Development of a Measure of Racial Equity-Based Social Emotional Learning Practices (REQSEL)

Transformative SEL refers to the integration of an explicit
equity and social justice lens into the conceptualization and implementation of
social and emotional learning (SEL). As Jagers, Rivas-Drake, and Williams
(2019) explain, it is an approach to SEL aimed at interrupting the reproduction
of inequitable educational environments by attending to identity, power,
discrimination, and social justice. Existing measures cannot be used to capture
practices aligned with transformative SEL due to their focus on general
competencies and SEL instructional practices. Based on our theory, prior
research, experience with practitioner professional learning communities, and
an ongoing research-practice partnership that includes a mixed-method study of
SEL, ethnic-racial assets, and emerging civic development in early adolescence,
we have begun developing a measure to assess SEL practices that are aligned
with transformative SEL principles and thus can be used to promote rather than
hinder racially equitable learning environments. We are engaging in a
mixed-method study to further develop, refine, and disseminate this measure. We
aim to: 1) iteratively develop a reliable, ecologically valid, and
psychometrically sound measure of racial equity-oriented SEL practices and 2) field
test the measure in large districts that serve racially marginalized youth.

<br><br>This project contains these related studies: <br>

Study 1. REQSEL Measure Development EFA Qualtrics Sample 1
(May 2021)Study 2. REQSEL Measure Development EFA Qualtrics Sample 2
(July/August 2021)Study 3. REQSEL Measure Development CFA-Validation Qualtrics
Sample (July/August 2021)Study 4. REQSEL Measure Development CFA Field Sample Wave 1
(Fall 2021)

<b><br>PREVIOUS PROJECT WORK</b>

This measure development project follows Boateng et al.’s
(2018) nine-step protocol for scale development and validation. Prior to Study
1, steps 1 (item generation) and 2 (content validity) have been completed.
Concurrent with Study 1, step 3 (pre-testing) was conducted. Below is a summary
of those steps:<br>

<br><b>1.Initial item generation: </b>A team of four researchers
drew on knowledge from SEL practitioners and our own preliminary knowledge of
theory, research, and prior experience as K-12 classroom teachers to brainstorm
a pool of 248 potential survey items. Over nine meetings and through a
consensual decision-making process, the research team revised the brainstormed
items to arrive at 150 draft items across six themes: Engaging with
Ethnic-Racial Identity, Navigating Intergroup Relations, Racial Injustice,
Xenophobia, Student Agency, Voice, and Power; and Racially Equitable
Discipline. We also conducted two focus groups with 5th-8th grade teachers to
identify relevant content and confirm the relevance of the themes. Over an
additional seven meetings, we further refined the items and arrived at 139
items across the six themes.<br>

<br><b>2a. Content validity with expert advisors:</b> We
solicited and received individual written feedback from six field experts
(selected based on their familiarity with the content) who commented on the
content relevance, representativeness, and technical quality of the items.
Through this process, we further reduced the number of items to 80 across the
six themes.

<br><b><br>2b. Content validity with target population (i.e.,
teachers):</b> We conducted a survey of 60 5th-8th grade teachers familiar with
SEL to collect individual written feedback on the set of 80 items to determine
face and ecological validity and clarity. Through this process, we further
reduced the set of items to 73 across 7 domains: Engagement with Ethnic/Racial
Identity (7 items), Language (3), Navigating Intergroup Relations (8), Racial
Injustice (24), Racially Equitable Discipline (6), Student Agency, Voice, &amp;
Power (14), and Xenophobia (11).

<br>

<b><br>3. Pre-testing.</b> Concurrent with Steps 4, 5, and 6 (Survey
Administration, Item Reduction, and Extraction of Factors), which is described
in our Study 1, we are also conducting Step 3 (Pre-testing). Step 3 consisted
of conducting cognitive interviews with five middle school teachers who had
taught SEL in the past 3 years at an urban school and taught primarily students
of color (at least 50% of their students were non-white). Participants were
recruited by sending an email and flier advertising the study to research team
members’ contacts. Seven people responded to the request. One was eliminated
because they indicated their students were more than 50% white, and another was
eliminated because they did not teach in an urban setting. The five
participants were 3 men and 2 women, 3 white and 2 Asian, 2 masters degrees and
3 bachelors, 4 public and 1 charter school, 4 with between 2 and 5 years
teaching experience and 1 with 20 years. <br>

<br>Interviews were conducted by one research team member and
followed the following format: Participants were read each survey item aloud.
They answered the survey item using the provided response scale. Then the
interviewer asked two follow-up questions: 1) What do you think this question
is asking? (To gauge their comprehension of what the question was meant to
ask.), and 2) How did you arrive at your answer? (To assess what experiences
they were drawing on in response to the question.) After all of the individual
questions had been discussed, participants were asked to share any general
feedback on the measure. Using proactive, standardized probes in this manner
reflects a combination of the think-aloud and the probing techniques common to
cognitive interviews (Beatty &amp; Willis, 2007).<br><br>All research team members listened to all five interviews
and recorded their notes for each item about whether or not the participant
understood the question as it was intended and whether they drew on reasonable
evidence to arrive at their response. The research team then met to discuss
their impressions from the interviews and to revise the items based on the
participants’ responses. Based on this feedback, we dropped 7 items, and
revised the wording of 11 items. The resulting survey had 51 items in 4
domains: Awareness of Diverse Ethnic/Racial Identities and Experiences (8
items), Racial Injustice (19), Student Agency, Voice, &amp; Power (12), and
Xenophobia (12).<br>