A study of the attitudes of Boy Scouts toward the selection of patrol leaders by the Scoutmaster as compared with selection by the group

The importance placed upon the democratic selection of Patrol Leaders in the Boy Scouts of America presents the question of whether or not this emphasis is to be found in actual practice. If this emphasis is not found, to what extent do the attitudes of the boys of the groups, whose methods of selection differ, disagree. This study proposes to investigate two basic problems. The study proposes: (1) To determine the nature and the significance of any differences in the attitude of the Boy Scout toward the Patrol Leaders selected by themselves and those selected by the Scoutmaster; (2) To investigate the significance of any difference which may be found, both as regards the leadership policies of the Boy Scout Organization and as regards the psychological conditions of effective leadership.