Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1953

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Education

Abstract

The project was adopted by the national American Legion in 1951; however, similar programs were in existence in a number of schools prior to that time. The approach to the problem has been unique in South Dakota. · Because it is sponsored by a state-wide organization, the American Legion, projects are round in the smaller as well as in the larger schools. The purpose of this study, then, is to determine the practices and procedures used in Legion Government Days' programs in five schools in this area of South Dakota. The programs which are the subject of this investigation originated and developed under different circumstances, and thus each will differ from any other program studied. Other factors which must be considered as a cause of program variation between schools are the size of the school and its location with respect to the government to which it is closest. Thus a specific purpose of this study was to locate and describe different type situations where some plan of Legion Government Days was carried out rather than to make a normative-survey study of the whole state of South Dakota or a region of the state. The schools chosen for this study represent a cross section of the types of programs which are in operation in this state. There were five of thes·e types, and one program was selected from each type. Schools of small, medium, and large enrollments are represented. Programs in these schools were operated either at the city or at the county level, or at both levels of government simultaneously. The objectives of the investigation were to analyze the five programs and the practices and procedures within the programs for those factors which contributed to favorable outcomes and objectives. Conversely, the detection and analysis of practices and procedures which adversely affected the final outcome of the program is a co-objective. The final objective was to provide guidance in setting up a Legion Government Days' program which would function with the most efficiency. The outcome of this study should be a better understanding of the problems confronting the different parties who cooperate to make Legion Government Days possible. It is hoped that this understanding will result in an expansion· of the program and in the improvement of programs in schools now operating Legion Government Days. Generally, then, the purposes of this study are: (1) to determine the procedures used by schools, sponsors, and cooperating officials in the operation of Legion Government Days; (2) to contribute to the understanding of the objectives, of the functioning, and of the outcomes of the Legion Government Days; (3) to examine possible weaknesses of the program and to suggest possible remedies for these weaknesses; and (4) to contribute to the improvement and expansion of the program.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

American Legion -- South Dakota
Civics

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

77

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Rights

No Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Only
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/

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