Graduation Year

2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Social Work

Major Professor

David Kondrat, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Mario Hernandez, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Lisa Rapp McCall, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Anne Strozier, Ph.D.

Keywords

Attitudes, Barriers, Based, Evidence, Knowledge, Practice

Abstract

This mixed methods study examined the attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of barriers toward Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) among Florida Juvenile Justice Service Professionals (JJSP). Previous research established individual factors such as age, gender, years of professional experience and educational attainment are related to attitudes and perceptions of barriers among social service and mental health professionals, but scant research has been conducted among juvenile justice providers (Aarons 2004, 2010; Rubin & Parrish, 2007, 2012; Jette et al., 2003). Most individual factors were found to have no significant effect on attitude and knowledge scores within this population with exception of gender and major of study as predictors to barrier scores. Qualitative analysis to a question asking JJSPs to list their top three perceived barriers confirmed quantitative results and revealed Lack of Time to be the most frequently endorsed barrier among JJSPs. By adapting existing instruments to measure primary research variables with a new population, this study advances knowledge in both social work and criminal justice fields. The study's results also support the use of Rogers's Theory of Innovation Diffusion and Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior

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