As
noted in Measure 1.2.7, several measures in this document require
information to be collected by observers unfamiliar with the court. For this
measure, the observers are given a questionnaire regarding their treatment
by court personnel. The questionnaire is basically the same as that used
with Measure 1.4.1.
Planning/Preparation.
Review Form 1.4.1–1.4.2,
Questionnaire for Courteous and Responsive Treatment. Adapt the survey form,
as necessary, to local conditions and for individuals unfamiliar with the
court. Because the number of observers is small and because they will likely
return the questionnaire, the survey form may include more questions and ask
for more detailed information.
Data
Collection. The
questionnaire is administered following the same procedures described in the
data collection section of Measure 1.2.7. The observers should be reminded
that it is the behavior they encounter or observe during the simulations
that is to be rated, not that of court officials with whom they work during
the evaluation planning or debriefing process.
Data
Analysis and Report Preparation.
The basic analyses are the same as those discussed for Measure 1.4.1. In
addition, the responses of the observers can be compared with those of the
"regular users" surveyed for Measure 1.4.1. How do the percentages
differ? For example, do regular users tend to rate court personnel as more
courteous than do the observers? If so, court officials may want to
interview several of the observers to determine why the observers rated
court personnel negatively. Based on the information from the observers,
court officials may develop training programs for court staff or plan a
series of meetings to discuss general problems when interacting with the
public.
