Methodological Complexity: A Both/And Approach to Address Tool Validity and Reliability for Assessment of Cultural Responsiveness in Indigenous Serving Schools

Oct 15, 2026

Presents the first psychometric validation of the Culturally Responsive Assessment of Indigenous Schooling (CRAIS) tool and argues for methodological complexity in research conducted with and within Indigenous contexts. The study examines 23 culturally responsive schooling principles using independent samples of teacher-produced curriculum units; 22 principles load onto two factors. The rationale for all items is strengthened through literature review and discussions grounded in authors’ lived experiences and Indigenous teachers’ perspectives, showing how mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches yield a more nuanced tool.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Methodological complexity and tool validation

CRAIS development and purpose

Psychometric validation and factor analysis

Item rationale through literature and lived experiences

Implications for culturally responsive practice

AERA Open January-December 2024, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1–10 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584241232958 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2024. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Methodological Complexity: A Both/And Approach to Address Tool Validity and Reliability for Assessment of Cultural Responsiveness in Indigenous Serving Schools Darold H. Joseph Chesleigh N. Keene Angelina E. Castagno Northern Arizona University Pradeep M. Dass University of Texas, Tyler Crystal Macias Northern Arizona University This article presents the first psychometric validation of the Culturally Responsive Assessment of Indigenous Schooling (CRAIS) tool, alongside a call for methodological complexity when engaged in research with and in Indigenous contexts. We examined the 23 culturally responsive schooling (CRS) principles underlying the newly created CRAIS tool in independent samples of curriculum units produced by teachers. Of these, 22 principles loaded into two factors. We further investigated the rationale for all 23 items through a review of the literature and robust discussions about the lived experiences of the authors and the Indigenous teachers with whom we work. We suggest that this both/and approach of quantitative and qualitative analysis results in a richer and more nuanced tool, as compared to what one single method would have rendered. Embracing this methodological complexity allows us to both center Indigenous lived experiences and maintain fidelity to the statistical implications of our work. Keywords: culturally responsive schooling, Indigenous peoples, education, factor analysis The Culturally Responsive Assessment of Indigenous Schooling (CRAIS) tool was developed to support the assessment of culturally responsive principles in schools serving Indigenous students. Engaging in collaborative learning, professional development, and research across a diverse group of stakeholders led to the development of the CRAIS tool, and to the suggestion in this article that methodological complexity is necessary for projects wishing to advance cultural responsiveness with and in Indigenous contexts. In our work specifically, we discuss the results of an exploratory factor analysis of the CRAIS tool, alongside the decolonizing methodologies and conversations engaged by the research team. This complexity—while not easily captured in a written form such as this—ultimately enriches our learning, strengthens the tool we have developed, and offers a path forward in our ongoing work with teachers and other educators across Indian Country. The exploratory factor analysis of the CRAIS tool presented in this article builds on prior work through the Diné Institute for Navajo Nation Educators (DINÉ) . Additional details about DINÉ are below, but what is important to note at the outset is that DINÉ is a partnership with the Diné Nation focused on professional development to strengthen teaching through a culturally responsive approach (Castagno et al., 2022) . The original introduction of the CRAIS tool provides the historical context and rationale for the development of the tool (Castagno et al., 2022) . The tool is designed to address the historical disparity of culturally responsive components of curriculum planning that often perpetuate traditional paradigms of western educational pedagogy, leaving out the stories, ways of knowing, and knowledge systems of Indigenous communities. The CRAIS tool does not provide guidance on the appropriate integration of western academic curricular standards; rather, Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial

FAQs

What is the CRAIS tool designed to assess?

CRAIS supports assessment of culturally responsive principles in schools serving Indigenous students.

What did the exploratory factor analysis show about the 23 principles?

Twenty-two principles loaded into two factors, while the study also investigated the rationale for all 23 items.

Why does the article emphasize a “both/and” methodological approach?

It argues that combining quantitative and qualitative analysis creates a richer, more nuanced tool and helps center Indigenous lived experiences while maintaining statistical fidelity.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by eBook King