Acculturation Rating Scale – ARS
Measures acculturation and comfort with acculturation status among individuals of Mexican/Mexican-American descent.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Acculturation Rating Scale – ARS was developed by Montgomery, G. T. (1992). It is designed to measure Acculturation. The scale is intended for use with Individuals of Mexican/Mexican-American descent.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 28 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Comfort with Spanish language and Mexican traditions, Comfort with English language and Anglo-American tradition, Preference for ethnic identity, Self-rated ethnic identity, Comfort with speaking English.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort with Spanish language and Mexican traditions | 5,6,7,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 | 10 |
| Comfort with English language and Anglo-American tradition | 18,19,20,21,22,23,24 | 7 |
| Preference for ethnic identity | 4,25,26,27,28 | 5 |
| Self-rated ethnic identity | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Comfort with speaking English | 8,9,10 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all / Very Uncomfortable / Mexican-oriented, 2 = Very little / A Little Uncomfortable, 3 = A little / Comfortable / Bicultural, 4 = A lot / Mostly Comfortable, 5 = Very much / Very Comfortable / Anglo-oriented.
The scale includes 10 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 28 to 140. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Acculturation (Mexican Oriented): 28 – 56
- Bicultural: 57 – 111
- High Acculturation (Anglo Oriented): 112 – 140
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Total scale alpha: .94; Subscale alphas: .92, .86, .92, .90, .92.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.