Ethnic Identity Development Measures: Asian Values Scale

Developed to provide a more complete understanding of the acculturation process in Asian American populations, the Asian Values Scale (AVS) assesses the degree to which individuals adhere to traditional Asian values (e.g., deference to authority). Although a majority of acculturation scales currently used focus on behavioral aspects of the acculturation (e.g., language use), the AVS considers values in the acculturative process. Specifically, it explores the degree to which Asian Americans have maintained their (traditional) Asian cultural values while in the presence of Western culture and its value system (e.g., independence and autonomy). The AVS developers posited the necessity of assessing the value dimension of acculturation because they presupposed that the degree to which an individual espouses traditional Asian values changes at a slower rate than ...