Antibias and Multicultural Curriculum Assessment Profile (AMCAP)

Abstract

The Antibias and Multicultural Curriculum Assessment Profile (AMCAP) is a specialized observational instrument developed by Valerie Jarvis Samuels (1993, 1994) designed to evaluate the extent to which a classroom environment and curriculum align with principles of anti-bias education and multicultural education. The profile assists educators in assessing specific teacher behaviors, interactions, materials, and pedagogical strategies aimed at fostering children’s understanding of diversity, promoting self-pride, addressing prejudice, and encouraging critical thinking about social inequalities. AMCAP is primarily used as a diagnostic tool for curriculum improvement and professional development in early childhood and elementary settings.

Keywords

Anti-bias education, multicultural curriculum, classroom assessment, early childhood development, prejudice reduction, cultural competence, teacher evaluation, diversity.

Authors

Valerie Jarvis Samuels

Purpose

The primary purpose of the AMCAP is to provide a systematic framework for observing and documenting the implementation of anti-bias and multicultural practices within an educational setting. It moves beyond simple curriculum checklists to assess the dynamic interactions and underlying pedagogical philosophy employed by educators. By using the AMCAP, practitioners can identify areas where the curriculum successfully supports diverse children and families, as well as pinpoint specific instances of biased materials or behaviors that require correction or intervention. The scale serves as a guide for ensuring that all children are affirmed regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or ability.

The instrument is intended to be used by researchers, administrators, or teachers themselves to gather objective data on classroom practices. This rigorous evaluation helps ensure that the educational environment actively promotes inclusion and equity, rather than passively reflecting cultural diversity.

Construct

The AMCAP measures the implementation of several interconnected constructs central to anti-bias and multicultural pedagogy. These constructs align with the four core goals of anti-bias education:

• Identity and Pride: Assessing practices that help children build a strong, positive self-identity and pride in their family and cultural group.
• Diversity and Empathy: Evaluating the environment’s success in promoting comfortable, empathetic, and respectful interactions among children from varied backgrounds, including those with different physical abilities or family structures. The scale assesses the development and expression of empathy and altruism.
• Critical Thinking: Measuring the teacher’s ability to engage children in critical thinking about bias, unfairness, and stereotypes, and to clarify misconceptions about differences.
• Action Against Bias: Assessing the degree to which teachers model non-biased behavior and language, and explicitly teach children how to speak out against prejudice and discrimination directed toward themselves or others.

Validity

Specific details regarding the psychometric validation of the AMCAP are housed within the original doctoral dissertation by Samuels (1994). The content validity of the instrument is established through its comprehensive coverage of established best practices in multicultural education and anti-bias principles, often derived from expert consultation and established literature in early childhood diversity training. Users seeking detailed information on the construct or content validation processes should refer directly to the full thesis document.

Reliability

Information pertaining to the statistical reliability of the AMCAP, such as inter-rater reliability for observation scores or internal consistency measures (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) for potential subscales, is documented in Valerie Jarvis Samuels’s original research. Since the instrument is an observational profile intended for use by trained observers, establishing high inter-rater reliability is crucial to ensure consistent application across different educational settings and assessors.

Factor Analysis

The AMCAP was initially developed with 46 items and later revised to a 27-item profile, suggesting an underlying structure or factor model guiding its operational use. While the items naturally cluster around themes such as Cultural Integration, Bias Intervention, and Promoting Positive Relationships, detailed results of any factor analysis (exploratory or confirmatory) used to derive or confirm these structural dimensions are found in the primary academic source material (Samuels, 1994). These analyses would determine whether the scale items load cleanly onto distinct, measurable components of anti-bias practice.

Instrument

Test Type: Observational Rating Scale / Curriculum Profile Assessment

Format: The instrument uses a checklist and rating scale format, requiring observers (e.g., teachers or researchers) to rate the presence of specific behaviors and practices. The scoring utilizes three distinct dimensions:

• Observation: 1 = PRESENT, 0 = ABSENT
• Importance: 1 = Low, 2 = Some, 3 = Moderate, 4 = High
• Skill Level (of the educator/program): 1 = Low, 2 = Some, 3 = Moderate, 4 = High

Language Available: English

Population Group: Educators and Curriculum Planners (as raters); Children (as subjects of the curriculum)

Age Group: Early Childhood and Elementary Education (implied by the nature of the curriculum and interactions described)

Population Details: Applicable in diverse educational environments seeking to systematically evaluate and enhance their approach to inclusion, equity, and multiculturalism for young children.

Test Methodology: The methodology relies on direct, sustained observation of the classroom environment, review of curriculum materials, and assessment of teacher-child and child-child interactions over a period of time.

Keywords

Valerie Jarvis Samuels, anti-bias curriculum, diversity assessment, teacher practice, cultural responsiveness, inclusion, equity, stereotype reduction.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Antibias and Multicultural Curriculum Assessment Profile (AMCAP) was developed in 1993 and formally presented in 1994 as part of the doctoral dissertation by Valerie Jarvis Samuels. The instrument is publicly accessible through the Iowa State University digital repository, indicating its availability for academic or non-commercial research and educational use. Specific commercial licensing fees or official permissions for widespread use should be directed to the author or the university repository, though the primary source is available online.

The original PDF of the thesis documenting the instrument can be accessed via the following link: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=12316&context=rtd

Reference’s

Samuels, Valerie Jarvis. (1994). “Teacher beliefs and classroom practices regarding a curriculum that is multicultural and antibias”. Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 11317.

The primary source document (thesis) is available at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/11317

Items of the Antibias and Multicultural Curriculum Assessment Profile (AMCAP)

Original 46 Items (Samuels, 1993)

1. Helps each child build pride in his/her self, family and culture.
2. Encourages each child’s understanding of themself as an individual and in relation to others.
3. Provides a physical environment that authentically reflects and supports each child’s cultural, racial and/or ethnic identity, physical ableness, and family lifestyle (e.g., materials such as puzzles, paintings, music, pictures, books, dolls, etc.).
4. Recognizes each child’s individual strengths and unique characteristics regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, sex, mental or physical ableness.
5. Avoids making comparisons among and between children.
6. Helps each child to accept, respect, and appreciate his/her own and others’ unique strengths.
7. Helps each child understand, accept, appreciate, and respect individual and others’ similarities and differences (e.g., physical characteristics, including skin, eye, and hair color, physical ability, gender, culture, ethnicity, family lifestyles, etc.).
8. Accepts and respects each child as an individual; that is, recognizing what each child values and holds dear.
9. Incorporates each child’s cultural and/or ethnic background into curriculum planning (e.g., uses songs and games from various cultures, dramatizes stories from various cultural origins represented in the classroom, etc.).
10. Gathers and appropriately incorporates information from families into the curriculum about what they want their children to know about the various aspects of their cultural and/or ethnic individual and group identity.
11. Encourages free discussion and communication among and between children and adults about diversity (e.g., uses open-ended questions such as “What do you think …?, etc.).
12. Encourages children to respect others’ rights (e.g., uses words such as “Anyone can play in the block center”, etc.).
13. Provides experiences that encourage positive cooperative interactions among racial/ethnic, gender, and ability groups, including special needs children.
14. Provides activities and materials that encourage appropriate and positive interaction between gender groups
15. Provides experiences that encourages the development of positive and supportive relationships among racial, ethnic, gender, and ability groups, including special needs children.
16. Utilizes a variety (at least 3 different types each) of diverse and bias-free activities and materials (e.g., varied ethnic, racial, gender, and special needs representation in pictures, books, toys such as dolls, puzzles, games, etc.).Models and encourages nondiscriminatory behavior.
17. Encourages development and expression of empathy (understanding others’ feelings) among and between children and adults (e.g., uses words such as “John, you hurt Emilo feelings when you said he has an ugly name”, etc.).
18. Encourages development and expression of altruism (helping others) among and between children and adults.
19. Helps children feel accepted in the classroom culture (e.g., serves meals that reflect foods acceptable in represented cultures, etc.).
20. Helps children to express themselves in a manner socially acceptable within the classroom culture. (Please note: social expression is culturally determined.)
21. Gathers and appropriately uses information from families about their cultural and/or ethnic socialization values and methods.
22. Discusses and explores various languages people use to communicate (e.g., English, Spanish, American Sign Language, etc.).
23. Engages children in critical thinking and questioning about stereotypes (unfair and untrue images).
24. Engages children in critical thinking about unfair or hurtful behaviors (e.g., teasing, name calling, discrimination, bias, etc.).
25. Provides age-appropriate activities and experiences that encourage children’s exploration and curiosity of their own direct experiences of Inviting community members to share aspects of their culture, etc.
26. Builds upon what children already know about human similarities and differences (e.g., sex, hair, eye, and skin color, etc.) and preferences (likes and dislikes).
27. Introduces developmentally appropriate multicultural and antibias concepts children can understand (e.g., everyone is capable, everyone deserves respect, people are similar and different, culture comes from parents and families, etc.).
28. Responds appropriately and immediately (that is, answers or explores) to children’s curiosity and/or questioning about cultural, ethnic, sex, and/or ability similarities and differences, bias, discrimination, etc.
29. Responds to children In ways that extend their thinking about multicultural and antibias concepts.
30. Implements activities and techniques to help each child form an awareness and understanding of bias.
31. Engages children in developmentally appropriate discussions about topics relative to bias, prejudice, culture, ethnicity, gender, and ability similarities and differences.
32. Communicates in a clear, direct, and understandable way with children about bias relative to cultural and/or ethnic similarities and differences.
33. Clarifies children’s misconceptions about bias (e.g., misconceptions such as believing if one sits in a wheelchair they will never walk again, being afraid of African Americans because they have funny hair, or distrusting Asians because they have different names, etc.).
34. Encourages children’s curiosity and enthusiasm to learn about different cultural, ethnic, ability, gender, and special needs groups.
35. Capitalizes on opportunities to counteract biased thinking (e.g., using words such as “some Indians use to live in teepees, but now Indians live in homes like you and I.”, etc.).
36. Helps children develop ways to speak out against biased behavior toward self and others.
37. Seeks information from families about how they want their children to handle bias directed against them or others.
38. Facilitates children’s verbal expression through reflections of their thoughts (e.g., “It sounds like you …”, etc.).
39. Facilitates children’s understanding through reflections of their and others’ feelings (e.g.,” You’re feeling really sad because Jamie called you ‘brown skin’…”, etc.).
40. Models verbal language that helps children identify and describe their feelings (e.g., “You’re mad because …,” etc.).
41. Encourages problem-solving techniques in incidents such as teasing or being rejected from a group (e.g., “Jose wants to play with you In the block center. If you two play together, what can you build?, etc.).
42. Models and encourages nonbiased behaviors (e.g., suggests both sexes try cooking or a woodworking project, etc.).
43. Models and encourages nonbiased language (e.g., police officer, firefighter, as well as ethnic or cultural terms such as Native American, etc.).
44. Models and encourages nondiscriminatory behavior (e.g., interacts with all children, etc.).
45. Models and encourages nondiscriminatory language (e.g., refrains from referring to cultural or ethnic groups as “those people”, etc.).
46. Redirects children’s inappropriate and/or unacceptable biased behavior toward themselves and others.

Revised 27 Items

1. Helps each child build pride in his/her self, family and culture.
2. Models and encourages nondiscriminatory behavior.
3. Incorporates each child’s cultural and/or ethnic background into curriculum planning (e.g., uses songs and games from various cultures, dramatizes stories from various cultural origins, etc.).
4. Models and encourages nondiscriminatory behavior.
5. Clarifies children’s misconceptions about bias (e.g., misconceptions such as believing If one sits in a wheelchair they will never walk again, being afraid of African Americans because they have funny hair, or distrusting Asians because they have different names, etc.).
6. Recognizes, respects, and accepts each child’s individual strengths and unique characteristics regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, cognitive or physical ability.
7. Gathers and appropriately uses information from families about their cultural and/or ethnic background.
8. Redirects children’s inappropriate and/or unacceptable biased behavior toward themselves and others.
9. Models verbal language that helps children identify and describe their feelings (e.g., ‘You’re mad because etc.).
10. Avoids making comparisons among and between children.
11. Encourages development and expression of empathy among and between children and adults.
12. Provides experiences that encourage positive cooperative interactions among racial/ethnic, gender, and ability groups.
13. Engages children in critical thinking and questioning about stereotypes (unfair and untrue images).
14. Provides age-appropriate activities and experiences that encourage children’s exploration and curiosity of their own direct experiences of bias based on cultural/ethnic, gender, ability, similarities and differences, etc.
15. Builds upon what children already know about human similarities and differences (e.g., sex, hair, eye, and skin color, etc.) and preferences (likes and dislikes).
16. Provides experiences that encourages the development of positive and supportive relationships among racial, ethnic, gender, and ability groups.
17. Engages children in developmentally appropriate discussions about topics relative to bias, prejudice, culture, ethnicity, gender, and ability similarities and differences.
18. Facilitates children’s verbal expression through reflections of their thoughts (e.g., “It sounds like you think…”, “Do you think that …” etc.).
19. implements activities and techniques to help each child form an awareness and understanding of bias.
20. Responds appropriately and immediately (that is, answers or explores) to children’s curiosity and/or questioning about cultural, ethnic, gender and/or ability similarities and differences, bias, discrimination, etc.
21. Facilitates children’s understanding through reflections of their and others’ feelings (e.g., Liz, Jamie is feeling really sad because you called him ‘brown skin’…”, “John is angry because Mary and Nia will not let him play with the dolls.”, etc.).
22. Helps each child to accept, respect, understand, and appreciate his/her own and others’ unique strengths.
23. Encourages development and expression of altruism among and between children and adults.
24. Utilizes at least 3 different types of diverse and bias-free activities and materials (e.g., varied ethnic/racial, gender, and special needs reflected in pictures, books, toys such as dolls, puzzles, games, etc.) that represents at least 3 different types of cultural and/or ethnic groups.
25. Seeks information from families about how they want their children to handle bias directed against them or others.
26. Encourages each child’s understanding of themself as an individual and in relation to others.
27. Helps each child understand, accept, appreciate, and respect individual and others’ similarities and differences (e.g., physical characteristics, including skin, eye, and hair color, physical ability, gender, culture, ethnicity, family lifestyles, etc.).