TPC-Journal-V1-Issue3

The Professional Counselor \ Volume 1, Issue 1 211 were asked about their experience of the discovery process of their sexual orientation (e.g., “What struggles did you experience?” “What questions did you ask yourself during this discovery process?” “What were you feeling?” “Did you get in touch with any fears?” “What kind of sexual fantasies did you experience?”). These questions were asked in order to help the participant recall their discovery process. Participants were allowed to ask each other questions and/or identify with what was being shared in a casual and informal atmosphere. Recordings of the three small group meetings provided the source for the 100 items that represented thoughts and feelings the men experienced during their discovery process. These 100 items consisted of Phase 1 of the Sexual Orientation Scale development. After the pilot scale was developed, packets were sent out to university counseling services, psychotherapists in private practice, and community mental health agencies. The packet consisted of: (a) a personal data form, (b) the 100-item Sexual Orientation Scale, (c) an informed consent form, and (d) an addressed and stamped envelope. Data on the 100-item Sexual Orientation Scale also was collected from different men’s groups and from the introductory psychology classes both at universities and community colleges. Two hundred and eight packets were completed. Coincidently, 104 responses were from gay individuals, and 104 were straight responses. The responses were then transferred onto Scantrons and submitted for analysis. Instrument Development Item construction . Tests are composed of a number of items that are used to measure a particular subject. According to Wesman (1971), an item may be defined as a scoring unit. Creating an item should be taken seriously because each item in a test produces a unit of information regarding the person who takes the test. Writing a test item is an involved process. Test items need to be subjected to constant evaluation in order to ensure, as much as possible, that they are measuring what they are intended to measure. The items developed for the Sexual Orientation Scale represent two variables: self-image and eroticism . These variables have been continuously identified in sexual-orientation literature (Cass, 1984; Coleman, 1982; Eliason & Schope, 2007; Grace, 1979) as variables that must be examined when attempting to answer questions regarding sexual orientation. Self-image is defined as involving self- definition, self-acceptance, fears and an understanding of lifestyle. Eroticism is defined as sexual fantasies. Item analysis . According to Anastasi (1988), items on an instrument may be analyzed quantitatively, in regards to their statistical properties. When examining items qualitatively, content validity is considered as well as the evaluation of items in terms of effective item-writing procedures. Quantitative analysis primarily includes the measure of item difficulty and item discrimination (Anastasi, 1988). Item difficulty answers the question: How hard or easy was a particular item for the group of participants? Item discrimination refers to the degree to which an item differentiates correctly among test takers in that behavior that the test is designed to measure (Anastasi, 1988, p. 210). Item discrimination was calculated as a correlation coefficient between the item score and the total score. Correlation coefficient indicates the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two random variables. Results and Discussion Item Design for the Sexual Orientation Scale In designing the Sexual Orientation Scale, two areas of interests were salient. They were self-images and eroticism. The literature on sexual identity formation strongly supported the examination of these two interest areas during the discovery process of one’s sexual orientation. The importance of examining self-images and eroticism was further supported in the early stages of this study that resulted in the identification of the initial 100 items of the Sexual Orientation Scale. Thirty self-identified gay men were interviewed regarding their discovery process. While reviewing interviews, items were generated that represented their thoughts and feelings. Examination of items clearly indicated that issues such as self-acceptance, understanding fears, and eroticism were being confronted during the discovery process.