Title page for ETD etd-05242007-174924

Type of Document

Dissertation

Author

Smith, Kenneth Scott

Author's Email Address

kssmith76@msn.com

URN

etd-05242007-174924

Title

Peer- Driven Justice: Development and Validation of the Teen Court Peer Influence Scale (TCPIS)

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Social Work, College of

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
Dr. Darcy Siebert	Committee Chair
Dean Aaron McNeece	Committee Member
Dr. Daniel Mears	Committee Member

Keywords

exploratory factor analysis
teen courts
positive peer influence
measurement development
psychometrics
confirmatory factor analysis

Date of Defense

2007-05-23

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Criminological and sociological theories suggest that peers play a significant role in reinforcing delinquent behavior. Numerous studies discuss the negative impact of peer influence variables. Unfortunately, little attention is provided to the protective factors of positive peers. One program that utilizes positive peer influence to redirect delinquent behavior so that participants will not reenter the juvenile justice system is the teen court model. To date, teen court research has not evaluated the impact of positive peer influence or determined whether positive peer influence even exists within these courts. This research not only addresses gaps in criminological, sociological, and teen court theory, it fills a research void concerning the operations of teen courts and their potential impacts. The results of this study also establish a foundation for examining how a neglected but potentially critical dimension of youth’s relationships, positive peers, may both reduce and deter delinquency.
This research reports the development and validation of the Teen Court Peer Influence Scale (TCPIS). The TCPIS was disseminated to 404 participants in six teen courts in the state of Florida. The sample was systematically split to form two groups. The first group was used for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the second for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results from these analyses support that positive peer influence is operationalized by three latent constructs, three correlations between factors, and fourteen observed variables. The domains focus on developing positive cognitions, positive identity development, and modeling. The theoretical model derived by the EFA and CFA was a good fit to the data with all fit indices meeting appropriate standards. The reliability for the TCPIS was .88 and the scale showed promising construct, concurrent, and predictive validity using delinquency measures. The results from this study fill conceptual and empirical gaps in teen court research by identifying theoretical mechanisms of positive peer influence. The TCPIS can now be utilized in future teen court research to determine whether specific strategies used by these courts are effective.

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