Development of the Distance From Privilege Measures

Abstract

This article reports on the development and validation of the Distance from Privilege (DFP) measures. Items for the measures were developed on theoretical grounds. The primary sample consisted of 292 undergraduates with various majors from a Midwestern University and a Historically Black University in the south. One of the measures is the DFP-Resources scale which consists of 11 items with two factors described as social capital and economic resources. The other measure is the DFP-Status scale that has 10 items and one factor. Results revealed that the DFP consists of two measures with good internal consistency and construct validity. Each measure accounts for a sufficiently high proportion of the overall variance and has moderately high stability over time.

Standing in the Gaps: Examining the Effects of Early Gifted Education on Black Girl Achievement in STEM

“…These trends tend to stifle the genius of Black girls instead of affirming their unique abilities (Morris, 2016). It is noteworthy that several studies have addressed the unique elements of gendered gifted education within a STEM context (Baker, 2013; Kerr et al, 2012; Kerr, Vuyk, & Rea, 2012; Peterson, 2013). However, the unique needs of Black girls were not addressed in these studies.…”

The Status of Women in STEM in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature 2007–2017

“…Le and Robbins (2016) also found that women were more likely to persist in engineering programs if they had already experienced strong intentions to persist in previous situations. Students' socioeconomic backgrounds (Kerr et al 2012) and having college-educated parents also increased the likelihood of persistence (George-Jackson 2014). Espinosa (2011) reports that URM students persisting in STEM engaged with peers, joined student organizations, participated in undergraduate research programs, and attended institutions with a robust community of STEM students.…”

Service Workers’ Well-Being During COVID-19: A Strengths-Based Inclusive Theory of Work Perspective

“…Privilege. Privilege was measured using the Distance from Privilege Scale (DFP; Kerr et al, 2012). The scale measures participants' perceptions of their level of privilege across various domains (geography, gender, race/ethnicity, ability/disability status, citizenship status, intelligence, sexual orientation, religion, social class, and attractiveness; Kerr et al, 2012).…”

“…Privilege was measured using the Distance from Privilege Scale (DFP; Kerr et al, 2012 ). The scale measures participants’ perceptions of their level of privilege across various domains (geography, gender, race/ethnicity, ability/disability status, citizenship status, intelligence, sexual orientation, religion, social class, and attractiveness; Kerr et al, 2012 ). The scale includes 10 items, where participants are asked to rank themselves on a scale of 1–10, with 10 being the most ideal, accepted, and valued level of privilege, and 1 representing the least ideal, accepted, and valued level of privilege for each category ( Kerr et al, 2012 ).…”

“…Where would you put yourself on the ladder? Please indicate the rung where you think you stand.” The DFP has adequate internal consistency (α = .70; Kerr et al, 2012 ) and good test–retest reliability ( r =.82; Kerr et al, 2012 ). The internal consistency for this study was .72.…”