NCJ Number
69123
Date Published
1970
Length
181 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT EVALUATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VIDEOTAPED WORKSHOPS, AS OPPOSED TO LIVE LECTURES, USED IN MICHIGAN LAW ENFORCEMENT INSERVICE TRAINING.
Abstract
THE INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE SCHOOL OF POLICE ADMINISTRATION AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY BROUGHT LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY KNOWN SPEAKERS TO THE CAMPUS TO VIDEOTAPE CRIMINAL LAW LECTURES. THE LECTURES COVERED THE SUBJECTS OF CIVIL DISTURBANCE AND RIOT LEGISLATION, INTERROGATION AND CONFESSION, AND RECENT U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS. THE VIDEOTAPES WERE THEN USED IN 10 2-DAY WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE A TEST OF COGNITIVE AND ATTITUDE QUESTIONS PRIOR TO AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE WORKSHOPS. GROUP CHANGES WERE TESTED FOR SIGNIFICANCE; DATA WERE ANALYZED BY DEPARTMENT SIZE, JOB FUNCTION, JOB LEVEL, YEARS OF SERVICE, AND AMOUNT OF TRAINING. RESULTS OF THE COGNITIVE TEST DEMONSTRATED THAT AT THE PROGRAM'S CONCLUSION, PARTICIPANTS POSSESSED MORE ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE CLASSROOM MATERIAL THAN THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY. THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION GAINED VARIED WITH THE TOPICS COVERED AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO THE PARTICIPANTS. DIFFERENCES IN TRAINING, PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, JOB RESPONSIBILITY, AND OTHER VARIABLES WERE RELATED TO HOW MUCH AND HOW WELL THE PARTICIPANTS LEARNED; THESE DIFFERENCES CLEARLY WERE RELATED TO THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INFORMATION. ALSO, PREEXISTING ATTITUDES WERE GENERALLY STRENGTHENED AFTER EXPOSURE TO THE WORKSHOPS. AMONG THE SUGGESTIONS IS ONE THAT EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO REDUCE THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS AT ANY ONE WORKSHOP. RELATED LITERATURE IS REVIEWED. DATA TABLES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ABOUT 40 REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE SURVEY FORMS AND INFORMATION ON THE WORKSHOPS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED.)