Table Of ContentTHE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE PROGRAM
OF THE INGLEWOOD ELEMENTARY
CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM
A Master’s Project
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Education
<)
by
Robert Dennis Abbey
August 1950
UMI Number: EP46159
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This project report, written under the direction
of the candidate’s adviser and approved by him,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science in Education.
Date.
Adviser
Dean
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT....................... 1
Statement of the problem ........... 3
Definitions of terms used ................. 5
Questionnaire . . . . . ............... • 5
Case study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Staffing . . . . . . ................. . 5
II. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND METHODS USED
TO SECURE DATA ............. . . . . . . . . 6
Boundaries and limitations of the
problem 3
Testing program for elementary school . . . 11
Suggested group intelligence tests ......... 13
Suggested achievement tests ................. 13
Observations .......................... 14
What to r e c o r d .............................. 14
What kinds of behavior should be
described 16
Health guidance ......................... 16
Recreational guidance ..................... 13
Social adjustment ..................... •• 19
Conferences . . . . . . . . ............... 21
The parent-teacher conference ............. 22
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
Home visits ............. . . . . . . . . . 23
Teacher’s interviews with children . . . . 24
Retention and promotion................ . . 24
Promotion diagnosis chart ................. 26
Play therapy ....................... 27
Audio-visual part of an elementary
school guidance program ............... 29
Records ........... . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Guidance ................... 32
Children with special n e e d s .............. 32
The socially maladjusted . . . . . . . . 33
The mentally retarded child ............. 33
Slow-learning children . ........... 33
The gifted child .. ........ . . . . . 33
Slightly handicapped children . . . . . . 33
III. PRESENTATION OF DATA ....................... 34
Philosophy of the special educational
guidance program ....................... 34
A philosophy for guidance ............... 34
A statement of contention ............... 35
The responsibility of the special
educational guidance program ......... 35
The teacher’s responsibility in the
special educational guidance program . . 33
\
iv
GHAPTER PAGE
Relationship of the special educational
guidance program . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Evaluation of the special educational
guidance program as it now functions . • 48
Need for service. .......................... 49
The staffing practice .......... . . 50
Testing and examination practices • . . • 50
Relationships to other teachers ......... 52
Reading clinic « . . . .................... 54
Earlier location of cases important . . . 54
Periodic checks on service . ........... 55
IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............. 60
Conclusions . . . . . ..................... 62
Recommendations........................... 64
APPENDIX ................. 67
1
CHAPTER I
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
There are several factors involved which determined
I
that the present project subject would be the evaluation of
the Special Educational Guidance Program, As a classroom
teacher and as an individual, the investigator is interested
in children who would fall into the category of the special
guidance program*
Certain basic needs and factors are involved in learn
ing and making normal social adjustments. These needs are
\
intelligence, experience, and emotional stability. All human
beings need certain conditions of living and certain activi
ties if they are to maintain normal adjustment in the face of
life’s problems. The structure and the processes of the
human organism create needs for food, rest, and activity.
These physical needs offer the strongest motivation to human
behavior and deprivation of them may cause serious damage.
Every normal child must have the feeling of belonging.
He must feel effective and valued in these groups if normal
personality adjustment is to be maintained. He must feel that
he is like others in the essential aspects of life. Differ
ences, unless they are highly approved by the group give rise
to shyness, uneasiness, and ineffectiveness in social
situations.
Even though a child’s physical needs and the feeling
of belonging are met, an individual cannot be well adjusted
unless he believes in himself, unless he feels that he is
worthy and effective to meet the problems of living. This
is accomplished by increasing his understanding of nature
and of social forces and by relating himself to these reali
ties. He must develop the competencies and skills demanded
in a complex modern world.
The fact that life must be lived with other people
gives rise to social needs. Affection is of great importance.
It is through a relationship of affection that an individual
is helped to gain a feeling of self-value. Withdrawal of
affection gives rise to profound feelings of insecurity and
loss of self-esteem. All human beings have these needs.
These are fundamental truths necessary for real enjoyment of
life.
With concern for these basic needs, the investigator
became much interested in evaluating the Special Educational -
Guidance Program. Chester Taft, Administrative Assistant of
the Inglewood City Schools, believed that this evaluation
would be of value to the children and to the district as
well as to the investigator.
The Special Educational Guidance Program of the Ingle
wood Elementary City Schools was begun in 1934* Since then
the program has never been evaluated to determine its value
and function. In order for this program to operate most
efficiently for the children, the need for an evaluation
was evident.
j
I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problem was to evaluate the Special Educational
Guidance Program in terms of the philosophy upon which the
program was originally planned. In making this evaluation
the procedure was as follows:
1. To determine the philosophy of the Special
Educational Guidance Program;
2. To determine the function of the Special Educa
tional Guidance Program and to locate existing gaps between
philosophy and practice; and
3. To draw conclusions and make recommendations which
would facilitate closing the gap existing between the phil
osophy and actual function of the Special Educational
Guidance Program.
Information has been sought to answer these basic
questions pertaining to the philosophy of the program.
1. What is the relationship of the Special Educational
Guidance Program to the child who does not adjust?
2. What is the relationship of the Special Educational
Guidance Program to health activities?
3. What about gifted children in the Special
Educational Guidance Program?
4. What about children not working to capacity, but
working to grade level?
5. What about children with low intelligence quotients
in the Special Educational Guidance Program?
6. What is the relationship of early discovery to the
Special Educational Guidance Program?
7. What are the techniques for enrolling a child in
the Special Educational Guidance Program?
S. What are the criteria for determining priority for
the Special Educational Guidance Program?
9. How long shall a child continue in the Special
Educational Guidance Program?
In determining the actual function of the program it
became necessary to secure data on these problems.
1. For what reasons have children been referred to
Special Educational Guidance classes?
2. What is the chief emphasis in the Special Educa
tional Guidance Program?
3. What provisions are made in the present program as
it relates to the health of the child, the maladjusted
child, the gifted child, the child with speech defects, and
the child working to grade level but not to capacity?
