The effects of public service motivation on criminal justice students’ perceptions of vocational fit

This study investigates the relationships between public service motivation and self-reported perceptions of vocational fit among one cohort of upper-level criminal justice students at a Midwestern university, while controlling for race, gender, age, and political orientation. The data come from a s...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: White, D. R. (Author) ; Schafer, Joseph A. 1973- (Author) ; Hogan, Nancy L. (Author) ; Lambert, Eric (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Criminal justice studies
Year: 2024, Volume: 37, Issue: 2, Pages: 192–208
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:This study investigates the relationships between public service motivation and self-reported perceptions of vocational fit among one cohort of upper-level criminal justice students at a Midwestern university, while controlling for race, gender, age, and political orientation. The data come from a survey administered in the spring of 2021 to criminal justice students in a mandatory class taken between their junior and senior year of their bachelor’s degree program. The findings indicated that increased public service motivations were significantly associated with better perceptions of pre-career vocational fit. Additionally, more conservative political orientations were associated with increased perceptions of fit to criminal justice roles. The study adds to a small but growing body of research applying public service motivation and person-environment fit theory to criminal justice occupations and emphasizes the importance placed on sustaining the value of public service as a possible method of recruiting and maintaining the criminal justice workforce.
ISSN:1478-6028
DOI:10.1080/1478601X.2024.2337440