Hawaiian Culture Scale – Adolescent (HCS-A)
Measures adolescent affiliation with and knowledge of Native Hawaiian culture across multiple dimensions including lifestyle, customs, activities, folklore, political causes, and language.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Hawaiian Culture Scale – Adolescent (HCS-A) was developed by Hishinuma, E. S., McArdle, J. J., Miyamoto, R. H., Nahulu, S. B., Makini, Jr., G. K., Yuen, Y. C., Nishimura, S. T., McDermott, Jr., J. F., Waldron, J. A., Luke, K. L., & Yates, A. (2000). It is designed to measure Hawaiian Cultural Affiliation. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 41 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Customs, Lifestyles, Activities, Folklore, Causes-Locations, Causes-Access, Language Proficiency.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Customs | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 | 11 |
| Lifestyles | 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 | 8 |
| Activities | 20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 | 10 |
| Folklore | 30,31,32,33,34 | 5 |
| Causes-Locations | 35,36,37 | 3 |
| Causes-Access | 38,39 | 2 |
| Language Proficiency | 40,41 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Unfamiliar / Don't know / Not at all, 2 = Understand / Know how / Somewhat, 3 = Practice / Do / Believe in / Very much.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 41 to 127. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Hawaiian Cultural Affiliation: 41 – 69
- Moderate Hawaiian Cultural Affiliation: 70 – 99
- High Hawaiian Cultural Affiliation: 100 – 127
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Varies by subscale (typically alpha > 0.70).
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.