concentration would be changed to another step. These decisions were made on the basis of eXperience with each boy's progress. It was not unusual for the third step to be interspersed among instructions on other steps. Rope tying, for instance was used tO "fill in" When other instruction slowed down, probably because it seemed to be one Of the most interesting tasks the boys attempted. This seemed to be true because it involved concrete learning and the boys could see the value in being able to tie knots, then also, they could touch the rOpes, and manipulate them. Planning and evaluation. The over all plan of the project called for continuous planning and evaluation. This seemed especially necessary since there were no pre- vious guidelines to follow. The need for continuous planning and evaluation was the reason for the many meetings between the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and Senior Patrol Leader. For the 31 same reason, monthly meetings with the Towar Garden School Teachers were held. It soon became apparent that there needed to be a greater amount of interaction between the Assistant Scout- master and the Instructors. Therefore, plans were made to hold short sessions after each trOOp meeting. It was agreed that each Instructor would write a brief report about "his" boys following each troop meeting. These short sessions then, were designed to discuss the reports and any other questions that arose. Occassionally it seemed necessary to hold short discussions before the troop meeting. Experimental Procedures Generally the goals of education for all trainable mentally retarded children were adOpted as the goals for this project. These are implied in the process of helping the trainable child become a valued member of society. As Fred M. Hanson et. a1., (1966, p.62) wrote, "Most- if not all - of the various activities included in a training program for trainable mentally retarded pupils could, with some justification, be classified as self-help experiences enhancing one's personal skills and compentencies in dealing with one's environment." This statement seems to be referring to the ability of the trainable mentally retarded child to learn to adapt to the requirements of the environment in which he will live most of his life. The term used in this paper to collectively describe this ability is Adaptive Behavior. But unless explicitly under- stood, there is danger Of thinking of Adaptive Behavior in 32 terms Of limited ability. As Henry Leland (l96u, p.171) put it, Adaptive Behavior should not be thought of "in terms of absolute capacity rather than rehabilitation and growth concepts". This study supported the belief that the limits of trainable mentally retardate's abilities are really never known and that a good possibility exists that if we find the correct ways to motivate them to learn, that they"may move on to levels of knowledge once not assumed to be with- in his (their) grasp." (Katz, 196A, p.182). The project plan called for measures to be found that would determine how well the program motivated the subjects to improve in terms of Adaptive Behavior. The Vineland Social Maturity Scale (Doll, 1935) and the T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Moderately and Severly Retarded (DiNola et. al., 1963) seemed to meet these requirements. The decision was made to use them on a pre-test, post-test basis with both the experimental and control populations. Selection and description gfpopulation. To make an apprOpriate evaluation of the progress of Troop 181, which was designated the experimental group, it was necessary to find another group with similar characteristics to act as the control population. At the suggestion of one of the writer's Doctoral Committee members, contact was made with the Brownlee Park School in Battle Creek, Michigan. This school is the Calhoun County equivalent of Towar Garden School in Ingham County. The Battle Creek School Principal 33 agreed to let us choose our control pOpulation from his students. In the State Of Michigan, the Legislature approved an aid-to-Special Education plan that rewards county inter- mediate school districts for establishing TMR programs. Local districts may establish TMR programs also, but receive less state aid than do counties. The reasoning for such action is based on the low percentage of trainable students found in the school age population. Dunn (1963) quotes an United States Office of Education estimate of .3 (p. 17). Both Towar Garden and Brownlee Park Schools are county Operated programs. These schools are Open to all TMR students in their counties between the ages of six and twenty—one. Experimental Population Towar Garden School is located near East Lansing, Michigan in Ingham County. It is a county operated school for TMR students between the ages of six and twenty-one years of age. The eXperimental population consisted of all of the boys enrolled in that school between the ages of eleven and twenty-one (the allowable Scout age span), ex- cept for one boy who did not wish to join the troop. There was a total of sixteen boys. All sixteen boys were tested on either the Stanford- Binet or the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale for Children, as of September 1966 when the TrOOp 181 began to function on an experimental basis. 3b. Table 1 gives a statistical analysis of the experiment- a1 populations characteristics. Appendix A contains their individual characteristics. TABLE 1 The Experimental Population 'Mean Range 'S.D. C .A . 192 mB-Ziib, 29 . 7h. M.A. 73 Ali-101 15.29 LQ. LL33 30-60 7.33 Note -- The C.A. and M.A. are expressed in months. The experimental subjects came from.various geograph- ical locations in Ingham County. Since Towar Garden School was the only school for TMR students Operating on a county wide basis, all school districts within that county pro- vided transportation to Towar Garden School for their train- able pupils. Control ngulation Brownlee Park School is located near the city limits of Battle Creek, Michigan and is the trainable school for Calhoun County. All the male students between the ages of eleven and twenty-one were included in the control group, however, there were only eleven within that age span so five more boys were randomly selected from.Kambly School located in Battle Creek about three miles from Brownlee 35 Park School. Kambly School is a small private school for retarded children from the Battle Creek area. The control subjects were all tested on the Stanford- Binet by the county school testing service or other certi- fied diagnosticians. The subjects in this group came from homes that were well distributed geographically throughout Calhoun County. They were transported from their home school districts daily to the Battle Creek School for classes. Table 2 is a summary of the control group's charac- teristics. The characteristics Of the individual group members are to be found in Appendix B. TABLE 2 The Control Population f ‘Mean Range S.D. 'C.A. 17h 13l-25h 30.5 M.A. 7h ho-l37 23.6 I.Q. ""‘3 25-65 12.5 Note —- The C.A. and M.A. are expressed in months. The decision to include the five boys from Kambly School was made after determining that they all came from homes located in Calhoun County the same as the boys from Brownlee Park School. 36 It is speculated by some that private schools -— such as Kambly School - tend to have better programs than pub- lic schools or that students attending private schools tend to come from advantaged homes. This theory was taken into consideration, but it was thought that if the theory was true, it would only mean that the experimental group would have to show greater growth in Adaptive Behavior since the five boys were in the control group. If, indeed, the ex- perimental group did show more growth, it might mean that the results were even more significant because Of the Kambly School students. During the period of the experimental program.the con- trol group did not enter into any of the activities ordin- arily associated with Scouting. They continued in their usual school program with no changes. Measures As has been indicated, the total plan for this study included the use of measures to permit a statistical evalu- ation of the project.; Also, as previously stated, those areas in which change was being sought, fell generally under the heading of Adaptive Behavior. The two scales ' thought to measure Adaptive Behavior for TMR youngsters were the T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severly and Moderately Retarded and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severely and Moderately Retarded. (The staff of Towar Garden School regularly administered the T.M.R. Performance Profile to 37 its students. Near the end of every school year this task was accomplished, therefore, by June of 1966, all the ex- perimental group's teachers had collected the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile information. The writer found that the teachers of the control group were not familiar with the T.M.R. Performance Profile, so he instructed them in the simple procedures necessary for its administration. By the end of September of 1966, the control group's T.M.R. Performance Profiles were completed. The T.M.R. Performance Profile post-testing was ac- complished during the last Of May 1967 and the first of June 1967 for both groups. The post-tests were also admin- istered by the subjects' classroom teachers. This Scale is divided into six major areas, with each of these areas being broken down under four sub-headings. An example of this division is presented on the following page. The following is information taken from the T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severely and Moderately Retarded Teachers Manual (DiNOla, et. al., 1963), showing the six major areas and sub-headings under each of them. Major Areas 1 2 3 H Social Behavior Self- Personality Group Social Control Participation Amenities Self-Care Bathroom Dealing Clothing Safety and With Grooming Food 38 Communication Modes Of Listening Language Lan- cummuni- Activities guage cation Skill Basic Knowledge Inform- Numbers .Awareness Social . ation Studies Practical Skills Tools Household Family Voca- Items Chores tional Readi- ness Body Usage Coordi- Health Fitness Eye-Hand nation Habits Coordin- ation Each of the four sub-headings is further broken down into ten parts. An example is given below. The ten parts of the sub-heading Self-Control--first section under the area Social Behavior-~are presented. Stability Temper Control Response to Authority Figure Criticism Security Change in Routine Behavior in Group Sportsmanship: Group Play Control in Peer Conversation Behavior in Emergency: Fire Drill The teacher rates each subject on the basis Of his knowledge of the subject's performance. The rating range is from O-A so that the range of the possible total scores is from O—hO for each of the six major areas. If the teacher is unable to rate the subject on a particular point, he makes an "X" in the Rating column. After all the ratings have been concluded, in each of the major areas, the scores are totaled. Each sub-heading 39 is totaled separately and these scores are then plotted on a chart which has been reproduced bleow. Self-Control Personality Group Participation Amenities _(+O — 35 _.30 __25 Habilitation Leve 1:: Number of X ScoresE::::::J When all four of the sub—heading total scores are found they are totaled and this sum is placed in the box marked "Habilitation Level". The total number of "X" scores is also found and placed in the appropriate box.‘ The next step is to total all the "Habilitation Level" scores} This total sum can then be translated into an "Habil Index" score from a conversion table which is found :in the Teacher's Manual. no A large number of X scores causes the "Habil Index" score to be less meaningful. If the X score is very large, it is evident that the rater does not know the subject well enough to be rating him. In such a case, someone who knows the subject better should do the rating or the administration Of the scale should be delayed. Provision is made for plotting the six major area scores on a chart which is located on the inside back cover of the subject's Record Booklet and provides a means of graphically comparing scores from year to year. The T.M.R. Performance Profile was designed to compare a student's progress for one year with his progress in fol- lowing years. It has not been standardized since group comparisons are not it's primary intended function. It is not designed to be used as a means of comparing one student's progress with that of other students. The T.M.R. Performance Profile is a relatively new scale and very little has been reported in the literature concerning it's use. Sellin (1967, p.561) reported a study, done with forty-four severly retarded children, comparing their T.M.R. Performance Profile scores with their IQ'a and Chronological ages. He found that the T.M.R. Performance Profile scores may be associated with length of time enrolled in school rather than with measured intelligence. He states that if his assumption is cor- rect, "it could mean that this instrument would be useful in the evaluation of school programs." in Vineland Social Maturity Scale. This scale was first prOposed in 1935 and published by the Training School at Vineland, New Jersey. Edgar A. Doll, former Director of Research at the Vineland, developed the Scale in an effort to find a method of measuring various aspects of social develOpment. According to Stanley Powell Davies (1959), the scale can be used "as: l) a standard scale of normal development; 2) a measure Of individual differences, and hence Of extreme deviations; 3) a qualitative index of variation in abnormal subjects; and h) a measure of im- provement following special treatment." ( p.220) The Vineland is an often used scale for research with retarded children. The comprehensive publication of 1953 contains a considerable number of studies done by different investigators atesting to the scale's effectiveness. Just as with the T.M.R. Performance Profile, the Vine- land is broken down into six sub-headings. They are; l. Self-Help, 2. Locomotion, 3. Occupation, h. Communi- cation, 5. Self-Direction, 6. Socialization. One Of the major values of the Vineland is its use- fulness as a tool for interviewing parents (Doll 1965, p.111). The research design for this study called for it to be used in this way. During the months of August and September of 1966, the Vineland was used for interviewing the parents of each boy in.the experimental and control groups. The parents were interviewed either in their home or at the school. All of R2 these pre-tests were administered by this writer. The writer also administered the post-tests which were accomplished in late May and early June Of 1967. Statistical Procedures As analysis of the differences in scores earned by the experimental and control groups, on the post-tests of the TMR and the VSSM, over the pre-test scores on the two scales would provide data that could be used in determining whether tO accept or reject the seven hypotheses. The dif- ferences, in the form of gain scores, when subjected to analysis of variances tests, would show whether the experi- mental group improved significantly in the area of Adaptive Behavior as measured by both or either scale. It was also decided to ascertain how closely the two scales were measuring the same abilities, therefore the project plan called for coefficient of correlation tests to be run on the experimental group's pre-test scores. These correlations would be made within the six sub-tests of each scale and between the sub-test Of each scale as well as on the total scores from the two scales. CHAPTER III Statistical Analysis The plan for this study was to determine whether Scouting could be considered a useful means of helping trainable mentally retarded boys develop in the area of Adaptive Behavior. To do that, it was necessary to select devices that would not only measure traits related to Adap- tive Behavior, but that had been designed for use with trainable retarded subjects. Following the decision to use the Vineland Scale of Social Maturity VSSM and the T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Severely and Moderately Retarded, plans were made to administer them before the project actually began and again following the completion of the study. By testing both the control and experimental groups in this manner, it would be possible to determine which group showed the most growth as measured by the two scales. The T.M.R. Performance Profile was chosen because, 1. it seemed to be measuring those traits (included in Adap- tive Behavior) which the study aimed to investigate, 2. it was a relatively new scale and such use might be valuable in further evaluating its effectiveness, and 3. it was already used by the school from which the eXperimental group was se- lected. The rationale for selecting the VSSM was that it too, seemed to be measuring Adaptive Behavior traits. This #3 141+ scale had been standardized and generally accepted by edu- cators so that it could provide reliable findings against which the T.M.R. Performance Profile scores could be com- pared. Finally it took into account the opinions of par- ents as opposed to teachers' estimates which the T.M.R. Performance Profile measures. Thus these two scales would utilize the Observations of the adults most closely as- sociated with the Scouts, resulting in as complete a pic- ture of the subject as was possible. Statistical Methods A careful consideration of the data that would be collected was made. Several ways of analyzing these data were discussed with authorities in statistical processes. The basic need was to determine just how effective Scout- ing was in answering the questions posed in the seven hy- potheses previously stated. In other words, would the use of Scouting as a learning eXperience (independent variable) actually result in better performances in.Adaptive Be- havior as reasured by the T.M.R. and VSSM (dependent vari- EBlEE)? These answers were to be sought from scores on each Of the six sub-tests of the two scales as well as the overall total scores received by the control and experi— mental subjects. The decision was made to look at the gain scores, that is the difference in scores each subject made on the pre and post-tests. If improvements were found, these gain scores would reflect them. However, gain scores themselves 11.5 might Show an overall growth in Adaptive Behavior, but still not answer the question, was the gfowth great enough to be significant? So the decision was made to submit the gain scores to a simple one way analysis of variance. The use of this parametric statistical method is gener- ally based upon assumptions that the experimental and'con- trol groups represent normal or near normal samples of the population and the variances of means within the groups are statistically the same. Kerlinger (196R), discussed these two assumptions in detail. He states that "The evi- dence to date is that the importance of normality and homogeniety is overrated...Unless there is good evidence to believe that populations are rather seriously non-normal and that variances are heterogeneous, it usually is unwise to use a nonparametric statistical test in place of a par- ametric one. The reason for this is that parametric tests are almost always more powerful than nonparametric tests." (p.258). Analysis of variance would determine whether there were any significant differences between the groups' gain scores on the two scales. Such results would be used in showing just how valuable Scouting was in promoting Adap- tive Behavior with the experimental group. The score found as a result of applying analysis of variance is commonly referred to as an F score, which in- dicates whether there is a relationship between the inde- pendent and dependent variables. A6 The decision also was made to run coefficients Of cor- relations, not only between the pre-tests scores of the experimental group on the sub-tests Of both scales, but also between the pre-test scores within the sub-tests of each scale. Such correlations would provide information about the relationships that exists between: 1. the two scales. (VSSM & T.M.R. Performance Profile) 2. each of the six sub-tests of one scale with each of the six sub-tests of the other scale. 3. each of the six sub-tests of the T.M.R. Performance Profile and the other five sub-tests of that scale. h. each of the six sub-tests of the VSSM and the other five sub-tests of that scale. Comparison 23 Experimental and Control Groups Table 3 presents the results of the two group's per- formances on the pre and post-tests Of the T.M.R. Perfor- mance Profile. This scale was administered by both the experimental and control groups' teachers. The pre-tests were given in early September Ofl966 and the post-tests in late May and early June of 1967. This writer reviewed each boy's results with his teacher before the scores were finally tabulated. Whenever an X score was awarded an attempt was made to find another person to appraise the student so that that particular item could receive a point score. 1+7 Table 3 Comparison Of the Experimental and Control Groups on the Pre and Post-tests Of the T.M.R. Performance Profile Pre-Test Post-Test Sub-tests Experimental Control Experimental Control M SD M SD M SD M SD Social Behavior 93.1 28 8h.6 27 97.8 27 86.0 22.h Self-Care 9h.7 25.8 88.9 l6.h 99.2 22.8 89.6 lh.9 Basic 7 Knowledge 70.3 31.6 78.0 26.k 77.6 33.2 78.u 25.2 Practical Skills 62.1 2h.9 53.8 15.6 7h.5 25.8 53.9 15.6 Communi- cation 77.6 30.7 89.6 16.0 83.6 29.1 89.5 l6.h Body Usage 97.3 22.0 86.3 3l.h 107.5 18.1 86.5 31.0 When the two groups are compared, it is seen that the experimental group has slightly higher means on four of the six pre-test sub-tests. Only on Basic Knowledge and Com- munication were the control group's means higher. The con- trol group's standard deviations were less on each of the pre-test sub-tests except Body Usage. This may indicate h8 that the control subjects tended to be a more homogeneous group-~a trait that was not obvious before the scales were administered. An over all appraisal of the results from Table 3 Shows that the experimental group tended to have higher means, indicating higher individual scores than the control sub- jects, but they also had a wider variability of scores which is evidenced by the larger standard deviations on five of the sub-tests. The designers of the T.M.R. Performance Profile pro- vided a conversion table for changing total raw scores from the six sub-tests into "Habil Index" scores. These scores provide a means of comparing the performances of the two groups in terms of total scale scores. An analysis of these total scores is presented in Table h. Table A Comparison of the Experimental and Control Group's T.M.R. Performance Profile "Habil Scores" Pre-Test Post-Test Experimental Control Experimental Control M SD M SD M SD M SD Habil Scores 68.7 19.8 66.9 16.1 73.9 19.8 66.6 18.1 A9 When the Habil Index scores are compared the two groups show only small differences on the pre-tests. The experi- mental group does have a slightly higher mean and standard deviation which is consistant with Table 3. 0n the post- tests, the experimental group's mean increased by more than five points while their standard deviation remained the same. These subjects earned higher scores on the post-tests, but did not narrow their range of scores. The control group, however, did not score higher as a group on the post-test, but did show greater variability among individual scores. The findings were somewhat different when the VSSM's scores were analyzed. These results are presented in Table 5. Table 5 Comparison of the Experimental and Control Groups on the Pre and Post-Tests of the VSSM Pre-Test Post-Test Sub-Tests Experimental Control Experimental Control M SD M SD M SD M SD Socializa- tion 5.5 2.2 7.7 1.9 6.h 1.8 8.3 1.9 Self-Help 3A.9 1.5 3A.6 .8u 35.A 1.2 32.u 2.3 Self- Direction 2.5 2.6 1.5 1.2 2.7 2.6 1.9 1.2 Occupation 8.8 1.9 9.9 1.7 9.u 1.6 9.8 1.8 Communi- cation 5.7 .83 6.6 .70 5.8 .91 6.7 .8h Locomotion 5.9 .75 6.3 .83 5.8 1.0 6.2 .88 50 The VSSM pre-test results are considerably different from the T.M.R. Performance Profile pre-test results. From Table 5, it can be seen that the control group earned higher means on four Of the six sub-tests while the ex- perimental group scored higher only on the Self-Help and Self-Direction sections. This is almost directly opposite the results found with the T.M.R. Performance Profile, however, when the pre-test standard deviations for both groups are compared, a pattern similar to that found with the T.M.R. Performance Profile emerges; that is, the control subjects' scores fall within a more narrow range than those of the experimental populations. The VSSM post-test results shows that the control group's means are still higher on the same four sub-tests, but their scores are more scattered. Whereas on the pre- test, the only larger standard deviation was on the sub- test Locomotion, now larger standard deviations are found on the sub-tests Socialization, Self-Help and Occupation. A total raw score earned on the VSSM can be changed to a "Social Quotient" by means of a conversion table. Each Subject's total Score was converted by the use of that table. Then the means and standard deviations for each of the two groups were calculated. Table 6 shows those results. 51 Table 6 Comparison of the "Social Quotients" for the Experimental and Control Groups Pre-test Post-test Experimental Control Experimental Control M SD M SD _ M SD M SD Social Quotients 8.9 1.6 8.6 .73 9.1 1.6 8.8 .82 The means for the two groups are Similiar on the pre- tests and are both raised by .2 on the post-tests. The ex- perimental group's standard deviations on the pre and post- tests are identical, though in both cases they are consider- ably larger than the control groups. Analysis gf Variance pf the T.M.R. Performance Profile Test Results When the experimental and control groups' total T.M.R. Performance Profile gain scores were compared by a Linquist Type I analysis of variance (1953,pp.267-273), a significant F ratio was found between groups at the .05 level. Table 7 presents these results indicating that Scouting was effec- tive in promoting growth in Adaptive Behavior as measured by the T.M.R. Performance Profile. 52 Table 7 Summary of Analysis Of Variance of the Experimental and Control Group's T.M.R. Performance Profile Gain Scores Source df ms F Between subjects 31 Groups (B) 1 2331.05 lh.88 (.05) Error (b) 30 156.62 Within subjects 160 TMR sub-tests(A) 5 h7.81 .80 (NS) AB interaction 5 105.h6 1.76 (NS) Error (w) 150 59.86 Total 191 The raw scores, however, graphically presented in Fig. 3, indicate that there was a trend toward an interaction between the experimental and control groups on the T.M.R. Performance Profile sub-test, although Table 7 indicates that the AB in- teraction was not significant. Enter Figure 3 here 53 Figure 3 T.M.R. Performance Profile Gain Scores for Experimental and Control Groups 680 660 614.0 J 3; 0 E3 E3 13 U1 1 1 | I Experimental group ---- = Control group Fig. 2 shows graphically that there was no significant interaction between the T.M.R. Performance Profile gain scores for the Experimental and Control groups. 511 Because hypotheses 1 through 6 dealt with the six sub-tests of each of the two scales, T.M.R. Performance Profile, and VSSM, an analysis of the simple effects of groups at each sub-test was undertaken. These are shown in table 8. Table 8 Simple Analysis Of Variance Of T.M.R. Performance Profile Gain Scores For The Experimental And Control Groups Sub-Test Source df ms F SB Between gps. l 60.50 1.26 (NS) Within gps. 30 h7.88 SC Between gps. 1 101.53 l.h3 (NS) Within gps. 30 71.12 0 Between gps. 1 u27.78 b.82 (.05) Within gps. 30 88.79 BK Between gps. 1 282.03 3.52 (NS) Within gps. 30 80.08 PS Between gps. l 110h.50 11.73 (.01) Within gps. 30 94.18 BU Between gps. 1 882.00 11.9u (.01) Within gps. 30 73-87 Communication, Practical Skills, and Body Usage gain scores resulted in significant F scores. 55 Analysis 3f Variance pf the VSSM Test Results The VSSM gain scores were analyized in the same way that the T.M.R. Performance Profile gain scores were analyized. Table 9 presents the results. Table 9 Summary of Analysis of Variance of the EXperimental and Control Groups' VSSM Gain Scores Source df ms F Between subjects 31 Groups (B) 1 8.13 3.29 (NS) Error (b) 30 2.h7 Within subjects 160 VSSM sub-tests(A) 5 3.18 2.72 (.05) AB interaction 5 3.75 3.21 (.05) Error (w) 150 1.17 Total 191 We can see that the difference between the experimental and control groups' gain scores depends upon what behavior is being measured. The AB interaction indicates the effects of Scouting are beneficial to certain types of Adaptive Be- havior. Figure A is a graphic presentation of the mean scores for each group on the six-sub tests of the VSSM. The inter- action is apparent. 56 Enter Figure h here In the light Of an AB interaction, again the simple effects of groups at each sub-test were determined. 10 presents the results. Table 10 Table Simple Analysis of Variance of the VSSM Gain Scores for the Experimental and Control Groups Sub-Test Source df ms F S Between gps. 1 .50 .18(NS) Within gps. 30 2.73 SH Between gps. 1 20.32 9.5h(.01) Within gps. 30 2.13 , C Between gps. l .03 .Oh8(NS) Within gps . 30 .62 SD Between gps. l .28 .h7(NS) Within gps. 30 .59 0 Between gps. l 5.70 3.13(NS) Within gps. 30 1.82 L Between gps. l .07 .15(NS) Within gps. 30 .M6 Only Self-Help had a significant F score. Scouting seems to have been effective in improving the experimental group's performance only as measured by that one sub-test of the VSSM. 57 Figure A VSSM Gain Scores For the Experimental and Control Groups m J o .I I ”I ”I I L ____ Experimental group ---- = Control group Fig. 3 shows that there was an interaction between the VSSM gain scores for the experimental and control groups. 58 Coefficient 2f Correlation Contrasted with the F score, coefficients of corre- lation are relatively direct measures Of relationship (Kerlinger, 196k, p.200). The direct joining of two sets of scores is a good way of determining how closely related they are. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed from the sixteen sets of scores earned by the experimental group in the pre-test situation. First correlations were run between each of the six sub-tests of the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile and between each of the Six sub-tests of the VSSM. Then correlations were computed between sub-tests of each of the two scales. Enter Table 11 here T.M.R. Performance Profile within correlations Table 11 shows a high correlation between the pre-test Scores on the six sub-tests of the T.M.R. Performance Profile by the experimental group. "Fifteen possible combinations exist and only two did not have significant results. The two non-significant scores were between Spcial Behavior and Basic Knowledge and Body Usage. The remaining thirteen scores were all significant at the .01 level, except the score between Basic Knowledge and Prac- tical Skills which was significant at the .05 level. Of the three lowest correlations, Basic Knowledge was in- volved in each. The only time this sub-test showed a mmc. u .8. at For. n mo. * was dosessaaseeom mmm. Has maemueaem wmmfls NMO. cam noapoeoooq Ewe. momenta. 3 83838 NmH. done mmo. mMfi. mm GOHpsoHGsSEoo mo>.**ccm. demysnmm.s Hac.s we seepeeaao earn omm.s new. core ormns mac. owe. has omsan_neom Mam.* com. mon. Hos. mom.t mum. omM.ss we postseassssoo odd. moo. mdm. on04** HHH. MMNW mow.** mb~.** $4 mHHme Hmoauownm owe. Hpo. Hmo. Hmw. cam. mam. mme. mmm.ss oop.t me ewoeHsosa cease Had. omH. mmm. comps pea. mmn. Hmw.ssImnr.a. Smm.*s sor.st me easo-oaom mnm. mum. mwm. Homes mum. mms. omm.ss orn.tt Hmn.st one. moo.» He aoaasnem Hassom m2 Se. Se 3. 3. 3. 3 me as 2 ms. 3. season one to nest sears: ens eaaooam oesssaoeaem .m.s.a one use amm> cap as memoauosm oflp Goozpom mQOpraoaaoo Scam wSHpHSmom moaoom .2. 35.95 am 6O significance at the .01 level was when it was correlated with Communication, not a surprising relationship. Of the six T.M.R. Performance Profile sub-tests, Basic Knowledge, alone appears to be attempting to measure abilities dif- ferent from the other five. VSSM within correlations. Again fifteen possible relationships exist. Of these, seven had significant r scores, but only one, Self Direction and Socialization, was significant at the .01 level. One of the correlations was above .80, while only one r was significant above .70 and only one other combination, Self Direction and Com- munication, was significant above .60. All the sub-tests had a significant correlation with at least one other sub-test while Self Direction showed a significant r score with four of its possible five combinations. These results seem to be suggesting that VSSM is measuring several abilit- ies. Correlations between the sub-tests‘gf the VSSM and the T.M.R. Performance Profile. Thirty six possible relationships occur as a result of between scale correlations. However, only seven resulted in significant scores and only one of them, Practical Skills (T.M.R. Performance Profile) and Occupation (VSSM), was significant at the .01 level. Out of six possible combinations, Occupation (VSSM) had a significant relationship with four of the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile's six sub-tests. Communication (T.M.R. Performance Profile) and Basic Knowledge (T.M.R. Performance 61 Profile) were the only ones that did not have significant correlations with Occupation (VSSM). It appears that the T.M.R. Performance Profile scale tends to be measuring abilities more related to Occupation (VSSM) than to the total VSSM scale. Correlation between the Social Quotients pf the VSSM and the Habile Index scores 3: the T.M.R. Performance Profile. Social Quotients and Habile Index scores were determined for the experimental group. A Pearson r was computed between these scores. The r was .56, which is significant at the .05 level of confidence. This is an indication that, on total scores, the two scales are attempting to measure the same skills. Chapter Summany It was found that the T.M.R. Performance Profile sub-tests Communication, Practical Skills and Body Usage showed significant gain scores as a result of Scouting. One other T.M.R. Performance Profile sub-test,‘§g§ic Knowledge, had a near significant gain. The overall T.M.R. Performance Profile gain scores, for the Scouting group, were significant as compared to a control group. However, total VSSM gain scores were not significant and only one sub-test, Self-Help, resulted in a significant gain for the experimental grOup as a result of Scouting. Coefficients of correlation showed that with the T.M.R. Performance Profile, sub-tests were highly correlated while 62 within correlations on the VSSM were not. Between scale correlations indicated that the T.M.R. Performance Profile correlated well with the VSSM sub-test Occupation and some correlation exists between the T.M.R. Performance Profile and Socialization (VSSM). Overall, the two scales correlat- ed at .56, the Pearson r being significant at the .05 level of confidence. It would appear that the T.M.R. Performance Profile and VSSM are tending to measure the same abilities, with the T.M.R. Performance Profile having a tendency to measure the same abilities as the VSSM sub-test Occupation. The results of the analysis Of data indicate that; Hypothesis 1; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' social behavior. Results of hypothesis 1; it must be rejected. Hypothesis 2; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' self-care. Results of hypothesis 2; it must be rejected for the T.M.R. Performance Profile and accept- ed for the VSSM. Hypothesis 3; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' communication abilities. Results of hypothesis 3; it must be rejected 63 for the VSSM and accepted for the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile. Hypothesis M; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' range of basic knowledge. Results of hypothesis h; it must be rejected. Hypothesis 5; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' practical skills. Results of hypothesis 5; it must be rejected for the VSSM and accepted for the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile. Hypothesis 6; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' body usage. Results of hypothesis 6; it must be rejected for the VSSM and accepted for the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile. Hypothesis 7; Active membership in Boy Scouts will significantly improve trainable retarded boys' adaptive behavior. Results Of hypothesis 7; it must be rejected for the VSSM and accepted for the T.M.R. Per- formance Profile. A discussion of each of the hypothesis is presented in chapter V. CHAPTER IV Guidelines For Establishing A Boy Scout TrOOp For Trainable Mentally Retarded Boys With increasing enthusiasm, those who work with the mentally retarded are searching for new ways to expand programs and opportunities for these members of our soci- ety. Innovations in the areas Of educational, vocational and recreational services are being more and more support- ed by sponsoring agencies. Whenever an idea is prOposed that pertains to more than one of these services, it is received with augmented anticipation. Perhaps attempting to envision the perfect program that would be comprised of both new and enlightening ideas to fulfill all the needs for all retarded children, is someWhat like attempting to find a panacea for all the world's suffering. Yet solutions must be found that will lessen the restricting gaps between "normalcy" and "retar- dation". Scouting may be one method of reaching the retar- ded. It may be a vehicle for enabling them to learn how to be more effective citizens. This study has undertaken the task of investigating that possibility and this chapter endeavors to provide the basic steps found to be effective in setting up such a Scouting program. More experience with the ideas presented here and with new ideas that may be inspired will undoubtly be the bases for additional troops for training more boys in the future. It is doubtful that a Boy Scout program can be Oper- 611. 65 ated for retarded boys without some modifications of the guidelines published by the Boy Scouts of America. This is especially true for those boys who fall within the train- able mentally retarded range. In this chapter, some suggestions for the establish- ment and operation of a Scouting program for trainable mentally retarded boys will be presented. This will be done generally within the framework Of the Boy Scouts of America's published program. These suggestions are the result of one year's actual experience with a troop of trainable boys. Pre-Organizational Activities Once the decision has been reached to establish a trOOp of the Boy Scouts of America for trainable mentally retarded boys, the organizers must think interms Of goals for the program. These goals should be based on realism, the realistic apprasial of what the future Scouts of the trOOp will be capable of achieving. The key work in all this planning is "realism". This does not only mean that Scouting activities must be within the capabilities Of the troop members, it means that the activities must also chal- lenge the member's abilities. The activities must provide success experiences, but they should also require consider- able work and effort to attain these successes. The boys should not feel that they are just being allowed to pass the Scouting requirements, but they must know that only 66 through work and quality achievement will they be successful. Every effort should be made to see that they increase their abilities and move ahead at each step. It is important that they learn the satisfaction of achievement. The Scoutmaster's Handbook (1963, p.6h) outlines the steps to be taken to become a chartered trOOp of the Nation- al Boy Scout organization. It is not necessary here to review that process. Adult Leaders Charter Institution. The committee is made up of mem- bers from the Charter Institution. They are responsible for helping the Scoutmaster with his duties. Although these members will usually not have direct contact with the Scouts, they should possess a particular interest in mental retardation. Scoutmaster. The man accepting this position should be experienced in working with retarded children. As he guides the troop, he must not only be the leader in programing for the boy members of the troop, but he must also guide the adult leaders in their duties. The troop Committee is re- sponsible for selecting the Scoutmaster. Assistant Scoutmasters. The Scoutmaster may want several assistants to work with him. He will assign to each of his assistants those duties he feels they are best qualified to accomplish. Special adult leaders. Scout troops for the retarded become more complex to plan and lead as the troop's member- ship exhibits more evidence Of retardation. A troop of 6? educable mentally retarded boys requires more thoughtful planning than a regular trOOp, while a trOOp of trainable mentally retarded boys requires even more experience and planning for its direction. This is why all the adult leadership must have a real interest in this handicapping area. The Scoutmaster should add to his staff at least one special consultant. This person may act as an Assis- tant Scoutmaster or in the role of advisor. He should have special knowledge of and experience with trainable retarded youngsters and be able to advise the adult leaders in their planning. He might be a special education teacher from the community school system, a university professor in mental retardation or a layman Who is active in the local Associa- tion for Retarded Children. Because of the slower rate of learning and other spe- cial characteristics that are commonly assoicated with retard- ed children, the smaller ratio Of pupil to adult leader the better. In a normal Boy Scout trOOp, one Scoutmaster can work with many Scouts through the patrol system. However, it was found that in a troop for trainable mentally retarded boys additional adult leaders were necessary to act as "instructors". The wise Scoutmaster will endeavor to enlist the help of as many instructors as possible. The optimum ratio should be one instructor for each pair of Scouts. The primary responsibility of these instructors is to teach and direct the activities planned by the Scoutmaster and his assistants, following closely the advise of the troop 68 special consultant in mental retardation. The position of instructor is a unique opportunity for community members to become involved in the troop activities. They need have no special qualifications other than interest and ability to carry out the carefully planned activities. Housewives, business men or mature members of regular Scout troops might well become instructors. Generally parents of trOOp members should not work directly as instructors. Because of their emotional involve- ment with their sons, they often fail to be as objective as might be desired. This is not to say that parents should not be active in the trOOp's program, in fact, no trOOp can achieve as much for its membership without parental involve- ment. Parents should be encouraged to attend all special troop functions such as field trips and Courts of Honor. The mothers may wish to form an auxiliary to help with re- freshments for special events or raise money to help meet trOOp expenses. Fathers can provide transportation and en- courage the Scouts tO follow through at home What they have learned or are learning at troop meetings. Parents are usually the most important peOple in a boy's life. This may be especially true for trainable re- tarded boys as the home is most likely the center of their life outside the classroom. Support for his Scouting activ- ities by his father and mother, becomes a primary incentive for achievement. Brookover and others (1965) did a study with normal children and found that the children's parents 69 had more influence on them, in terms of school achieve- ment, than any other group. If such is true for normal children, it would seem that the same thing would be true for retarded children since retarded children depend on parents for most of their social contacts. Troop Plans Following the selection of adult participants, plans for their involvement with the boys should be started. The preparation of these plans will be the responsibility of the Scoutmaster. The assistance of the special consultant will be invaluable in this effort. It is important to keep in mind the necessity of stay- ing within the rules and regulations of the Boy Scout Hand- book as far as possible in all planning. Whenever it is not possible, changes should be submitted to District Scout Leaders for approval. At no time should deviations from regular Scout methods be initiated without first seeking authorization to do so. Since it is necessary to comply with the above, the first place to start in preparation for actual troop meet- ings is with the requirements for membership into the troop. Regulations state that a boy seeking membership into a Scout trOOp must have reached the age of eleven years. One Of the characteristics of retarded boys, that the con- sultant will undoubtly constantly remind the adult leaders, is that retardates mature intellectually much more slowly 70 than normal boys. Thus at a chronological age of eleven, the trainable retarded boy may have reached a maturity level of only a fraction that would normally be expected. For this reason, the National Boy Scout Council has given permis- sion for the age limits for retarded boys to be adjusted to better meet their needs. (Scouting For The Mentally Retarded, 1967. p. 39) The only limitation suggested is the caution against "perpetuating eternal childhood". Dr. Gunnar Dybwad, former executive director of the International Association for Retarded Children believes that "The first great enemy we must battle is the doctrine of eternal childhood". He feels that "That approach is absolutely false, and it must be fought and defeated if we are to make progress". (Scouting For The Mentally Retarded, 1967, p. 2) It should be pointed out that some retardates who have not reached the level of maturity expected Of the average eleven year old might be better served in a Cub Scout Pack. It is evident then that when troop members are selected a close look at each applicant must be taken. Time and place of troop meetings. Special consideration must be given to the time trOOp meetings are held as well as the location for the meetings. Fortunatly, compared to the normal pOpulation, the number Of trainable mentally retarded children in the aver- age community is low. Usually, to find a large enough number of such boys to form a troop, several communities 71 need to be involved. This means that transportation will have to be provided for the majority Of the troop's member- ship. Even those who live relatively close to the meeting place will need to be transported since a large percentage of the troop members will not have learned how to travel alone. The issue then is to find a place as centrally located as possible. An ideal center might well be a school housing trainable retarded classrooms. There are many advantages in such a selection. A discussion with the proper school authorities may result in them providing an adequate meeting place. It is also very probable that time can be made available to hold the troop meetings during the hours school is regularly in session. If such a plan is adOpted, the transportation problem will be significantly reduced. School systems nor- mally provide transportation for retarded students. So the selection of the school serving at least a majority of the trOOp members as the meeting place solves two major organ- izational problems. Perhaps equally important are other advantages that come with the selection of a school as the place for holding trOOp meetings. A special education teacher at the school might well become the special consultant to the troop. One or more teachers could be invited to act in this capacity. Having important knowledge concerning their students in the 72 troop, they could provide invaluable aid toward the suc- cessful total functioning of the program. In addition to supplying vital information about the personal characteristics and abilities Of each Scout, they can suggest ways to incorporate the Scouting activities into the total habilitation program. The importance of the Scout- ing activities becomes increasingly vital as it is adapted into the total training plan. With the Scouting program as part of the school day, school achievement will become more meaningful. The possibilities for such cooperation are limited only by the persons involved. The school officials and the troop leaders of the experimental troop, reported in this paper, had a very close relationship. Monthly meetings were held where the next month's plans were discussed and advice was sought by trOOp leaders on individual boys and the apprOpriatness of special activities. Teachers COOperated in supplementing instruct- ion by using Scouting materials in the classroom. For example, to facilitate the learning of the Scout Law, the teachers dedicated one week to emphasizing the meaning of each law, such as, "A Scout Is Trustworthy". A week was selected during which time the class used the motto "Trustworthy". Discussions on what it means to be trusted and to trust others were held in the classes. Stories were selected to be read that emphasized this subject, such as the legend of Abe Lincoln and the time he walked several miles to pay on 73 an over due library book, or the fact that the work "Trust" appears on American coins. Each Scout Law was dealt with in Similiar fashion by the teachers. Time, during the school day, was made available each week for the Scouts to meet as a group by themselves to restudy what had been learned at the previous troop meetings. A tape recording was made following each troop meeting by an adult leader to be used at these assemblies. This record- ing covered the entire previous week's lesson or perhaps only one important part of that plan. Such support by the school officials was also important as an additional encouragement for each Scout. Teachers urged the Scouts to wear their uniforms on trOOp meeting days which afforded the boys special recognition. Another important advantage in holding troop meetings in a school environment is the availability of audio-visual aids. The knowledgable Scoutmaster will make full use of as many aids to instruction as possible. The primary disadvantage Of holding meetings during the school day is that some adults find it difficult to adjust their working schedules to the day time meeting schedule. Obviously some persons who might otherwise be- come active participants would not be able to meet during the day, however, this need not become a serious obstacle. Experience will Show that the advantages of such a meeting time overwhelmingly outweigh the disadvantages. 711 Records Tenderfoot requirements. Meetings should be held, prior to the first troop meeting, by the Scoutmaster with the consultant and other adult leaders to discuss and plan how the Scout material will be presented to the boys. It is unlikely that any of the Scouts will meet all the re- quirements for the Tenderfoot rank in less than a year. The mentally retarded Scouts will learn slowly and have great difficulty learning any abstract information. Many of the requirements for the Tenderfoot rank are ab- stract in nature. Some difficulty will be experienced in teaching concepts such as parts Of the Scout Law, Scout Slogan and Scout Motto. To learn the meanings incorporated in these is more important than learning to repeat them verbatim. Such a plan is presented in this chapter. Chapter II, page 27 is a presentation of the division of the Tenderfoot requirements used with the experimental population. Such a division has advantages. As each part is learned the Scout can be given an award for his achieve- ment. These frequent recognitions are recommended as positive reinforcements for continued progress. Awards should never be given without making the pres- entation a special Occassion, and should be presented as soon as possible after they are learned. Immediate reward- ing of an achievement was found to be more valuable than delayed rewards. If proper records are kept and good report- 75 ing is practiced, it will not be difficult to anticipate the troop meeting the individual Scout will pass a step of the requirements. The Scoutmaster can arrange to hold an awards ceremony at that meeting with school Officials, parents and perhaps other students invited to attend. the boy is presented a small award as a tangible symbol of his progress with his friends and family present to witness his achievement. Such experiences will probably have been infrequent events in the boy's life and should be an ex- tremely good motivating device. Another suggestion is to prepare a large chart contain- ing the names of all the boys down one side and the various steps in the Tenderfoot requirements across the top. Each time a boy passes some part of the requirements, it is re- corded on the chart which should be mounted on the wall or bulliten board for all to see. Figure h is a replication of the chart used by the Scoutmaster of the experimental troop. It shows the actual standing of the boys at the end of the experimental study year. Enter Figure 5 here Lesson plans. This is one of the most important tasks to be performed for the troop. The person or persons as- signed to make these plans Should have had experience with such preparations. . .Nosa poomao noose can now mpooanasooa psoom mom on» mnfipooe Ho mEsop ad osoaw HepnoSaaooNo one mo maaoospn Hmsam .m .wfim N , N N N N N N N 0H N N N N N N N N N N ma N N N N N N N N N :H N N N N N N N N N N N NH N N N N N N N N N N N N NH um on N K N. M N K K HH um um um um. OH N N N N N N N ,N N. we Nu m N IN, N N N,.N IN AN ”N m N” N. N N INIIN uN on on on m um um um um on Q N N JN on an on N“ N.IN ,N ,m N .N N INIIN N 1H N, N IN N. N N IN IN ”N on on NWI M N N N N IN N N, NIIN IN IN, IN N N N N N N N N,IN IN N‘ N .N ”N A s moEmz m.hom meow wooanpoma no one pm pasflo mnoawoam ”Hwa @0098 m mmeHm om 77 Lesson plans should not only include the material to be covered, but should make suggestions on ways and means of teaching the contents. Examples of lesson plans used during the year with Troop 181, are presented below. The first plan is a general one, while the second plan shows how it is sometimes necessary to individualize them for a particular Scout. These are actual duplications of the plans used. In addition to showing what was expected during the hour, they leave room for the instructor to take advantage of unexpected events. The lesson plans were given to the instructors prior to the meeting, which allowed them to prepare in any special way they desired. Actually they were encouraged to contribute any ideas of their Own that they had. Sometimes during a troop meeting a situation would arise, such as a boy not being in the mood to concentrate on the days assignment, when it would be necessary for an instructor to modify or change the day's plan. When such occasions occurred, the assistant Scout Master was in- formed as soon as possible and suggestions were made that were thought to be suitable substitutions. These changes might be to go for a walk, just enter into a conversation or in extreme cases, to return the boy to his classroom. These occurrences will not happen often, but Should be ex- pected and possible alternatives discussed with the instruct- ors so that when they do occur they can be handled with as little confusion as possible. 78 Lesson Plan For 25 October 1966 Hike At Arboretum Park Opening Usual Ceremony Board cars to go to the park. After arriving at the park, Steve will assemble the boys While on the trail look for the following: a. d. Obey all "Keep Off", "Private" and "No Trespassing" signs. Do not climb fences, they are for keeping somethings in and somethings out. Do not destroy young trees or walk through farmer's fields. Do not bother animals either domestic or wild. Resting; short rest periods will be called by one of the adult leaders. a. Lie on your back with your feet prOpped against a tree or a rock. Do not rest for long periods of time because your limbs will become stiff. During the rest periods talk about the various things we have studied so far. Slogan Motto Sign (salute, quiet, etc.) Pledge Ask what good turns the boys have been doing each day. Explain what doing a good turn means in terms 79 of being a good Scout. At the prOper spot, which will be indicated by one of the adult leaders, the signal will be given to reform into the marching formation. Steve will execute this manuever. The troop will then march back to the cars. Back at school. Dismissal formation on the playground and usual dismissal ceremony. Notes for the Instructors Try to keep the conversation on subjects related to the hike or previously covered material. This will not be easy, but should be attempted. The change of environment will cause your boys to become excited and distracted. It will be good discipline to keep remind- ing them to cut down on the horse-play. Be sure to call their attention to anything you might see while on the hike that is not covered in this lesson plan. It seems that a hike will have to be more of a group activity than will the sessions inside, therefore, I have not individualized this plan. The out-Of-doors is an excellent place to practice listening. Have your boys stOp and listen, try to identify all the sounds they hear. Remember that your enthusiasm will be very contagious. Please keep each week's lesson plan for future reference. Also, following each meeting please make any appropriate 80 notes and give them to me at time or no later than the next trOOp meeting. Thanks, Individualized Lesson Plan Lesson Plan For Mark For 22 November 1966 Check to be sure that Mark knows all the things included in the first step for the Tenderfoot requirements. Does he know those for step two? Keep asking‘him to tell you what time it is, do this throughout the meeting. There is not a good reason for Mark not to learn how to tell time, he has a tendency to wait for others to do things for him. Talk to him about Bravery. Use comic characters or historical figures to stress this Law. Also think of every day events that would be meaningful to him such as watching out for the safety of others as well as for himself. Helping his cat down from a high place if it could not get down by itself, might be one idea. Practice the sheet bend some more. Teach in terms of the two colors, but also try using the left and right concepts with him, he can learn them. Be sure that Mark hears all that you say, speak slowly and clearly. 81 Instructor's Reports Following each meeting, the instructors were asked to write a brief summary of their Scouts' progress at that meeting. These reports were used to prepare the individual- ized lesson plans for the following week. Following are samples Of these brief reports for one boy. 1. Mark talks about his bike and cat that he has at home. He can play most out door games we have tried, but is unpopular because he does not play by the rules. He seems to have difficulty hearing. Mark throws the softball N8 feet. Mark broad jumps 3 feet. 2. Mark can run the 50 yard dash in 11 seconds, and can do 2h sit-ups. Today he completed and passed the first step. He knows the square knot, but having some trouble on the sheet bend. Did not work on Unit 11 today. He also made a patrol flag for the Cat Patrol during the week. 3. Mark completed the first part plus uniform and badge. He says that his brother taught him to build a fire. He did very well until clean up time. A. Mark knows the flag pretty well as far as we've gone with it. He wanted to rush through his work today, both in drawing a flag and working on his neckerchief slide. I tried to explain to him that 82 he had to slow down and do a good job or his time would be wasted. He is glad to be helpful as long as it doesn't take very long. The four brief reports presented above were selected at random from the reports on file for the same Scout for whom the individualized lesson plan was written. Several Obvious characteristics are evident in these sample reports. One, he (Mark) does not have good peer relationships; two, apparently he works well on some in- dividual projects, especially those things that might bring him some recognition such as making a flag for his Patrol, but does not function as well on other projects such as cleaning up after practicing fire building; three, he needs to learn to concentrate on getting a job done well rather than just completing the task; four, he may have some dif- ficulty hearing or understanding. It can be seen how the information the instructor re- ported was important for the total habilitation Of this individual. Such bits Of information are most useful in writing lesson plans and deciding how to help the Scout improve socially as well as how to design methods for pre- senting material to be learned. Before each troop meeting, a short discussion was held between the Scoutmaster, consultant and the instructors. Any questions pertaining to the lesson plans were answered. Following each meeting another discussion period took place 83 to answer any questions that instructors had about the day's activities. Trainable mentally retarded boys do not learn at a common rate any more than do a group of normal boys. This fact re- sulted in several different tOpics being taught at each troop meeting. However, when a new subject was to be introduced, a general discussion was prepared by Troop 181's Assistant Scoutmaster. From this guide, the instructors develOped ideas of their own and individualized lesson plans were de- signed to aid in the teaching of a part or parts of the total subject. Following is a sample of a guideline that was used to help the instructor in teaching the Scout Badge. Scout Badge Instructions For 22 November 1966 1. There are COpies Of the Scout Badge enlarged and printed on paper for each boy. Each one should also have a pair of scissors with him from.his classroom, if he does not, then send him back for them. Be sure that if your boy is left handed that he has left handed scissors. 2. The concept of the main point of the Badge is that a "Scout is able to point the right way in life as truly as the compass points it in the field". This is too difficult to try to get across to the boys in our troop. Let's try another approach. a. How about just saying that the Badge means that Scouts must be "good boys so that they can grow into good men"? Stress the "good boy". 81+ Now relate Courteous, Helpful, Bravery, etc. Be sure to use simple words, examples, and repeat, repeat, repeat. Ask the boys to make suggestions about how they can be good Scouts. The three points of the Badge represent the three parts of the Scout Oath. 1). 2). 3). Duty to God, Country and the Scout Law. Helping others. Keeping physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Again we must make this as simple as possible. 1). 2). 3). Talk about church and Sunday School, and the American Flag. You will have to use your judgement on the "Duty to God" part, we do not know how many of the boys go to church. Remind the boys about the Star Spangled Banner and the Pledge to the Flag. You can think of many good ways to explain "helping others". Use examples of helping at home with Mom and Dad, at school with the teachers, and at meetings with the Scout- master. Also speak of helping his friends. Physically strong. Speak of exercises such as we do at Scout meetings. Explain that this is done to help a boy keep strong. Also bring in the idea of cleanliness. 8S h). Mentally awake. The word "awake" is one to watch, do not use it too much, they may think in terms of sleeping and waking-up. Try using the concepts of listening, paying attention or not talking when someone else is speaking. 5). Morally straight. Again we should talk about how to be a good Scout. 3. Use the scissors to out out the Badge, also color it if you would like to. Keep stressing the above points until they are learned, then we can move on. It is important to notice that, in all instances, the instructional material remained within the rules and regula- tions published by the National Boy Scout Council. mgm At least twice in the school year, a formal Court of Honor should be held, at which time the boys' families and friends should be invited to attend. Such ceremonies become very important to the boys. It is an Opportunity for them to participate in a public program Where their accomplishments are stressed. This kind of program is also important to parents, many of whom never expected to see their retarded sons partic- ipate in an activity so generally associated with normal boys. For some of the parents of Scouts in Troop 181, it was the first time they had ever been to a program where their boys 86 took an active part in the proceedings. Every effort should be made to make the ceremony as impressive as possible. The total troop membership should be involved. All achievements should be acknowledged even though rewards have already been presented at some other time since the last Court of Honor. If any member of the troop has not actually completed one of the requirements, he can be given recognition for some personal characteristic such as c00peration, cleanliness, courtesy or perfect attendance. It should be possible to find some way to recognize each trOOp member on these occas- sions. Figure 6 is a diagram of the way the Scoutmaster for Troop 181 arranged the Scout room for each Court of Honor. Enter Figure 6 here The phonograph was operated by one of the Scouts. Photographs were taken of the entire program to be present- ed to the boy's parents and to use when presenting a review of the year's program to the charter Institution's members. The Scouts were seated by patrols with the instructors sit- ting among them. Awards were presented by the Scoutmaster and his Assistant. The following is a copy of the program for the first Court of Honor and the instructions given to the participants by the Scoutmaster. 87 Figure 6 Court of Honor Room Phonograph Audience Troop Flag_{:::1 Award Table and Ceremonial Table covered with white sheets ‘ Scouts Photographers Projector Table Audience Scouts Awards Table lo [0 U.S. Flag [:3 ‘—*|0 rd [0 Ceremonial Table Ceremonial Table Enlargement g I J a I I I I : .52.. .32... .9... : : (candle) (plaque) : :Elevate on 2x1]. C so a: ' i I I I 88 Program For Boy Scout Troop 181 Court Of Honor Parent's Night, February 23, 1967 Prelude - Burl Ives' recording of Scout music, played on phonograph by Roy. Boys seated in chairs, parents seated in audience. Pledge of Allegiance - Opening lead by Louis as during the regular Scout meetings. Presentation of Charter. Short talk by the area Boy Scout Executive. Charter given by him to Kiwanis President, he will in turn present the Charter to the Institu- tional Representative, then he presents it to the Troop Committee Chairmen who finally presents it to the Scoutmaster. The area Scout Executive then will present membership cards to each Committeeman. Introduction of Alpha Phi Omega Instructors by Louis. Presentation of membership cards to the Scouts by the area Scout Executive and the Scoutmaster. Slides of Scouting activities during past year. (Scoutmaster) Hand out schedules of activities for the rest of the year. (Scouts) EXplain how advancement works in Troop 181. (Scoutmaster) Award Ceremony (lights out except low level light at sides of room). A. Oath and Candle 89 Oath by Robert. Candles lighted by Jake. B. Awards for progress Mark - Service Star Robert - Service Star Louis - Service Star Jake - Service Star Tom - Community Strip and numerals Ralph — Community Strip and numerals Roy - Community Strip and numerals C. First level award for older members - Service Stars and Scout Key Chain. Steve William Cleve Ernst D. First level award for new members - Neckerchief and 18" length of i" manila rope to tie own slide. Tony Roger Burt Clyde James Scoutmaster's minutes "Sculpture" read by Senior Patrol Leader. America - Led by Steve and Tony. 90 Such programs as this are good times for the sponsoring agency members to become more familiar with trOOp activities and progress. They also afford an opportunity for parents to become acquainted with each other. Guides For Teaching The Tenderfoot Requirements Obviously there are several ways to teach any set of material along with the many conditions that need to be con- sidered. The purpose of presenting these lesson plans is to show that origional adaptations can be given to generally traditional methods of instruction. These lesson plans are not specific, only when being adapted for a specific Scout can they be made so. Five lesson plans are presented conforming to the five step division of the Tenderfoot requirements presented in Chapter II. Lesson Plan 1 Step 1: Boy Scout Oath; Boy Scout Motto; Boy Scout Slogan; Boy Scout Sign; Boy Scout Salute and Boy Scout Handclasp. Discussion: There are actually two different parts to Step 1. The Boy Scout Oath, Motto and Slogan comprise one part while the Boy Scout Salute, Sign and Handclasp make up the second group. The characteristics of these requirements determine their division. The first group is a series of three abstract concepts, the second group consists of 91 physical, concrete acts. Group two will be considered first for two reasons, one these skills are more easily learned by trainable mentally retarded boys, and two, it will give the Scouts a better chance to start out with success exper- iences. Boy Scout Sign, Salute and Handclasp. (Boy Scout Hand- book, p. su-SS). The major difficulties most likely to be encountered here will be the lack of coordination and dif- ficulty in understanding the associated meanings of these three acts. The Handbook explains the physical acts and can be easily followed. Drill in their execution is probably the best method of teaching. On entering the meeting place, each Scout should greet the Scoutmaster with the Salute and Handclasp. This learning process can be expanded to good advantage by having each boy come to the front of the group and introduce another Scout to one of the adults in the following manner; As the first Scout reaches the front of the group he is met by an adult leader. The Scout salutes and gives the Scout Handclasp. He then calls another Scout from the group who also moves to the front. The first Scout turns to the adult leader and says, "May I introduce Scout ?" The second Scout gives the Scout Salute and the Handclasp. This procedure is repeated until all 92 boys have been introduced. A repetition of this drill at succeeding meetings will provide the practice needed to learn these parts of the requirements. Of course, the Boy Scout Salute is used when giving the Pledge of Allegiance which should be a regular part of the Opening and closing ceremOnies. These drills are teaching more than just the Scout Salute and Sign, they are teaching basic social amenities such as the proper way to introduce one person to another. Further, they are encouraging the use of language which helps the boys develop better communication. The Scout Sign can be used for various purposes. When the Scoutmaster wants the trOOp's attention he can give the Sign and as each person notices the Sign being given, he also gives it and remains silent. This contin- ues until all are silent and giving the Scout Sign. Boy Scouts also use the Sign when repeating the Scout Oath. The meanings associated with these acts are more dif- ficult to teach. The Scout Handbook explains the meanings, which should be studied. However, the two primary points to get across are respect and courtesy (Salute) and friend- ship (Sign and Handclasp). All the boys will probably know that soldiers execute the salute When meeting another soldier. Explain the act as one way of saying "Good Morning", "Good afternoon", or 93 "Hello", especially to another Scout. The handclasp may be explained this way; all Scouts are friends and when one man meets another man they shake hands, remind them that they have seen the adult male members of their families shaking hands. Scouts shake hands when they meet, also because they are friends. However, since all Scouts are special friends, they give a special handclasp. The idea may need to be repeated frequently. Boy Scout Oath, Motto and Slogan. Do not insist that the Scouts commit these three requirements to memory, their meanings are the important goals. The boys should be able to repeat them with help and to recognize which one is which when hearing them. This will take considerable practice for most trainable boys. Break the Oath into parts when attempting to teach its meaning. The parts may be these; I will... 1. do my best --- do everything the best I know how. Remember to remind the boys about this promise when they start a new task. 2. for God and country --- speak of church, the Bible and prayers; for country, talk about obeying the laws of the community, such as crossing the street at the right time, obeying signs like "Stay off the Grass", being careful when riding bicycles or nOt harming other peOple's prOperty. This is a good time for a field trip. Let the boys see 91+ what you speak of, such as correct crossing of streets, etc. Plan the trip so that various experiences are sure to be found. For the meeting room, make signs that say "Keep Off" or other common phrases that the Scouts should recognize. The intent here is not to teach reading, but recognition of commonly seen and used phrases. By teaching that these signs should be obeyed, you are also teaching duty to country. 3. obey the Scout Law --- this is not the time to teach the Scout Law, there is too much danger in causing a confusion between the Law and Oath. Merely explain that to be a good Scout there are Laws that should be obeyed and that they will be learned later. u. help others --- associate this part to the home, school and neighborhood. Make a point of noticing when ever a Scout helps some one and be sure to point out the act. 5. physically strong --- explain that this means good health habits, eating well etc. This is another good Opportunity for a field trip. Visit a dentist or doctor's office or invite them to come to a Scout meeting for a talk with the boys. Some of the boys might also want to start scrap books on health. Teach that good health habits will help keep the body strong. 6. mentally awake --- teach the boys the art of 9S listening and looking, take walks and note all the things they see and all the sounds they hear and correctly identify. 7. morally straight --- this implies being good boys and Scouts and should be taught along these lines. Instead of referring to this particular part of the Tenderfoot requirements as the Scout Oath, the Scoutmaster may want to call it the "Scout Promise". Chances are the boys will more readily understand the meaning of "promise". Mgttg. "Be Prepared". This can almost become the ral- lying call", the "Geronimo" of the Boy Scouts. Troop 181 used this phrase as the closing part of each troop meeting. There will be many opportunities during the troop gatherings to remind the boys of the Motto's meaning and every such Opportunity should be used to good advantage. Slogan. "22 A Good Turn Daily." This Slogan should become synonymous with "Help Others", which may have more meaning for trainables. The boys may want to ask their parents and teachers to help them keep records of the "good turns" that they do throughout the week. Then as part of the troop meeting one or two boys can present their records and tell what their good turns were. This is an excellent way for the slower boys to gain recognition from the adults and the other Scouts. Lesson Plan 2 Step 2: Uniform; Badge; U.S. Flag; Patrol Yell and Name. 96 Uniform. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 56-59) The primary goal is to teach the new Scout the parts of the uniform. He should be able to learn to identify each part given enough time and practice. Games can easily be made out of this re- quirement. For instance, a member or members of the adult team might come to a meeting missing a part of their uniform, say the belt. The object being to see whether or not one of the Scouts notices that the adult (s) is not wearing a complete uniform. For several meetings everyone may "forget" to wear the same part of the uniform then later when the boys are familiar with the game, each adult may choose different parts of the uniform not to wear. It should be made clear to the boys that the missing garment or accessory was delib- erately not worn and when one of the boys discovers the omis- sion the missing article should be produced and put on. Another game is to put all the parts of a uniform on a table, then ask one of the boys to leave the room. An object is selected from the table and placed out of sight. The boy is returned to the room at which time he tries to guess what item was hidden. Efigg_. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 62-63) The Boy Scout Badge is difficult to teach trainable mentally retarded boys. Many of these boys will not be able to grasp all the concepts. If they are able to recognize the six separate parts, they will have accomplished much and if they learn to understand some of the meanings, so much the better. 97 Two good ways to teach the parts of the Badge are; one, ask some one who is interested in woodworking to cut out an outline of the Badge and then to cut out the parts. This will enable the instructor to use the wood cut-out as he would a puzzle, naming the parts as they are put together. The second method might be used as a follow up to the first suggestion. On a piece of paper, draw the Badge and ask the Scouts to color each part a different color. This is also a good way to teach colors. A difficulty may arise with some of the boys when work- ing with a picture of the Badge. This difficulty is general- ly known as "distractability", which means that material to be learned that consists of several parts composed of various figures, symbols, words, etc., may cause the student to be unable to focus on any one part. The student may not have the ability to separate "parts" from the "whole". An ex- tensive theory of learning has been built around just this concept, sometimes known as Gestalt psychology. This theory argues that the best learning comes from learning from the whole. SO instead of breaking down, what is to be learned into parts, the student learns the whole lesson. Basically the principle is that "The whole" method requires fewer repetitions and usually less time than the "part" method to produce a first errorless recitation; and, what is still more important, the "whole" method secures a more lasting retention. (Meumann, 1913, p. 50). 98 If this theory of learning is to be accepted for train- able mentally retarded boys, then a compromise must be made between the theory and the fact of distractability. Of course, knowledge of the boys' learning abilities will be instrumental in the selection of the teaching method used. Remember that the Gestalt theory was built around what was known about how normal children learn, the fact of distract- ability was not a prime consideration. We proceed then with this knowledge by teaching the boys to learn to recognize the Badge as a whole. Then it may be necessary to teach the parts separately for those who are unable to learn from the whole. The special consultant will be most valuable in determining just the correct way to present this material to each boy. U.S. Flag. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 65-73) The same methods used to teach the Boy Scout Badge may be used very successfully in teaching the U.S. Flag. In addition, the Scouts can actually use a flag to learn how it should be folded, displayed and flown. The use of filmed slides, showing the different ways the flag is displayed, can be very beneficial. The flag's history may be taught by tape recording its story in very simple, slowly read words. The boys can listen to the tape throughout the week between trOOp meetings. The classroom teachers may want to augment this instruction during school hours. 99 Patrol Name and Yell. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp 90-93) There is actually no difficulty involved in teaching this requirement. There is, however, a good lesson to be taught. Each patrol should be allowed to select its own name and yell. Each of the members must be encouraged to sug- gest a name, then all the members should vote. The lesson to be taught is, of course, the democratic process of nom- inating, voting and majority rule. This opportunity to teach such an important concept should not be over looked. It is an excellent way to help the Scouts learn how our society Operates. Lesson Plan 3 Step 3: Whip the two ends of a rope and tie the Sheet Bend, Clove Hitch, Bowline, Two Half Hitches, Square Knot and Taut-Line Hitch.' (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 7h-81) It is impOrtant to remember that efforts and energies will be lost in trying to teach every trainable boy to recall the names of each of the knots. In this lesson plan sequence, the ultimate goal is to teach them how to tie the knots and when to use them. If they remember What knot you are ref- ferring to when you speak its name, they are achieving well. Of all the lesson plans, this one is the most flexible. Instructors should become very familiar with how to teach knot tying for reasons that shall shortly become apparent. lOo Unless the Scouts have mastered the identification of their left and right hands, some difficulty will be en- countered in teaching these lessons. Each Scout and each instructor should have available, to him a four to six foot length of rOpe, one quarter inch in diameter. After the ends have been whipped, they should be taped with different colored tape. Choose distinctly different colors such as black and white or blue and yellow, so there can be no trouble in distinguishing between them. Now you will be able to teach by using such instructions as, "Wrap the black end around the white end", or "The white end goes under the black end". This method is particularly good for those who are having trouble with the left-right hand concept. Another aid for teaching the rOpe tying requirements is to take a board and attach to it short pieces of rOpe showing the various steps in tying a particular knot. The Scout Handbook will be useful in making this teaching aid, since the steps in tying the various knots are pictured there. The boards will be more helpful than the pictures because they will be less cluttered than the pictures, and will also be more realistic. A separate board should be used for each of the six knots as well as one for whipping the rOpe ends. If, after the ropes have been mounted on the board, they are shellacked, they will stay in place longer and will become much less easily soiled. Be sure 101 that the displayed knot boards have the rOpe ends taped with the same color tape used on the rope the boys handle. This will eliminate considerable confusion. It may also be useful to construct minature mock-ups using the knots in realistic situations. Two or three small logs might be lashed together using a Clove Hitch or a tent might be set up using the Taut-Line Hitch. Another characteristic of most trainable mentally re- tarded children is their short attention span. This is especially true when they are dealing with abstract subjects, into which category much of the Tenderfoot requirements fall. Knot tying can be used to "break-up" the other instruction. If the instructor is very familiar with how to tie the knots, he can very quickly turn from the subject being taught to dealing with rOpes and thus regain the Scout's attention. Lesson Plan A Step h: The twelve parts of the Scout Law. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 38—51) Without a doubt, this will be the most difficult part of the Tenderfoot requirements for the vast majority of the Scouts to learn. A very few, if any, of the trainable mental- ly retarded boys will be able to read more than a few of the laws. The best that we can hOpe for is that they will under- stand something of the meanings incorperated in them. There are several ways to aid in this learning process, 102 one of which has been described earlier. That involved the teachers dedicating a week during the school term to each of the Law's twelve parts. Other suggestions might be to make twelve large cards with the main word, depicting each part of the Law, printed on it. These can be placed around the room and frequent reference made to them by the instructors. A form of the old "spelling bee" might also be used, such as asking the contestants to give, in his own words, the meaning of a particular Law. A relatively successful way to teach the law is to associate them to meaningful events in the lives of the Scouts. For example, on each of the cards a picture could be drawn or pasted, depicting the word's meaning. "Clean", might be accompanied by a picture of a person washing or brushing his teeth. "Reverent", might have a picture of a church or other religious symbol. Some one might write a very short story relating to each part of the Law, or a short skit so that the boys could act out the intent of the Law's meaning. The primary factors to remember is to present the mater- ial to be learned in as many ways as possible, using as many of the senses as possible, and to repeat the instructions often. Also keep in mind that the meaning of each Law is the concept the boys should learn, not how to read or even recognize the main written words. If he can give a meaning- 1C3 ful definition of the Law's intent, from a verbal cue, he should pass the requirement. It is easy to sometimes lose sight of the primary purpose of Scouting for trainable retarded boys. It is not that they should pass requirements, though that is not unimportant, the goal is that through the Scout experiences, the boys will become better able to cope with their environ- ment. Anything they are able to learn, through Scouting, and make a functioning part of their everyday lives will help them in adapting their behavior more in line with their more normal peers. Lesson Plan 5 Step 5: The Out Door Code and what to do to become a Second Class Scout. (Boy Scout Handbook, pp. 82-97) Parents of the boys, especially the Dads, will want to actively participate in this instructional phase. The pos- sibilities for teaching the Out Door Code are so numerous and obvious that little time need be spent in making sug- gestions. The only limiting factors should be the location of the troop. If the troop is made up of boys from urban areas, the emphasis will be different than if the Scouts come from rural communities. In any event, the adult leaders will have many suggestions on ways to present this material. The important parts are that the boys should be out of 101! doors as often as possible and that the families should be encouraged to participate. Camping trips can be wonderful- ly new, exciting and educational. Community projects in- volving beautification of parks, streets or municipal build- ings can add new dimensions to the concepts of Loyality, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Clean, Country, Government, in total, being a good Scout. Camp Outs During the first year's program, the plan was to prepare the Scouts for an overnight camp out, to be held towards the close of the school year. Instruction was given in such areas as building fires, setting up tents, prOper clothing and recreation to prepare them for that experience. In May of 1967, those boys with parental permission were taken to a pre-selected location on one of the boys' Grandfather's farm for a week end camping experience. Fathers were invited to accompany the troop. The event began before noon on a Saturday and ended in the afternoon of the following day. Camp schedule - first day. The following schedule was used as a guide during the camp out. 1. Locate tent sites and raise tents. Two Scouts to a tent. Dig trenches and clear area of weeds and scrubs. 2. Locate and dut firewood for the entire camping period. Gather fire starter material such as dry leaves 105 and dead-dry weeds. 3. Lunch - consisting of sandwiches and soft drinks. A. Hike 5. Prepare campfire site. 6. Prepare evening meal. This meal consisted of meat and vegetables that could be cooked over an open fire. Each Scout prepared his own food. 7. Clean up the area. 8. Evening campfire - singing and games. Camp schedule - second day. The following schedule was put into effect, on the second day, after moning call. 1. Flag raising ceremonies. 2. Breakfast of eggs and bacon, cooked over an Open fire. Also milk, juice and bread was available. 3. Clean up area. A. Hike and nature study. 5. Lunch - sandwiches and drink. 6. Break camp. 7. Return to school. Chapt er S ummarl When consideration is being given to the establishment of a Boy Scout troop for trainable mentally retarded boys, the following points should be given attention. 1. Some modifications of the Boy Scout of America's guide lines will probably have to be made, but permission 106 for changes should be authorized. 2. All trOOp goals must be realistic for trainable retarded boys. 3. The area Boy Scout Executive should be consulted when organizing the troop. h. A special consultant in mental retardation should be sought to help in planning the program. 5. Instructors should be found so that there will be a ratio of one instructor for each two Scouts. 6. Schools are probably the best places to hold meet- ings and during school hours the best time. 7. School teachers and Scout leaders should plan to- gether in order to best coordinate programs. 8. Divide Tenderfoot requirements into easily learned units. 9. Reward Scouts often for successful performances. 10. Make weekly lesson plans for material to be covered. 11. Keep careful records of the troop's activities and individual Scout's programs. 12. Involve parents in program as much as possible. 13. Allow Scouts to assume as much responsibilities as they can. 1h. Keep the program flexible so that changes can be made to better meet the Scout's needs. CHAPTER V Summary, Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations Summary Scouting was first brought to the United States in 1910. Since then, boys from all over America have enjoyed and benefited from the Scouting Program. In recent years, the National Boy Scout Council has encouraged the establish- ment of trOOps for handicapped boys, but has been able to offer very little in the way of constructive assistance in adapting the established Scout program to their needs. This study was designed to determine whether Scouting could be useful as a learning and recreational activity for one segment of the handicapped population, that is trainable mentally retarded boys. Two groups were chosen. One, sixteen boys from the Towar Garden School of East Lansing, Michigan as the ex- perimental group and two, sixteen boys from Brownlee Park School and Kambly School, both of Battle Creek, Michigan as the control group. Together with the adult staff selected to lead the experimental trOOp (East Lansing Troop 181), the author designed the troop plan for a one year study. Teachers from Towar Garden School acted as consultants and helped incorporate Scouting into the total school activities. Troop meetings were held during the regularly scheduled school day in one of the schoolrooms. Every effort was 1C7 168 made to include the teachers and the parents in the program in an effort to make the Scouting experience as comprehen- sive as possible. Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity Members were invited to act as instructors to the boys during Scouting activities. It was found that some adaptions of the regular Scout plans had to be made, since no trainable boy learned all of the Tenderfoot requirements during the year of this study. Anticipating that they would advance very slowly, the Tender- foot requirements were divided into five related steps. Fre- quent rewards were given as the boys completed a step or even part of one step. In an effort to measure the experimental group's prog— ress, two scales were administered. These scales (T.M.R. Performance Profile for the Moderately and Severly Retarded and Vineland Shale of Social Maturity) were selected be- cause they seemed to be the best available measures of the abilities Scouting should seek to improve for trainable mentally retarded boys. Also they apparently covered those areas that are emphasized in public school programs. Col— lectively these areas can be included within the definition of Adaptive Behavior, which is "The activities a person is usually expected to perform each day in his home, school and community, and the person's ability to learn to perform them satisfactorly". (see Chapter I) The T.M.R. Performance Profile was given by the teachers 109 of both groups on a pre and post-test basis. The VSSM was given to the parents in the same manner. For one school year, TrOOp 181 functioned under the con- ditions decribed and within a carefully planned program of instruction, recreational activities and self improvement. These programs were carried out within the framework of the existing Scout program, as far as possible. The findings of the study, in terms of the statistical measures, were somewhat surprising. Interestingly, it was found that the T.M.R. Performance Profile and the VSSM cor- related positively on total scale scores, but that the T.M.R. Performance Profile seemed to be primarily measuring the same kinds of abilities as the Occupation Sub-test of the VSSM. There was no significant improvement in the areas of Social Behavior and Basic Knowledge on either scale, while in the areas of Communication, Practical Skills, and Body Usage, the gain scores on the T.M.R. Performance Profile were shown to be statistically significant. Only on the sub-test Self-Help did the VSSM gain scores prove to be statistically significant. The experiences of the Scout troop's adult leaders and the Scouts' teachers and parents indicated that Scouting can be important for TMR boys in ways other than those mea- sured by the two scales. The teachers noted growth, in terms of self-concepts and relationships with their peers, as they observed the boys 110 in classroom situations. Parents were particularly enthusi- astic about the boys' apparent increased awareness of the care of their personal possessions, especially care of their clothing. The troop's adult leaders were impressed by the boys' interest and eagerness to participate in all activities. It was agreed, by all the adults, that the boys seemed to realize that Scouting was a responsibility and important, re- quiring them to meet certain standards of conduct. Although this study did not specifically attempt to determine how TMR boys would function in regular Scout troops, it was generally felt, by the adult leaders, that a segre- gated troop would appear to be more practical because of the differences in learning ability the TMR boys exhibit. Yet it was also felt that contact with normal Scout trOOps should be made whenever possible. Discussion It soon became evident that progress, in terms of ad- vancement, would by very slow. Much of the material was entirely new to the boys' experiences as well as being ab- stract in nature. It took weeks of repeated learning experi- ences before some concepts were understood. This neces- sitated trails with many teaching methods, until one was finally found to be helpful for each Scout. Adaptive Behavior includes those activities that a per- son is expected to perform in his activities of daily living and the facility with which he performs them. This study shows that the control subjects made significant improvements 111 In the areas of Communication, Practical Skills, Body Usage and Self-Help as measured by the two scales used. Together they represent vital areas in Adaptive Behavior for TMR boys. Our society emphasizes the need to communicate. Through this means we are able to make our wants known and determine the meaning of others' behavior. The ability to communicate is‘ one major factor in the final determination of whether a TMR person will be able to remain in his community or placed in an institution. Practical Skills basically involve the ability to man- ipulate tools that normally are a part of our daily acti- vities, such as household items. MR boys can be helpful in the operation of daily family activities if they de- velope good practical skills abilities. Body Usage and Self-Help skills are further factors to consider when determining whether a TMR boy will remain at home rather than being institutionalized. If he is able to care for himself (dressing, bathing, eating, etc.) and able to move about without help and without falling or hurting himself, then the responsibility of his personal care is not as great for the other family members. These abilities save parents a considerable amount of time and make remaining in the home much more possible. One conclusion became increasingly more evident as the program progressed. The stand taken by the National Boy Scout Council that Scouting programs could not be changed for TMR boys is unrealistic. To expect boys who function 112 on the trainable level mentally, to achieve even close to the level of normal boys is to fail to understand what years of research and study has taught us. It is understandable that the National Leaders would not want their program chang- ed in terms of the final goals. Still, it should also be understood that if Scouting is to be for all boys, then it must be programed so that all boys can benefit from it. The realization that all normal boys cannot function in one total program has been made, so separate programs for boys between the ages of 8-ll years (Cub Scouts), ll-l7 years (Boys Scouts) and l7-2l years (Explorer Scouts) have been created. The three programs were made necessary be- cause certain abilities allow for certain actions; that is, no one expects an eight year old boy to have the same capa- bilities as a fifteen year old boy or a fifteen year old boy to have the same abilities as a twenty-one year old boy. Why then, should we eXpect a TMR boy to be able to function as a normal boy? The established Scouting programs have based member- ship primarily on chronological age, and for the normal boy this is fine since there is a correlation between their chronological ages and their mental ages. For the TMR boy, this correlation does not hold true, however. Why is it not possible then, to create programs that allow TMR boys to achieve at their own rate, within the range of their abili- ties and with the purpose of promoting Scouting principles in a way that would be useful to them? 113 This study shows that Scouting can be valuable in help- ing TMR boys grow and mature. National Scout Leaders should recognize this as a challenge to make Scouting for all boys a reality and not just a slogan. The writer believes that over a longer period of time than this study reports the TMR boys will show more improve- ments than those reported in Chapter III. It is hoped that the present leaders of Troop 181 will re-evaluate the boys at the end of each year in an effort to confirm this belief. While the whole community has a responsibility to aid in working with TMR boys, it is felt that the schools should take the leadership role. Scouting can be a learning ex- perience of value to TMR boys, therefore, the traditional concepts of teaching schould not be so scared that new ideas cannot replace them, at least in part. It would seem fea- sible, to this writer, that every school program for TMR boys could incorporate a Scouting activity into their cur- riculum. TMR girls should also be given a chance to ex- perience Scouting through Girl Scout troops. Conclusions Statistically, as measured by the TMR, Scouting appears to have been successful with trainable mentally retarded boys in helping them grow in the area of Adaptive Behavior. However, as measured by the VSSM, the Scouts' growth was not statistically significant. From the titles assigned to the sub-tests by the authors of the two scales, and by the scales' contents, it would 11h appear that they were designed to measure substantially the same skills. The scales' sub-tests are presented below to illustrate this point. TMR VSSM 1. Social Behavior 1. Socialization 2. Self—Care 2. Self-Help 3. Communication 3. Communication A. Basic Knowledge h. Self-Direction 5. Practical Skills 5. Occupation 6 0\ Body Usage . Locomotion It would also seem that these skills are related to what is implied by the term Adaptive Behavior. Correlations between the two scales do not, however, support these beliefs. Pearson r correlations were run between the sub-tests within the TMR as well as between the sub-tests within the VSSM. Further correlations were run between each of the sub-tests of the TMR and each of the sub-tests of the VSSM (See Table 11). The question then naturally arises concerning the low relationship between the scales as evidenced by the analysis presented in Chapter III. The fact that this study's pOpu- lation was not a large sample may be one reason for the low relationship. However, and even more probable, the reason may be the way the two scales were designed. The TMR is administered by the teachers and is the result Of their observations and opinions of the subjects, 115 while the VSSM is the tabulation of Opinions of the parents as recorded by the administrator of the scale. It may be that parents are so close to their children and so emotion- ally involved with them that they fail to see the changes that take place over relatively short periods of time such as that covered by this study. It may also be that teach- ers are more able to determine gains in Adaptive Behavior as a result of their specialized training which may have better prepared them to be cognizant of such behavioral im- provements. Further, it is possible that the teachers were more aware of the purpose of the study and this awareness made them more disposed towards awarding improvement in post- test scores. This is even more probable since the teachers for the experimental group realized their boys were part of the study and an improvement in scores would "look good" in the final results, even though they were cautioned against such action. Kerlinger (l9bh), refers to this weakness in rating scales as the "intrinsic defect" (p.516). He says that this "halo effect" is the tendency for subjects to be rated in the constant direction of a general impression of the subject. So knowing that the subjects in Scouting would "Hope- fully" show a greater improvement in Adaptive Behavior than those boys in the control group, the teachers may have rated the experimental boys in a constant direction of im- provement. In contrast, the VSSM was scored by the writer for the control and experimental groups on both the pre and 116 post-test. Realizing the importance of objective scoring in order to maintain a high level of validity, the writer scor- ed the scale as close to actual parental responses as was possible. There was, however, a significant correlation between the two scales on total test scores at the .05 level of con- fidence. Yet, this author, found that the scales' primary value, in terms of this study, was in the area of curriculum development. Both of them were very valuable in helping plan total programsibr the trainable Scouts. As curriculum guides they seem to be superior. Those adults, closely associated with the trOOp, were unanimous in their opinions that the program was a success (see Appendix C). Many events occurred that emphasized, to this author, that the experience was successful in helping the Scouts learn Adaptive Behavior. It is not necessary to present many such events, but a few should be noted. One boys mother reported that since her son entered the Scouting program, his father had taken an interest in the boy's school program for the first time. Another Scout, who had been very shy and had communicated very little, began to open up and relate. One of the most able boys learned how to use his ability in terms of troop leadership and towards the end of the year helped some of the other boys learn their requirements. Their association with interested adults, in a well organized and planned program caused positive gains in the ll? boy's total Adaptive Behavior. Perhaps the best support for this conclusion is that the program is in its second year of operation at Towar Garden School with essentially the same adult staff and supported by the same community service club. Recommendations 1. Other studies, Similiar to this one, should be in- stituted to: a. b. replicate the findings of this study. determine the learning which would take place over a longer period of time. determine what relationships really exists be- tween the TMR and the VSSM scales. measure how far trainable mentally retarded boys can be expected to advance in Scout ranks with only minor adaptations of the regular Scout program. determine how extensively the regular Scout program must be changed for trainable mentally retarded boys. determine whether Cub Scout programs would be more beneficial for trainable boys or whether a combination of Cub Scout and Boy Scout pro- grams might be best. determine the feasibility of integrating train- able mentally retarded boys into trOOps for educable mentally retarded boys. compare Boy Scout programs with other youth 118 programs (such as u-H) for effectiveness in helping trainable mentally retarded boys im- prove in the area of Adaptive Behavior. 1. determine relationships that would develope be- tween TMR boys and normal boys participating in the same troop. Very careful attention should be given to indivi- dual lesson plans and instruction for boys in troops for the trainable mentally retarded. Closer study, over a longer period of time, should be given to the ratio of boys to instructors as well as to who can properly function as instructors, especially where there is no Alpha Phi Omega Fra- ternity near by, or Where methods of training in- structors are not readily available. An effort should be made to determine how audio visual aids can be used more effectively in help- ing trainable mentally retarded boys through Scouting. The National Boy Scout Council of America should go on record, approving adaptations of the Scout- ing program to better meet the needs of trainable mentally retarded boys, if further research sup- ports the findings of this study. Such action would be entirely consistent with the National Council's principle of "Scouts for all boys". 119 Based on the results of this study, it would seem appropriate for the National Boy Scout Coun- cil to launch a vigorous program, together with the National Assoication for Retarded Children, of establishing trOOps for all trainable mentally retarded boys. In addition, they should finan- cially support research aimed at determining how Boy Scout programs can best serve handicapped boys. APPENDICES 120 121 Appendix A Individual Characteristics of the Experimental Group Erik. Ibis. 1422. l. 232 an to 2. 168 [fit 3k 3. 152 go as h. 158 SM an S. 2ko 9O 5 6 2th 67 3O 7. 206 101 h8 8 180 67 A7 9 225 91 u3 10. 173 72 MB 11. 191 80 kg 12. 197 57 3O 13. 205 65 38 1h. 18h 87 to 15. 170 67 M1 16. 151 81 60 Note: C.A. and M.A. data are expressed in months. 122 Appendix B Individual Characteristics of the Control Group 211 25A 152 170 1o7 168 1112 131 1511 215 1118 1o 3 205 1c 3 172 17h Note: C.A. 137 65 63 25 38 25 79 1&7 91 S9 63 38 6h A9 72 S9 63 an 61 30 so 110 MO 25 1111 . 56 7h us 85 A9 91 53 and M.A. data are expressed in months. 123 Appendix C April 5, 1968 To Whom It May Concern; The Boy Scout program at Towar Gardens School for Trainable Children has been a very successful one. The boys look forward to their meeting with much anticipation. To them, it is an activity whereby they can identify with the M.S.U. fraternity men in scouting activities modifiedly patterned in a manner for "normal" boy scouts. To them working on scout badges is serious busi- ness. The recreation times and camping experiences are thoroughly enjoyed by the boys. The total scouting program gives the boys the opportunity to participate in activities in which most of them would never otherwise become involved. (Mrs.) iary Sandborn, Principal 12L1 Appendix D 637 Virginia East Lansing, Michigan May 3 l 2 1967 Mr. Lee Reynolds Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 181 East Lansing, Michigan Dear Mr. Reynolds: Thank you for all the fine work you have done with my Tommy in Scouts this year. This is the first time he has ever had the opportunity to identify with any organization. The Scouting program has seemed to teach him a sense of respon- sibility; for instance, he never forgets to get out his uniform on Monday night, I don't think he has forgotten his handbook even once and he takes very good care of anything he has that has anything to do with the Scout program. He has even, be- cause of the necessity of having his uniform ready for a partic- ular day, become very conscientious about getting out clothing for the next day all the rest of the week. A few weeks ago this would not have occurred to him. However, I think the finest part of all about TrOOp 181 is the interest the boys seem to have in getting out and doing things together. I know that for Tom these experiences have been pretty limited in the past, but now he finally has something to which he can belong,znd I hope participate in to the fullest. He and children like him.need this as much, if not more, than any of the rest of us. Again--Thanksl Sincerely, Mrs. Edwin DuCap 125 Appendix E Scoutin has brought many benefits to the boys in East Lansing Troop l 1. It has also wrought some startling changes in the boys as individuals and as a group. At its inception the trOOp was but a band of irregulars. During the two and one-half years it has been Operating, the boys have gained greatly in poise, confidence and in community of action. Further, many of the boys have begun to show leadership behavior within this group. Since these boys are severely retarded, their limitations soon exclude them from normal contact with the community. A loss that is most severely felt is the loss of contact with a peer group of boys against Which to test ones self. One of the most valuable features of the scouting program has been the Opportunity to compete in a peer group. I have observed the boys changing leader and follower roles depending upon individual skills and aptitudes in various activities. Within the fabric of the troop program the scouts behave more and more like normal boys in this respect with passing time. We have boys who have never learned to roughneck, and in fact, fear physical contact. The scouting program has helped these boys to achieve a more nearly normal response to physical activity and contact games. It is a very slow process, but the boys are learning the skills for their scout rank in accordance with the require- ments of the Boy Scouts of America. They eagerly await the winning of each new award. When a boy achieves an award it is an event, because it represents complete control of important new information. Each boy in the troop knows exactly what he must do to achieve his rank. Adjustments are made in rank requirements as individual limits are identified. It is not expected or necessarily desired that every boy will achieve high rank in scouting. It is expected and desired that the goals of scouting should aid the growth of these boys. The goals of scouting are to learn citizenship, to build character and to achieve physical fitness in a program of fun. The vehicle is a program in Which experienced boys lead less experienced boys through the steps to young manhood. As the retarded boys of Towar School gain experience in scouting, it becomes obvious to me that this program will work for them exactly as was originally intended for all boys. The adult leader can make it work by demanding full performance, then tempering the demand with complete understanding of the limitations of each individual. The adult leader must make it work by building a framework within which the limitations of the retarded can be accomodated to the patrol method of Boy Scouting. Hugh E. Lockhart Scoutmaster, Troop 181 April 1, 1968 BIBLIOGRAPHY Boy Scouts Of America. Boy Scout Handbook. New Brunswick, New Jersey: 1966. hh8 pp. Boy Scouts Of America. "Units For The Handicapped; 1966 Report." Report issued by Boy Scouts Of America, 1966. Boy Scouts Of America. "Scouting For The Mentally Retarded." National Boy Scout Council, Mav, 1966. U Boy Scouts Of America. 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