The Limitations and Strengths of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale as a Measure of Correctional Employees’ Attitudes: A Psychometric Evaluation

• Published date: 01 September 2018
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X17749450
• Date: 01 September 2018
• Author: Emily J. Salisbury,Jody Sundt,Breanna Boppre
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X17749450

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2018, Vol. 62(12) 3947 –3964

© The Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X17749450

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Article

The Limitations and Strengths

of the Evidence-Based

Practice Attitude Scale as

a Measure of Correctional

Employees’ Attitudes: A

Psychometric Evaluation

Breanna Boppre1, Jody Sundt2,

and Emily J. Salisbury1

Abstract

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) hold tremendous potential for improving the

outcomes of corrections interventions. The implementation of EBPs requires

support from staff at all levels of an organization; however, the study of correctional

staff attitudes toward organizational change and EBPs is in its infancy. The current

study examines the psychometric properties of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude

Scale (EBPAS), an instrument originally designed for mental health professionals, to

measure correctional employees’ readiness to implement EBPs. The results indicate

mixed conclusions regarding the use of the EBPAS with correctional staff. We found

that the total scale and subscales are reliable and exhibit high internal consistency.

However, the results of an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis failed to

replicate the factor structure from previous research with mental health providers.

The findings indicate potential drawbacks regarding the construct validity of the

EBPAS for use with correctional personnel.

Keywords

evidence-based practices, probation officers, parole officers, program implementation,

corrections, rehabilitation

1University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA

2Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jody Sundt, Associate Professor, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University–Purdue

University Indianapolis, 501 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.

Email: jsundt@iupui.edu

749450IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X17749450International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyBoppre et al.

research-article2017

3948 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 62(12)

For the past 30 years, probation and parole officers functioned primarily as service

brokers and enforced the conditions of supervision. Today, a profound change is

underway in corrections—organizations are returning to a rehabilitative mission and

correctional employees are increasingly expected to act as agents of behavioral change.

Within this context, the acceptance and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) by line

staff have taken on greater importance. Employee attitudes about EBPs can affect a

variety of work-related behaviors, including receptivity to training, resistance to

change, and motivation to use EBPs (Bandura, 2009; Lowenkamp, Holsinger, Flores,

& Koutsenok, 2013). To date, however, there are few tools for measuring correctional

employees’ attitudes about EBPs.

The current study examines whether the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale

(EBPAS; Aarons, 2004) is a valid measure for assessing correctional employees’ read-

iness to implement EBPs. The EBPAS was originally developed for use with mental

health providers and consists of four dimensions of belief: perceived appeal of EBPs,

openness to innovation, organizational requirements to use EBPs, and the extent to

which EBPs diverge from existing practices. Determining whether the EBPAS is a

valid measure of correctional employees’ attitudes is important for two reasons. First,

it will facilitate research on the implementation of evidence-based correctional pro-

grams that reflect rehabilitative aims. Employee attitudes are a well-established cause

of work-related behavior (Ajzen, 1991; Bandura, 2009) and it is important to under-

stand what attitudes support or hinder program success. Second, a valid measure of

support for the use of EBPs in corrections has a number of potential applied uses

including understanding employee training needs and addressing employee resistance

to innovation.

Below, we discuss the rise of EBPs in corrections, paying particular attention to the

role that correctional employees play in offender change. The adoption of EBPs alters

daily routines, policies, and even professional orientations as organizational expecta-

tions change (Bourgon, Gutierrez, & Ashton, 2011; Farabee et al., 1999; Robinson,

Porporino, & Simourd, 1993). Next, we review the theoretical and empirical founda-

tion of the EBPAS and discuss recent uses of the scale in corrections research. The

validity of the EBPAS is then evaluated using a sample of correctional employees

from Oregon.

The Shift to EBPs in Corrections

The past 40 years marked an unprecedented increase in incarcerated persons, largely

due to the punitive focus of the correctional system. Beginning in the 1970s, doubt

arose regarding the effectiveness of the justice system to achieve public safety and

equity in practices (for an overview, please see Cullen & Gendreau, 2001).

Consequently, correctional agencies across the nation adopted a “command and con-

trol” orientation, in which organizational goals reflected order maintenance, security,

and enforcement (i.e., enforcing supervision conditions, sanctions, urinalysis screens,

revocations), rather than rehabilitation (Viglione, Blasko, & Taxman, 2017). The over-

all punitiveness of the correctional system extended to programming and line-staff