| Social Work and Law Enforcement are social science professions often sharing similar roles in situations involving juvenile delinquency and family violence. Yet, differences in individual life experiences, occupational need, and professional orientation may impede interprofessional cooperation.;Hypotheses for study are: (1) There will be a significant difference in family background between social work students and criminal justice students. (2) There will be a significant difference in self-concept between social work students and criminal justice students. (3) There will be a significant difference in occupational needs between social work students and criminal justice students. (4) There will be a significant difference between social work students and criminal justice students in the occupational role expectations of social work. (5) There will be a significant difference between social work students and criminal justice students in the occupational role expectations of law enforcement.;The sample consisted of 54 social work students from the University of Illinois at Chicago and 61 criminal justice students, sworn police officers, from Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois.;The instruments used were: (1) Family Background and Attitudes Questionnaire; (2) The Case of Jane (role expectations); (3) The Adjective Check List (self-concepts).;Data obtained from these instruments were analyzed to identify significant variables, themes, important relationships, and trends. Frequency distributions and percentages, chi-square, T-test, ANOVA 2 x 2 and split design were the statistical procedures used to examine the data collected.;Findings indicate that statistically significant differences exist between student groups in the following areas: religious affiliation, sex, age, when occupation was chosen, parental view of occupational choice, occupational role modeling, role behavior, and students' role expectations. Students' expectations regarding administrative roles in interprofessional cooperation indicate an area of role conflict. Differences in self concept were identified. Social work students perceived themselves as needing to be friendly, sympathetic, cooperative, and supportive, while criminal justice students saw themselves as needing to be less expressive and more conservative.;The findings of this exploratory study provide insights for enhancing the quality of present and future interprofessional cooperation between social workers and police officers. Insights are also provided for social work and criminal justice education, aiding the effective preparation of students for interprofessional cooperation. |
