U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Teaching Style and the Application of Adult Learning Principles by Police Instructors

NCJ Number
214205
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 77-91
Author(s)
Mark R. McCoy
Date Published
2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the teaching style of the faculty of a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) organization and the degree and method of application of adult learning principles by the POST faculty.
Abstract
The instructors in this study have been deeply ingrained in the traditional law enforcement education system. Their strong support for a teacher-centered style of teaching reflected their exposure to a behavioral-based approach to education. However, there was a sense of disconnect between what instructors did in the classroom and what they felt was effective instruction. The key to effective law enforcement education and the implementation of a community-oriented policing approach is rooted in operating from a consistent teaching style and in training instructors in adult learning theory. The educational philosophy of law enforcement organizations must be compatible with community-oriented policing, and the teaching style should be learner-centered. However, a learner-centered approach can only be effective if instructors understand adult learning theory and are trained to use a variety of instructional methods. Through 85 POST instructors completing the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) and 21 POST instructors participating in in-depth interviews, this study attempted to answer the questions: what is the profile of teaching styles of the POST faculty; what is the relationship of teaching style scores as measured by PALS and the demographic variables; what methods and techniques do POST instructors say they use in the classroom; and what adult learning principles do POST instructors say they implement in the classroom? Table, references