From attitude change to effective practice: Exploring the relationship

This article reports on a study of teaching strategies designed to improve students' anticipated professional behavior (A PB) with gay and lesbian cli ents. Early in the fall 1995 term, 110 students in social work courses at f our schools were asked to respond - on a continuum from preferred to unacce ptable responses-to four vignettes concerning gay and lesbian clients. Foll owing different educational interventions, the students aga in responded to the vignettes. Analysis explored the effects of having gay or lesbian frie nds, academic major, attitude toward gay men and lesbians, and other factor s. The results indicate that students' APE improved over the semester, thou gh the effects of the four interventions were not significantly different. The authors conclude that the profession should develop standards for pract ice with gay and lesbian clients, and that educators should focus on changi ng students' APB, ra ther than their attitudes, toward this population.