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Session Title: Measuring Sexuality and Gender: Accurately Capturing Dimensions and Categories of Sexuality
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Panel Session 470 to be held in Royale Board Room on Thursday, November 8, 5:15 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Issues TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| A Cassandra Golding,
University of Rhode Island,
c_h_ride@hotmail.com
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| Abstract:
Evaluators across disciplines are faced with accurately and effectively measuring sexuality and gender on most evaluation projects, though finding rigorous and reliable measurement tools is a challenge. Scale items rarely differentiate between sex and gender, and evaluators often confuse sexual orientation with identity, and behavior. The resulting measurement error may skew the data collected and advance faulty conclusions about sexuality and gender for the populations being studied.
This panel focuses on increasing evaluators' knowledge and awareness of gender and sexuality issues as they relate to measurement tasks within evaluation work. Audience members will increase their skill set around measurement issues and share suggestions of tested sexuality and gender scales to use in their daily evaluation practice. By revisiting measurement basics and examining theoretical concepts of sexuality and gender, this panel will augment evaluators' training with regard to practical knowledge about the intersection of measurement and sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ issues.
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Building Blocks of Measurement with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning Populations
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| A Cassandra Golding,
University of Rhode Island,
c_h_ride@hotmail.com
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The lack of awareness and resulting confusion around sexuality, gender and LGBTQ issues within the current encumbering socio-political climate has fostered an unquestioned paradigm of assumed psychometric rigor, archaic demographic categories, and a general lack of appreciation for the complexity of sexuality issues.
This presentation will revisit the building blocks of measurement psychometrics and explore the consequences of this unquestioned paradigm for evaluation work. Attendees will gain hands-on knowledge about these issues and walk away with practical tools, rigorous sexuality measures, the knowledge of how to assess a measure's rigor, a better understanding of the complexity of sexuality and gender in evaluation work, and how to resolve unique issues around sexuality concepts and measurement. In addition, the presenter will introduce her own scale- the Healthy Emotional Reliance Scale (HER's; Golding, 2006) for female couples and use this as an integral example of the process of scale development, refinement and use.
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Reducing Error: Measuring Sexuality and Gender Issues in Everyday Evaluation Practice
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| Kari Greene,
Oregon Public Health Division,
kari.greene@state.or.us
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Academics and theorists have explored gender and sexuality to find that both are flexible social constructs that vary across location, culture and time. From Alfred Kinsey to Fritz Klein, researchers have explored the differences between sexual orientation, affection/desire, sexual behavior, and gender identity. After a century of research on sexuality and gender, however, few researchers agree on terminology, dimensions and categorical classifications of sexuality. Building on recent studies, presenters will examine the complex constructs of sexuality and gender and how they relate to evaluation practice.
This presentation will examine how to reliably measure and assess the concepts of sexuality and gender critical to your evaluation project. This presenter will review scientifically rigorous scales, items and measures, and when to use those measures appropriately to address your evaluation questions. Discussion will focus on how to balance accuracy in measurement with the demands of everyday evaluation practice.
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