Evaluation of Educational Training for Young Adults on Sexual Identity

Educational interventions are effective methods to reduce negative attitudes toward sexual minorities, but they are often problematic for Christian institutions when not valuative of a Christian sexual ethic. The current study sought to evaluate the impact of a Christian principals-based, educational DVD upon negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward sexual minorities. Forty-three participants were recruited from a conservative Christian university in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States; all were enrolled in undergraduate studies. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine whether education concerning sexual identity formation would significantly affect negative attitudes and behaviors toward sexual minorities within the studied sample. Results revealed that postintervention scores related to negative attitudes toward sexual minorities from the participants were significantly lower when compared to preintervention scores. No statistical significance was observed in relation to negative behaviors. Implications of these findings suggest that Christian universities can utilize Christian-based educational interventions when choosing to form more nuanced responses to sexual minorities on their campuses.