COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VOCATIONAL INTEREST IN UNIVERISTY LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS, POLICE RECRUITS, AND MEN IN GENERAL

• NCJ Number: 56565
• Author(s): C L JOHNSON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 167 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: SPECIAL PRICES FOR ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

VOCATIONAL INTERESTS OF UNIVERSITY LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS, POLICE RECRUITS, AND MEN IN GENERAL WERE COMPARED IN RELATION TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF JOB SUCCESS.

Abstract

THE FIRST RESEARCH QUESTION INVOLVED TWO PARTS: (1) WHETHER 4-YEAR UNIVERSITIES, WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT PROGRAMS, GRADUATE STUDENTS HAVING VOCATIONAL INTERESTS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF JOB SUCCESS; AND (2) WHETHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS RECRUIT CADETS HAVING VOCATIONAL INTERESTS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF JOB SUCCESS. THE SECOND RESEARCH QUESTION CENTERED AROUND THE COMPARISON OF UNIVERSITY LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS AND POLICE RECRUITS WITH MEN IN GENERAL. THE INSTRUMENT USED TO INVESTIGATE BOTH QUESTIONS WAS THE STRONG CAMPBELL INTEREST INVENTORY, A VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT TEST. SUBJECTS WERE UNIVERSITY LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS (92) AT THE SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY IN TEXAS DURING THE 1976 FALL SEMESTER AND POLICE RECRUITS IN DALLAS (50), AUSTIN (23), CORPUS CHRISTI (22), HOUSTON (68), AND BEAUMONT (28). THE MEN-IN-GENERAL GROUP REPRESENTED THE GENERAL POPULATION OF WORKING MEN AND WOMEN. THE STUDY DESIGN CONSTITUTED A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO EX POST FACTO DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS. STATISTICAL PROCEDURES USED WITH RESPECT TO RESEARCH QUESTIONS WERE GROUP MEAN DIFFERENCE TESTS. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS INDICATED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SAMPLE AND THE POLICE RECRUIT SAMPLE ON THE VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT TEST. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A MARKED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO SAMPLES VERSUS MEN IN GENERAL ON THE POLICE OCCUPATIONAL SCALE. IN TERMS OF VOCATIONAL INTERESTS, THE TWO SAMPLES WERE VERY SIMILAR TO PERSONS ALREADY EMPLOYED IN POLICE WORK. THIS SIMILARITY SHOULD MANIFEST ITSELF IN VOCATIONAL COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS, POLICE RECRUITS, AND INDIVIDUALS ALREADY EMPLOYED AS POLICE OFFICERS. THIS WILL RESULT IN VOCATIONAL INTERESTS AND VOCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS CONDUCIVE TO SUCCESSFUL TENURE ON THE POLICE FORCE. LITERATURE ON VOCATIONAL INTEREST AND ASSESSMENT, POLICE PERSONNEL SELECTION AND PRACTICES, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION IN LAW ENFORCEMENT IS REVIEWED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE FORMS USED IN THE STUDY. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)