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Development of a new scale for measuring acculturation: the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale (TAAS)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Andrew T. A. Cheng*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
Mutsu Hsu
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor Andrew T. A. Cheng, Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC).

Synopsis

As part of the Taiwan Aboriginal Study Project (TASP), a new acculturation scale (the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale, or TAAS) has been developed among the aboriginal minorities of Austronesian origin in Taiwan. The design of the original 54 items was based on Milton Gordon's concept of assimilation in association with a careful consideration of cross-cultural validity. These items were administered to 144 subjects stratified by age and sex who were randomly sampled from four major Taiwanese aboriginal groups. Item analysis and factor analysis were applied to select an 18-item scale which has three subscales (factors): cultural assimilation, social assimilation, and social attitude. Results of validity and reliability studies of the TAAS were found to be acceptable. The development of TAAS demonstrates the applicability of the concept of acculturation as a process that involves changes both in attitude, and in behaviour, to non-western societies.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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