Procedural Justice and Self-Legitimacy Among Police Cadets: Job Motivation and School Learning as Mediating Factors

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

Procedural justice and legitimacy play crucial roles in democratic policing and influence public trust and police-citizen interactions. Despite extensive research, the impact of police cadet training on these perceptions is underexplored. Drawing from Bandura's social learning theory, this study examines how job motivation and school learning mediate the relationship between internal procedural justice and self-defined legitimacy during cadet training. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze survey data collected from Taiwan Police College cadets and revealed that significant indirect effects through job motivation and school learning. The findings confirmed prior police research results regarding the relationship between procedural justice and legitimacy. This study deepens our understanding of how procedural justice and legitimacy develop during police training, extends the literature with additional factors, and provides relevant information on the design of training programs to promote fairness and authenticity in law enforcement.

Authors

• Kevin Buchanan, Tarleton State University

• Krystal Kaether, Tarleton State University

• Shun-Yung Kevin Wang, Texas A&M University / Tarleton State University