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Dissertation Information for Lesta N. Burt

NAME:
- Lesta N. Burt

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA) (1972)

ADVISORS:
- Margaret Monroe

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Muriel Laura Fuller
- Michael Hakeem
- Carl Fellner
- Charles A. Bunge

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: BIBLIOTHERAPY: EFFECT OF GROUP-READING AND DISCUSSION ON ATTITUDES OF ADULT INMATES IN TWO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract: For many years reading and discussion have been reported to have
tharapautic value. Few studies of an experuaental nature bave been performed
to determine wbether this is true. Since it is important to ide.ntify
proce~ures which will contribute to tbe renabilitation of inmates
and enhance their personal outlook on life, this study tested the group
book discussion form of bibliotherapy as an effective method for improving
the attitudes of adult inmates in correctional institutions.

Fifty-nine of the inmates who volunteered for the program were
randomly assigned to experimental and control groups in two institutions,
The Wsconsin Home for Women and The Wisconsin Correctional Institution
for Men. There were two experimental and two control groups, consisting
of 6 to 8 members at each institution, led by a total of eight librarians.
Each team of two librarians led one control and one experimental
Group. The experimental groups, whicb met for two hours weekly, read and
discussed the same six books consecutively while the control groups met
three times during the twelve-week period to take part in a reading interest
survey.
Analyis of Covariance was employed to analyze differences in attttudes between experimental and control groups on the posttests of 11
concepts and '"Total Concepts" of a Semantic Differential and the Socialization Scale of the Personal Value Abstract, with the pretests being the covariate. Examination of posttest scores, adjusted for pretest and eror, revealed the amoutn of difference between group treatment for pretest and error, revealed the amount of difference between group treatment or by inmate background characteristics.
The F test showed statistically significant difference at the .01
level between tho experimental and control groups on attitude toward "Dope
Addiction" and "Stealing," the only behavioral concepts measured. The
experimental groups registered much less accepting attitude toward these
two behavioral attitudes than did the control groups. On the other hand,
no significant difference between these two groups as a whole was found
on attitudes toward concepts relating to persons.
There was statistically signiticsut interaction at the .05 lavel
between Race, Number of Months Served or Number of Months to be Served
and Group Treatment on ten analyses. In 8 of the 10 the posttest scores
of those in the experimental group who bad over 16 months to serve, had
served over 37 months, or Black inmates were bigher than their group
members and were equal to or higher than all those in the control groups.
The Black inmates and those who had served 37 months or more in the experi~
ntal groups made mucn higher posttest scores than did any other group,
experimental or control, on "Total Concepts", a combination of the mean
scores on all eleven concepts, and also on the Socialization Scale of the
PVA. No significant difference was found between groups led by different
leader teams except on one concept.

These findings led to several conclusions concerning group book discussion as bibliotherapy for those in correctional institutions who desire to participate and who have the ability to read and comprehend:

1. Bibliotherapy may be a helpful adjuvant to the correctional
program for improving attitudes related to behavioral concepts for all
categories of inmates.
2. Bibliotherapy may be a helpful adjuvant to the correctional
program in improving attitudes toward persons for inmates possessing
certaln background characteristics.
3. Bibliotherapy may be effective1y carried out by librarians when working with small inmate groups who meet the criteria for group book
discussion leaders described in this study.

MPACT Scores for Lesta N. Burt

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:27:00

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