1. Psychometric properties of the AMAS-ZABB with sojourners
Poster presentation at the American Psychological Association (APA) annual meeting , Washington D.C.
August 2005
Kimberly K. Asner-Self Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
James B. Schreiber Duquesne University
Maria Cecilia Zea George Washington University
Cindy L.. Anderton Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

2. Introduction
The AMAS-ZABB (Zea, Asner-Self, Birman, & Buki, 2003) is a 42-item, paper and pencil, self-report, Likert-like, bilinear, multidimensional acculturation scale designed to measure three dimensions across cultures
Psychometric properties only studied with two samples, both Latino/a.
The current study presents reliability, validity, and factor analytic data on a sample of international university students from a variety of countries.

3. Acculturation
Acculturation, the ongoing psychological and behavioral change an individual undergoes as a consequence of long-term contact with another culture (Berry, 1980; Berry & Sam, 1997; Stonequist, 1935, 1937)
Definition evolving from conceptualizing and measuring acculturation as a linear, unidimensional to a bilinear, multidimensional process.

4. Initially considered a linear process (e. g
Initially considered a linear process (e.g., Cuéllar, Harris, & Jasso, 1980) where change consisted of assimilation into the dominant culture, now thought to be more of a bilinear, multidimensional process (Birman & Tyler, 1994) where change occurs over several domains (behavior, cultural identity, knowledge, language, values) in relation to both the host culture and the culture of origin over time (e.g., Cortés, Rogler, & Malgady, 1994; Cuéllar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995; Marín & Gamba, 1996; Szapocznik, Kurtines, & Fernández, 1980, Zea, Asner-Self, Birman, & Buki, 2003).

5. Measuring Acculturation
Many measures look at acculturation as a bilinear, multidimensional process (see Zea et al., 2003 for a review).
Most are culture specific (e.g., Latinos/as: Cortés et al., 1994; Cuéllar et al., 1995; Mendoza, 1989 or Asians: Tsai, Ying, & Lee, 2000).
Two measures, the AMAS-ZABB and the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (2000) claim to be generalizable process across acculturating groups.
The AMAS has only been studied with Latino/as

6. Research Goals
Psychometric properties of the 42-item AMAS with international students (97% non-Latino).
Reliability of scale and subscale scores.
Concurrent validity with years in U.S.
Confirmatory factor analysis

7. Method - Participants
International students at a large Midwestern public university.
n = 233;
123 women, 107 men, 3 did not report
Mean age = (SD = 5.74).
79 were undergraduates; 152 graduate students (2 did not report).
155 were single; 66 were married (12 did not report).
182 (78%) considered themselves in the U.S. for a limited time as sojourners
Years in the U.S. ranged from just arrived to years
Mean= 3.29 (3.65); Median = 2.5 years; Mode = 9.6 months.

8. 151 students from Asian countries 64.8%
31 students from Europe
22 students from Africa
8 students from the Middle East
7 students from Latin America
5 students from the Caribbean
1 student from New Zealand
7 born in the U.S of non-US parents,
and raised outside US.

9. Method - Procedure
Recruited via flyers, at campus events, in classes for extra credit, and through an international student listserv.
Students voluntarily completed a survey packet containing an informed consent form, a demographic sheet , and the AMAS-ZABB and returned them by campus mail.

10. Method - Instrumentation
Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (Zea et al., 2003).
42-item, self-report, paper and pencil scale
Earlier international student (Latino/a) psychometrics:
a =
Concurrent validity with time of U.S. residence
Convergent and discriminant validity with BIQ-B

11. The AMAS Factor Model in the Literature (Zea et al., 2003).
Bilinear, multidimensional acculturation scale designed to measure three dimensions (six factors):
language competence,
cultural identity, and
cultural competence within the host culture and culture of origin.

12. Identity Dimension
The cultural identity dimension measures how individuals perceive their cultural selves in relation to the U.S. dominant culture and culture of origin.

13. Language Dimension
Language competence is conceptualized as spoken, written, and receptive relative fluency in both languages (English/one’s first language).

14. Cultural Competence Dimension
The cultural competence subscale focuses on historical, political and popular cultural knowledge in both cultures

15. Analysis
Means, standard deviations, and internal consistency coefficients calculated using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha by subscale.
Concurrent validity with years in the U.S.
Using SPSSx Version 13 for Windows, we conducted a principal components analysis using Oblique rotation with Kaiser (1960) normalization and a cut-off of .45 limiting the components extracted to the theoretically derived six.

16. Table 1: International students AMAS score range, means, standard deviations, and coefficient alphas
Scores Mean s.d. alpha
U.S. Total
U.S. Identity
English
U.S. Cultural Competence
Culture-of-Origin (COO) Total
COO Identity
Language
COO Cultural Competence

17. Results for Research Goal 1
Internal consistency for this sample’s AMAS scores is high although slightly lower than those reported in the literature (Zea et al., 2003).

18. Table 2: Pearson Product-Moment correlations among years in the U. S
Table 2: Pearson Product-Moment correlations among years in the U.S. and AMAS subscales.

19. Results for Research Goal 2
Length of time these sojourners had been in the U.S. was related to
U.S. identity,
English, and
U.S. cultural competence
and inversely related to
Country-of-origin language and
Cultural competence.

20. Table 3: PCA, Oblique rotation, 6 component structure of the 42-item AMAS scores with int’l students (n=233)

21. Results for Research Goal 3
The Factor Analysis supported the AMAS’s 6 component model with this group of international students.

22. Implications
The AMAS can be used to study international university students acculturation process to the U.S.

23. Limitations
Only university students were surveyed limiting generalizability.
The majority of these university students considered themselves sojourners as opposed to immigrants.
Survey data – one point in time.

24. Further research Study the AMAS’s latent structure
Access non-Latino/a community participants to confirm use across acculturating groups beyond university students.
Conduct longitudinal studies to determine the AMAS’s ability to measure acculturative change among sojourners, immigrants, and refugees.