The leisure time activities of the Negro youth of Terre Haute, Indiana
Item Type Thesis
Authors Edwards, Macye Leora
Download date 30/09/2021 20:38:47
Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10484/4793 THE LEISURE TIME ACTIVITIES
OF' TILS; NEGRO YOUTH OF
A Thesis Presented to the Department of Education Indiana State Teachers College
-~:...~._. _._. -'" " , .....
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education
by Macye Leora Edwards June 194El The thesi s of J:c1E'.cye Leora Ed1,r8rds
Contribution of the Gr8clua.te . School , Indiana 2tate Teachers College, Number 613 , under the title: THE LEISURE Tn,;]; ACTIVITIES OF' Trill NEGEO
YOUTH OF TERHE HAlTTE, INDIANA
is hereby approved as countinG toward the cornnletion of the Master's degree in the amount of 8 hours • creclit. Committeetl!oon thesis: . ~ Department:
Date of Acceptence __~J~a~n~u~a~r~y__~1~9~J~1~9~4~9 __ TJl..BLE OF' CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFIHITIONS OF' TERNS USED • 1
The problem ••..... 2
Stetement of the Droblem 2 IrnyortEnce of the study 3 Definitions of terms used •. 3
," Leisure ...... 3 Hyte Community Cent er 8n6. hoover BuilcUng 3 II. REVIE':I OF TEE LITEf"tA'l'1.JRE 5 III. l1ETEOD OF RT~SEA..'-\CB 10
Li witations • 10 Procedure 10 Nuuilier of Questionnaires Bent out ~n~ the
number returned .... 11
IV. THE ~UE, STIm~l'::AIRE P.E EU:L.TS • 12 V. SUl41vIPBY AIm R2COi,~>Il\mA'I'IOh2, 71 Summery . 71 Recommenc.ations • 75 Proposed progrsrn 77 BIBLIOGRAPHY •. • 01 APPENDIX ••••.• 54 LI::'l' G.b' TAS LE S
TABLE PAGE I. ','!ha.t Do You Do When You Heve Time to Do as
You Lil:e? • 12 II. ~',rhe.t GPffiE: S Do You Play After Sc11001? 14 III. V!.h2.t Do You Lil<,:e to :CIa After School? 15 IV. 1dhat Do You Do Pi'ter School? . . . 16
V. VJhat Do You Do p..fter SU1:::::)er? • .. 1 o'" VI. ',,'here Do You Go to hc:,ve Fun? . .. 19
VII. Do You E&ve a Pet? 20 VIII. 1IhEt 'rays &.nci ITools Do lou Eeve 8t Eo lEe? . . . 21 Do You TTorl: to .,.2.rn honey? Do You Like to ReEd? . . . . XI. Ho1'.T huch 'l'iJJle Outside of School Do You Spend for Reading Just for Fun? .. 25 XII. Neme Some Books Thet You Like • 26 XIII. Fhet Books Do You Ovm? 29 XIV. DoYal). E8ve a Library Card? •. 31 XV. How Often Do You Go to the Library? . . . 31 XVI. Whet lJie.gazines Do You Read? •. 32 . XVII. Do You Take ArlY Special Lessons Outside of School? • XVIII. 1vhat KinO. of cpecia,l Lessons? •• 34 XIX. Do You Like to Have Friends Come to See You? 35 XX. To ~Vhat Clubs Do You Belong? . .. 36 v TABLE PAGE XXI. Do You Go to Church? . . . 37 XXII. Do You Go to Sunday School? • 37 XXIII. Do You Belong to a Church Club? •. 38 XXIV. V!hat Is the ?~8.me of the Church Club You Belong To? 38 XXV. D6 You Belong to a Gang? 39 XXVI. HO"'T g8J1~r Are in Your (rang? 40 XXVII. \~h8t Is the Feme of Your LTan;? 41 XXVI 11. lvl1at Do esthe :} 8.ng Do? 42 XXIX. How Late Do You Stay Out at Night? 43 XXX. ~mere Do lOU Go '.~1en You Are Out Late? 45 XXXI. VJhat Do You :;:)0 ~:hen You Are Out L8.te? 47 XXXII. Do You Like to Go to the Show? 48 XXXIII. 48 X,"'{XIV. 49 X:XXV. 50 X,"'{XVI. 51 XXXVII. Name T1,ro l'Jlovies You Liked. 51 XXXVIII. Do You Listen to the Radio? 1:;4./ What Are Your Favorit e R8cdio ProgrEJIls? 55 XL. What Kind of Radio Programs Do You Like? . . 57 XLI. Do You Like to Read the Funnies? . . 58 XLII. What Funnies Do You Like Best? .. . . 58 XLIII. \rImat Hobbies Do You Have? ••. 60 vi . TABLE PAGE
XLIV. Uhat Collections H8Ye You I·lade This Year'? . • 61 XLV. Do You Smoke? 62 XLVI. Do You P18.y Cards? 63 XLVII.' With Vlhom Do You Like to Pl&y Cc;rc1s? 63 XLVIII. l,\Thet Carel GE3lneS Do You Play? • 64 XLIX. Do You Like to Dance?
L. 1,1here Do You Go to De.nce? LI. Do You Go to Parties? 66
LII. Haye You Ever Given 8 Party? 66 LIII. Check the Things lou r"!')uld Like to :80 :Cut
Do nIt Do Eo "tv •
LIV. Ncune the Snorts You i.\Toulc1 Like to Take Part In •• 68 LV. VnlY Donlt You Do the Things You Would Like
to Do? ••..• CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEN AND DEFINITIONS OF TERlviS USED
The purpose of this thesis was to study the leisure time activities of the Negro youth of Terre Haute, Indiana.
In this study, certain conclusions" may be reached, tendencies discovered, and recomrnenctations made. The knowledge gained
should be an incentive to seek more knol,rlectge and to under- stand more about the leisure time of the Negro youth in order that horne, school, and sot:iecN' :a3.;)~ :beJ:p' h~L:n" to the worthiest
use of that leisure. 4"\'" .. ", "
The problem of the leisure time of the Negro youth is some1.·,rhat distinct from that of other yout11, bece.use of en- vironment, home conditions, aneL comtiJUnity agencies. A few
Negro youths he.ve good horne conditions, many fair, . and some ere i'n the clasE' described by Lena Morton: IIAt three 0 'clock we senet thi s little army back to dive s and. (:Lens, expo sed to all manner of wickedness. }Jley they be sent baclc as little soldiers with helmets able to withstand the array of sin and to emerge at morning unstained and eager to get back to the world of wisdom and beauty. III
1 Lena Morton, IIRevision of the Curriculum as SU~bested by the Social Needs of the CommunitY,1I (unpublished Master's thesis, The University of Cincinnati, 1925), p. 88. 2 In a study by E. B. Reuter it was found that the characteristics of Negro children in their play life differ from th2t of white children. It was found that the Negro child's play life is a function of his economic wei. social status rather than his intelligence. Negro boys 1.r-Tere found to enbage less frequently than white boys in ricting in autos, in making and assemblinG radios ancl other mechanical apparatus, and in participatin6 in athletic sports. They neither had the means nor the opportunity to participate in such activities.
On the other hand it vTas found that Negro children are more sociable; they :participate more frequentl;y in such socie~ activities as: " go int; to church,1I "go ing to Sunday School, II 1I2 and "tellinb stories.
I. THE PROBLEI·1
St atement of the problem. It was the 9urrO se of thi s study (1) to show how the Negro youth of Terre H&ute, Indiana spend their lei sure time, (2) to di scovel" what they vwuld like to do 'Vlith their leisure time, (3) to cletermine hO'H adequately community institutions meet the leisure tilJ1e needs of these children, as revealed through a questionnaire study, and (4) to set up recommendations for a ~J'Orth\'Jhile lei sure time program.
2 Martin H. Neumeyer and Esther S. Neumeyer, Leisure and Recreation (New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1936), p. 191. 3 Importance of the study. To use leisure time well
requires a sense of values. Children should be educated to kno\IIT worthy lei sure time acti vi ties. Training for lei sure
is one of the cardinal principles of education. Individuals need to be guided in the wise use of leisure time.
Studies and observations shovl that leisure time when
misused results in crime, delinquency, racketeering, immorality, and gambling. They also show that most crimes are committed during the non--v-.rorking hours. 3 .
Whether or not leisure is put to good use in the in- dividual case II. DEFINITIONS OF TER11S USED · Leisure. Leisure me.y be definec1 as the surplus time remaining after the normal necessities of life ha..ve been per formed.5 It is free time enabling a person to do as he chooses. Hyte Center and Hoover Building. The Byte Community Center and the Hoover Building are referred to frequently in · this study. These agencies are part of the present recreational 3 Ibid., p. 47. 4 Ibid., p. 39. ' 5 ·rbid., p. 1. / ~ i 4 ;~ ,1 facilities available for the Negro youth of rrerre haute, j' ,I Ind.iana. f j CHAPTER II REVIEvj OF PREVIOUS LITERNI'UHE There are many books aveilable on the subj ect of leisure; however, mo st of the mat erial wes obtained from re- cent periodicals. There is a greet need for 1'11"ell nlanned leisure time activities. There is a tremendous need for baseballs, bats, and all kinds of recreational equipment. The space, the centere, anci. the leisure time 8.ctivities should create an inner spirit of preventing children from going dead, of keeping youth really keen, of making it impossible for young married. folks to feel that they have gone stale, of helping old people in their wisdom to be willing to be happy. All living cannot be taken out of the home, the church, the club, and the factory and be tr8nsf'erred to recreational center s. There must be a degree of living everywhere.6 Public departments and juvenile authorities have found. - that 1'11hen a wholesome program of recreationecl activities is put into operation in a neighborhood where crime and vanda- lism have been on a rampage, the police have le ss to do and delinquency declines. This seems to indicate that the absence of a iflholesome leisure time program ma.y be incUcative of 6 HOif!ard Br8.ucher, llOn Keeping Alive, II Recreation, 42:49, May, 1949. 6 delinquency to come. 7 Much of the quality of any civilization obviously ex- presses itself in the W8.y it uses it s leisure. As thEi.tlei sure expands constantly 1'Jith the technological che.nge, it becomes ever more important that society find. more enriching and o.eveloping v.rays to use its lei·sure time and. its human resources. $ Lundberg and others give four criterie. l,rhich c11s- tinguish leisure. First, leisure has its oribinal incentive and fulfillment in the incLividual himself rather than in co- ercions of the so cial order. Seconclly , it must be relatively permanently interesting. Thirdly, leisure should involve activities e.s different as possible from those 1\Thich are con- stantly forced upon us by our station in life. Finally, leisure must be comp8.tible 1'.[i th physical, mentccl, and socie.l well':"being. 9 There are four kinds of recreational opportunities that all youth should have in a 6reater d.egree, accorcUng to Wrenn and Harley. 'Ehey list them as follo't\rs: (1) oppor- tunities to participate in games, sports, @1Q other outdoor 7 Karl M. Dallenbach and Hadison Bentley l II Delinquency and Public Recreation,1I Independent \A!oman, 27:162, June, 1947. 8 Grace L. Coyles, The Leisure of a People (Indianap olis: Council of Socie..l Agencies, 19471:" p. 56. 9 G. A. Lundberg, M. Komarovsky, and M. A. McIntery, Lelsur.e (New York: University Press, 1934), p. 19. 7 activities; (2) the opportunities for creative experiences; (3) opportunities for fuller social life; and (4) the oppor tunitie s for recree.tion at home. lO EIEcboratinb on the importance of leisure time activi- ties and recreation, Glover and Dewey state: In how we shall deal with the marginal play time of youth \'le h8ve a mo st serious challenge. It is so rich in potentialities for good or ill. The boy can spend it in scout activities or in gang warfare; he can go camping or hiking; 0 he can play cre.p 8 and. hcmt) around ba.ck 8~leys.11 Frances Overpeck made an investie;ation of the recrea- tional pr06rams in 127 industries of tlle United StEttes. She discovered that industries realize the value of a recreational progr2Jn for their employees.12 'Ehey s &.y thEt it increase s efficiency. Other surveys indicate the types of actiVities in which people engage. The Kational Recreation Association made a survey sh01.ving what 5,000 people did vTi th their leisure time. The activities given most frequently may be classified as home activities (handicraSt, gardening, listening to the radio, etc.); educational (clubs, libraries, shows); social (cards, 10 Gilbert Wrenn cmd D. L. Harley, Time on Their Hands (WaShington, D. C.: knerican Council on Education, 1941), p. 5. 11 Katherine Glover cmd Evelyn Dewey, Children of the New Day (New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1934), p. 241.-- ---. 12 Frances Overpeck, IIAn Inv~stibation of Recreational Programs in 127 Large Inclustries of the United States, II (un published. Master I s thesis, Indiana State Tee,chers College, Terre Haute, Indiana, Number 314, 1935), p. 21. . dancing, pE'J'ties, etc.); music, commercial; end outside activities.13 In 1934 the teachers of Grend Island, Nebraska, became interested in what the schools 1flere cloinl-j and could do to promote the 1rlise use of leisure time.14 They 1frere seeking to improve the curriculum end to give· a leisure emphasis to the materials available. Following is a summary of what they discovered could be done to emphasize leisure. Reacting: a G.efinite int ere st sho uld be encouraged. :,1, l'-!.: Allow freedom of selection of re8_ding mat eriBwls. Encourage the use of the public library and the bUilding of personal librar'ies. Teach critical rea.cUne; of nev.Tspapers. Radio: try to develop a critical point of view toward radio listening. Guide children in finding and choosing pro- grams of interest. Dramatics: give opportunities for covering a vlide range of subjects. Science: make use of bird clubs, excursions, hikes, and zoo s. Music: group sine:;ing, operettas, capella choirs, orchestra.s, rhythm bands, piano instructions, glee clubs, 13 National Recreationel Association, Leisure I-lOurs of ~O People (New York: National Recreational Association, ~, p. 24. 14 Ray Gates, IIEmphasis on Leisure - What Grand Island Schools are Doing," School Executive, 58:9-11, March, 1939. 9 lessons in music appreciation, and phonozraphs. Handwork: guid.e in toymakins, repeirins dolls, knit- ting, rug making, embroidery, and interior decoration. Phy SiCHl education: an att ernl:Jt to teach barnes with a carry-over value is made. Hobby: hobby clubs are formed, social life was and should be emphasized. Other magazine articles and books found treat the sub- ject of leisure in much the S8me ~'I~T 8.S the m8:cerial a~reac3_y summarized. The consensus seems to be that lei sur e activiti es illey be ro ugh13' classified as home activi t ie s, out siG.e activi- ties, educational, social, end commercial activities. Jo seph Lee, ;'0re sident of the National Recreational Association and a pioneer recreation leader of P..merica, hE.S said: Leisure for everybody, a concLition the.t THe in Amer1 C8 are nov.! c9.ppro aching, is 8. nev) thine; under the Bun--the most revolutionary thing that ever happened. It means the coming of something unheard of in all history--the oprortunity for every man to 11 ve.1 5 15 National Recre8.tional Association, IILeisure,II Recreation, 25:57, Ma3T, 1939. CHAPTER III HETHOD OF RESEP.RCH Limitations. This study is confined to the Negro school children in gr8c1es four through eight and a,ges nine through fourteen in the public schools of Terre Haute, Indi- ana. Procedure. In orcler to conduct thi s stu(lv, it 1,ra$ necessary for the 1'~ri ter to become acquB,intecl witIl. a great variety of leisure time activities in which children partici- pate. From the literature con sulted, and from the study of several types of ouestionnaires, a list of questions for this study was formulated. There were fifty questions included. The questionnaire was divided into two parts: (1 )ioJhat the chilclren included in thi s study do, and (2) 'lrrh8,t they l'1ould like to do i'1ith their leisure time. 'Ehe pupils were instructed to list as many answers as they chose under each question, except the ones requiring "yes" or "no" responses. Thi s type que stionnaire 1'18S used ~li th the hOI)e of 0 btaining as many actiVities participated in as possible; therefore, in tabulating the results, many questions had a higher frequency of responses than of pupil p8xticipation. First, the questionnaire was given to thirty-seven fourth grade pupils of the Booker T. Washington School to test / 11 its interpretabilit;y end admini strabiIity. Secondly , it was revised end readministered. Thirdly, the questionnaire WE.S given to pupils of the Booker T. Washington and Lincoln Elementary Schools in the city of Terre Ha.ute, Inc1ianE,.. frhe age group was nine through fourteen; the grade level four through eight. A letter of directions ",rhich a.ccolD:c2.J1iecl the questionnaire is listed in the Appendix. Number of questionnaires sent out and the number re turned. Of 197 Questionnaires sent out, all were returned. The writer personally discussed the questions and the direc tions for giving the test with the teachers who administered the questionnaire. CHAPTER IV THE QUESTIONNAIRE RESUVl.' S The third section of this study is made up of the tables end explane.tions ·Nhich are the results of the que stionnaire pertaininb to what the children do, end liThat they would like to do for lei sure time. TABLE I WHAT DO YOU DO VJI-IEI'; YOU HAVE TILE '1'0 DO AS YOU LIKE? Activities Grades Total 4 5 6 7 8 Read 11 13 7 47 Play bell (ell kinds) 2~ 9 4 1 43 Play games 2 9 4 9 2 26 Play 4 5 4 9 22 Go to show 13 5 1 1 20 Play with doll s [$ 2 2 1 13 Draw 2 4 3 2 11 Ride bicycle 5 1 2 1 2 11 Visit 1 1 2 9 Sew 2 1 t 9 Study 2 2 3 2 9 Play cowboy 2 1 Play school 1 ~ Sing 2 6 Play checkers 6 6 vvork 1 1 1 2 1 6 Li sten to rs.dio 1 2 2 5 Play ping-pong 1 1 Skate 3 1 4' Box 1 2 1 4 Play piano 1 1 1 1 4 Nothing 1 2 1 4 Paint 1 2 3 Build things 1 1 1 3 Run moving picture machine 2 1 3 Table I reveals the kinds of 8ctivities in which children like to engage. The four activities listed with the greatest frequency are reading, forty-seven; pla;;;ing bEcll, forty-three; playing g211leS, tVTenty- six; and playing, twenty- two. It is interesting to note th8.t a.side from playing ball, there is little v ariation in the frequency of the se activiti e s among the five grades included in this study. The more creative types of activities, such as painting, drawing, and ~~iting ranked low on the list of activities. 14 TABLE II \!i,THAT GANES DO YOU PLAY AFTER SCHOOL? Grades Activities Total 4 5 6 7 ES Ball (all :Kinds) 21 16 22 14 15 8i:S Cards 1 13 11 5 30 Bin§;o 2 4 11 5 3 Cat and rat 14 7 1 2 ~a Checkers 2 1 6 9 1 19 Jacks 3 4 5 3 C01\Tboy 5 3 -z. 2 1 i4 Hide-&id-go-seek 1 2 4- 2 2 11 Box 6 1 2 1 1 11 Soccer 5 2 1 1 1 10 Te,g 4 2 9 Fing-pong it 1 1 2 ES Hill-dill 2 2 1 Reley races 4 ~ Go-in-end-out-the-window 2 2 4 Hop scotch 3 3 Run-aJ;/e:y 1 2 School 3 2 1 3 °I Grady 1 2 3 All around the mountain side 1 1 2 Hangrl1an 1 1 2 Doll house 1 1 2 Grandma Gray 1 1 B01.vl 1 1 Put your little foot 1 1 It/ork game s 1 1 Number gFmes 1 1 Pin the IS donkey tail 1 1 G-Man 1 1 Big business 1 1 Red light--green light 1 1 Kick-pin 1 Drive the pig to 1 the market 1 1. Follow the leader 1 Spell-it 1 1 1 Bible ge.mes 1 Little Sally 1 vJalker 1 1 Monday-TuesdaY-Wednesday 1 Pick up the stick 1 Post office 1 1 1 1 Whip the cat 1 Mother 1 and father 1 1 0' ! -d " 'j minton, tennis, and b01J'!ling were listed infrequently is be- ,i cause of the absence of equipment and provision for these games and sports. rrABLE III i'n.~IAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AFTER SCHOOL? Grades Activiti es 4 5 6 7 Total Play 6 13 14 8 48 Help mother ~ 5 4 4, 2 19 Read 1 2 4 4 4 1'lork 4 1 5 2 2 i4 Play ball 1 2 r 2 1 11 Study 1 1 4 2 s Cook 1 2 2 1 6 Play games 3 2 5 Eat 1 4 5 Iron 1 4 5 Sew 1 1 1 2 Play piano 2 1 1 4 Skate 2 1 1 4 Ride bicy-cle 1 1 1 :3 Play cards 1 2 3 Go to Byte Center 2 1 3 Sing 1 1 2· Race 1 1 2 Talk to mother 2 2 Go to movie 1 1 Color 1 1 Slide 1 1 Sleep 1 1 Li sten to radio 1 1 : 16 TABLE III (continued) WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AFTER SCHOOL? Grades Activities 'rotal 4 5 6 7 Shovel snow 1 1 Play house 1 1 Anything 1 1 Draw 1 1 Cut out pictures 1 1 Go away 1 1 Nothing 1 1 Table III point s out that forty-eightooys and (:~irls like to play after school; nineteen, help mother; fifteen, read; fourteen, work; and only eleven like to play ball; whereas in Ta.ble s I and II ball ranked first and second highest. This may indicate that the children play ball be- cause of the absence of equipment end. provi sion for other t;y-pe s of group activit;}T. TABLE IV 1,1HP..T DO YOU DO AFTER SCHOOL? Grades Activities 4- 5 6 7 $ 'l'ot cl Help mother 10 10 $ $ 4 40 Play 14 4 4 8 37 Work IS 7 6 ~ 32 , Read 6 a 2 5 3 20 Listen to ~adio 11 2 1 14 Study 2 2 4 1 4 13 Evening chores 2 3 12 Eat 2 l 2 2 12 Play ball 1 1 3 2 1 8 Go to show 4 2 6 Cook 1 3 1 1 6 Skate 6 6 Play games 1 1 2 4 17 TABLE IV (continued) WHAT DO YOU DO AE'rl'ER SCHOOL? Grades Activities c;< 4 5 6 7 0 Total Play piano 1 2 3 Se'tlT 1 1 1 3 Visit fri enG.s l 1 2 Go home 2 2 Go to Hyte Center 1 1 2 Feed pets 2 2 Ride bicycles 1 1 2 Color books 1 1 , . Play school 1 1 Play cowboy 1 1 Patrol duty 1 1 Embroia.ery 1 1 Iron doll clothes 1 1 Draw 1 1 Flay \'1i th pets 1 1 Sleep 1 1 Talk 1 1 Tell storie s 1 1 Run 1 1 Box 1 1 Play records 1 1 Play ping-pong 1 1 Ride horseback 1 1 "'Jork puzzles 1 1 Play vori th baby 1 1 Table IV indicates that forty children help mother after school; thirty-seven, play; thirty-tvvo, work; tl\Tenty, read; and only eight play ball. In tabulatinG the results, it was found that lJEshing di shes vIaS listeel rno st freCiuently under help mother. Tables III and IV show a high correlation be- tween what they do and what they like to do efter school. Table III reve8,ls that forty-eight, play; nineteen, help mother; fifteen, read; and fourteen, play ball. 18 TABLE V WHAT DO YOU DO p§r:l'ai SUFPER? Grades Activities 456 7 Total Help mother 14 20 17 15 19 85 Read 12 12 8 12 9 53 Go to sleep 13 7 9 1 1 31 Listen to radio 9 7 <5 2 29 Play 7 6 ~ 4 26 Study 2 g s 6 2 24 T~eb~h 3 4 1 <3 Visit friends 1 1 3 Sit down and. relax 2 1 1 a Practice 1 1 1 3 l~ork 1 2 3 Dra1rl 2 1 3 Play records 3 3 Look at books 1 1 2 Play cards 2 2 Evenin6 chore s 2 2 Ride bicycle 2 2 Go to Hoover Building 1 1 2 Get read;y for school next day 1 1 Iron 1 1 Talk 1 1 Feed pets 1 1 Play ball 1 1 Go to Byte Center 1 1 Go to t01rm 1 1 Exercise 1 1 Sing 1 1 Go to church 1 1 Wash stockings 1 1 Go to show 1 1 Table V reveal s the,t the activitie s children partici- pate in after supper vary little fro lIt tho se perticipat eel in after school. It shows that 43.1 per cent help mother, whereas only 20.3 per cent indicated they helped mother in Table IV. There was also an increase of 16.$ per cent in the reading 19 activity of the chilc'lren. TABLE VI WHERE DC) YOU GO ~CO HAVE FUN? Grades Places Total 4 5 6 7 [5 Visit fri end.s 21 18 20 4 7 70 Byte Center 19 13 10 5 7 Hoover Building 12 5 4 13 10 att Show 5 3 5 3 24 Park 8 it 2 1 15 Horne 1 1 4 2 2 10 Sltating rink 1 1 6 ($ Outdoors 4 4 Parties 2 2 4 School ;yard 4 4 Football games 3 1 4 Grandmother's house 2 1 3 Ball practice (in garage) 1 2 3 Out of town 2 1 3 Si ster I shouse 1 1 2 Boxing matches 2 2 Indoors 1 1 Father's house 1 1 Library 1 1 Vacant lot 1 1 Picnics 1 1 Dotro the street 1 1 Lincoln school gym 1 1 Wiley school gym 1 1 School 1 1 Church 1 1 Drugstore 1 1 Town 1 1 Car riding 1 1 20 , Table VI cen be interpreted as follows: seventy child- ren have fun visiting friends. The number decree,ses sharply from the fourth to the eighth grade. Fifty-four children at- tend the Hyte Center; forty-four, Hoover Buildin;s; and. twenty- four, the show. Of the four place s having the highe st atten- dence; two are free and two are cornrnercial. Pupils in iSrades four and five show a tendency to have fun visiting friends and at the Hyt e Communi ty Center more than tho se in grade s .; six, seven, and eight. Those indicating that they attend the show for fun are rele.tively small in the five grccdes. rrABLE VII DO YOU HAVE A PET? Grades Ans'trJers 4 5 6 7 8 Total Yes 23 24 28 21 15 III No 33 18 19 8 8 86 Table VII reveals that 56.4 per cent of the children have pets, 10Jhile 43.6 per cent do not have pets. 21 TABLE VIII WHAT TOYS AND TOOLS DO YOU HAVE AT HOBE? Grades Toys and tools 4- 5 6 7 8 Total Dolls 17 11 14- 7 4- 53 Hammers 15 s 3 31 Doll di shes S 10 a 5 2 29 Guns 10 1 26 5 5 5r Bicycles 4- 3 9 0 2 24- Balls 9 7 3 1 20 Skates 5 8 3 2 1 19 Doll furniture 4- 3 3 2 15 i Doll cradles and buggies ,;:i 4 2 3 2 1 12 r Nails 6 1 2 3 12 I Screw drivers 2 1 12 I 3 3 3 :1: Wrenches 10 2 12 }; :;\ Electric trains 3 2 3 2 1 11 .~.'"' Games 2 1 1 3 4- 11 Tool sets 4- 2 1 3 10 .~ Saws 2 2 4- 1 9 Trucks 2 1 2 1 'H 3 9 ii Blackboaras 2 2 1 ~ , 3 S ':,U Pinchers 2 2 2 1 1.1 7 ';1 Pliers 4- 1 1 1 ';i 7 it Holsters 1 I 3 1 2 7 ',1' , Checkers 1 5 1 7 Toy automobiles 1 1 3 Toy monkeys 2 1 1 .,.1 a I Steam shovels 1 4- ;'.: 3 ~,I Washing machine and tubs 2 1 1 4- .~ Airplanes 1 1 1 3 Jacks 1 1 1 3 Sewing machines 1 2 3 Erector sets 1 2 3 Tinker toys 1 1 2 Chemistry sets 1 1 2 Nurse set s 1 1 2 Cards 1 1 2· Peg sets 1 1 2 Typewriters 1 1 2 Boxing gloves 1 1 2 Wagons 1 1 2 Magic kits 1 1 2 Teddy bears 1 1 2 Scooters 1 1 2 22 TABLE VIII (continued) WHAT TOYS AND TOOLS DO YOU HAVE AT HO~E? Grades Toy s and tools 4 5 6 7 Tota.l Play houses 2 Doll clothes 1 1 Sleds 1 1 Model city 1 Child I S record player 1 Tank 1 Bat 1 Moving picture machine 1 Toy donkey 1 B01~T and ctrrows 1 Toy iron 1 Scout kit 1 Boat 1 SirVing 1 Toy cannon 1 Play money 1 Horse shoes 1 Ruler 1 Color book 1 Work bench 1 vIe a.ving set 1 Toy clown 1 Top 1 Pool table 1 Marbles 1 Certain data presented in Chapter 116 indicated that financial resources determine to a large degree the leisure time activities of children. It was pointed out, too, that the financi al status of a f arIlily also det ermine s the type s ot: toys anel tools the chila.ren own. Table VIII reveals thclt 16 Martin H. Neumeyer and Esther B. Neumeyer, Leisure and Recreation (New York: A. B. Barnes and Co., 1936), p. 191. 23 fifty-three children mentioned dolls; thirty-one, hrunmers; twenty-nine, doll dishes; twenty-six, guns; and twenty-four, bicycles. This m2Y indicste that the girls listed dolls and doll dishes; whereE.s the boys listed guns and ha.mmers most frequently. ,;i 1'\ tj 'rABLE IX DO YOU llORK '1'0 EARN MONEY? Grades Answers 4 5 6 7 [) Total Yes 48 31 33 15 15 140 No 8 9 10 3 37 Sometimes 2 4 5 4 4 19 No anS'tJer 1 1 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 In any 8 tudy of leisure time act i vitiesit is impor- tant to know financial resources available. lIable IX indi- cates that 71 per cent of the children earn money; 18.9 per cent do not earn money, while 9.1 per cent earn money 8ome- times. One chilo. did not answer the que stion. 'rhrough dis,:", cussion, it was found that most of the children in grades four and five earn money by doing errands at home and for neighbors. 24 TABLE X DO YOU LIKE TO READ? Ans1rler s Grades 4 5 6 7 s Total Yes 47 36 43 2 17 165 Sometimes 5 3 4 5 17 No 8 1 1 10 Don't kno,,"T 1 1 Yes and no 1 1 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table X reveals tDst 85.2 per cent of the children like to read; 0.6 per cent like to real sOIl1etimes; 5 per cent do not like to read. One child indicated that he did not know, while another wrote "yes 2nd no." "All depends on vrhat 1 1 m readinb. II Of the eight fourth grade pupils who do not like to re 8.G., 1'1ve are non-readers. 25 T'iiliLE XI HOW MUCH TIlv~E OUTSIDE 01<" SCHOOL DO YOU SPEND READHlG FOR FUN? Grades Answers 4 5 6 7 is Total One hour Del" de.y 12 11 6,... 7 5 41 Two hours per dey 13 7 ? 7 7 39 One half hour 3 7 2 22 One aDC\. one half hour g a 2 12 Don't knOlv 3 2 1 1 5 12 No a.nswer 2 3 4 2 11 Fifteen minutes 1 3 5 9 Three hours 2 1 1 9 Ten minutes 2 a 1 1 6 None 6 1 1 is Twenty minutes 1 2 2 Three or four hours 2 2 a A little 1 1 2 4 Forty minutes 2 1 1 4 Twenty-five minutes 2 1 1 4 Five minutes 2 2 Seventeen minutes 1 1 One or t'tvO hours 1 1 Great de81 1 1 Table XI is interesting in that it reveals that children have cUfficulty in cl.esi 6n8.ting time. Forty-one stated one hour per day; thirty-nine, two hours per dey; twenty-two, one h8.11' hour per dEy; tv?elve indios.ted they cLid not kno't'J; and t1'Telve did. not answer. Hany ohildren wrote two or three answers. 26 'l'ABLE XII NM~E SO~£ BOOKS THAT YOU LIKE Grades Books 4 5 6 7 Total Funny books 18 6 4 5 38 TExt book s 5 6 6 9 30 A Child's Story of the Negro 6 13 19 Robin Hood 4 8 5 1 IS Cinderella 10 Stories for Little Tots 1 ~ 7 il Puss in Boot s 5 2 2 9 Torn Sawyer 9 9 Last of the i'Iohi cans 2 3 1 2 1 9 Treasure Island 1 2 2 3 1 9 Bible 1 4 1 2 6 Uncle Remus 1 2 4 7 Adventures of Annie Rooney 1 4 2 7 The Children's Hour 2 2 3 Pinocchio 4 2 ~ Huckleberry Finn 2 4 6 Heidi 2 3 1 6 Chief Blackha't'rk 3 2 5 Uncle Tom's Cabin 3 2 5 Alice in Wonderland 2 2 1 Cowboy Stories 2 2 a Told Under the Stexs end Stripes 4 4 Mother Goose 1 3 4 Peter Rabbi t 3 1 4 My Happy Day s 4 4 Mr. and Mrs. Vinegex 2 1 4 Little Women 1 2 4 The Life of George Washington 2 3 The Bobbsey Twins 1 3 Mark Twain 2 3 Boots and the Magic Ilase 2 3 Little Red Riding Hood 1 3 The Cliff Dwellers 3 How to Make Frieno.s 3 3· Roy Rogers 2 1 3 Tom Mix 2 1 3 Cinder Lad 3 3 Aesop I s Fables 1 1 1 3 Three Little Pigs 2 1 3 Little Smoke 1 1 2 The Cat's School 2 2 SnOl'IT Whi te 1 1 2 Fox Indians 2 2 28 TABLE XII (continued) NM~E SOME BOOKS THAT YOU LIKE Gra.des Books 4 5 6 7 Total Book of Poetry I I The Man Who Lost His Soul I 1 Roweena, Teena and Tot 1 I Charles Dickens I I 'l'he \\Toman in the ~vindow 1 I Black Boy I I The Wizard of Oz 1 I Book of Ghost Stories I I Table XII shows ths.t of one hund.red ninety-seven chilcLren, thirty-eight pref'er funny books; thirty, text books; nineteen, A Child's Story of the Negro; eighteen, Robin Hood; and seventeen, Cinderella. 1-1en:l books named 1,rere not found on the reading lists for the various grade levels. This indicates that the children's re8.din~ he-bits e-nd taste need }I\ further supervision. Several books listed were pocket book lj , editions. Pupils in the fourth grades listed comic books more frequently than pupils in the higher grades. ;~j 29 ~~ til ,:'\,~ J TABLE XIII ~{t , l WHAT BOOKS DO YOU OWN? ,(J Grades Books 4 5 6 7 8 'r'otal Text books ~ 11 9 6 2 35 Comic books 6 10 4 3 29 Bible 3 5 1 2 1 12 Roy Rogers 10 1 11 Fairy Te.les 1 5 1 1 [5 Bedtime stories 2 3 1 2 8 Hop-Along Ce.ssidy 3 2 1 6 Daniel Boone 3 2 5 Robin Hood 1 2 2 Dictionary 2 1 1 a Little Red Riding Hood 1 2 1 4 The Bobbsey Tl",ins 3 1 4 Tom Mix 3 1 4 The Three Bears 1 2 3 Love Stories 1 1 1 3 Buffalo Bill 1 1 1 3 The M2~ic Flower Garden 1 1 2 The Three Pigs 2 2 Donald Duck 2 2 Uncle Willie and the Fox 1 1 2 Lone Ranger 1 1 2 Heidi 1 1 2 Bambi 1 1 2 Tom Sat>JY e1" 1 1 2 'i~ Little :a1ac.k SeIDbo :!'/ 1 1 2 >1 Book of Birds 1 1 2 True Stories 1 1 2 Uncle Hemus 2 2 Uncle Tom's Cabin 1 1 2 Mother Goo se 1 1 2 Cinderella 1 1 2 Color books 2 2 Jungle Boy 1 1 Andy the Pan 1 1 The Smugglers 1 1 Treasure Island 1 1 Facts About Camping 1 1 Razor's Edge 1 1 Charles Dickens 1 1 Excuse My Dust 1 1 The Lion and the Mouse 1 1 Book of Famous Compo sers 1 1 ,;~, ~i 30 ~: r TABLE XIII ( continued) vvBA'r bOOKS DO YOU ot-m't Gre..d.e s Books r- 'ro t 8.1 4 J 6 7 E3 The Story of Food 1 1 Book of Christmas CeJ..... o ls 1 1 Jerry the Turtle 1 1 My Happy Days 1 1 Pioneering in Tex8,s 1 1 Cinder Ls,c1 1 1 Gene Autry 1 1 Prayer Book 1 1 Dick TrEcy 1 1 \~onder Woman 1 1 The Surprise Package 1 1 Colonial Days 1 1 Battle in the Clouds 1 1 Fifteen Days in the Air 1 1 Ra.ggedy Ann 1 1 Kitty 1 1 Mic1:ey Mouse 1 1 Robinson Crusoe 1 1 Elements of Boxing 1 1 Little 1:10 men 1 1 rnle String 1 1 Snow White 1 1 The Deep \:100<1s 1 1 Roweena. , Teena and rllot 1 1 Fur Trappers of the Old ~....'re st 1 1 Peter Rabbi t 1 1 The Run Away Airplane 1 1 The Lost Penny 1 1 Doctor IS \'life 1 1 Captain Kidcl 1 "1 Tables XII and XIII point out that children prefer the books thc,t are familiar to them. Books owned are: text books, thirty-five; comic books, twenty-nine; Bibles, twelve; and Roy Rogers, eleven. Western books ranked high, as a group, with a frequency of thirty-five. The table shows that aside 31 I from the text s, comic s , Bibles, an0. 1'1 estern books, there is '1 ,I little overlapping in the reading interest at the various 1 I grade levels. j ~rABLE XIV DO YOU HAVE A LIBRARY CARD? Grades AnsirJers L~ 5 6 7 is f:eot al 7"2; No 33 ./../ 37 11 123 Yes 23 9 7 17 l~ 70 No Answer 3 1 4 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 1'aole XIV reveals that 62.4 per cent of the children do not have liorro~y c8~ds. Only 35.5 per cent have library cards. Four children di~ not answer. TABLE XV HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO TO THE LIBRARY? Grades Frequency i j 32 iti 1 , i Table XV shows that of one hundred ninety-seven chil- ) ( I dren, fifty-seven do not go to the library; twenty-three go I once a 1nJeek; tl'\Tenty-tvm go every tyro week s; and f ifteen did not answer. Table XIV point s out th2.t seventJT children have cards. Table XV indicates that sixty-eight children go to the library. One child indicated thE.t· he had a cerd, but did not use it. TABLE XVI WHAT MAGAZINES DO YOU READ? Magazines 4 Grades 5 6 7 <5 Total Life 25 20 20 10 94 Ebony 17 i~ la 13 5 64 Look 7 5 7 26 Miss America 1 1 7 13 r 4 26 Calling All Girls 1 3 0 6 16 True Story 2 2 1 1 4 10 Good Housekeeping 2 1 1 c:..'"' 9 Better Homes and Gardens 2 1 4 2 9 McCall 1 ~ 3 ./ 1 S Junior Red Cross 7 1 <5 Saturday EveninG Post 3 1 2 1 7 Joe Louis 6 1 Our World 1 5 l Seventeen 1 1 3 5 Time~ 2 2 1 5 My Weekly Reader 1 2 2 5 National Geographic 3 2 5 Comics 2 2 1 5' Movie 1 1 1 2 Pic 5 1 1 1 3 True Conf e s sian 2 2 Popular Mechanics 2 2 Esquire 2 2 Collier's 2 2 Reader's Digest 2 2 Hygeia 1 1 2 33 TABLE XVI ( continued) WHAT MAGAZINES DO YOU READ? Magazines Grades 4 5 6 7 Total Roy Rogers 2 2 Red Ryder 2 Fc9shion 2 1 1 Behind the Bar 1 1 Liberty 1 Our 1 Horne 1 1 Crime Does Not Pay 1 \v ant ed. 1 1 1 Cowboy Nagazines 1 1 Teen Agers 1 1 Woman I s Day 1; 1 Modern Romance 1 1 Junior Miss 1 1 Household 1 1 lvIodern Arts 1 1 Mystery 1 1 Parents 1 1 Table XVI reveals that of one hundred ninety-seven children, ninety-four read. Life Magazine; sixty-four, Ebony; twenty-six, Look; twenty-six, Miss hnerica; and sixteen, Calling All Girls. The firet t\rlO mage.zines listed have a high frequency in each of the five grades. 34 TABLE XVII DO YOU TAKE ANY SFECIAL LESSONS OU~'SIJ)E OF SCHOOL? Grades Answers 4 5 6 7 $ Total No 42 31 44 18 15 l~~ Yes 14 11 3 11 S Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XVII shows thB.t 76.2 per cent of the children do not take eny speciel lessons 'outside of school, while only 23.8 per cent do t8ke some types of lessons. TABLE XVIII WHAT KIND OF SPECIAL LESSONS? Grades Kind of Lesson 4 5 6 7 $ Total Piano 5 2 4 11 Music' 3 ~ 3 2 9 Arithmetic 2 1 I Spelling 2 4 o Boxing 1 2 3 Violin 1 2 3 Skating 1 1 2 Drawing 1 1 2 Drums 2 2 English 1 1 Dancing 1 1 Hearing 1 1 Clarinet 1 1 Reading 1 1 35 , Tables XVII and XVIII point out that only 23.0 per cent ,1 of the children take special lessons out side of school. Table i I XVIII shows that the three kind.s of lessons li steeS- with the I I greatest frequency are: music, twenty; arithmetic, seven; and .§Belling, six. In talking 1vith the children, it was found that many receive special hell') 8.t horne wi th ari thmet ie, spelling, and English. One fifth-grade child had been in Riley Hospital, Inctianapolis, Ine1iana, ano. v,ias being taught by a vieiting teacher. It is interesting to note that only nine children reported playing the piano. TABLE XIX DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE FRIENDS COME TO SEE YOU? Grades Answers 4 5 6 7 is Total Yes 56 41 4~ 28 22 190 Sometimes 1 1 6 No 1 1 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XIX reveals that 96.4 per cent of the child~en like to have friends visit them, 3.6 per cent like to have friends visit them sometimes, while one child did not like to have visitors. Table XX reveals the extent of children's organizational affiliation. The Good Citizenship Club ranks highest, with seventeen pupils in grades five and six. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts continue to hold an important place, with Church Youth Groups ranked fourth and fifth. A careful ~ 37 ,;';1 J;:/ ii scanning of the list of organizations reveals that some at' -·r 'j t tho se listed are probe.bly gangs. 1 i TABLE XXI DO YOU GO TO CHURCH? Grades Ansl"rerS 4 5 6 7 8 Total Yes 52 42 43 25 21 163 No 4 3 2 9 Sometime s 1 4 5 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XXI reveal EO that 92.7 per cent of the children attend church re6ulerly, while 4.5 per cent did not. It shows that 2.5 per cent attend sometimes. TABLE XXII DO YOU GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL? Grades Answers 4 5 6 7 3 Total Yes 4~ 42 44 25 22 182 No 2 1 7 Sometime s 3 1 3 1 -8 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XXII can be summe~ized as follows: Of those reporting, one hundred eighty-two attend Sunday School regu- 1ar1y; eight, sometime s; while only seven did not attend. Thi s information v.Jould indicate that the church is an influ- ential factor in the lives of these children. Table XXIII can be interpreted as follows: Of the one hundred ei6ht;y-three and one hundred. eighty-two (see Ta.bles XXI and. XXII) reporting church and Sunday School attendance; fifty-nine belong to a Church Youth Group; one hundred thirty-eight did not. The cornD&ri son of T8_b16 S XXI and XXII and Tables XXIII and XXIV indicate a lm,r correls_tion in church attendance anG_ affiliation 't°li th its ort,anizations. TABLE XXIV NN0E OF THE CHURCH CLUB Grades Name 4 5 6 7 S Total Bible Class 1 6 5 12 B.Y.P.U. 1 2 2 4 9 Junior Choir 3 3 1 Sunbeam 1 2 1 4. God ana_ Chri st 2 1 3 Young Men's Club 2 1 3 Junior Missionary 2 2 Boys Club 2 2 Get Together 1 1 Sunday School Club 1 1 Busy Bees 1 1 Star Club 1 1 Christ in David 1 1 39 Table XXIV indicates the kinds of church groups children belong to. Twelve, Bible Class; nine, -B.Y.P.U.;- -- and seven, Junior Choir. Eleven of the fifth and sixth grad.e pupils attend. Sible Class, while four eighth grade pupils attend B.Y.P.U. These figures are too small to indice.te a preference for the grade groups. TABLE XXV DO YOU BELONG TO A G·AHG? Grades A.nswers 4 5 6 7 8 Total Yes 42 29 10 117 No 12 10 ~~ 18 l~ 70 No answer 2 3 4 1 10 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XXV reveals that 59.4 per cent of the children are members of a gang, while 35.5 per cent are not members. Five per cent did not answer the question. " .;<,' 40 TABLE XXVI HOIV' lviANY ARE IN YOUR GANG? Number Grades 4 5 b" 7 <5 Total Six 1 6 10 1 2 20 Ten 12 1 2 Sixteen 15 8 1 9 Three 3 2 4 9 F'ifteen 8 1 9 Four 2 1 3 2 3 Twelve 3 2 2 7 Five 2 1 3 1 Seven 2 2 2 l Nine 2 2 1 Thirteen 2 1 1 a Eighteen 2 1 3 Eight 1 1 c" Seventeen 2 2 Fourteen 1 1 2 T'lrvO 2 2 Twenty-one 1 1 2 Gang life plays an importa.nt pert in the life of a child. Table XXVI reveals the number of children belonging to ea.ch gang. Of the number reportinG, twenty indicate six members; fifteen, ten; and nine indicating gangs of three, fifteen, and. sixteen. StucUes show that most g.scngs consist of three to seven members. This fect indic8tes that these children probably have no highly orgcmized groups. interesting to note that thirty-six gangs had no n~1es; nine, Blue Boys; seven, North Side Gang; seven, Tigers; and seven, Junior American Kids. Scanning the list of' nB.mee reveals that many were taken from movies, radio, and comic books. In any study of leisure time 8.ctivitie to it is import a.nt to know what the gang does. Table XXVIII reve81s 8. great de81 of vC?<.riE.t ion in the 8.ctiviti e s of the grade grou]J gangs.· It is interesting to point out that twenty fourth grade children, ~ fifth gr2.ci.e chilc-:', EDe'. t\,ro sixth or8.cLe children enjoy II chE_sine:; other beDgs. 1I Fa one in the other gradee ens2ged in this activity. Of the nineteen that indic~ted they bO to the 8hm'!, seven 81:e eightl1 brE.de chiIdren; \i1.rhere 38 only tvm fourth grade gang members attend the show regularly. Eight foufth gra.de gEng meIJ10ers eni::age in fiGhtinG, lTl'lile only one eies-hth gra.de il1ernber fiuht e for lei 8ure time e.ctivity. The fourth and. fifth grede ::mpile renked playins callboy 11i6h, lrJhere8.s it \ TABLE XXIX ROVl LAin; DO YOU S'I'P:i OUT AT NIGHI''( Gr2cdes Time Total 4 5 6 7 8 9:00 6 14 12 5 5 42 8:00 12 5 6 11 2 36 10:00 9 4 24 6:00 ~ 1 2 ~ a 17 10:30 2 1 6 5 14- 11:00 7 4 1 1 13· 8-9:00 4 5 2 11 ~ 9:30 1 1 3 2 ./ 10 All night 2 3 5 10 7:00 2 2 2 1 1 3 12:00 5 2 1 1) 1:00 2 1 3 6 1:30 2 1 3 6 ..~ '0 .~ 44 TABLE XXIX ( continued) HOV; LATE DO YOU E.TM. OUT AT HIGHr.J:? Gr8des Time 4 5 6 7 S Tota.l 11:3° P.1v1. 1 1 1 2 5 3:00 A.M. 1 1 2 1 5 5:00 A.M. 1 1 2 2:00 A.M. 2 2 12:30 A.M. 1 1 8-10:30 P.H. 1 1 5:00 P. 1;1. 1 1 2:30 A.M. 1 1 4:00 A.M. 1 1 Depencls on what I am doing 1 1 As long as Church holds 1 1 Table XXIX is interesting in that it reve8.1s that children h8.ve difficulty in keeping en account of time, 8S I indica.ted in Ira.ble XI. In tabulatinG the results of 'l'E.ble f [i XXIX, it was noted that the children indicated several dif- 11 f ferent ans'/lers, which revea.ls that they had. no definite ,>} ,1 ~ID time to renort home. Nine o'clock had a frequency of forty- two responses; eight o'clock, thirty-siX; ten o'clock, , . twenty-four; an6. six 0' clock, seventeen. It i s pa.rticu18rl~r interesting to note that ten children stay out all niGht. One child indicated he St ayea. out as long as church Ie sted. ctl;j ,I ~J "j 'l 4-5 ; ~' TABLE XXX W~RE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU ARE OUT LATE? Grade s Places h Total 4- .) 6 7 8 Show 23 11 14- 5 6 Hoover building 10 15 12 6 a~ Church ~ 2 2) 5 30 Visit friends 14 5" 1 1 24- Byte Center 10 2 4 5 2 23 Practice basketball 6 3 9 Skating rink 1 3 1 3 8 Drug store 5 1 6 Parties 1 1 2 1 Play 2 2 a Just on street s 2 2 4- Boxing ffietches 1 1 1 3 Ball g81ne s 2 1 3 Park 1 2 3 Work 2 1 3 Dances 1 2 3 Every place 1 2 3 " Riding 1 1 2 Aunt IS house 2 2 Club meeting 2 2 I Town 1 1 2 ;' Out in front of house 2 2 Courting 2 2 "I :~ Sister" I s house 1 1 2 ,., Sliding 1 1 ;':,!i South end 1 1 ~I~ To a womanls house v.Ti t h ~·t my boy friend 1 1 Student Union, Building 1 1 Ice cream parlor 1 1 ;;r Table XXX indicates thet fifty-nine children go to the show when they are out lete; forty-eight go to the Hoover Building; thirty go to church; tlrlenty-four go to visit fri ends; and twenty-four go to the Byte Center. It is interesting to note tha.t of the one hundred eight;y-three e.tt ending church, 46 (T able XXI), thirty- attend night servic e s. T'I,.renty-three fourth grade children indicate frequent attendance at the movie. Through 6.iscLtssion, it vlas found that lfIany of these children attend free movies at the Eyte Center. Table XXXI is reveEling. Thirty-eight children reported that they ;:,lcW when out ·la.te. Thirty-five spend their time Cit the movies. Thirty-tNo reported skating; fourteen, bowling; twelve, visit friends; and ten do nothing. Nineteen D&rticipate in some f,ornl of reliGious services, \."hile four 8.dmitted "kissinG girls." Hesponse nWllber thirty- fi ve has no signific2nce except thet it shows what vJas upper- most in the child's mind. J11 'j 4-8 TAbLE XXXII DO YOU LIKE TO GO TO THL SHOIv? Gr8.des Answers 4- 5 6 7 s Total Yes 53 35 4-7 26 19 180 No 2 7 2 3 14- Sometime s 1 1 1 3 2~ Totals 56 4-2 4-7 29 ,.I 197 11'A~jLE XXXIII 1;TI-IERE DO YOU GO 'TO 'TEE SHOW? Grades Ans1vers 4- 5 6 7 Total American 12 5 16 6 7 4-8 Gr&nd 8 11 11 4-0 r- ~ Indiane, 6 5 b b a 27 Uptown 2 b 4- 7 2 21 Liberty 5 2 5 2 4- 18 Hyte Center 2 1 2 3 10 Savoy a 2 1 1 8 Orpheum 1 3 1 5 School 1 1 1 3 F'ountain 3 3 All of them 2 2 Hoover Build.ing 1 1 Of the children ansloTering the que stion of whether or. not they like to attend. the movies, CI'able XXXII), 92.3 per cent like to attend; 7.6 per cent diC~ not. Fou.r like to at-' tend sometimes. Table XXX points out th2t only fifty-nine attend the movies 1AThen out late. Table XXXIII shows the theaters the children attend. Forty-eight, American; forty, Grand; twenty-seven, Indiana; and twenty-one, Uptown. / 49 1'ABLE xY.JC IV HOW OFTEi< DO YOU GO '1'0 TB..E 1-10VIES? Frequency Grades 4 5 6 7 is Total Once a. 'veek 28 20 25 16 10 99 Tvrice V'ree~( a 3 is 6 4 33 Three times c v.'e ex ~ 4 6 1 17 Every r two 't'Jeeks 3 J 1 3 1 13 No 8.l1swer 1 2 11 5 3 r Not often 1 3 1 1 b Don It 60 1 2 2 1 6 Often 2 1 3 Once 8 yeer 2 1 3 Once a month 3 3 Every night 2 2 Once every tr.l.ree ",re ex s 2 2 Table XXXIV is revealing. It SU6bests that financial resources diG. not limit movie attenc.cl1ce. Of one hundred ninety-seven children, ninety-nine 8ttend once 8 week; thirty- three, t1'"ice a.1,.reE Henry JaInes li-'orman states that of the nearly 77,000,000 weekly movie audiences as estirna.tec. by the Peyne Fiund study, 37 per cent, or 23,259,000 are minors, and that 11,242,000 50 or nearly one sixth of' the entire movie audience, are unc'i.er fourteen years of age. 17 TABLE XXXV vnrrH "mOE DO YOU GO 1'0 THE lWVIES'( Answers GrE,de s 4 5 6 7 is Total F'riends 19 13 16 7 9 64 Alone 13 9 10 S 5 45 Brother 7 2 7 6 3 25 Si ster 9 6 5 2 1 23 No an SIr,rer 2' 1 3 3 12 l'1other end father 6 1 a 11 Mother 2 4 1 1 S Brother and sister 1 4 1 6 Relatives J 1 6 Boy friencts 1 2 3 Gang 1 1 2 B'ather 2 2 Donlt go 2 2 Anything 1 1 I Table XXXV can be s urnm a.ri zed as f' 0 1101rJ s : Of those reporting, sixty-fo ur ettend movies with friends; forty-five, alone; twenty-five, with sister; cillQ twenty-three, with brother. Twelve (Uel not cmswer the que stion. 17 Henry J arne s Formen, Our !1ovie l'Iade Child.ren (Hevl York: The l·lacmillan Company, 1933), p. ~ 51 TABLE XXXVI l:THAT KIND OF 1i10VIES DO YOU LIKE? Ansv\Ters Grades 4 5 6 7 8 Total Western 41 26 20 10 Comedy 13 110 34 27 23 13 11 108 Mystery 32 18 23 10 12 Love 95 32 19 23 7 11 92 Gangster 29 17 22 6 Sad 7 81 12 6 1 3 2 24 None 2 2 'l'he most popular type of Illation picture Iisted on Te.ble XXXVI 'hTEtS l,!estern, followed, in order of popularity by comedy, rnyster,Y, love, gangster, end sad. Two children did not EnSi'.Ter -ehe question. TADLE XXXVII i\JAME TWO HOVIES YOU LIKED Movies Grades 4 5 6 7 8 Total r Roy Roger s 23 J 1 29 Red Ryder 12 2 1 Western 6 2 6 ~~ Hop Along Cassidy 7 3 2 2 14 My stery 2 3 6 2 13 Love 1 5 3 12 Golden Earrings 4 1 2 12 Donald Duck 4 ~ 10 Unconquered 4 3 3 10 Tom Mix 4 2 1 2 9 Gangster 4 3 1 (5 Gone 'lath The ivind 3 1 Song of the South 2 4 l Kiss of Death 1 4 1 6 COWboy Blues 3 1 1 1 6 52 TABLE XXXVII ( continued) IJAlvlE T'iJO lYIOVIES YOU LIKED Movies Grades 4 5 6 7 S Total None 5 Bob Steele 5 Lone 5 5 Ranger 5 Gene Autry 2 1 1 a Jessie James 4 4 Nei'l! Orleans 1 3 4 IvIother ':Jore fl'ights 1 2 1 4 Rinf;o Kid 3 Cabin in the 3 Sky 3 3 L"ieet r!::e in St. Louis 2 1 Good l'~evJs 3 1 2 3 Bambi 2 2 Stormy Wee.ther 1 1 2 Dark Passage 1 1 2 East Sicle Kids 1 1 2 Dick Tr8.cy 1 1 2 Sunset CaTson 2 2 'rarzan c:.'"' 2 Wyoming 1 1 2 Till The Clouds Go By 1 1 2 Framed 1 1 2 That Hagan Girl 2 2 Thin I\ian Goes Home 2 2 Leave Her to Bee-lven 1 1 2 Kit Ce..I'son 1 1 2 Buffalo Bill 1 1 Son of Lassie 1 1 Kitty 1 1 Duel in the Sun 1 1 State F'air 1 1 Stars Over Texas 1 1 Last of the Red l'4en 1 1 Johnny Maclc Brown 1 1 \vhat I s Buzzin Cousin 1 1 The Unfinished Dance 1 1 Shirley 'l' ernpl e 1 1 Razor IS Edge 1 1 Ramrod 1 1 Home on the Range 1 1 Down to Earth 1 1 Life 1H th .£i'ather 1 1 53 'l'ABLE XXXVII ( continued) i'lANE TWO MOVIES YOU LIKED lviovies Grades 4 5 6 7 Total The Green Hornet 1 v 1 Ily Pal Trigger 1 1 Prisoner of the Noon 1 1 Di strict Attorney 1 1 Blue Skies 1 1 That's 14y Men 1 1 Stella Dallas 1 1 Make Hine Iviusic 1 1 Pinocchio 1 1 Moss Rose 1 1 "!here There's Life 1 1 A Tree Grov-is in Brooklyn 1 1 Black Gold 1 1 Love This TillIe F'or Keeps 1 1 My stery of the Hiverba at 1 1 Scarlet House 1 1 Little Beaver 1 1 Widow of 1,'Tagon Gap 1 1 Spirit of ~:!est Point 1 1 There's My Gel 1 1 Cuban Pete 1 1 Under Nevade. Skies 1 1 Pillow of Death 1 1 Carter and £-1:011 1 1 Dovm the Trail 1 1 Blondie and Dagwood 1 1 Music Magic 1 1 Joe Louis 1 1 The Three Musketeers 1 1 The Egg and I 1 1 Dillenger 1 1 Killer McCoy 1 1 The Other Love 1 1 Snow IJ'hi t e 1 1 Big Town 1 1 rrhe Bells of St. Mary 1 1 Cheyenne 1 1 Slave Girl 1 1 It I I Table XXXVII reveals that Western movies are a favor- ite with children. Roy Rogers ranked highest with twenty nine; Red Ryder, fifteen; western (no neJne), fourteen; and Hop-Along Cassidy, fourteen. Table XXXVII is self-explana- tory, but its data should be studied jointly with 'l'able XXXVI to give a complete picture '01' "!hat movies children prefer. TABLE XXXVIII DO YOU LISTEN '].'0 THE RADIO? Gr8.des Answers 4 5 6 7 2) Total Yes 54 42 44 26 23 189 No 2 1 3 Sometime s 2 1 2 5 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 The children IS 8l1SWerS in rrable XXXVIII are as 1'01- lows: 95.9 per cent answered~; 2.5 per cent answered sometimes; ,,!hile 1. 6 per cent an81rlered no. 56 TABLE XXXIX (continued) HEAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE RADIO PROGRAl,lS? Progralfls Gra.des , 4 ~ 6 7 8 To t a.l Katy's De.ughter 1 1 liick Carter 1 Mary B'o ster the Edi-cor1s 1 Daughter All 1 1 1 1 Gene Autry 1 Horace Heidt 1 1 1 Milky ~·J8.Y 'l'hee.ter 1 1 Steve Wilson 1 Frank Sinatra 1 Bill 1 1 Stern 1 1 Truth or Consequences Dennis 1 1 Dey 1 1 GraneL Centrel Station 1 1 Quiz Kids 1 1 Gre8.t Gildersleeve 1 1 lvIary Noble 1 1 Kay Kyser 1 1 Life With Riley- 1 1 Road of Life 1 1 Joyce Jordan 1 1 The Beulah Sho1,'1 1 1 One I/Ian I s Fernily 1 1 Red Ryder 1 1 King of the Royal Hounted 1 1 The children IS f c..vorit e radio pro isralIls were as follows: A Date with Judy was listed by sixty-one children. ----Amos 8nd Andy was second, with fifty-six children reporting. Hr. Di$- - -- trict Attorney was listed by forty-nine children. One may readily see that the progrwlls which received the rna st popularity ·were either tho se of a humorous nE'cture, such as A Date ~Tith Judy, or mystery-thrillers, such as Mr. 57 Di strict Attorney. It is int ere sting to note thE.t movi e end rE·dio preferences vary greatly. Refer to 'reeble XlG'CVII for movie preference. l'ABLE XL ~r.f-J_A'.r KHm OF RADIO FROG-RAleS DO YOU LIKE? Kind Grades (1: Total 4 5 6 7 u I·fusi c 29 26 25 16 14 120 Comedy 40 26 20 16 14 11$ £.'ly st er~T 3i 26 28 19 14 118 Story 36 25 17 15 116 Sports ~4 <;! 26 15 12 0 76 News ~~ 21 6 6 7 65 Serials 10 9 9 7 59 It is interestin6 to note thEt music was reported the favorite by one hund.red t~venty chilccren; comedy, one hunctred eighteen; HI;/, stery, one hunu.red eight een; c:nd s tory one hundred eighteen. However, 'l' able X;CXIX inc.icates little Dreference for illusic61s. Table XL points out tnEt there is little varia- tion in their preference for music, comedy, mystery, and story. One child indicated he liked any kind, if it was good. )3 rrABLE XLI DO YOG LIKE 'ro READ THE FUNNIES? Answers Grs.des 4 5 6 7 [) Total Yes 54 38 45 27 19 183 No 2 4 3 No AnsvJ'er 9 2 1 3 Sometimes 2 2 To t 81s 56 42 47 29 23 197 The children's answers 'to the question in '1' a'ole XLI are c,_,,-,~~ fol1Oi,H': 93.9 per cent 8nS1~Terecl ye s. Four end five tenths per cent ens1'Vered no, 1rlhile 1.6 per cent did not answer. Two child.ren answered sometime s. T.ABLE XLII 1:JENr FUNNIES DO YOU LIKE BEST? . Gra.des Comics 'l'ot al " 4 5 6 7 8 Annie Rooney 10 12 10 6 5 45 Blondie 9 10 10 6 42 Donald Duck 8 4 -' 4 2 21 Nutt and Jeff 1 1 "2 1 1 ,6 Katzenjammer Kids 1 4 5 Buggs Bunny 1 1 3 5 Dick Tracy 1 2 2 5 Henry Aldrich 4 1 Captain Kidd 2 2 a Mickey Mouse 1 3 4 Steve Canyon 2 1 1 4 Maggie and Jiggs 1 2 1 4 Tim Tyler I s Luck 4 4 Tom Mix 3 3 Cowboys 3 3 59 'lIABLE XLII ( continued) WHAT FUN1'HES DO YOU LIKE BEST? Comics Grades 4 5 6 7 8 Total Superman 3 Lone Ranger 1 1 3 Flash Gordon 2 1 1 Andy and Pand.y 2 2 2 Jungle Girl 2 Pay Day 2 2 2 Bat }1an 2 Orphan 2 Annie 1 1 Ha! ! Hal! 2 1 1 2 Little King 1 Tarzan 1 1 1 Porkey-Pig 1 Big Sister 1 1 1 Fopeye 1 Tillie 1 the 'Iloiler 1 1 Captain Gho st 1 1 Etta Kett 1 Elmer 1 1 1 :Mollie the iVlodel 1 1 Little Lulu 1 1 Red Ryder 1 1 Roy Roger s 1 1 It is seen by T&ble XLII that the favorite comics read by children are Annie Rooney reported by forty-five; Dagwood and Blondie, forty-tvw; Donald Duck, twenty; and. Hutt and Jeff, six. The informe,tion in this table is very interesting in the.t it reveale the popularity of comic books with children. There is a popular belief that schools should utilize this interest. 60 TABLE XLIII vlHAT HOBBIES DO YOU HAVE? Hobbies Grades,. 4 5 0 7 8 Total Reading 11 6 4 2 2 25 Playin/S ball ~ 2 4 Sevling g 3 3 15 Cooking g 3 12 3 3 12 Building 1 1 1 Dravring 10 1 4 1 1 2 9 Collecting dolls 4 2 1 Music 7 2 2 2 1 7 Collecting pictures 3 2 2 Dancing 1 2 2 1 ~ Sin6ine; 3 1 1 1 6 Painting 2 1 1 1 Hunting 1 ~ Skating It 4 Making roo del trains, cars and e.irplane s 1 1 1 3 vlorki116 on bicycles 1 2 3 'I'lri ting poems 1 1 1 3 Ii'ishing 2 1 3 Listening to raclio 1 1 2 lJlaking scrapbook 1 1 2 Woodcraft 1 1 2 Horseback riding 1 1 Knitting 1 1 Collecting but t erfli e s 1 1 Bowling 1 1 Collecting coins 1 1 Collecting j evrelry 1 1 Stamp collection 1 1 Collecting house plans 1 1 Embroidering 1 1 Collecting bugs 1 1 Playing ping-pong 1 1 Whistling 1 1 Eating 1 1 Mending tires 1 1 Table XLIII is interesting in that it points out that many children did not unclerstand whe.t was meant by It hobby .It 61 Reading 'l;.T8S Ii sted vli th a freQ.uency of twenty-five; playing ball, fifteen; sevling, tVTelve; cOc:Jkinb, twelve; and. building, ten. The more creative types of activities, such 8S d~ncing, paintint;', drejfJing, or aIJ1atic s, <'mCL '\I>!ri ting re.nked low on the list. One child listed whistling &8 his hott;y. Collecting ranl~ed hi gh when e:;rouped. 1'ABLE XLIV COLLECTIO~S HAVE YOU M~DE THIS YEill~? Grscles Collections r_ 'I'otal 4 :J G 7 b Rocks 3 7 1 11 Pictures 2 1 1 1 2 7 Leaves 3 2 2 7 Foreii;n money 2 3 2 St em:9s 3 1 2 l Bottle top 8 1 1 1 3 Old nevn3papers 1 1 2 Pa.per dolls 1 1 2 V.A. model airplErnes 1 1 2 Bugs 1 1 2 Odd snaped bJttles 1 1 2 1;Jeed,; 2 2 Shells 1 1 Material 1 1 Pictures of r8.ce horse s 1 1 Pictures of snoke s 1 1 Bonds 1 1 Poems 1 1 Buttons 1 1 Army badges 1 ,I House :!Jlans 1 1 Pictures of trein wrecks 1 1 Flower seeds 1 1 Candles 1 1 Bees 1 1 Butterflies 1 1 Table XLIV can be interpreted as fo1.1Q1,vs: eleven children ffiede ro ck co llections; seven, pictures; seven, leeves; &11(.: six, forei.sn money. ThroUoh eli scussion it vIas found thct me.ny of these collectionf:. T,rere em outgr01,)th of school 8.ssi b nmE'nt s. One Cililc"L collected. :~'icture8 of' tre.in 1\11'ecks. l].'AdLE XLV :J'O YOUSEOZE? . AnS"lver8 GrEdes 4 5 6 7 <3 Total No 43 40 39 29 21 172 Yes 11 2 7 2 22 Sometimes 2 1 3 Tot cJ. s 56 42 47 29 23 197 rrable XLV reve81s thEt '07.8 per cent of the children 6.0 not smoke. Only 11.2 :per cent smoke. 'J.'l1ree chilccren smoke sometimes. It is intereEting to note that eleven of the twenty-tT"TO that smoke are fourth grade c11i 1('11' en. 'J:eble XLVI cen ·oe summE,rized CS follol!S: Of those T ensv erin6 the question, one hundred thirty-four ens't"J"ered yes; fifty-nine, no; ano. t,·!O, sometimes. TvJO children cUd not eDswer. TASLE XLVII 1.VITH 1;,,11011 DO YOU LIKE TO FLAY CJlJ-1DS? Answers GraCie s 4 5 6 7 is Totel Friends 15 24 30 is 10 95 Sister 11 4 1 2 18 Brother 1 5 1 14 llIother I0 2 2 1 11 Father 4 1 1 '6 !-1other and Father 1 1 1 3 Cousin 1 1 Gang 1 1 Family 1 1 Alone 1 1 Brother 8,nd Mother 1 1 64 Table XLVII reveals that 4-8.2 per cent of the children r plE,y cards l' ith friends; 9.1 per cent, sister; 7.1 per cent, brother; 5.5 per cent, mother; and 3 per cent, father. bnly one child play s ce.rds with the geng. TABLE XLVIII vlHAT CARD GAI,jiES DO YOU PLAY? Ge.mes Gr.scl.es 4- 5 6 7 S Totel Old lvlaid 17 . 20 17 14- 14- 32 Tonk (5 6 4- 1 Black Jack 19 1 5 9 Pitty-P8t ~ 2 1 2 Nosey-raker 9 4- 4- 1 9 Authors 2 c 1 Pit " 3 2 ~ 2 13 An iillal cards 2 4- 1 1 .5 Poker 3 2 Rummie 1 ~ Whist 3 2 1 3 War 3 3 Bridge 1 1 2 Chinese Fan-Te.n 1 1 2 Lotto 1 1 "31" 1 1 Coon-Can 1 1 ~"linch 1 1 Five hundred 1 1 Table XLVIII incUcate 8 the kinds of ca.rd games chil dren play. Old Maid was listed by eighty-two children; Tonk, nineteen; Pitty-pat, nine; Nosey-poker, nine; and Black Jf.ck, nine. It was interesting to note that three children listed Whist, while two listed Bridge. 65 TABLE XLIX DO YOU LIKE TO DAl"JCE? Answers Grades / 4 5 0 7 3 Total Yes r-.r 45 <::0 32 13 14 130 No 10 14 A little 10 12 8 9+ 1 1 3 1 6 Sometimes ') Donlt 1 ,'-- 3 6 knovl .J:1OW 1 1 Tote.ls 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table XLIX reveals that 65.9 per cent of the children d.s.nce. Only 27.4 lJcr cent do not dance; 3 per cent dence a little; and 3 per cent, sometimes~ One child indicated that he cUd not kn01tI hOv,r to dence. l'ABLE L 1.'!HERE DO YOU GO '1'0 DANCE? Grades Places ,/ 1'otel 4 5 0 7 b Hoover Build.ing 15 14 22 4- 2 7 Home 16 11 9 8 5 4 Hyte Center 6 1 5 1 1 l~ Friend's Horne 5 1 1 1 5 13 Parties 2 1 2 5 Armory 1 1 1 3 Dance Hall 2 1 3· School 2 2 Sister's 1 1 Cousin's 1 1 66 The children's answers to the question as shown in Table L e~e as follows: Hoover BUilding, fifty-seven; home, forty-nine; l-iyte Center, f ourteen; 8l1c1 fri end's home, thirteen. It is interesting to note that three chiluren attend public dances at the Armory. TABLE LI DO YOU GO TO PARTIES? Answers Grades 4, 5 6 7 8 Total Yes 48 39 3~ 23 17 166 No 8 1 1 2 13 Sometimes 2 2 3 7 No answers 2 2 1 5 Not often 1 1 Totals 56 42 47 29 23 I.', 197 Table LI can be interpreted as follows: 84.2 pe~ cent attend p&.rtie s; 9.1 per cent do not e_tt end; 3.5 per cent attend sometime s. B'i ve children did not Mswer, 'VJhile one indicated he did not attend perties often. TABLE LII HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN A PARTY? Gre.des Answers 4 5 6 7 8 Total Yes 45 37 40 18 18 158 No 11 5 6 10 4 36 No answer 1 1 1 3 \ Totals 56 42 47 29 23 197 Table LII reve2.1s the children IS anSiolerR- to the ques- tion as follows: 60.6 per cent answered yes, 17.7 per cent answered no, while 1.7 per cent did not answer. liABLE LIII CHECK THE TEnmS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO BUT DON I T DO NOVl Activities Gr8.des, 4 5 0 7 6 Tota.l Sl\Tim 38 25 26 20 15 124 Make candy 34 22 18 14 Perticip&te in 19 ·107 SDort s 37 . 18 23 13 15 106 Play musical instrument 34 10 <:; Handicrai't 17 13 90 31 18 12 9 9 79 Sewing 21 20 Iilake 17 12 7 77 collections 33 16 S 11 Take special lessons 5 73 out side of school 35 15 13 3 4 70 Name other tl1ings not listed: Travel 1 Dramatics 7 8 3 3 Make ice cream 2 2 Sing with group 1 1 Dance 1 1 Swing 1 1 Sing solos 1 1 Be a cowboy 1 1 Cook 1 1 Ride motorcycle 1 1 Ride bicycle 1 1 Ice skate 1 1 Table LIII is interesting in that it reveals that chil- dren have definite ideas about what they would like to do. The i terns checked indic8.te the absence of provi sian and equipment for these activities. Of the children reporting one hundred twenty-four checked swim; one hundred seven, make candy; one ,68 hundred six, particinate in sports; and ninety, play musical instruments. Item nine, Table LII1, points out thet cr.J.lc1ren 'tvould like to travel, participete in c1rarnctics, dance, 2.nel sing. Study ':C2ble L for inf'orwction on 1rellly they do not engage in these activities. 'I'ABLE LIV NAJib.i THE SFORTS YOU IIJOULD LIKE TO 11AKE PART IN Sports Grades 4-' 5 6 7 2'> Total Ball (all kino.s) 52 15 20 Swimming 2a 21 133 6 S 1 7 26 Ice skating 1 2 10 Boxing 13 6 2 3 1 1 13 Tennis 2 Skating 7 3 12 4- 2 2 2 10 Track ct. 2 1 4- 1 0 Horseback ric1.ing 1 2 1 1 Soccer 1 2 1 a Skiing 1 2 1 4- Ping-pong 1 1 2 Hunting 2 2 Boating 1 1 Wrestling 1 1 Field hockey 1 1 Hiking I 1 Racing 1 1 Bowling 1 1 Target shooting 1 1 Golf 1 1 Archery 1 1 Kick-pin 1 1 Table LIV indicates the kinds of sports in 't"Jhich children would li1\.e to engage. The four sport s listed'ldth the greatest frequency are b8~1, 68.1 per cent; swimming, 13.2 per cent; ice-skating, 6.1 per cent, and boxing, 6.1 per cent. Table LV points out that children need equipment e~d provision for playing ball, as compared to Table II 'lrJhich indicates that only eighty-eight play ball. It is interesting to note thst four children woul~ like to ski, wr~le one ~Duld like to play field hockey. TAt3LE LV WHY DON I T YOU DO THE THINGS YOU HOULD LIKE IJ:'O DO? Answers Grades 4' 5 6 7 g To t 1''.1 Parents object 13 10 15 No place to 5 ~ 46 go to do them 7 4 7 b 24 Too young -;: 5 .) 1 1 Don't .kl10'lrJ how 17 5 K 2 1 3 15 No money 3 4 City is 5 12 too small 1 3 3 4 11 Donlt hEcve the things to do 1rJi th 4 4 2 10 Donlt know g g Have to work 1 1 3 5 Too cold 2 1 can It 3 Just 1 2 3 Get ~Jhipping 2 1 1 3 1 m in school 2 2 l'1usicc'.1 instruments are too expensive 1 1 2 Too busy working 8.nd serie s of other things 1 1 .2 No one here plays the game 1 1 Because 1 1m from a large family and all my sisters and brothers are younger than I 1 1- Out of season sf-,ort 1 1 Football is not for girls 1 1 Because I am not as good as the others 1 1 1 1m not in the right place 1 1 No one to teach me 1 1 Canlt do everything 1 1 1 1 m a girl and canlt be a carpenter 1 1 Too far away 1 1 70 Ta.ble LV reve&ls why children do not enwage in the activities that they would like. The five responses listed witD the greatest frequency are parents object, forty-six; no plewe !£ .k.9.. to do the se thin6..§., twenty-four; too young, sevent een; (Ion I t know hm"!, fift een; end no money , twelve. Other interesting responses ere: musical instruments are too exgensive, footc8.l1 is not D. bEdne fOl~ 6irl::o, "lim a 6irl end can't be a cc.r[Jenter,1I o_nd the city is too small. CHAPTER V SUMMARY &~D RECOM~ENDATIOKS I• SUI/IMARY To know the needs and aspirations of boys and girls, end to knoIAT in "\i1!hat ways young men and 'VJOmen mES best con- tribute to the cOlIlmon welfare, it is necessary to possess the facts concerning the present status and prospects of every child and youth in the c~mn;unitYo18 The essential first step in the survey of leisure is to o.i scover what youth doe s in hi s II spare time 0 II Thi s vIas the first object of the present study. '1l he purpose of such a survey is to provide the factual basis from which planning can come for better leisure time opportunities, if the survey reveals that thEre is a lack of leisure time actiVities offered to youth. The factual information may oe pertinent enough to arouse community a,ction in prOViding a more varied. :r)rogralTl. This investigation has as its major objectives a survey of the leisure time activities and desires of one hundred nine- ty-seven Negro youths in the Terre Haute, Indiana, Public Schools. 13 M. (Ji. Chambers and Howard IiI. Bell, B01"] To 1-1al:e A Community Youth Survey (l:vashington, D. C.: American Council on Education, 1939), p. 1. The information for the study was obtained from a Questionnaire which was filled out by each child under the supervision of his teacher. The questionnaire was long, and there was no limit to the responses; but it was felt that this type questionnaire was more revealing than other kinds. 1. Thi s study revee.ls thE.t reading, reported by forty seven chilo.ren, is the e.ctivit;y engeS.ged in vvith the c;reatest frequency. PlcsyinS b &11 was listed by forty-three; play ing b ame s, by twenty- six;o12~ ini'~' by t1,renty-tl\ro. ereative 2cctiVi ties renkecl 10T\1 on the Iiet of e.ctivitie 8 t.c~e;y perticipat e in when they have time to do 8S they like. 2. The chi16ren ShOi/li little veri8.tion in the e.ctivities ano. games l::artici1Jeted in after 8c11001 End ai'ter SU1)per. 3. In referenc e to the que stiDn, II i:ihere do y O'J. go to have fun? II, it W2.S int ere sting to learn t hEt seventy children had fun visiting frieno_s; irvhile fifty-four attend the Eyte Cent er; forty-four, Hoover Build.ing; and tV>renty-four , show. The two places showinb the hibhest frequency charge no fee for the use of facilities. 4. A survey of the leisure time activities would be , incornulete without taking inventory of the reading interests. The books listed as favori~es were: Cornie Books, ~Iext Books, A Child's Story of the Negro, and Robin Hood. Sixty-two and four tenths per cent of the children do not have library cards. The periodicals listed as favorites were: Life, Ebony, Miss 73 .America, And. Calling All Girl s. r~ 6'~ '1 . "1' ./. Only 23. per cent of 1; 1e Cin aren t al\:e any special lessons outside of school; however, 35.5 per cent expressed a desire for specioJ. lessons. 6. It is interestinb to observe that 92.7 per cent of the childJ:'en attend. church regulerly, wl1ile 92.5 per cent e.t tend Sunday School. 1'hi s v,Tould. indicete the.t the church has an import ant ple ce in the live s of the se cl1ildren. 7. Fifty-nine and four, tenths per cent of the children are members of c ganE.;. Thirty-six of' the beneS s he.d no nalile s; nine, Blue Eoys; Bno. seven, North Sicee Ga.ng. The study reveals a wide selection of activities in which the gangs engage. The actiVities listed v,7ith the gree.test frequency are chasinG other gangs, going to the show, and fighting. 3. In this stud.y it W8.S found the.t chilCiren have little conception of tirue. lViany did not anSI,rer the que stion pertain- ing to how late they stay out at night, vlhile others listed a number of answers. Fifty-nine go to the show, forty-eight go to the Hoover Building, and. thirty go to church. The activi- ties in which they engage ere playing, skating, towling, and Visiting friends. 9. Ninety-one and three tenths per cent of the chil dren attend the movies. Of the child.ren attending, ninety-nine attend once a week; thirty-three, twice a week; and seventeen, every two weeks. It was found that the chlldren l 8 movie 74 preferences are as foll01Ns: V;estern, comedy, mystery, love, gangster, E:.nd sad. 10. It is seen by the study that the children IS favori te radio probrams eJ'e of' a humorous nature. ---A Date With Judy was reported the favorite of the greEcte st number. l-iow- ever, II mystery ll prog;r81J1S ranked high "lrJith all grade groups. Music wes listed by one hundred twenty children. 11. ':[111.e study reveals thc..t lIfunniesll 8.re popular wi th 91.4 per cent of the chilCl.ren. ' The children nemed. a wiG.e se- lection of IIfunnies. lI Little Annie Rooney was the favorite. 12. It j 13 interesting to note that readinb , reported by twenty-five chilc~en, is the hobby of Greatest frequency. Playing ball W,iS listed by fifteen children; sewing, by twelve; and cooking, by tv,relve. Collecting ranked high on the list of hobbie s. 13. Only 11.2 per cent of the children smoke. 14. The study reveals that one hundred thirty-four children play cBrds. It 2,lso point s out th8.t playin,; cards is 8, game in which members of the family perticip8te. The children's f'2~vorite card. games Ere: Old l'lla.id, Tonk, 8nd Pitty-Pat. 15. Wi th reference to the que stion of d,mcinc;, 65.9 per cent of the children danced, 1'Jhile only 27.4 per cent did not dance. This would indicate that there is little, if any, religious sentiment against dancing. 75 16. It is revealing to study the activities in which the children vvould like to pe.rticipate if f &,cilitie s were e.vailable. Thi s study shows that the children have a d8finite need for a well planned recreational program. It also shows the sport s in which the child.ren would like to participate. Ball (organized teams) 1IJ8S listed'with the greatest frequency by 66.1 per cent, SWimming, 13.2 per cent, and ice-skating, 6.1 per cent. 17. The youth surveyed. in this stud.:V reve Bled that they heG. been thinking about their problems, for in most in- stances they had ready answers. The things which the children are nOi'v doing are not what the:,r most wa.nt to do, but ere the things that they 1'1n(,- it possible to do \vitllin the limited resources at their II. RECOlmENDATIONS To meet the leisure time needs of the children, in the light of these findings, the following recommendations 8eem to be justified: 1. Opyortunities and programs for leisure activities should be available t'lrJelve months a year. 76 2. The proi:::,ram of lei sure time activi tie s should be planned. to meEt the intereete and. needs of individuals and groups. 3. Reating needs 6uidance and encouragement. 4' • Movies need adaption to youth. ,. Parks should be planned to include facilities for sports, bernes, end other leisure time activities \,!hich Ere suitE 6. A large, well-equipped gymnEsium slwuld be provided in which the chilc]ren '{r!Oulc1 have an opportunity tCJ pE,rticipate in orbenized indoor games and sports. 7. Provisions should. be UlEc1e for the children to have places to ~o and eouipment tCJ use, such 2S, 110ra1"ies, museums, picnic Ereas, movies, golf courses, tennis courts, fishing, huntin~:, hiking, ene, camping. 8. ProGrams should be planned to encourage c11ild- participation, SUCli 2.S i'lobbies, music, ga.JiJes in the home, snd f acilitie s for the us e of l' 2wily groulJs out side the horne. 9. Opportunities are needed for participation in a" '!rIiee variety of activities, such 8S teem gSJnee, music, arts and craft s, dance s, nature study, sVIimmint" a.nd camping. 10. Schools should serve, as adequately as possible, the 'education-leisure time needs of the pupils. 11. Church services should be adapted to influence the leisure time activities of the children. 77 12. Perents should seize 0p90rtunities to be proper guides for their children at all times. 13. IITl90rtent es is the communi ty center, it is 'only .a P2X't of 8. le,rger lei sUY'e time program. Other f' cccilitie s should include 2, large plC1JTgrouD(;' end e boseball field. III. A PROPOSED LEISURE TIME FROGRfu~ FOR ThE NEGRO YOU'rE OF' TERHE HAUTE, INDIANA In the light of previous rese8rch studies and the data revee.lec1 b~i the present stuc3.y, it seems thE.t 8. ~;oocL leisure time program for the Negro youth of Terre Haute, Indiana, might well include the following: I. Recreation A. Outdoor gsmes 1. Softball 2. Easebe.ll Tag 4: Hice and. Seek 5. Hopscotch 6. Herble s 7. Croquet s. COvTboy 9. Cops and robbers 10. Soccer 11. Golf B. Indoor games 1. Cards 2. Bingo Jigsai'T puzzles 4: Checkers 5. Ping-pong b. Monopoly 7. Billiards 15. Bowline:; league 78 c. Recre ation81 movie s 1. Free 2. COIIlmercie,l II. lvfu sic Group sine;ing Chorus Re,dio Music appreciation 5,. Phonosr2.IJh b. Teen-age-orchestra 7. Rhythm bend o. Pieno le SEons 9. Benk 10. 1<'olk denc ing 11. Tap dc:ncing 12. toci81 d.2ncing III. Hendicra.ft and Art 1. Mekine; scrapbooks 2. Sew'in§; classe s "'. Embro ic.ering 4. 1.'Joo dcraft 5. ~ie2ving 6. Ivloceling 7. So ap c erving 6. Knitting 9. DrsJ,ring 10. Fainting IV. Reading 1. Books 2. IvIagazine s 3. Papers V. Hobbies 1. Photography club 2. Making collections Making model 8.irplenes, sm.ps, cars 4: Playing rnusic8.1 instruments 5. 1IJri ting b. Dancing 79 VI. Sports 1. Swimming 2. Skating Football ~: BEEketball 5., F'iehing o. H2nc""'cball 7. 30xing o. Hockey 9. Hunting 10. Skiing ll. hiding horseback .--. 1 c. RidinG 2nc_ mE:king 602,P GOX cars l~. Hic~inb bicycle 14-. Riding cor VII. Nature Activities Field tri)s Collections Flower or vegetable Gardens liiakin6 En aqusrium ~layin6 with pets VIII. Social activities 1. Programs 2. Parties 3. Visiting IX. Drama 1. Dr8ma clubs 2. F'estiv2.1s Little theater groups 4: Pege ent 6 5. PLs.ys 6. PUlJlJe t sand IIIarionet t e s 7. storytelling X. Miscellaneous 1. Card clubs 2. Circus Holiday observences ~: Safety Bctivitie s 5. Skating contests 00 81 ze of community is no d.et errent to 8. full leisure time probrwn provided there is in the community the will to provid.e "t\That the communi ty needs. i",' .~ I I Id I[ I l BIBLIOGRAFh7 BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Coyles, Grace L., The Leisure of a People. Indianapolis: Council of Social Agencies--,1947. 571 pp. Forman, James H., Our Movie Made Children. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1933.---zrS .pp. Glover, Katherine and Dewey, Evelyn, Children of the New ~. NeVI York: D. Appleton-Centur y Company ,-193~ 257 pp. Luno.berg, George A., Komarovsky., Mirra, and Mclntery, 1vI.- A., Leisure. New York: Columbia University Press, 1934. 296 pp. Neumeyer, Hartin H., and Neumeyer, Esther S., Lei sure and Recreation. New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1936. 405 pp. B. PERIODICAL ARTICLES Braucher, Howard, liOn Keeping Alive,1l Recreation, 42:49-:52, May, 194$. Dallenbach, Karl M., and Bentley, Madison, "Delinquency and Public Recreation,1I Independent I-loman, 27:159-65, June, 1947. Gates, Ray C., IIEmphasis on Leisure--What Grand Island Schools Are Doing,1I The School Executive, 5$:9-11, March, 1939. --- National Recreational Association, IILeisure, II Recreation, 25:56-62, May, 1939. C. PUBLICATIONS OF LEARNED ORGA.NIZATIONS Chambers, M. M., and Bell, How·ard M., How to Make .§: Community Youth Survey. Washington, D.C.: American Youth Commission, American Council on Education, 1940. 35 pp. National Recreational Association, Leisure I-Iours of 5000 peo~le. New York: National Recreational Association, 193. 83 pp. \'lrenn, Gilbert, and Harley, D. L., Time on Their Hands•. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 1941. 65 pp. D. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS . '", .. , .' , . " ., ", 14orton, Lena, IIRevisiof:l:'Q3;",.''the, :C:u,rrii','ull4L1 :88 Suggested by the Social Needs of ~he",Co:mrn:up,i:t.y~.nUn:publishedMaster's thesis, The Univel"si1~y, :qf, :G~:n:y,i:rl~at.j;.,,1925. 8S pp. Overpeck, Frances, uAn Investigation of Recreational - Programs in 127 Large Industries of the United States,1I Unpublished Master's thesis, Indiana State Teachers College, No. 314, 1938. 52 pp. APPENDIX rl f APPENDIX A LETTER TO ~PEACHERS AmUNISTERING ~UESTIOKI':AlRE Deer CO-1:Jorker: I Bln fie.kine- e study of the lei sure time activi ties of the Negro youth of Terre hEute, Indian2. ~ill you kindly give the enclosed questionnaire to your class, usinc the directions as biven below? 1. The Questionnaire is to be biven to pupils ages nine through fourteen. 2. As the questionnaire is lonG, it should be 6iven over c. .:.Jeriod of thI'ee dEY S for 2,pprox- imately fifteen minutes each day. 3. 'l'ell the pupils they Ere to reael each question cerefully a.ncl ans-v'er on the SDace ·orovided. 'l'hank you, 86 APPENDIX B Dat e----- A6 e _ School------Grade------1. iihEt do you do when you hE.ve time to do as you like? 2. Whet gcunes do you play &fter school?------_. 3. ~hat ao you like to do after school?------ 4. What do you do after school?------5. Wh::,t do you do after sW:Der?------_._------6. \'Jhere 6.0 yo u sO to ha.ve fun?------7. Do you h2ve [; pet ? _ 8. Whet toy s anCL too ls (,-0 you have at home?------ 9. Do you 1'Jork to eEtrn money?------10. Do you like to 1'e2('-'? _ 11. How much time outsiGe of school do you spend for reading just for run'? .__ 12. N8.me some books that you like. _ 13. v,That books do you o1rm? ~ 14. Do you h2.ve a library c&r(H _ 1,. How often do you go to the libra.ry? _ 16. Vlhat magazines do you read? _ I~ 17. Do you take any special lessons outside of school? _ 18. itJhat kind?------.87 19. Do you like to have friends come to see you? ------r-- 20. To what clubs do you belonb ?------21. Do you go to church? SundeySchool?------22. Do you oelong to E, clluY'cll club? ------~-- ':V!lEt is the neme of the churc!:l club you belon;:; to? --- 23. Do you oelonb to & banb?------24. Eo,,} i118ny are in your 62n6?------25. Uhct is the neme of' ~iour is Bni:.:,'i------26. 1t!h8.t do e s the g2ne; do?------27. Hovl lete c.... o you eta,)' out at nitjht?------28. Where do you go when you are out late?------29. Vfi12t do yo u do when you are out let e? 30. Do you like to 60 to tue movies?------l,:here do you cP to the movies?------31. Bow often c....o you go to the movies?------32. l.--Jit:n vJhOIJ, do you .:::l0 to the movies?------33. l;Thbt kind of' movies do you li\:e? (unc5.erscore) comedy, western, love, bengster, mystery, sad 34. Nrune two movies you liked?------ 35. Do you listen to tile radio? _ 36. V!het ITe your favorite rac,io prograIns? _ 37. What kind of radio prosrwns do you like? (underscore) comedy, story, music, nevoTs, seriG.ls, sports, mystery 3$. Do you like to reed the funnies? _ 39. 1tJ11at funnies 6.0 you like best? _ 40. wnat hobbies do you have? _ « 41. iI/hat collections have you made thi s year? _ s i 42. Do you smoke? ------43. Do you pley cards? ------·VITi th Whom?------\i"ba.t cerd bEJJleS do you plE;.;Y'?------44. Do you like to dance? ------45. l:Jhere (10 YOti. go to c:'enc e? ------46. Jo you 60 to parties? ------)17. ~. . <:l ~ nave you ever blven a party I ------40. Checl\: the tl1inb s you v.'Oulci like to co but don't do nO",J: a. S'wim b. P1E3T fllueiccl instrument c. l/jake thinGs: cen(ly sec·ring handicref't d. Use tools e. 1·'icJ<::e co lle ctions f'. T8ke f?peciel leEsons outside of school b. Participate in seorts h. j\~&liie Eny other thincs you ".Toulci. lH:e to do thet are not listed 49. Neme the sfJorts you would like to te.ke pert in:----- 50. Why don't you do tbe things you would like to 0.01 _