NCJ Number
82491
Date Published
1981
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report describes the development and uses of a questionnaire designed by the California Youth Authority (CYA) for its institutional educational program which provides data on prejudice related to ethnicity and women.
Abstract
The CYA began to deliver multicultural instruction to students in various institutions in 1970 and initially used the Semantic Differential technique to evaluate the program. To redress certain problems, this instrument was modified into the Multi-Ethnic Intergroup Awareness Questionnaire (MEIAQ) which has been employed for needs assessment and evaluation since 1976. An analysis of the pretest and posttest data from 1976 through 1979 demonstrates the MEIAQ's ability to characterize prejudice among the CYA ward population and to assess the multicultural education program. All ethnic groups -- black, white, and Chicano -- had far fewer students prejudiced against women compared to those who were ethnically prejudiced. Most students tended to have a balanced, mature perception of their own ethnicity. During the 4-year period, white students exhibited an increasing trend in prejudice toward blacks, although the latter showed decreasing prejudice against whites. Both Chicanos and blacks became increasingly prejudiced toward each other during this period. MEIAQ data and teacher reports indicated that the multicultural education program did help students to achieve a more balanced view of their own ethnicity and reduced some negative perceptions of other ethnic groups. Applications of the MEIAQ are reviewed, such as providing information for curriculum development and assisting in classroom management. Tables and references are included. The appendixes contain a manual for administering and scoring the MEIAQ, a Semantic Differential instrument, the MEIAQ answer sheet, and score conversion tables.