Television production as content and process in social work with groups: An experiment with disadvantaged neighborhood youth in Israel

Closed circuit television was utilized to improve the application of social work with groups to disadvantaged neighborhood youth. A workshop was conducted with a youth group, where members learned to use video techniques and produced programs concerning personal and social problems. Evaluation included participant observation and analysis of videotape recordings. The findings identify group processes, including Tuckman's sequential development stages, indicate therapeutic and social community effects, and help validate the unique characteristics of social work with groups. They suggest that while the group was a necessary condition, television production-as process and content- provided the sufficient condition for change to occur. Comparative analysis of television and other group activities indicate the advantages of the former in social work with groups.