Measured environmental sexism in 334 college freshmen who completed the Situational Attitude Scale-Women (SASW). Reactions to situations were significantly different when a woman was identified as the principal actor. There were also significant differences between the reactions of male and female students. (JAC)

The authors explore the nature of racism and sexism and discuss their similarities and differences. Some definitions of racism and sexism are proposed. (Author)

Two samples of entering college freshmen (at the University of Maryland, College Park) comprising two different generational cohorts (1976 cohort, n=1491; 1994 cohort, n=2516) were compared to determine the similarities and differences to attitudinal and behavioral items on a survey administered at a summer orientation program. The data were…

This study dealt with the perceptions of eight University of Maryland counselors of the sex-related problems of female Maryland students. Five of the eight counselors felt that some students have not had an adequate sex education or adequate information about contraception. The counselors rated decisions involving whether to engage in premarital…

The same Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) social and personal situations and items used in Sedlacek and Brooks' (1970a,b) study were used in the current study. Four forms, neutral (A1), black (B1), white (A2) and Negro (B2) were administered to a sample (N=653) of prospective University of Maryland students attending a summer orientation program…

Freshmen (n=206) at a public university took the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Orientation Scale, a measure of openness to and appreciation of similarities and differences in others. Correlation with results of other instruments found universal-diverse orientation was a predictor of students' attitudes toward help-seeking, their academic…

A scale to measure fear of women's success (SASWS) modeled after the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) was administered to 59 upperclass students (33 females, 26 males). Results indicate that both men and women feel that male success is more expected and believable in our society. However, the hypothesis that women show a greater tendency to avoid…

A racial attitude scale was administered to incoming white freshmen and their parents. Results indicated that both students and parents had generally negative attitudes toward blacks, but parents were more negative than students to some situations. Implications for race relations training programs are discussed. (Author)

Environmental assessment, which involves examining the perceptions of people in a given environment or social climate (socially agreed upon norms for acceptable behaviors) is one method of placing behavior in context. The University of Maryland, College Park, conducted a student survey in order to examine the social climate through a study of…

The study examines results of an anonymous poll of student attitudes and participation in demonstrations and riots at the University of Maryland. The poll was administered to 1407 university students and data are presented by means, standard deviations, and factor analysis. Results indicate that students generally feel that demonstrations are…

If universities and colleges are to provide an optimal education for students from all cultures and backgrounds they should examine the relationships among their students. Since there has been an increase in black freshman enrollment at large universities from three percent in 1969 to four percent in 1970 and institutions are preparing students…

In earlier research, Sedlacek and Brooks provided evidence for the validity of a measure of attitudes of whites towards blacks. In developing the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) one of their major methodological points was that an appropriate measure of racial attitudes would provide a racial context to make difficult the psychological withdrawal…

The attitudes of 1114 white university students toward blacks were compared by sex, using the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS). The SAS contains 10 personal or social situations where race might be a variable in reacting to the situations. For each situation, ten bipolar Semantic Differential scales were written. The SAS was administered…

In 1970, a randomly selected sample of 101 residents of the community surrounding the University of Maryland, College Park, were surveyed to determine their perceptions of campus unrest, and their responses were compared to student perceptions of the same events. Study variables were liberal-conservative self-ratings of the residents, political…

Responses of 22,550 University of Maryland undergraduates to the University Student Census (USC) for the 1969-70 school year are summarized. Results indicated that 34 percent live in residence halls, 29 percent live at home, and 18 percent live in apartments. Students more often chose to attend the University because of its geographic location and…