Master's Theses

Department

Social Work

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the effects of sexual harassment instruction upon high school students. The following independent variables were investigated: gender, Grade classification, grades, athletic participation, family structure, mother's work status, father's education, and mother's education. The dependent variables were scores from the following scales of the Sensitivity to Verbal and Physical Harassing behaviors Questionnaire: verbal harassing behavior and physical harassing behavior. Also, a knowledge score was derived from the Sexual Harassment Training Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 147 high school students: 87 males; 60 females; 40 freshmen; 44 sophomores; 33 juniors; and 30 seniors. Eight composite null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level employing single-factor analysis of covariance. Of the 48 comparisons, 9 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: I. Sexual harassment instruction is more effective for females than males in terms of increasing sensitivity to physical harassment. 2. Sexual harassment instruction is more effective for females than males in terms of acquisition of knowledge, 3. Females retain greater sensitivity to verbal harassment than do males. 4. Females retain greater sensitivity to physical harassment than do males. 5. Seniors and freshmen retain greater sensitivity to physical harassment than do juniors and sophomores. 6. Sexual harassment instruction is more effective for students who report mostly A's than students who report grades of mostly A's and B's and mostly B’s and C's in terms of acquisition of knowledge. 7. Students not involved in sports retain a greater sensitivity to verbal harassment than those involved in sports. 8. Sexual harassment instruction is more effective for students with a family structure of 1 biological parent and 1 step-parent than with family structures with 1 biological parent, and "other" family structures, in terms of acquisition of knowledge. 9. Students who live with 2 biological parents, with 1 biological and 1 step-parent, or in "other" family structures retain greater knowledge of sexual harassment than do students who live with 1 biological parent, and 10. Individuals receiving instruction started with relatively high sensitivity levels for verbal and physical harassment.

Keywords

Counseling

Advisor

Dr. Bill C. Daley

Date of Award

Summer 1996

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

Comments

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