Individual, Organizational, and Training Design Influences on Probation Training Outcomes

Stephanie Maass

Advisor: Faye S. Taxman, PhD, CHSSWeb Design Preview

Committee Members: David Wilson, Devon Johnson, Kimberly Eby

Commerce Building, #3006
April 05, 2017, 08:30 AM to 05:30 AM

Abstract:

Staff training is an important aspect of ensuring that community corrections officers remain up-to-date on the most effective evidence-based practices (EBPs). Officers are required to complete roughly 20-40 hours of training annually. Research has identified a number of factors that influence the effectiveness of such trainings, including organizational factors (e.g., climate, culture), individual factors (e.g. motivation, prior knowledge), and characteristics of the training design (e.g. classroom, online, boosters). While these factors have been studied extensively in other disciplines, and in part within the field of community corrections, they have not been examined together to determine the relative influence of each on training outcomes for community corrections agencies. The current research fills this gap and presents outcomes of the effects of organizational, individual, and training design factors on probation officers’ knowledge and self-reported use of EBPs post-training. Furthermore, it discusses which factors are most influential on training outcomes.