Multiple case study exploring members' perceptions of threat assessment teams' training and resources at two-year colleges

Abstract

Incorporating a qualitative approach, the purpose of this multiple case study dissertation was: 1) to explore the perceptions of threat assessment teams on campus safety; 2) to study the challenges and barriers two-year colleges experience in relation to the threat assessment team process; and 3) to describe how the teams' perceptions of risk may influence decisions and team process as analyzed by the Group - Grid model of Cultural Theory. The participants of this study included professional staff and administrators from two different two-year colleges who have developed a threat assessment team on campus, referred to in the study as Brownsville State College and Redwood State College. Data collection methods included interviews and document and artifact analysis.

The findings suggest that team members perceive the threat assessment team as not only a safety initiative, but also an opportunity to "help, not hinder" students in need of resources. Additionally, findings imply two-year colleges experience different challenges and barriers than their four-year counterparts because of a lack of resources for manpower, counseling resources, and group training. Through this study, the Cultural Theory's Group-Grid lens was used to analyze the threat assessment teams at both institutions as Egalitarian Cultures (high group, low grid). This culture operates under a shared mission or purpose, self-intrinsic motives, individual job roles and ownership in team decisions. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice of threat assessment teams on two-year campuses are presented.