Perceptions of selected school personnel toward youth gangs in high schools, Broward County, Florida
Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Urich, Ted R.
Abstract
This study was designed to compare the perceptions of principals (20), assistant principals (110), school resource officers (22), school-based security personnel (31), and county-based security personnel (11) toward youth gang activity in the Broward County, Florida, high schools. A 44-item survey was developed, focusing on five gang-related subscales and six overview questions. Using the.01 level of significance, a one-way analysis of variance was used to determine the strength of the association between the independent position variable and the dependent opinion variables. Chi-square was applied to the six overview questions. The findings indicated that 81% of the respondents did not agree that their school has gang problems; however, 67% did agree that the Broward County, Florida, school system has gang problems, and 80% agreed that Broward County, Florida, has gang problems. The findings revealed that there were no significant differences in perception among the groups tested toward the gang-related subscales and in the overview questions that focused on gang presence in the neighborhood surrounding the school, in their school, problems within the school system, and problems in Broward County. There were significant differences in perception among the respondents on the overview questions that focused on gang problems in the neighborhood surrounding the school and on gang problems within the school. When grouped by specialization, i.e., education or law enforcement, there were no significant differences in perception between the groups toward the gang-related subscales of communication and turf and in the overview questions that focused on gangs in the neighborhood surrounding the school, gang problems within the school, gang problems within the school system, and gang problems within Broward County. There were significantly differences in perception between the groups when grouped by specialization in the gang-related subscales of graffiti, attire, and campus disruptions and in the overview questions that focused on gangs in the school and gang problems in the neighborhood surrounding the school.
Extent
166 p.
Recommended Citation
Melita, Joseph A., "Perceptions of selected school personnel toward youth gangs in high schools, Broward County, Florida" (1990). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999. 89.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_4/89
Identifier
FADT12248
Comments
Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1990.|College of Education|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1990.