Attitudes

Attitudes are defined as the conceptual beginning of opinions, which may be regarded as an expressed attitude. The fundamental difference between an opinion and an attitude is that an opinion can be defined as an observable, usually verbalized response to an issue, situation, or question, whereas an attitude is a covert, unexpressed psychological predisposition or tendency. An additional difference is that attitudes often are thought of as expressions of fundamental likes or dislikes (affects), and opinions as more cognitive conscious decisions about what or whom to support. Large-scale measurement of attitudes, particularly through survey methods, was made possible through the development of psychometric theory and related statistical methods in the early twentieth century and accelerated greatly with the availability of easily used statistical computing packages and high-speed computer equipment.

Attitudes vary along several dimensions. They may be manifest, meaning that they are openly expressed—such as attitudes about whether privatizing public school functions is desirable—or latent, in which case attitudes have not yet been formulated—as with attitudes about how to address education in a new ice age that hasn't yet happened.

Attitudes also vary in strength. Some attitudes are held very firmly, such as support for prayer in public schools, and those who hold them may battle fiercely on behalf of their viewpoints at school board meetings. Other attitudes are maintained only weakly; their holders are less likely to argue forcefully and probably are more open to change. An example of weakly held opinions might be a teacher who has a slight preference for constructivist teaching methods over other alternatives but isn't prepared to fight hard for her preference. Yet other attitudes might barely register at all, and holders of such views may have a very difficult time even articulating what they believe. Clearly, education administrators in most cases will have less to worry about regarding possible public reaction when citizens' views are barely articulated, although such issues can flare up later, when they present problems for policymakers and may stimulate conflict. For example, public views about which middle school mathematics curriculum is superior wouldn't be expected to generate much Sturm und Drang until a district's standardized scores drop below the 50th percentile, at which point an extraordinary amount of passion can be unleashed.

Generally, attitudes tend to be stronger the more closely attuned one is to a subject. Special education teachers in a school district are more likely than a young couple without children to feel strongly about a decision by the school board to cut costs by ending the mainstreaming of students with individual education programs. Parents who otherwise may not have much interest in public affairs can become very impassioned when they are dealing with school boards or principals about their children, who many parents would regard as the most important part of their lives.

Attitudes also vary in valence, or direction. For example, someone with generally libertarian views is more likely to oppose a principal's ban on middle school students wearing caps (ostensibly to prevent the introduction of gang symbols), whereas voters with a law-and-order mind-set are more likely to find the principal's edict more appealing. Valence is what education administrators need to worry about when public attitudes form after a particular policy decision is taken: Will the public generally favor or oppose a new school bond referendum? Is there support for building a new middle school? How strong is the opposition to busing students to achieve racial and ethnic balance?

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