Student Interests and Attitude Change toward Drug Educators as a Function of Sex and Role Interaction

Abstract

The current study focused on recorded tapes and sex-role interaction of twelve sessions on drug abuse. Subjects were 247 seventh-grade males (117) and females (130). Communicators (six, including three males and three females) made two presentations each in two classes (twelve) with roles rotated according to ex-addict/learned specialist. Attitudes toward drug educators were related before and after exposure.

Results are categorized according to: 1) number of content of questions asked by students according to the role of the communicator and 2) positive attitude change toward drug educators according to role and sex of communicator and sex of student. Results are discussed in terms of 1) student interests and question count relative to the role and sex of the communicator and 2) communicator effectiveness for attitude change as a function of sex and role on evaluative and potency dimensions of the semantic differential scale.

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