ACES: The Development of a Reliable and Valid Instrument to Assess Faculty Support of Diversity Goals in the United States

Jennifer Ng, William Skorupski, Bruce Frey and Lisa Wolf-Wendel   |   

Diversity is an increasingly important value for institutions of higher education. Yet, few measures exist to assess whether college and university faculty share in this objective and how their beliefs relate to specific aspects of their work. In this study, we gathered data from a sample of faculty at one American research university to develop a valid and reliable instrument useful for exploring how commitments to diversity are reflected in teaching, research and service. The resulting instrument, ACES, assesses four factors: (a) Attitude towards diversity, (b) Career activities and professional norms, (c) Environment conducive to diversity, and (d) Social
interactions with diverse groups. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the scores produced by ACES is presented. How this psychometrically-sound instrument might benefit higher education research and practice in the assessment of diversity related goals is also considered.

« Back to Archive