Teaching Sociology

http://tso.sagepub.com/ Making Theory Relevant : The Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory
Janice McCabe Teaching Sociology published online 15 March 2013 DOI: 10.1177/0092055X13480153 The online version of this article can be found at: /content/early/2013/03/05/0092055X13480153

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X13480153Teaching SociologyMcCabe 2013

TSOXXX10.1177/0092055

Teaching Sociology OnlineFirst, published on March 15, 2013 as doi:10.1177/0092055X13480153

Article

Making Theory Relevant: The Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory

Janice McCabe1

Teaching Sociology XX(X) 112 American Sociological Association 2013 DOI: 10.1177/0092055X13480153 http://ts.sagepub.com

Abstract
This article describes and evaluates the Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory (GABI), a teaching tool designed to aid students in (a) realizing how sociological theory links to their personal beliefs and (b) exploring any combination of 11 frequently used theoretical perspectives on gender, including both conservative theories (physiological, sociobiological, and structural functionalist) and feminist ones (liberal, socialist, Marxist, radical, separatist, cultural, multicultural/black, and postmodern feminism). In this article, I discuss the inventory, how I use it in my sociology of gender class, and how it could be adapted for use in other classes. I also analyze qualitative and quantitative evaluations of its effectiveness based on responses from students at two universities (N = 603) and pretest and posttest results of its impact on student learning immediately following the activity (N = 161) and at the end of the semester (N = 33). These data suggest that the GABI increases students understanding of theoretical perspectives on gender, encourages them to reflect on their own views and (mis)perceptions of theories, and is an engaging exercise for students. Most importantly, this is a valuable exercise to aid students in realizing how sociological theory links to their everyday lives.

Keywords
sociology of gender, gender, classroom-based exercises, active learning, social theory

A challenge for sociology instructors is how to get students to recognize connections between theory and their own beliefs, kindling students sociological imaginations by connecting the personal to the theoretical (Mills 1959). A related challenge is getting students to recognize how their own views are influenced by the mass media (Berns 2008; Best 2008). A case in point is the question of feminism. Research shows that the U.S. population often avoids the feminist label even if they hold views consistent with feminist theory (e.g., Aronson 2003; McCabe 2005; Zucker and Bay-Cheng 2010). Students often assume that feminism is of a particular ilk (e.g., man-hating, femi-nazi) without understanding that wide variation exists in feminist thought. The question for instructors is how to address students avoidance of feminism

while helping them recognize that we are all theoreticians, holding views that connect with sociological theories. In this article, I offer one way to do this through the Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory (GABI), a teaching tool that can be used in courses on gender, social problems, social theory, and others that include gender theory. The GABI was designed to aid students in (a) realizing how sociological theory links to their personal beliefs and
1

Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

Corresponding Author: Janice McCabe, Department of Sociology, Dartmouth College, 6104 Silsby Hall, Room 111, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Email: janice.m.mccabe@dartmouth.edu

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(b) exploring any combination of 11 frequently used theoretical perspectives on gender, including both conservative theories (physiological, sociobiological, and structural functionalist) and feminist ones (liberal, socialist, Marxist, radical, separatist, cultural, multicultural/black, and postmodern feminism). In the activity, students indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with an array of statements regarding gender. Each statement corresponds with one of the aforementioned theories. I begin this article by discussing pedagogical approaches to teaching about gender and theory. Next, I discuss the inventory, how I use it in the classroom, students evaluations of its effectiveness based on qualitative and quantitative data from more than 600 undergraduates at two universities, and pre- and posttest results of its effectiveness for increasing students knowledge of gender theories. These data suggest that the GABI increases students understanding of the theories, encourages them to reflect on their own views and (mis)perceptions of theories, and is an engaging exercise. Most importantly, it aids students in realizing how sociological theory links to their everyday lives. I conclude by discussing how instructors could adapt the GABI for other classes and use it as a model to develop their own teaching tool on any topic.

Teaching Sociology XX(X)

2005; Sweet and Baker 2011) and classroom strategies for dealing with student resistance (Kleinman, Copp, and Sandstrom 2006). Very few of them, however, explicitly include theory. If they do, they tend to discuss one theory, such as Friedman and Rosenbergs (2007) application of Judith Butlers postmodern feminist theory of performativity to teaching Jewish Womens Studies. One exception is Blees (1986) plea for more theorybased sociology of gender courses. However, rather than developing a tool to facilitate this theory-based approach, Blee (1986) laid the foundation by justifying its usefulness and theories instructors might use, including structural functionalism and feminist theories. My gender courses design, which includes a substantial focus on theory, resonates with Blees (1986) advice. Taking a theoretical approach to the sociology of gender, however, raises challenges related to teaching theory. Instructors often lament that students perceive sociological theory as abstract and disconnected from everyday life (e.g., Holtzman 2005; Hoop 2012; Lowney 1998). Many tools for teaching theory seek to overcome this challenge by connecting theory to students experiences. Examples include activities challenging students to avoid cell phones and Facebook to facilitate discussions of Comtes ideas (Hoop 2012), build an irrigation canal to illustrate functionalism and conflict theory (Holtzman 2005), and complete puzzles to link theory to puzzle-working strategies (Lowney 1998). Like these innovative tools, the GABI uses active learning to connect theory to students everyday lives. The GABI, however, is unique in that it focuses on multiple theories and directly allows students to see connections between their own views and that of 11 specific theories by indicating how strongly their own views align with each theory.

APPROACHES TO TEACHING ABOUT GENDER AND THEORY

Examining the available sociological texts about gender illustrates the variety of approaches instructors may take to teaching this topic. Some texts focus on theory, such as Lorbers (2010) Gender Inequality, which contains many types of feminism. Others discuss them in the opening chapters, such as Lindsey (2011) in Gender Roles, or in chapters specifically on theory, such as Ryle (2011) in Questioning Gender and Andersen (2011) in Thinking about Women. Other texts do not explicitly discuss theory. Articles published in Teaching Sociology on teaching about gender reflect this range of approaches. Scholars have shared, for example, tools for teaching about specific topics like the wage gap and other occupational inequalities (Giuffre, Anderson, and Bird 2008; Petrzelka

THE GENDER ATTITUDE AND BELIEF INVENTORY

Brian Powell, a sociology professor at Indiana University, and I developed the GABI while teaching an upper-level undergraduate sociology of gender course. We noticed resistance to learning about feminism. Echoing research findings, students told us that feminism was irrelevant to their

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lives (e.g., Misciagno 1997; Peltola, Milkie, and Presser 2004) or radical or militant (e.g., Misciagno 1997; Weiss 1998), and they expressed confusion surrounding what it means to be a feminist (e.g., McCabe 2005; Misciagno 1997). Underlying this student resistance were media stereotypes of man-hating, lesbian femi-nazis (Hall and Rodriguez 2003; Kleinman et al. 2006). In order to help students overcome resistance, better understand sociological approaches to gender including feminist onesand to see how their own views connect to the theories discussed in class and in the readings, I wanted to develop an inventory that would be the type of quiz one encounters in a magazine. Using existing scales, such as Henley et al.s (1998) Feminist Perspective Scale and Morgans (1996) Liberal Feminist Attitude and Ideology Scale, and theoretical publications on gender (e.g., Lorber 2010; Lorde 1984; Tong 1998), Brian Powell and I crafted statements to represent 11 commonly discussed gender theories: physiological, sociobiological, and structural functionalismwhich are all functionalist theoriesand 8 strands of feminist theory that are all conflict theoriesliberal, socialist, Marxist, radical, separatist, cultural, multicultural/ black, and postmodern feminism. A description of each theory can be found at www.janicemccabe.net/ gabi. The GABI represents each theory by four different statements. The remaining item (No. 45) taps feminist self-labeling: I consider myself a feminist. I revised and refined the statements based on student feedback and comments from colleagues. Response categories for all 45 items range from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (4). The appendix includes the GABI and answer sheet. Instructors using GABI should be aware of three issues. First, providing a wide range of theories, even if we may not particularly like a theory because it is inherently conservative, for example, offers theories with which nearly every student can both agree and disagree. Presenting a range of theories also probably increases students faith in us as fair instructors (Dixon and McCabe 2006). Second, we chose to include these 11 theories in the GABI because they are commonly discussed in sociology of gender texts, and collectively, they represent a range of views about gender. These 11, however, do not represent all possible theoretical perspectives. As discussed at the end of this article,

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instructors can easily adapt the GABI to include or exclude theories of interest. Third, some of the statements phrasing may seem too cursory to reflect a theory, but phrasing statements in this way helps to provide core ideas and distinguish between theories. The GABI can be used as an introduction to these theories at the beginning of the semester or in more introductory coursesand as a tool to discuss complexities later in the semesteror in more advanced courses.

The Mechanics of Using the GABI in the Classroom

I have used the GABI in several courses, but this article focuses on the one I have used it in most often, an upper-division undergraduate sociology of gender course, usually enrolling 50 to 70 students. The course has no prerequisites and enrolls more nonmajors than sociology majors, so I spend the first few weeks getting students to view gender sociologically. Before explicitly discussing theory, I have students complete the GABI either in or out of class. It works best as an out-of-class assignment so students do not feel rushed. It takes students about 10 minutes to think about and respond to the 45 items. I collect their answers because I noticed many students misplacing their answer sheets before we discuss its scoring and meaning. I then spend about three weeks (six class sessions) covering the 11 theories, lecturing to provide their basic tenets and guiding students in theory application, particularly those provided by the readings essays, newspaper articles, and journal articles written from or about these theories. After introducing the theories, I return students completed answer sheets. I then put statement 1 on the overhead and ask students which theoretical perspective it most closely aligns with and why. Once there appears to be agreement, I move on to show and discuss statement 2, continuing until someone figures out the pattern that the 11 perspectives repeat in the same order that we discuss them in class. Students gain confidence in their explanations as we move through the statements. During this discussion, I repeat aspects of students reasoning with the intention of reinforcing connections between that statement and the central tenets of the corresponding theory.

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Following this discussion, I give students about 5 minutes to add up their scores across the rows on their answer sheets while I post scoring instructions on the overhead. On their answer sheets, students list the theories beside the total for each row(1) physiological, (2) sociobiological, (3) structural functionalist, (4) liberal, (5) socialist, (6) Marxist, (7) radical, (8) separatist, (9) cultural, (10) multicultural/black, and (11) postmodern feminist. High scores indicate alignment with the theory; low scores indicate disagreement with the theory. Specifically, a score of 15 to 16 indicates strong alliance with the views of the theory, 12 to 14 indicates alliance, 9 to 11 is neutral, 6 to 8 indicates disagreement, and 4 to 5 indicates strong disagreement. Based on their scores, students can see with which theories their own beliefs most and least align. The exercise ends with a debriefing discussion, focused on students reactions and the relationship between self-labeling and attitudes. I ask students whether they were surprised by their results. Even if this discussion starts off slowly, it usually gets quite lively as students share a range of reactions. Some students express surprise that their views coincide with several theories, often including liberal feminism, or both conflict and functionalist perspectives. Others discuss how their scores confirm what they already suspected or knew about their beliefs. I ask students to share the stereotypes they have heard about feminists and how these compare to the diversity of feminist theory. I ask them whether and how advocates of each theory might approach activism. I end by discussing the difference between holding attitudes consistent with a theory and deciding to claim the label, presenting data showing high agreement with feminist beliefs, particularly liberal feminist beliefs, and much lower rates of feminist self-labeling (e.g., McCabe 2005; Zucker and Bay-Cheng 2010). Students volunteer reasons they think people would and would not want to claim labels, both generally (e.g., feminist) and those related to specific theories (e.g., multicultural feminist).

Teaching Sociology XX(X)

GABIs effectiveness and of their learning and (2) direct measures of student learning via pretests and posttests. Assessments are from 14 sections of an upper-division undergraduate course on the sociology of gender at two universities. I taught 10 of these sections, and another instructor taught the other 4. We covered similar topics and both taught at Indiana University. I also include 9 sections that I taught at Florida State University. Class sizes range from 12 to 68 students, with smaller sections occurring in the summer terms. I obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at both universities for classroom assessments of the GABI. First, in all 14 sections, at the end of the semester, students were given six questions focusing on whether the GABI was interesting, useful, and enjoyable. Using a 4-point Likert scale, students responded to three close-ended questions: To what extent did you find the exercise regarding the theoretical perspectives to be interesting? To what degree did it help or not help you understand the theoretical perspectives discussed in class? and Overall, how enjoyable was the exercise? Lower scores indicate that students found the GABI to be more interesting, helpful, and enjoyable. Students wrote responses ranging from one word to a short paragraph to each of three openended questions: What, if anything, do you feel you learned from the exercise? Do you think participating in this exercise helped to clarify your views regarding gender and gender theories? If so, how? and Do you think participating in the exercise changed your views regarding gender and gender theories? If so, how? I chose specific quotations to include in this article based on their representativeness and the clarity with which the student expresses his or her ideas. In other words, quotes presented represent common sentiments that are expressed in a particularly clear manner. From 2002 to 2010, 603 students completed this assessment. Table 1 presents information about the sample. Second, I measured the GABIs effectiveness by using pretests and posttests in the four most recent sections of the course. In two sections, I used one posttest (posttest 1), which I gave to students immediately after we discussed the GABI. In the other two sections, I gave an additional posttest

DATA AND METHODS

I assessed the GABIs usefulness in the classroom in two ways: (1) students perceptions of the

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Table 1. Summary of Sample and Student Assessments of the Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory (GABI). Mean (SD) or percentage 35% Indiana University, 65% Florida State University Semester 41% fall, 41% spring, 18% summer Section 2% to 10% per section Percentage my students 67% Year 6% to 19% per year Student assessments of the GABIa Interesting 2.01 (0.767) Helpful 1.73 (0.815) Enjoyable 1.37 (0.735)
a

Range 12 13 114 12 17 14 14 14

N 603 603 603 603 603 601 602 596

Institution

Lower scores indicate that the exercise was more interesting, helpful, and enjoyable.

Table 2. Summary of Pretest and Posttest Responses Measuring Student Learning. Meana (SD) Pretest Posttest 1 Posttest 2 9.25 (3.13) 12.11 (2.93) 13.13 (2.89) Range 015 015 015 N 170 170 45

a Pre- and posttest scores indicate the number of statements that students correctly identify by their theoretical perspective.

(posttest 2) at the end of the semester. When talking to the students, I referred to the pre- and posttests as ungraded quizzes. Each quiz had 15 statements selected from the first 44 on the GABI. Students scores ranged from 0 to 15, indicating the number of statements where students wrote the correct theoretical perspective. Students graded their own quizzes so they would be aware of their scores. After the posttest, I made each quiz available on our course Blackboard Web site. One hundred ninety students completed at least one pretest or posttest, with 161 completing a pretest and posttest 1 that could be linked. In the sections where I used two posttests, 70 students took the pretest, 71 took the first posttest, and 45 took the second posttest; 33 students had matched pre- and posttests at all three points in time. Table 2 presents information about pre- and posttests.

THE GABIS USEFULNESS IN THE CLASSROOM

The first type of assessment taps the extent to which students found the GABI to be interesting,

useful, and enjoyable. As shown in Table 1, most students responded positively to the GABI on all three dimensions. There are no significant differences in any of the measures by university, semester, section, instructor, or year. One close-ended question tapped students interest in the GABI: To what extent did you find the exercise regarding the theoretical perspectives to be interesting? Almost three-quarters of students (72 percent) found the GABI to be very interesting or interesting while only 1 percent found it to be not at all interesting. These results suggest that the GABI piqued students curiosity, and the qualitative responses indicate the dimensions on which students found it to be thoughtprovoking. Responses to the question, What, if anything, do you feel you learned from the exercise? revealed that students recognized multiple benefits to the GABI. One theme that emerged was that the GABI helped them to understand or differentiate between theories. For example, one student wrote, It definitely gave me a better idea of all the perspectives and what they all stand for. It made it

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much easier to distinguish them from one another. Relatedly, another student noted, I learned that feminist has broad meaning. Its no longer are you feminist or not, but what type of feminist are you. Second, students expressed several instrumental benefits of the exercise, including that it helped them participate in class discussion and prepare for exams. Students wrote, It gave me things to talk about in class and it helped the most when studying. Third, the GABI facilitated students reflections on their own views and identity. One student wrote, Not only did I find the exercise to be a helpful tool, but it was interesting learning where my own views lie in respect to the theoretical perspectives. Another wrote, I learned a lot about my beliefs and the results surprised me somewhat and really made me think. Reflecting one such surprise, a peer wrote, Im not as sexist as I thought. Fourth, the GABI helped students see that real life and theory connect. For example, one student wrote that he or she learned how to apply theories to real life beliefs and ideas, while another wrote, It showed me the theories that I was most affiliated with which was pretty interesting therefore making the theories more relatable. Some students indicated that seeing connections between theory and practice helped them learn, as one student wrote, I was better able to study the material because I saw how it related to actual belief statements. Rather than abstract arguments, the beliefs we discussed in class underlying each theory became claims the students could make, reject, debate, and discuss in relation to their own lives and experiences. In sum, students reported that the GABI helped them understand the theories, prepare for the exams, learn about themselves, and apply the theories to their own lives. In response to the close-ended question, To what degree did it help or not help you understand the theoretical perspectives discussed in class? four-fifths of students (80 percent) found the GABI very helpful or helpful while only 2 percent found it not at all helpful. These responses, therefore, reinforce the qualitative finding that the GABI helped students understand gender theory. The second open-ended question asked students Do you think participating in this exercise helped to clarify your views regarding gender and

Teaching Sociology XX(X)

gender theories? If so, how? Most responses focused on how the GABI provided examples that helped students better understand the theories. Students noted, Yes. I was struggling with how each perspective differed and this helped clarify and yes because it gave you a chance to see different examples of each. Another student provided more detail on this point: Yes, it helped with some of the theories that I did not understand because I am definitely someone that needs examples. The GABIs design, which includes four statements for each theory, provided multiple examples and applications of each theory that students viewed as useful resources. Second, the GABI clarified students views through facilitating personal reflection on the theories. One student wrote, Yes, it challenges you to think about each theory, while a peer similarly noted, Yes, because it caused you to think deeply about the subject matter. In other words, the GABI promoted active learning. Third, the exercise corrected misperceptions they held. One student wrote, Yes because before I didnt consider myself a feminist but now I know their [sic] is a view that I believe in that I didnt know was a feminist view before. Another student noted, It made my understandings and perspectives more clear so I could better voice my opinion. This students comment reflects that better understanding theory may enable students to share these understandings with others. Fourth, it clarified students views through providing a label for their personal views. One student noted, Before this class I never really had a name/label for my views about gender. After learning the perspectives, I could correctly label my views. Expressing surprise at the label provided, one student wrote, I didnt realize how many feminist views I believed in before doing this survey. Fifth, the GABI clarified their views through connecting the theories to students own beliefs. One student wrote, Yes, because it allowed us to actively use the theories, and make us interpret it. Another student noted that the GABI allowed him or her to better relate the theoretical perspectives to everyday ideas, and several applauded its real world application. In sum, students noted the GABIs role in aiding their understanding, encouraging personal reflection, and correcting misperceptions of the theories along with providing labels

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for their views and directly connecting their views to the theories. Responses to the last open-ended question, Do you think participating in the exercise changed your views regarding gender and gender theories? If so, how? indicate that most students felt that it did not alter their views. A common response was that the GABI didnt change my views but helped me to reorganize my thoughts. A similar sentiment was No, I find it hard to believe an exercise this simple could change someones [sic] views. Students responses to this question instead focused on how the exercise made them reflect on their own views and those of others. One student wrote, The exercise definitely made me think about my views and be more open to other views. Other students conveyed how the GABI helped to reinforce their views and mark them with a recognized theoretical term. One student wrote, Noif anything, it grounded me more in my views after looking at other options. A peer noted, No; Im pretty strong about how I feel and it just helped me define what I am. Similarly, another wrote that the GABI kind of put a label on how I felt about gender. Most students did not believe the GABI changed their theoretical views, but helped them clarify their views and how to label their views. A minority of students, however, did express ways that the exercise changed their opinions. Some students emphasized that the GABI facilitated critical thinking. For example, one student wrote, Yes, made me think twice about what I really believe in, not just what I have always been told. Other students noted that the GABI helped them move beyond avoidance of the feminist label or of specific feminist perspectives. One wrote, Somewhat. It did make me realize the negative connotation that the idea of a feminist has. A second noted, Yes. I really didnt think I would relate to feminist views but I learned I do. Relatedly, another student wrote, Yes. I was kind of making fun of the post modern feminism ideas and found out through taking the GABI that I pretty closely identified with their ideals. In understanding the different feminist theories from the survey, students came to appreciate that although they are not, in their words, an extreme feminist, they are just a liberal feminist. As with the previous question, students responses point to the GABIs

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usefulness for discussing media framing and recognizing how media claims may shape personal beliefs. Students responses to all qualitative items demonstrate how the GABI connects theory to their everyday lives. In response to the final question, Overall, how enjoyable was the exercise? 86 percent of students rated it as enjoyable77 percent that it was enjoyable and helped me understand theoretical perspectives and 9 percent that it was enjoyable, but it did not increase my understanding of theoretical perspectives. Thirteen percent said that it was useful for understanding theoretical perspectives, but not enjoyable; I would rather just take notes on lecture material, and fewer than 1 percent said that it was a waste of time; it was not enjoyable and added nothing to my understanding of theoretical perspectives. Most students expressed that the GABI was fun to complete and helpful in spurring their learning of gender theory.

Direct Measures of Students Learning

The second gauge of the GABIs effectiveness comes from direct measures of students learning. Table 2 shows assessment scores ranging from 0 to 15 to indicate the number of statements students correctly identified by their theoretical perspective. Scores increased from an average of 9 on the pretest to 12 on posttest 1 to 13 on posttest 2. I conducted analysis of mean differences between assessments using paired t tests, an analytical strategy used to compare means from the same groups. As shown in Table 3, all differences are statistically significant. To be included in the analysis, students needed valid responses for each test being compared. The 161 students completing both the pretest and the posttest immediately following discussion of the GABI (posttest 1) increased their score by 3 points (from 9.3 vs. 12.3, p < .001). The 33 students for whom I have data at all three points in time scored slightly higher than average, but they exhibited the same improvement over time, from 10 on the pretest to 13 on the first posttest (p < .001, not presented in table) to 14 on the second posttest (p = .040). The continued improvement from posttest 1 to posttest 2 suggests that the gains of the GABI are not just temporary, but that they stick with students throughout the

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Teaching Sociology XX(X)

Table 3. Mean Difference in Matched Pretest and Posttest Responses Measuring Student Learning. Mean difference Pretest to Posttest 1 Posttest 1 to Posttest 2 2.96 0.79 t test of difference t = 13.90, p < .001 t = 2.14, p = .040 N 161 33

course. Without a comparison group, I am unable to determine how much of this learning occurred because of the GABI. Students qualitative and quantitative assessments of the activity (discussed earlier), however, suggest that the GABI is the cause of at least some of students increased understanding of these theories.

ADAPTING THE GABI FOR USE IN OTHER COURSES

This article highlights one way to use the GABI in the college classroom. However, I see a variety of ways that the inventory could be modified and adapted for other uses. The GABI could be shortened to include fewer theories and tailored to an instructors specific needs. Instructors can revise the GABI to include statements reflecting fewer than the full 11 theories. For example, instructors using Kramers (2010) The Sociology of Gender or Andersens (2011) Thinking about Women may want to include only the items from liberal, socialist, radical, postmodern, and multiracial feminism to match theories in these texts. Theories could also be merged, such as socialist and Marxist feminism, when they are discussed together, as is done by Lindseys (2011) Gender Roles. Theories could be reconfigured into other categories, such as sameness and difference feminisms or conflict and functional perspectives. And instructors could add statements to the GABI when their courses include other theories, such as psychoanalytic or standpoint feminism, as in Lorbers (2010) Gender Inequality. One strength of the GABI is its ability to be adapted to meet individual instructors needs. I also have used the GABI in graduate courses on contemporary theory and gender theory. Although I did not use the formal evaluation tool, students commented that the GABI helped them understand distinctions between these theoretical approaches and understand the connections

between their personal views and the theories covered in class. Many of these students have then used the GABI in the courses they teach, which is another indication that they found the tool useful. Colleagues have used the GABI in social psychology, social problems, and sociological theory courses. One social problems instructor assigned an extra credit paper after completing the GABI in class. The assignment asked students to write about the GABI questions they experienced strong reactions to (both positive and negative), how their social location and personal relationships with women (mothers, sisters, coworkers, teachers, etc.) might have influenced their views, and why they would or would not classify themselves as a feminist after completing the GABI. This instructor reports that 90 percent of students typically opt to do this assignment, even though it is not required. Another instructor used the GABI in a unit on social movements and noted that the GABI allowed his students to situate themselves in relation to course concepts, theories, movement activities, and historical transformations. Such applications show that the GABI can be used in different ways to teach a variety of substantive topics. The design of the GABI also could be useful to spur active learning about theories not related to gender by using this framework to create an inventory tailored to perspectives used in other courses. For example, instructors teaching about race might create items reflecting critical race theory, old-fashioned racism, and color-blind racism or nationalism and assimilationism (see, e.g., Delgado and Stefancic [2012] for descriptions of these perspectives). Instructors would craft several statements characterizing each perspectives central ideas. I advise four statements for each perspective so the answer to one item does not skew the results. I also suggest wording statements in an extreme manner and not including a neutral (neither agree nor disagree) category on the answer sheet. Although having no neutral category

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may frustrate students, forcing students to reflect on and indicate whether they are more likely to agree or disagree with the statement helps students distinguish between perspectives. Phrasing statements in an extreme manner also helps students to recognize differences between perspectives and can later help provide a platform on which to discuss the nuances of the theory.

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(Zucker and Bay-Cheng 2010). Although most students felt the GABI did not alter their beliefs, those who did pointed to it spurring their critical thinking and correcting misperceptions, often stereotypes of feminists. Most importantly, the GABI is an innovative way for students to see how we are all theoreticians, countering views of theory as abstract notions disconnected from real life. In the words of one student, [The] most interesting part was seeing how my personal perspectives lined up into these theories.

CONCLUSION
Evaluations of the GABIs effectiveness show that it increases students understanding of the theoretical perspectives on gender and students found it to be interesting, useful, and enjoyable. The design could be modified and serve as a model for instructors addressing other topics, such as race. Direct measures of learning show that students better understood the theories immediately after the exercise and even more clearly at the end of the semester. The GABI enables students to reflect on and recognize media influences on their personal beliefs. It also might encourage students to selfidentify as feminists through facilitating accurate information, which is one road to feminism 1 Strongly Disagree 2 Disagree

APPENDIX Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory (GABI) and Answer Sheet
Directions: Carefully read each of the following statements, choose the answer (1-4) that best represents your opinion, and write the number on the appropriate blank on the answer sheet. Some statements are purposely worded so that they represent an extreme point of view. Think about the statements and answer them honestly with the answer choice that most closely matches your personal opinion. 3 Agree 4 Strongly Agree

1. Gender inequality can never be eliminated because of biological differences between men and women. 2. Mens and womens gender roles today are determined by the way that gender roles evolved for survival in hunting and gathering societies. 3. A mans first responsibility is obtaining economic success, while his wifes first responsibility is caring for the home and family. 4. Men need to be liberated from gender stereotypes as much as women do. 5. Capitalism is responsible for the high divorce rate and the general breakdown of families. 6. Women are oppressed by both capitalism and patriarchy.

7. Mens control over women forces women to be the primary caretakers of children. 8. Having women in positions of political power would bring about new systems of government that promote peace and cooperation. 9. Womens oppression will continue as long as women and men live together. 10. Women of color face additional oppression (race and gender) in the workplace. 11. Drag performances (i.e., drag queens and drag kings) blur gender boundaries, thus revealing the true range of possible genders. 12. Natural differences between men and women determine the different gender

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roles men and women occupy in society. 13. The behavior that prehistoric humans needed to survive is still ingrained in our genes in mens roaming and sexual promiscuity and in womens nesting, nurturing, and sexual loyalty. 14. The breakdown of the traditional family structure caused many of the evils in our society. 15. Social change for sexual equality will best come about by education and legal changes. 16. Class is more important than gender in explaining why women have not achieved equal leadership with men in society. 17. Womens low pay in traditionally female jobs (i.e., nursing and teaching) is a result of both gender and class inequalities. 18. Unlike women, men are not oppressed in our society. 19. Womens experience with caring for babies, cleaning, feeding people, etc. gives them a clearer vision of reality than that of men. 20. Womens lives would be improved if they lived professionally and personally independent from men. 21. We cannot truly fight for gender equality without also fighting for racial equality. 22. Gender is not natural; it is created as we do itin the ways we dress, talk, behave, and use our bodies. 23. Real biological differences (such as anatomy, brain wiring, and hormones) between men and women make traditional gender arrangements either inevitable or, at least, preferable. 24. Whereas men are interested in having many short-term sexual encounters, women are selective in choosing a longterm sexual partner. 25. Boys should be taught to be rational, competitive, and self-assured to prepare them to enter the paid labor force and girls should be taught emotional

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qualities and sensitivity to others to prepare them for child rearing. 26. Regardless of biological differences between men and women, there should not be different gender roles for men and women because of the importance of personal choiceindividual rights, such as liberty, justice, and equality of opportunity. 27. Capitalism oppresses women because they are not paid for housework and childcare. 28. Womens oppression is inseparable from class oppression; therefore, to end gender inequality, both capitalism and patriarchy must be abolished. 29. Gender stereotypes are only one symptom of the larger system of patriarchal power, which is the true source of womens oppression. 30. The current male-oriented society should be transformed toward a more female-oriented society, which would emphasize womens values such as peace, gentleness, and caring for others. 31. Strong women know when they need to live separately from men. 32. In order to understand gender roles and gender inequality in society, we must consider race, ethnicity, and social classnot only gender. 33. We should not only tolerate, but encourage difference and multiplicity (as life is constantly changing) in the possible range of genders. 34. Along with the biological fact that women give birth, womens hormones (i.e., estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin) are one of the key reasons women are the primary nurturers and caretakers of children. 35. Women choose mates who are willing and able to invest resources in them and their children in order to provide protection and other material advantages that increase their ability to survive and reproduce.

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36. Families operate better if they have complementary roles, differentiated by gendernot parental androgyny. 37. Men and women should be treated in a gender-neutral way, especially under the law. 38. It is not men, but the capitalist system, that are the primary enemies of women. 39. It is both the capitalist system and mens control over women that forces women to be the primary caretakers of children. 40. Men prevent women from being leaders in government and business through mens control of political and economic institutions. 1 Strongly Disagree 1. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____ 6. _____ 7. _____ 8. _____ 9. _____ 10. _____ 11. _____ 2 Disagree 12. _____ 13. _____ 14. _____ 15. _____ 16. _____ 17. _____ 18. _____ 19. _____ 20. _____ 21. _____ 22. _____ 41. Bringing more women into maledominated professions would make these professions less ruthless, aggressive, and competitive. 42. Womens bonds with one another are deeper and more intense than their bonds with men. 43. Talk about power for women overlooks the need to empower people of all races and ethnicities. 44. Equality will come when we recognize the diverse range of possible sexes, so that one can no longer be seen as inferior and the other superior. 45. I consider myself a feminist.

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3 Agree 23. _____ 24. _____ 25. _____ 26. _____ 27. _____ 28. _____ 29. _____ 30. _____ 31. _____ 32. _____ 33. _____

4 Strongly Agree 34. _____ 35. _____ 36. _____ 37. _____ 38. _____ 39. _____ 40. _____ 41. _____ 42. _____ 43. _____ 44. _____ 45. _____

GABI was created by Janice McCabe and Brian Powell, Copyright 2008. Some statements were adapted from the Feminist Perspectives Scale, Copyright 1989, 1997 by Nancy M. Henley. The GABI can also be found at www.janicemccabe.net/ gabi.

comments on a previous draft of this article; and Brian Powell for assistance with many stages of this project, including constructing the GABI. I also thank editor Kathleen S. Lowney and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions.

REFERENCES
Andersen, Margaret L. with Dana Hysock Witham. 2011. Thinking about Women: Sociological Perspectives on Sex and Gender. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Aronson, Pamela. 2003. Feminists or Postfeminists?: Young Womens Attitudes towards Feminism and Gender Relations. Gender & Society 17(6):90322. Berns, Nancy. 2008. Its OK to Be Ugly: Learning from Unsuccessful Claimsmaking. Pp. 3133 in Teaching Social Problems from a Constructionist Perspective, edited by K. S. Lowney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Best, Joel. 2008. Social Problems. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

EDITORS NOTE
Reviewers for this manuscript were, in alphabetical order, Patty Giuffre and Betsy Lucal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Orit Fisher, Miriam Sessions, and Rebecca Redmond for research assistance; Emily Fairchild, Niki Hotchkis, Miriam Sessions, and J. Sumerau for sharing feedback after using the Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory (GABI) in their classes; Liz Grauerholz for

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Blee, Kathleen M. 1986. Teaching a Theory-based Sociology of Gender Course. Teaching Sociology 14(3):16267. Delgado, Richard and Jean Stefancic. 2012. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: New York University Press. Dixon, Jeffrey C. and Janice McCabe. 2006. Competing Perspectives in the Classroom: The Effect of Sociology Students Perceptions of Balance on Evaluations. Teaching Sociology 34(2):11125. Friedman, Kathie and Karen Rosenberg. 2007. Performing Identities in the Classroom: Teaching Jewish Womens Studies. Teaching Sociology 35(4):315 33. Giuffre, Patti, Cynthia Anderson, and Sharon Bird. 2008. Teaching the Sociology of Gender and Work. Teaching Sociology 36(1):6678. Hall, Elaine J. and Marnie Salupo Rodriguez. 2003. The Myth of Postfeminism. Gender & Society 17(6):878902. Henley, Nancy M., Karen Meng, Delores OBrien, William J. McCarthy, and Robert J. Sockloskie. 1998. Developing a Scale to Measure the Diversity of Feminist Attitudes. Psychology of Women Quarterly 22(3):31748. Holtzman, Mellisa. 2005. Teaching Sociological Theory through Active Learning: The Irrigation Exercise. Teaching Sociology 33(2):20612. Hoop, Katrina C. 2012. Comte Unplugged: Using a Technology Fast to Teach Sociological Theory. Teaching Sociology 40(2):15865. Kleinman, Sherryl, Martha Copp, and Kent Sandstrom. 2006. Making Sexism Visible: Birdcages, Martians, and Pregnant Men. Teaching Sociology 34(2):12642. Kramer, Laura. 2010. The Sociology of Gender: A Brief Introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Lindsey, Linda L. 2011. Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lorber, Judith. 2010. Gender Inequality: Feminist Theories and Politics. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Lorde, Audre. 1984. Sister Outsider. Freedom, CA: Crossing Press. Lowney, Kathleen S. 1998. Reducing Theory Anxiety through Puzzles. Teaching Sociology 26(1):6973.

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McCabe, Janice. 2005. Whats in a Label?: The Relationship between Feminist Self-identification and Feminist Attitudes among U.S. Women and Men. Gender & Society 19(4):480505. Mills, C. Wright. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press. Misciagno, Patricia S. 1997. Rethinking Feminist Identification: The Case for de Facto Feminism. Westport, CT: Praeger. Morgan, Betsy Levonian. 1996. Putting the Feminism into Feminism Scales: Introduction of a Liberal Feminist Attitude and Ideology Scale. Sex Roles 34(5/6):35990. Peltola, Pia, Melissa A. Milkie, and Stanley Presser. 2004. The Feminist Mystique: Feminist Identity in Three Generations of Women. Gender & Society 18(1):12244. Petrzelka, Peggy. 2005. They Make How Much?: Investigating Faculty Salaries to Examine Gender Inequalities. Teaching Sociology 33(4):38088. Ryle, Robyn. 2011. Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. Sweet, Stephen and Kimberly M. Baker. 2011. Who Has the Advantages in My Intended Career?: Engaging Students in the Identification of Gender and Racial Inequalities. Teaching Sociology 39(1):115. Tong, Rosemarie. 1998. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. Boulder: Westview Press. Weiss, Penny A. 1998. Conversations with Feminism: Political Theory and Practice. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Zucker, Alyssa N. and Laina Y. Bay-Cheng. 2010. Minding the Gap between Feminist Identity and Attitudes: The Behavioral and Ideological Divide between Feminists and Non-labelers. Journal of Personality 78(6):1895924.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Janice McCabe is an assistant professor of sociology at Dartmouth College. She studies gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, education, and childhood from a social psychological perspective. Her current research focuses on friendship networks and identities during college and into young adulthood.

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