This free survey is powered by QUESTIONPRO.COM
  1. Surveys
  2. 2014
  3. June
  4. A
  5. ACE! Org Survey
Exit Survey »
 
 
Please read this brief informed consent statement:

RESEARCH PROCEDURES
This research is being conducted to gather information which will help in further implementation of SOARING 2 in your community corrections setting. Participation in the research procedures will include a short survey (30-45 minutes) and a pretest (20-30 minutes) at the start of the study period, a series of training modules and quizzes (10-15 hours), and a second short survey (30-45 minutes) at the end of the study period. Administrative data will also be collected to gather information regarding the offenders under your supervision. Additionally, staff may be observed by study coaches throughout the study period.

RISKS
The foreseeable risks of participating in this survey research are limited. In answering the questions, you may provide information or opinions that are critical of your agency or may be viewed unfavorably by administrators, supervisors, or fellow employees, with the small risk that this information or opinions may be seen by others. Research staff will implement procedures to reduce these risks, as described below.

BENEFITS
Benefits to individuals within participating offices include valuable training on skills associated with using evidence-based practices for the effective management of offenders. Participating agencies will also be introduced to e-learning as a cost-efficient method of providing knowledge and skills to staff members. Finally, the agency will also benefit from the introduction of internal coaching networks in their organization that can continue to be utilized after the conclusion of this study. From a larger perspective, this study will benefit the field of criminal justice by providing proven, cost-effective methods of providing probation officers and other justice staff with evidence-based skills and knowledge. It will illustrate the impact of these new skills on offender outcomes.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The data in this study will be kept confidential. To help protect your confidentiality your name will not be included on the survey instruments and other collected data. Instead, we will replace your name with a unique numerical code. Your responses will only be able to be linked to your identity through the use of an identification key. Only researchers from GMU will have access to the identification key. No administrators in your agency, including your supervisor, will be told about your participation in the survey. They will also not be told if you choose to not answer some survey questions or terminate your participation in the survey.

PARTICIPATION
Your participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason. If you decide not to participate or if you withdraw from the study, there is no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. There are no costs to you or any other party.

CONTACT
This research is being conducted by Dr. Faye S. Taxman of the Criminology, Law and Society Department at George Mason University. Dr. Taxman may be reached at 703-993-8555 or [email protected] for questions or to report a research-related problem. You may contact the George Mason University Office of Research Integrity & Assurance at 703-993-4121 or [email protected] if you have questions or comments regarding your rights as a participant in this research. This research has been reviewed according to George Mason University procedures governing your participation in this research.

 
 
 
1. Please indicate the extent to which you feel comfortable doing the following.
Very Uncomfortable Uncomfortable Comfortable Very Comfortable
a. Praising coworkers for successful completion of a task or for achieving a goal.
b. Establishing or reviewing a task list.
c. Letting a coworker know that they have a valid point.
d. Asking questions that allow coworkers to comment on their progress made.
e. Summarizing what a coworker has said to allow him/her to hear his/her own ideas.
f. Repeating the exact words that a coworker said to get feedback from him/her.

g. Telling a coworker that they need to change their behavior or they will not last long here.
h. Reiterating to a coworker an area that they should desire to change.
i. Exploring how a coworker can strengthen their commitment to change.
j. Indicating to a coworker that what they are doing is not right.
k. Helping a coworker see the difference between where their life is and where they want to be in the future.
l. Asking a coworker to identify different ways that they could handle a difficult situation in the future.
m. Telling a coworker to take your advice since you have handled many problems in the past.
n. Asking only specific questions to avoid getting into a lengthy discussion.
o. Reminding a coworker that they are at work and need to be more careful in their decisions.
 
 
2. Please indicate the extent to which you feel comfortable doing the following.
Very Uncomfortable Uncomfortable Comfortable Very Comfortable
a. Collaborating with all of your coworkers.
b. Discussing with coworkers how their thoughts are linked to their core beliefs and values.
c. Helping coworkersidentify the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
d. Talking with coworkers about thoughts that drive their behavior.
e. Talking with coworkers about conflicting thoughts and behaviors.
f. Talking to coworkers about thoughts that lack consideration of others.
g. Helping coworkers identify destructive thoughts and attitudes.
h. Working with coworkers to reduce destructive thoughts.
i. Helping coworkersidentify prosocial attitudes to replace destructive attitudes.
j. Helping coworkers develop voluntary behavior intended to benefit others.
k. Telling coworkers how prosocial attitudes differ from destructive attitudes.
l. Helping coworkers focus on alternative situations/behaviors to lead them to make prosocial choices.
m. Telling coworkers if they don’t change they will end up failing.
n. Discussing new (prosocial) ways to handle situations in which a coworker previously got into arguments with other coworkers.
o. Giving coworkers feedback about the new skill they are using.
 
 
3. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about your organization.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
a. I talk up this organization to my friends as a great place to work.
b. Since joining this organization, my personal values and those of the agency have become more similar.
c. I attend trainings with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
d. The reason I prefer this organization to others is because of what it stands for; that is, its values.
e. My attachment to this organization is primarily based on the similarity of my values and those represented by the office.
f. How hard I work for this organization is directly linked to how much I am rewarded.
g. I enjoy going to trainings to learn new things.
h. In order for me to get rewarded around here, it is necessary to express the right attitude.
i. My private views about this organization are different from those I express publicly.
j. Unless I am rewarded for it in some way, I see no reason to expend extra effort on behalf of this organization.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
I never have time to use new skills learned in training.
What this organization stands for is important to me.
I only go to training because it is required by my agency.
If the values of the organization were different, I would not be as attached to this organization.
I attend trainings to earn credits, not to learn new information or skills.
I am proud to tell others that I am a part of this organization.
I seek out opportunities to use new skills I have learned in various trainings.
I feel a sense of “ownership” for this organization rather than just being an employee.
Training is a great way to learn new skills that I can use on the job.
 
 
4. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about the condition and functioning of your community corrections office.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
a. We have few difficulties in adequately staffing our office.
b. We have funding available to introduce new programs and/or initiatives if they are needed.
c. We have had to cut or significantly reduce programs and/or services due to funding constraints.
d. We have enough staff to meet the needs of this office.
e. We have trouble retaining highly competent staff.
f. Our staff frequently say that they are overworked and/or don’t have enough time to get done what they need to do.
g. Our staff lacks access to the training and development programs they need.
h. Our staff integrates new knowledge and techniques into their work to improve the way in which services are provided.
i. Our staff stays current with new techniques that relate to their jobs.
j. The training and development programs for our staff are of very high quality.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Attending training and development programs is made a priority for our staff.
We would significantly expand/enhance certain programs and/or services if funding were available.
Our offices are designed to meet the specific needs of most of the important services and programs we run.
Our offices are well maintained and are kept fully functional.
We have the necessary physical space for the services and programs we run.
We have computers and information technology tools/resources to efficiently access offender records.
Our staff feels very comfortable using computers and information technology tools to do their jobs.
Our staff lacks the computer skills necessary to proficiently access offender records.
We regularly integrate new services, programs, and/or initiatives into our office operations.
Our programs, services, and/or initiatives are designed to address multiple offender needs.
We have a high level of coordination across units and/or departments when it comes to delivering services and programs to offenders.
We have significant challenges in generating the necessary political support for important priorities, new programs, and/or initiatives for offenders.
We have the support we need from communities for important priorities, new programs, and/or initiatives for offenders.
We have extensive collaborations/partnerships with external groups (e.g. outside service providers) that facilitate important priorities, new programs, and/or initiatives for offenders.
 
 
5. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about the conditions and functioning of your office.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
a. Ideas and suggestions from employees get fair consideration by management.
b. Managers and staff periodically meet and talk about what is working well and what isn’t to improve our performance.
c. Learning new knowledge and skills and using them in your job is highly valued by supervisors and managers.
d. We systematically measure important outcomes for this office that assess our performance.
e. Staff feel comfortable promoting different ideas or suggestions, even if they conflict with established policy or practice.
f. We have well-defined performance outcomes and specific plans in place for how to achieve them.
g. The formal communication channels here work very well.
h. Opportunities are provided for staff to attend training or other developmental opportunities.
i. Innovative actions and initiatives undertaken by staff are highly valued.

j. The informal communication channels here work very well.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Employees are always kept well informed.
Information on new or best practices is made available to staff to use in their work.
Managers are open and willing to try new ideas or ways of doing things.
Employees always feel free to ask questions and express concerns in this facility.
There is a shared understanding of the changes needed to help our agency to achieve its long-term objectives.
There are discussions involving all of the staff about the vision of the office and ways to achieve it.
Staff generally feel comfortable discussing mistakes, errors, or problems with supervisors and managers.
Most staff here believe that they can have open discussions with supervisors and managers about work-related difficulties or problems.
Most staff are aware of and agree about where we should be in the future.
When mistakes or errors are made, managers tend to treat them as opportunities to learn rather than respond by using punishment.
 
 
6. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about efforts to make changes in your office.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
a. I’ve pretty much given up trying to make suggestions for improvements around here.
b. Changes to the usual way of doing things at this office are more trouble than they are worth.
c. When we try to change things here they just seem to go from bad to worse.
d. Efforts to make improvements in this office usually fail.
e. It’s hard to be hopeful about the future because people have such bad attitudes.
 
 
 
7. What other trainings or new practices is your agency currently implementing or participating in?
   
 
 
 
8. What do you hope to learn from this (the Question Pro) training?
   
 
 
 
9. How would you describe yourself (select all that apply)?
 
White/Caucasian
 
Hispanic/Latino
 
American Indian/Alaska Native
 
Black/African-American
 
Asian/Pacific Islander
 
Other
 

 
 
 
10. What is your age?
   
 
 
 
11. What is your gender?
 
Male
 
Female
 
 
 
12. How long have you worked for ACE!?
   
 
 
 
13. How many hours do you typically work in a week?
   
 
 
 
14. What is the highest academic degree you hold?
HS Diploma Associates Bachelors Masters GED Other  
 
 
 
15. Do you hold any professional credentials, certifications, or licenses?
 
Yes
 
No
 
 
If yes, please specify:
   
 
Survey Software Powered by QuestionPro Survey Software