Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale

Abstract

The Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale (HBSS; Van de Ven, Bornholt, & Bailey, 1993, 1996) is a 10-item instrument developed to quantify students’ behavioral intentions toward gay males and lesbians. The scale was designed specifically to measure the behavioral dimension of homophobia, complementing existing measures of cognitive and affective responses. The HBSS utilizes a 5-point Likert-type format, ranging from 1 (definitely false) to 5 (definitely true), to rate the strength of intention to act.

The scale items measure two key areas: the extent of willingness to associate with or avoid contact with gay individuals (a measure of social distance), and the willingness to participate in activities supporting gay and lesbian rights. The HBSS is practical for classroom use, can be administered quickly (approximately 3 minutes), and is suitable for both high school and college populations. It can be used both as an individual-differences measure and as a dependent variable for evaluating the effectiveness of homophobia reduction strategies.

Keywords

Homophobia, Behavioral Intentions, Social Distance, Anti-gay Prejudice, Lesbian and Gay Issues, Attitude Measurement, Students, High School, College, Scale, HBSS

Authors

Paul Van de Ven, Laurel Bornholt, Michael Bailey

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale (HBSS) is to provide researchers with an efficient and practical tool for measuring the behavioral dimension of homophobic responses among students. This dimension was historically neglected in favor of cognitive and affective measures of prejudice.

The HBSS overcomes limitations inherent in previous behavioral assessments, which often relied on highly contrived experimental manipulations unsuitable for typical classroom settings or repeated measures designs necessary for behavior change studies. The scale specifically assesses personal commitment to action, making it valuable for evaluating the impact of educational interventions aimed at reducing homophobia.

Construct

The HBSS measures homophobic behavioral intentions. This construct reflects the stated willingness, or lack thereof, of students to engage in specific activities involving LGBT individuals or advocacy for their rights.

The 10 items are structured to capture two related aspects of behavior. The first six items primarily measure social distance, assessing willingness to interact with gay males and lesbians in both classroom and informal social situations. The remaining items measure a willingness to engage in active support, such as signing petitions advocating for equal rights, marriage registration, or adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Validity

The HBSS demonstrated strong evidence of concurrent and predictive validity across the validation studies (Van de Ven et al., 1993, 1996).

• Concurrent Validity: The computed HBSS score showed significant positive correlation with other established measures of anti-homosexual reaction. It correlated strongly with Homophobic Cognition (r = .78, measured by the Modified Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale) and significantly with Homophobic Anger (r = .66) and Homophobic Guilt (r = .38, measured by the Affective Reactions to Homosexuality Scale). Conversely, the HBSS score was significantly negatively correlated with Warmth Toward Homosexuals (r = –.56).
• Predictive Validity: To assess the HBSS’s ability to predict actual behavior, 40 high school students were given the opportunity to participate in the 10 activities listed on the scale. As predicted, groups of students who chose to participate in an activity exhibited a significantly lower (less homophobic) mean HBSS score compared to those who abstained. Group means were significantly different at the .005 alpha level for six of the ten activities, confirming the scale’s predictive power regarding behavioral commitment.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the HBSS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha across two distinct student populations, demonstrating high reliability for both groups.

• For the sample of 97 undergraduate students, Cronbach’s alpha was .81 (M = 37.65; SD = 19.94).
• For the sample of 40 high school students, Cronbach’s alpha was .86 (M = 65.25; SD = 24.29).

Factor Analysis

Separate analyses were conducted on the responses collected from 97 undergraduate students and 40 high school students. These analyses indicated that the 10 items consistently contributed to a single factor structure representing homophobic behavioral intentions. This finding supports the use of the HBSS as a unidimensional measure of students’ readiness to act regarding homosexual issues.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Scale (Self-report of Behavioral Intentions)

Format: 10 items utilizing a 5-point Likert-type format (1 = Definitely false; 5 = Definitely true)

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Students

Age Group: High school and college age (Adolescents and Young Adults)

Population Details: Validated on samples of 97 undergraduate students and 40 high school students in Australia.

Test Methodology: Pencil-and-paper self-report. Students circle the number corresponding to their willingness to participate in each activity. Completion time is approximately 3 minutes. Scoring involves reversing positively phrased items (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, & 10) to ensure higher scores indicate greater homophobia. The computed score ranges from 0 (least homophobic) to 100 (most homophobic), calculated via the equation: HBSS computed score = (HBSS summed raw score – 10) X 2.5.

Keywords

Homophobic Intentions, Prejudice Reduction, Educational Psychology, Social Psychology, Measurement, Cronbach’s Alpha, Sexual Orientation, Attitude-Behavior Consistency

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: p.vandeven@bigpond (Paul Van de Ven)

Correspondence Address: Paul Van de Ven, 11 John St, Ashfield NSW 2131, Australia (Affiliation at time of development: School of Educational Psychology, Measurement and Technology, University of Sydney).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed while the authors were at the University of Sydney. The initial validation work was presented in 1993, with the primary publication following in 1996. Researchers utilizing the HBSS are requested to notify the first author (Paul Van de Ven) of its use and the results obtained. No information regarding explicit fees is provided in the source material.

Reference’s

• Ernulf, K. E., & Innala, S. M. (1987). The relationship between affective and cognition components of homophobic reaction. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 16, 501–509.

• Price, J. H. (1982). High school students’ attitudes toward homosexuality. Journal of School Health, 52, 469–474.

• Van de Ven, P. (1994a). Challenging homophobia in schools. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Sydney.

• Van de Ven, P. (1994b). Comparisons among homophobic reactions of undergraduates, high school students, and young offenders. The Journal of Sex Research, 31, 117–124.

• Van de Ven, P. (1995a). Effects on high school students of a teaching module for reducing homophobia. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 17, 153–172.

• Van de Ven, P. (1995b). Effects on young offenders of two teaching modules for reducing homophobia. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 632–649.

• Van de Ven, P., Bornholt, L., & Bailey, M. (1993, November). Homophobic attitudes and behaviours: Telling which teaching strategies make a difference. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, Freemantle, Western Australia.

• Van de Ven, P., Bornholt, L., & Bailey, M. (1996). Measuring cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of homophobic reaction. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25, 155–179.

Items of the Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale

Instructions: As part of the unit of work (Posttest version: As part of the follow-up to the unit of work) on lesbian and gay issues, it may be possible to organize some additional activities and guest speakers. So that these can be planned, please indicate in which of the following activities, if any, you would participate. Circle the number that comes closest to representing your willingness to participate. Please do not leave any statements unanswered.

1. I would speak in a small class group with a gay person or lesbian about homosexual issues.

   Definitely false 1 2 3 4 5 Definitely true a

2. I would speak individually, in class, with a gay person or lesbian about homosexual issues.

3. I would NOT like to have a gay person or lesbian address the class about homosexual issues.

4. I would take the opportunity to talk in an informal lunch-time meeting with a group of four lesbians or gay males.

5. I would NOT attend a lunch-time barbecue at which four gay males or lesbians were present.

6. I would watch a video in class in which a lesbian or gay person is featured.

7. I would sign my name to a petition asking the government to do more to stop violence against gay men and lesbians.

8. I would NOT sign my name to a petition asking the government to make sure gays and lesbians have equal rights with everybody else.

9. I would sign my name to a petition asking the government to allow lesbian and gay couples to officially register their marriage or partnership.

10. I would sign my name to a petition asking the government to allow lesbian and gay couples to adopt children.