ATTITUDES AND ATTITUDE CHANGE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

• NCJ Number: 17018
• Author(s): J F LEE
• Date Published: 1970
• Length: 100 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-69-076
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Middle Tennessee State University
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PRE- AND POST-INSTRUCTION ATTITUDE TEST RESULTS ARE GIVEN FOR THREE GROUPS OF OFFICERS IN REGULARLY SCHEDULED COURSES AT THE TENNESSEE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING ACADEMY.

Abstract

THE DOGMATISM SCALE (A MEASURE OF LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM) AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PERCEPTION QUESTIONNAIRE WERE ADMINISTERED. AN ANALYSIS OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANY OF THE PRE-INSTRUCTION OR POST-INSTRUCTION MEANS OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS OF THE DOGMATISM SCALE. ONLY ONE GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DOGMATISM SCORES IN THE FOLLOW-UP TEST DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE CURRICULA WERE SIMILAR. FURTHER RESULTS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN LIBERALISM-CONSERVATISM SCORES FROM BEGINNING TO END OF INSTRUCTION. RESULTS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PERCEPTION QUESTIONNAIRE WERE NOT CORRELATED STATISTICALLY, BUT A GENERAL VERBAL SUMMARY IS PRESENTED. THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PERCEPTION QUESTIONNAIRE IS INCLUDED, AS WELL AS SYLLABI FOR THE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION PARTICIPATED IN BY THE SUBJECT GROUPS. A LENGTHY REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE PRECEDES A DISCUSSION OF THE RESEARCH.