Implementing a Physical Education Self-Responsibility Model for Delinquency-Prone Youth

Abstract

The process and impact of a self-responsibility model for delinquency-prone youth was investigated using a variation of the case study method. Ten 4th-grade boys referred by school officials participated in a 6-week special physical education program. Five of the six data sources suggested that (a) the model caused some affective, behavioral, and knowledge changes in the boys, especially in the special program; (b) the experience influenced the special program teacher’s attitudes and values regarding both delinquency-prone youth and the applicability of the model for non-delinquency-prone youth; and (c) the model, with the exception of strategies for transfer, retained its validity throughout the case study. Premises and limitations of the research design are discussed.