Ethnocentrism, Education, and Anthropology: A Preliminary Report. Working Paper No. 127-72.

A large-scale study of the relationship between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism was made to evaluate the effects of an anthropology curriculum on students' levels of ethnocentrism. Its hypothesis is that ethnocentrism is modified by studying anthropology and, to a lesser extent, other social sciences. The design, execution, and analysis of the study of ethnocentrism in high school students from a Chicago suburb are described as modified by the school's environment. Pre- and posttests were administered to 352 male and female subjects in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades during the 1969-70 school year. The study has both theoretical and applied characteristics, which are derived from its goals--course evaluation, measurement scale methodological innovation, measurement instrument development, and substantive clarification--and it has both virtues and faults from using naturally occurring groups to obtain a "normal" sample. Two new measures of ethnocentrism were developed; therefore, an investigation of the intercorrelation of these measures, three accepted measures, and related concepts is proposed. Questionnaires used in this study are included in appendixes. (Author/ND)