The Effect of a Two-Week Women's Study on Student Attitudes Toward Women

Abstract

The study examined whether a short women's study would change attitudes of ninth grade male and female students toward women. Within a quasi-experimental design, both experimental and control groups completed the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, as a covariate measure. The experimental group spent two weeks in four learning centers studying the changing role of the American woman as reflected in art, music, literature, biography, and history. Both groups were given the Attitudes Toward Women Seale as a posttest. A 2 x 2 analysis of covariance showed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups, or between males and females, in their attitudes toward women. Furthermore, no significant interaction between gender and experimental treatment was found. The major conclusion was that a short course of this nature was ineffective in changing attitudes.