Showing papers in "Journal of Social Issues in 1970"

Whatever Happened to Action Research

Abstract: Lewin’s (1947b) model of action research is composed of repeated cycles of analysis, fact-finding, conceptualization, planning, implementation of action, and evaluation. The guiding idea is that a process can be studied by introducing changes and observing their effects on it. (Marrow, 1969). Despite the title of this chapter, action research is still very much alive. It has strong advocates in high places. Deutsch has said that the need for knowledge of the effects of experiences upon development, as a basis for changes in policies and organizations, “clearly points to an emphasis on action programs and action research as fundamental tools of the social scientist” (Deutsch, 1969, pp. 14–15).

The More Things Change: A Case History of Child Guidance Clinics

Abstract: The privately supported, community child guidance clinic originated in 1921 as part of a program to prevent delinquency Then as now, juvenile delinquency was viewed as a problem among the poor The child guidance clinic was meant to encourage and assist other child welfare agencies and institutions to develop a mental hygiene outlook toward their charges, thereby improving their services and eliminating a cause of delinquency Within ten years, the clinics focused on in-clinic, psychoanalytically oriented therapeutic treatment, almost exclusively There was a concomitant shift from lower class to middle class clientele, and from difficult problems to easier problems The social forces making for the change in purpose and orientation include the conservative political milieu of the 1920s, changing social class backgrounds of social workers, and the professionalization of social work Based on the historical study, comments on the future direction of changes in services are offered KEYWORDS: Juvenile justice; juvenile delinquency