The Development of an Instrument for Assessing Young Children's Perceptions of Individual Differences.

This paper reports on the development of the Youth Bends Easily Instrument designed to assess children's attitudes toward human differences. The instrument was commissioned by the Madison Public Schools (Wisconsin) to evaluate the Individual Differences program designed to help primary grade children deal with racial, physical, and social differences and their perceptions of them. An instrument was developed that relied on pictures and oral language. Children were presented with pictures of groups of children. Figures were drawn so that six basic dimensions for discrimination resulted: size, dress, sex, physical disability, ethnic grouping, learning ability. Associated with each picture was a stimulus question requiring a response by the children (e.g. Which children are Americans?) Results are tabled and discussed for kindergarten, first, and second grades involved in the program. Checks for reliability and validity are described. Results support the possibility of measuring the effect of a public school program of individual differences using the individual differences instrument. Effectiveness of the program is briefly discussed. (Author/SB)