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Social Responsibility Scale
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About Social Responsibility Scale
Scale Name
Social Responsibility Scale
Author Details
Brian P. Nedwek (1987), with additional items developed by Robert L. Flewelling, Mallie J. Paschall, and Christopher L. Ringwalt (1993)
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Social Responsibility Scale, originally developed by Brian P. Nedwek in 1987 and adapted with additional items by Robert L. Flewelling, Mallie J. Paschall, and Christopher L. Ringwalt in 1993, is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure civic responsibility and awareness among African-American males aged 12-16. The scale assesses adolescents’ attitudes toward prosocial behaviors, moral obligations, and community involvement, reflecting values that promote civic engagement and social good. It was adapted for use in urban, high-risk settings as part of violence prevention research, published in Ethnicity and Disease (Paschall & Flewelling, 1997). The scale aligns with social learning theory and positive youth development frameworks, which emphasize the role of prosocial attitudes in mitigating risk behaviors like delinquency or substance use (Wray-Lake & Syvertsen, 2011).
The adapted scale comprises items (exact number not specified, but typically 6-10 based on similar measures) rated on a Likert-type scale (e.g., 1 = “strongly disagree” to 4 or 5 = “strongly agree”), assessing beliefs about civic duties and moral accountability (e.g., “It’s important to help others in my community” or “I feel responsible for doing what’s right”). Higher scores indicate greater civic responsibility and awareness. Validated in urban African-American male adolescents, the scale is used to explore how prosocial attitudes influence behavior and to evaluate interventions fostering community engagement.
Psychologists, educators, and public health researchers use the Social Responsibility Scale to identify protective factors, assess program outcomes, and study the role of civic attitudes in high-risk youth. Its cultural specificity is a strength, but its low internal consistency, English-only availability, and specific demographic focus limit reliability and broader application.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the adapted Social Responsibility Scale from primary sources, such as Paschall and Flewelling (1997) in Ethnicity and Disease or authorized research archives, ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses their views on helping others and community involvement to support positive development, emphasizing confidentiality and using culturally sensitive, age-appropriate language.
- Provide instructions, asking respondents to rate each item based on their agreement with statements about civic responsibility, using the Likert scale.
- Approximate time for completion is 3-5 minutes, depending on the number of items and respondents’ reading ability.
- Administer in a classroom, community center, or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment to promote honest responses. Oral administration may be used for students with reading difficulties.
Reliability and Validity
The adapted Social Responsibility Scale has modest psychometric properties, as reported by Paschall and Flewelling (1997). Internal consistency is low, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.52, indicating poor item cohesion, possibly due to cultural or developmental variability in interpreting civic responsibility or poorly aligned additional items. Test-retest reliability is not reported, but stability is inferred to be moderate based on similar attitudinal scales (e.g., r ≈ 0.50-0.70 over weeks).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as prosocial behavior and community involvement (r ≈ 0.30-0.50), and its inverse relationship with delinquency, consistent with positive youth development research (Wray-Lake & Syvertsen, 2011). Discriminant validity is inferred from weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as academic performance (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is suggested by its use in identifying youth with stronger civic attitudes in violence prevention programs, though the low alpha undermines confidence. Factor analyses are not reported, and the scale’s construct validity is questionable due to its poor reliability. These properties indicate limited suitability for research or practice without significant revision.
Available Versions
06-Items
Reference
Nedwek, B. P. (1987). Political socialization and policy evaluation: The case of youth employment and training program. Evaluation and Program Planning, 10(1), 35-42.
Paschall, M. J., & Flewelling, R. L. (1997). Measuring intermediate outcomes of violence prevention programs targeting African-American male youth: an exploratory assessment of the psychometric properties of six psychosocial measures. Health Education Research, 12(1), 117-128.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Social Responsibility Scale measure?
It measures civic responsibility and awareness, focusing on prosocial attitudes.
Who can use the scale?
Researchers and educators studying African-American male youth in urban settings.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 3-5 minutes.
Is the scale specific to African-American males?
Yes, it targets males aged 12-16 in urban contexts.
Can the scale inform interventions?
Potentially, but its low reliability (α = 0.52) requires cautious use and supplementation.
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