Graduation Term

2014

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Psychology: School Psychology

Committee Chair

Renée M. Tobin

Abstract

An increasing number of children are being raised by gay and lesbian parents, but there is a dearth of literature that examines the challenges they face as they navigate the school system. The negative stigma of homosexuality and the increased visibility of these families suggest that research on teacher attitudes toward homosexual parents is needed. Using implicit, explicit, and behavioral measures, pre-service teacher attitudes toward gay and lesbian parents were assessed. Individual differences that influence the expression of sexual prejudice were also examined. Specifically, this study examined the relation between implicit and explicit measures. Also, implicit and explicit measures were used to predict prejudice behavior. Finally, the link between Agreeableness and prejudice was explored. Broadly, participants rated homosexual targets more negatively than they rated heterosexual targets, and they rated targets of gay men more negatively than they rated lesbians; however, response patterns varied by participant sex. Our findings indicated that implicit and explicit prejudice measures were positively related and that Agreeableness was related to prejudice. Exploratory analyses revealed complex relations between implicit prejudice, explicit prejudice, and motivation to control prejudice.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2014.Herbstrith.J

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