NA-MEA-HAWAII - A HAWAIIAN ACCULTURATION SCALE

The development of an acculturation scale for Native Hawaiians is pres ented. The Hawaiian ethnicity survey entitled ''Na Mea Hawai'i Scale'' or ''Hawaiian Ways'' was developed in two phases. In Phase 1, 15 Hawa iian leaders and residents were asked for their definitions and exampl es of Hawaiian culture. Their responses were worded as survey items me asuring Hawaiian culture. In Phase 2, the 34-item Na Mea Hawai'i Scale was administered to a sample of 50 Hawaiian, 50 Japanese, and 50 Cauc asian respondents. Analysis indicated that Hawaiian subjects responded significantly differently from the Japanese and Caucasian subjects on 20 of the 34 items. Implications of using a functional measure of eth nicity in research are discussed.