SAME-RACE PRACTICE - DO WE EXPECT TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE

To add to same-race practice knowledge, this article explores practiti oners' perceptions, expectations, and service recommendations for trou bled youths age 12 and age 16 along racial, gender, and age dimensions . A random sample of African American members of the National Associat ion of Social Workers rated case analogues in which client characteris tics varied by experimental design. The more positively social workers perceived the youths, the higher the social workers' expectations of outcomes after intervention. Social workers' expectations for better o utcomes were more forceful than their perceptions of those outcomes. M ale social workers' expectations for African American male youths emph asize within-group male hopefulness. Additionally, African American so cial workers recommend intervention more strongly for Caucasian youths than for African American youths. Practice implications of these find ings are discussed.