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Assessing recognition of sexist language: Development and use of the Gender-Specific Language Scale

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Abstract

Teaching effective writing in the social sciences includes teaching recognition of sexist language. The development and teaching uses of the Gender-Specific Language Scale (GSLS), an instrument designed to assess recognition of sexist language, are described. Three experiments with predominantly European-American male and female students provide support for the reliability and validity of the GSLS, and suggest that it measures a different construct than an essay questionnaire used in previous studies of sexist language. Implications for teaching are discussed.

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The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers of an earlier version of this article for their helpful suggestions.

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McMinn, M.R., Williams, P.E. & McMinn, L.C. Assessing recognition of sexist language: Development and use of the Gender-Specific Language Scale. Sex Roles 31, 741–755 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544290

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