NCJ Number
225303
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 73-81
Date Published
June 2008
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between the amount of media consumed and subjects’ perceptions of the study of criminology.
Abstract
Findings showed that as rates of television consumption increased, the students’ perceptions of the study of criminology became increasingly inaccurate. This was also true for radio as illustrated by the significant relationship with the perception variable that media was an accurate source of information; however, this relationship was nowhere near as significant as television. The Internet, magazines, and newspaper media had highly insignificant relationships with students’ perceptions of the study of criminology. Results found that television had a profound influence over participants’ perceptions of the study of criminology, illustrated by the relationships between television consumption and perception variables of specific career training skills, job specific skills, and job specific training. In addition, results suggested that there was a relationship between radio consumption and the perception variable that media was an accurate source of information. Second, results suggest that students have highly inaccurate perceptions of the study of criminology, primarily due to television. According to the results, 60.3 percent of participants believed that they would receive career specific training skills, such as training how to be a police officer, lawyer, forensic identification officer, or other specific occupations. Moreover, 44.3 percent believed that they would receive job-specific skills training such as training in how to complete police reports, use tasers/pepper spray, and perform self-defense techniques. Data were collected from 131 students in 10 randomly selected 100-level criminology classes at the University College of the Fraser Valley. Tables and references