Educators\u27 Knowledge of and Attitudes Towards Aids

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of educators pertaining to AIDS. Surveys were mailed to 212 educators employed in two districts in Southwestern Kansas. A total of 128 complete surveys were returned. Of the educators returning complete surveys, 25 were males and 103 were females. The following independent variables were investigated: age, gender, level at which the educator works, years of experience in education, and religious affiliation. The following dependent variables were investigated: Perceived Personal Vulnerability, Perceived Extent of Others\u27 Risk Reduction Efforts, Desire for AIDS Information, Perceived Effectiveness of Preventive Measures, and Knowledge of AIDS. Five composite null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. A three-way analysis of variance (general linear model) was employed for all null hypotheses. A total of 102 comparisons were made plus 102 recurring. Of the 102 comparisons, 30 were for main effects and 72 were interactions. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. educators age 49 and less have a greater desire for AIDS Information than those age 50 and over, 2. educators with 1-5 years experience have a greater desire for AIDS Information than those with 21 and more years of experience, 3. educators with 16-20 years of experience Perceived Effectiveness of Preventive Measures more important than those with 1-5 years of experience, 4. educators working at the high school level have more Knowledge of AIDS than those working at the elementary level, 5. educators age 35-49 have more Knowledge of AIDS than those age 50 and over, 6. the independent variables age and gender should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Disease Severity, 7. the independent variables gender and years of experience should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Disease Severity, 8. the independent variables years of experience and level at which the educator works should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Personal Vulnerability, 9. the independent variables age, years of experience, and level at which the educator works should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Extent of Others\u27 Risk Reduction Efforts, 10. the independent variables age and level at which the educator works should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Personal Vulnerability, 11 . the independent variables age, gender, and level at which the educator works should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Perceived Personal Vulnerability, and 12. the independent variables gender and religious affiliation should be examined concurrently for the dependent variable Knowledge of AIDS