High School Staff and Students’ Perceptions of Essential Attributes, Skills, and Job Tasks for an Effective School Resource Officer

Abstract

Due to the continuing incidents of school violence, school districts cannot solelyfocus on educating students, but districts must also create and maintain a safe learningenvironment for students and staff. One approach to assist in establishing a safe learningenvironment has been to place school resource officers (SROs) in the schools. A surveywas conducted to evaluate high school students’ and staff members’ perceptions ofimportant attributes, skills, and job tasks that are demonstrated by an effective SRO. Theresults from this study could assist school districts and police departments to properlyscreen and appropriately develop the skills of SROs.Thirteen research questions were used to guide the study and 21 hypotheses weredesigned for statistical testing. One-sample t tests were conducted to determine factorsthat students and staff members considered important for an effective SRO, as well asstudent and staff perceptions of the overall importance of having a SRO in the building.Two-sample t tests were conducted to determine if gender influenced student and staffperceptions of important factors for a SRO. One-factor analyses of variance (ANOVAs)were conducted to determine if students’ grade level, staff members’ years of experience,and staff members’ age influenced factors they perceived to be important for a SRO.Test averages indicated that students and staff perceived all factors, identified inthis study, as moderately to extremely important, however, results varied betweensubgroups. Students perceived the overall importance of having a SRO in the building tobe very important. Staff members perceived the overall importance of having a SRO inthe building to be very to extremely important.