SCHOOLCHILDREN'S ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC AUTHORITY FIGURES

• NCJ Number: 25314
• Journal: Adolescence Volume: 10 Issue: 37 Dated: (SPRING 1975) Pages: 111-122
• Author(s): M S KRAUSE
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: Libra Publishers, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY TESTED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ATTITUDES OF DUTY AND EFFICACY TOWARDS AN AUTHORITY FIGURE TO TRUST THAT AURHORITY, AND TESTED WHETHER THE ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHERS ARE GENERALIZED TO OTHER AUTHORITIES.

Abstract

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