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The Dependent Variable, Perception Of Safety On Campus Essay

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The dependent variable, perception of safety on campus, was measured by an item on the questionnaire asking students to indicate their level of satisfaction on feeling safe on campus. Respondents rated their satisfaction on a scale from 1 (Very satisfied) to 5 (Very dissatisfied). Responses to this item were recoded into three categories. Very satisfied and satisfied were combined and recoded 0 (Satisfied). Undecided was recoded 1 (Undecided). Very dissatisfied and dissatisfied together were recoded 2 (Dissatisfied). Recoding was deemed necessary for easier interpretation of findings (See Table 1). Independent Variables The variables, perception of officers’ fairness and impartiality, fear at night, and violence in residence halls, were operationalized by an item on the questionnaire asking students to indicate their satisfaction or agreement. Responses to this item ranged from 1 (Very satisfied) to 5 (Very dissatisfied). Similarly, responses were recoded into three categories 1 (Satisfied – a combination of both satisfied and very satisfied responses), 2 (Undecided) or 3 (Dissatisfied – a combination of both dissatisfied and very dissatisfied responses). Gender was a dichotomous variable, with male surveyees coded 1 and female surveyees coded 0. Race or ethnicity was indicated by an item on the questionnaire that asked respondents to specify which group they considered themselves a member of Caucasian/White, African American/Black, Hispanic (Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc.),

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