The Youth Diversity Acceptance Scale: Development and Validity

To facilitate rigorous research on community programs to promote positive intergroup relations among youth, 2 studies were conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the Youth Diversity Acceptance Scale (YoDA). In Study 1, a unifactorial structure was identified for the YoDA using data provided by 126 high school youth involved in a community program to improve intergroup relations. Moreover, hypothesized correlations between YoDA scores and intergroup closeness, awareness of discrimination, distress over discrimination, and knowledge of bias were also found. In Study 2, a single-factor confirmatory factor analysis was run on data provided by 112 high school youth who participated in the same program. Although the analysis provided limited support for the single-factor solution, a subsequent exploratory factor analysis indicated that the single-factor solution was appropriate for the data. Overall, these studies provide initial evidence for the internal structure and convergent validity of the YoDA, supporting its use in research to examine the effects of community programs on the promotion of intergroup acceptance.