Development of the Aristotelian Ethical Behavior in Leisure Scale Short Form

Authors

  • Mark A. Widmer
  • Gary D. Ellis
  • Wayne W. Munson

Keywords:

Leisure Lifestyle, Assessment, Ethical Leisure Behavior, Positive Psychology, At-Risk Youth

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the "Aristotelian Ethical Behavior in Leisure Scale" (AEBLS-S) for use in therapeutic recreation practice; twenty-six items representing four components of Aristotelian ethical behavior in leisure were selected through item analysis from the original 64 items. Participants include 2,502 adolescents from California, Ohio, and Utah who represented a variety of agencies (e.g., high schools, correctional institutions, and psychiatric centers). Data were collected on educational performance, substance abuse, legal involvement, leisure boredom, children's social desirability (CSD), and demographic variables. Internal structure analysis of the short form produced internal consistency estimates ranging from .87 to .90 across the 15 agencies. Analyses providing insight into criterion-related evidence of validity revealed significant relationships between AEBLS-S and educational performance, substance abuse, and leisure boredom. Non-significant correlations resulted between the AEBLS-S and CSD, providing additional criterionrelated evidence of validity. These findings provide support for validity of inferences that may be made about adolescents' ethical behavior in leisure from scores produced by AEBLS-S.

Published

2003-07-24

Issue

Section

Research Papers