Culturally Responsive Research
A major focus of the REVEAL project was to engage in research that was culturally responsive and relevant to communities inside and outside the museum. This included strategies such as assembling a team of diverse, bi-lingual/bi-cultural researchers, reflecting on the cultural assumptions underlying the research methods and measures, and reaching out to community partners for additional insights and perspectives. On this page you will find a variety of culturally responsive research (CRR) resources that were developed through the REVEAL project and that may be particularly relevant to other researchers and evaluators studying learning in out-of-school settings.
Webinar
In May 2016, the REVEAL team collaborated with partners Cecilia Garibay and Laura Huerta-Migus to host a webinar on the project’s approach to CRR. The webinar included a brief introduction to REVEAL, an overview of the CRR perspectives that influenced the project, and discussion of the team’s approach to developing and testing CRR measures and instruments. Presenters also described the coaching model that supported the team in developing their understandings of inclusive, culturally responsive, contextually relevant approaches to research.
Culturally Responsive Research Framework
To guide planning, data collection and analysis, and dissemination, the team developed a project-specific CRR framework. The framework is based on Kirkhart’s notion of multicultural validity and was designed to help the team identify and be accountable to specific CRR strategies throughout the research process. It can be useful when trying to frame a strategy around CRR in your own institution.
Research Instruments and Video Coding Rubrics
The team developed a number of measures, instruments, and coding rubrics to collect data from visitors at OMSI and ScienceWorks. Each was created using a culturally responsive lens and each includes a cover page outlining the measure development process, reliability and validity evidence collected during the study, and cultural assumptions underlying the measure.
- Visitor Survey (General Museum Visitor Satisfaction Index)
- Visitor Survey (Math Enjoyment at Exhibits Index)
- Video Coding Rubric (Mathematical Reasoning at Exhibits Coding Rubric)
- Video Coding Rubric (Museum Intergenerational Communication Coding Rubric)
Additional Resources
- Partnership Story—Find out more about what we learned from our local communities.
- Resource Roundup—See what other CRR resources were recommended by our partners.
- REVEAL Process Evaluation Report—Learn how the team grappled with CRR throughout the project.