📄 Abstract
This study evaluated the responsiveness and effectiveness of the Public Safety Basic Recruit Course curriculum administered by the Philippine National Police Training Institute, the mandatory training required before recruits assume police duties. It was undertaken amid concerns that the curriculum had not kept pace with cybercrime, transnational crime, and growing expectations for rights-based policing. The study examined curriculum responsiveness and effectiveness across six dimensions: problem-solving and decision-making, relevance to contemporary policing, instructional effectiveness, inclusivity and human rights, preparedness for modern and emerging crimes, and operational readiness. It also tested differences among graduates, training cadre, and field supervisors; examined the relationship between responsiveness and effectiveness; and explored lived experiences, barriers, and proposed reforms. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, involving a survey of 233 respondents selected through stratified random sampling, followed by 23 key informant interviews and a triangulating focus group discussion. Results showed an overall responsive curriculum, strongest in operational readiness and weakest in preparedness for modern and emerging crimes. Training cadre consistently rated the curriculum more favorably than graduates and supervisors. A strong, statistically significant positive relationship was found between responsiveness and effectiveness across all dimensions. Qualitative findings indicated that identity formation, instructor field experience, and institutional feedback mechanisms influenced how curriculum design translated into field competence. The study concludes that curriculum reform should be targeted and presents an evidence-based Curriculum Reform Framework to support continuous, stakeholder-driven improvement.
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📚 How to Cite:
Orencia, Agnes D , FROM TRAINING TO TRANSFORMATION: EVALUATING THE RESPONSIVENESS OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY BASIC RECRUIT COURSE (PSBRC) CURRICULUM FOR MODERN POLICING , Volume 12 , Issue 9, September 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 106 - 125 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra31440