Attitudes of employees at Utah State training school regarding their roles in the work training of people who are retarded

Purpose of Study This study was undertaken in order to describe the attitudes of employees at the utah State Training School with regard to work training. Knowledge of prevalent attitudes toward work training was seen to be a major consideration in evaluating present programs and planning for the future. It was a descriptive study and was to identify the demographic characteristics of the staff, selected attitudinal responses and their understanding regarding role functions in the work training opportunities provided for the residents. Answers to the following questions were sought: 1. Do staff members consider work training to be the primary emphasis in their work? 2. How do staff members see people who are mentally retarded with regard to their trainability? 3. Are staff members satisfied with present opportunities and possibilities for work training? 4. How do staff members feel about the value of instructions from their supervisors? 5. Do staff members feel that planning for work training is successful? 6. What attitv11es are reflected by staff suggestions for improvement of work training? Methodology Approximately sixty-five staff members were selected from the total staff population of about 450. There were fifty-seven questionnaires filled out by staff members. The major comparison of the data was between those involved directly and those involved indirectly with work training of residents. Findings Work training was found to be a primary emphasis of staff. They considered residents to be capable of training. There was basic satisfaction with the institutional framework for work training. The importance of individual attention in work training was strongly emphasized. From these findings, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made for more effective work training.