Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1978

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Buckner, Leroy M.

Abstract

This ex post facto study was conducted (1) to determine if police officers attending an institution of higher education differed in their occupational interests from a criterion group of police officers and, (2) to determine if a pattern of academic interests could be identified from the curriculum of a specific community college and, (3) to determine if there were any differences in academic achievement between police officers who reflect a high occupational interest and police officers who reflect a low occupational interest. The sample consisted of 105 students who (1) had achieved an Associate of Arts degree from Miami-Dade Community College and, (2) were enrolled in the Criminal Justice baccalaureate program at Florida International University and, (3) were employed as a full-time, sworn, police officer with a law enforcement agency. Each subject completed a demographic data gathering form and a Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory, and official permanent record of grades (transcript) was obtained for each subject. The data from these instruments were processed using three statistical procedures to examine six null hypotheses relevant to the central question as to whether occupational interest would be reflected in academic achievement. The first statistical procedure was a test used to determine if the criterion group and the experimental group were from the same population. No significant difference was found between these groups which supported the use of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory as the major instrument used in this study. The second statistical procedure was a multiple regression using a Pearson Product Moment correlation which examined the relationships between the independent variable and the dependent variables. The independent variable was the scores achieved by the sample of the Police Officer Scale of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory while the dependent variables were (1) the cumulative grade point averages, (2) the grade point averages for the required general education courses, (3) the grade point averages for the elective courses and, (4) the grade point averages for the law enforcement courses. No significant relationships were found between these variables. The third statistical procedure, a multivariate analysis of variance, was a final attempt to glean further insights from the data. This analysis divided the sample into those who scored high on the Police Officer Scale and those who scored low on the same scale. Again, no significant differences were found. Therefore, since the criterion group and the experimental group are apparently from the same population and the multiple regression and correlation procedures do agree, it appears that the data, as presented, have no further secrets. Since it appears that this researcher anticipated a relationship that was not reflected in this study, there is a strong implication that the liberalization of elective choices fer students may have to be reconsidered. Further research in this area is encouraged using more variables and by examining the problem on a state-wide basis to control for possible regional or institutional biases.

Extent

122 p.

Comments

Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1978.|College of Education|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1978.

Identifier

FADT11715

Format

pdf

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