The Attitude Toward Violence scale is a self–report measure designed to assess an individual‘s attitude toward violence. It consists of 20 items that measure an individual‘s beliefs and attitudes about the acceptability and justification of violence in different contexts. The items are rated on a five–point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The Attitude Toward Violence scale was developed to measure an individual‘s attitude toward violence in a variety of contexts, such as in self–defense, in relationships, and in the media. It is designed to assess an individual‘s beliefs about the acceptability and justification of violence in different contexts. The scale is intended to provide a measure of an individual‘s attitude toward violence, rather than their actual behavior. The Attitude Toward Violence scale has been used in a variety of research studies, such as those examining the effects of media violence on attitudes toward violence, the relationship between attitudes toward violence and aggression, and the effects of gender and culture on attitudes toward violence. It has also been used to assess the attitudes of individuals who have experienced violence in their lives. The Attitude Toward Violence scale has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of attitudes toward violence. It has been shown to be sensitive to changes in attitudes over time, and to be associated with other measures of attitudes toward violence.
DESCRIPTION
Measures attitudes toward violence and its acceptability‚ particularly in relation to fighting.
KEYWORDS
This tool touches on the following keywords:
WHERE TO FIND OR DOWNLOAD
This instrument can be found on pages 22 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes‚ Behaviors‚ and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools‚ available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf .
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED486261.pdf
http://oregonmentors.org/library/evaluationtools/keyword/15/
FEES AND REQUIREMENTS
None noted.
AGE RANGE
Middle school students‚ grades 6-8.
HOW TO ADMINISTER AND SCORE
Items 2 and 5 are reverse scored. A total score of 30 is possible by summing across all items. Higher scores indicate a positive attitude toward violent strategies and limited use of nonviolent strategies.
Point values are assigned as follows:
Strongly agree = 5
Agree = 4
Neither = 3
Disagree = 2
Strongly disagree = 1
Attitude Toward Violence
- If I walk away from a fight‚ I’d be a coward (“chicken”).
- I don’t need to fight because there are other ways to deal with being mad.
- It’s okay to hit someone who hits you first.
- If a kid teases me‚ I usually cannot get him/her to stop unless I hit him/her.
- If I really want to‚ I can usually talk someone out of trying to fight with me.
- If I refuse to fight‚ my friends will think I’m afraid.
(Item 4 was modified and item 6 added by Bosworth & Espelage‚ 1995.)