Asset-Based Identities Measure

Asset-Based Identities Measure

Description

The Asset-Based Identities Measure (López et al., 2024) was designed to assess students’ perceptions in alignment with asset-based pedagogy (ABP). This approach aims to affirm the belonging, intersectional identities, and competence of minoritized students. The measure was developed following the guidelines of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME, 2014) and Kane’s (2013) argument-based validation framework. The final 21-item questionnaire was administered to K-12 students in an urban school district in Arizona, with factor analysis, reliability, and validity results supporting its use.

Author

• Francesca López – Pennsylvania State University
• DeLeon Gray – North Carolina State University
• Mildred Boveda – Pennsylvania State University
• Dynah Oviedo – Tucson Unified School District
• Nilam Ram – Stanford University (ORCID: 0000-0003-1671-5257)
• Lorenzo López – Tucson Unified School District

Purpose

This questionnaire was created to center student voices in informing teacher practices through formative assessment.

Construct

• Asset-Based Teaching Practices

Instrument Type

• Inventory/Questionnaire

Format

Participants respond using a 9-point Likert-type scale with the prompt:
“In today’s class…”
The scale ranges from -4 (Strongly Disagree) to +4 (Strongly Agree).

Factors and Subscales

• Competence (4 items)
• Belonging (8 items)
• Intersectionality (9 items)

Reliability

• Internal Consistency:
  • Full scale (21 items): α = .94
  • Competence (4 items): α = .77 (removal of any item reduced the coefficient)
  • Intersectionality (9 items): α = .84 (no item removal improved the coefficient)
  • Belonging (8 items): α = .90 (no item removal improved the coefficient)

Validity

• Construct Validity: Evidence supports the measure’s alignment with asset-based pedagogy, as Latinx and Multiracial students demonstrated higher agreement with items, consistent with the theoretical framework.
• Internal Structure: The item-factor structure and stability of the measure were examined, reinforcing its suitability for evaluating ABP in educational settings.

Factor Analysis

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): A three-factor model was hypothesized to fit better than a single-factor model.
  • Three-factor model:
    • χ²(186) = 1109.18, p < .001
    • SRMR = .05, RMSEA = .08, CFI = .90, TLI = .88
    • AIC = 71764.73
  • One-factor model:
    • χ²(210) = 9195.55, p < .001
    • SRMR = .38, RMSEA = .19, CFI = .39, TLI = .36
    • AIC = 76326.85
  • The three-factor model demonstrated superior fit across multiple indices.

Test Methodology

• Test Validity
• Construct Validity
• Test Reliability
• Internal Consistency
• Factor Analysis
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Age Group

• Childhood (birth-12 years)
• School Age (6-12 years)
• Adolescence (13-17 years)

Population Group

• Human (Male & Female)
• K-12 Students
• United States

Keywords

• Intersectionality
• Competence
• Belonging
• Minoritized Students
• Asset-Based Pedagogy
• Student Identities
• Argument-Based Approach
• Teacher Practice
• Student Voices

Items of Asset-Based Identities Measure

This measure assesses various aspects of asset-based identities through a series of items. Participants rate their agreement with each item on a scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The items are categorized into Belonging, Competence and Task Value, and Intersectional Identities.

Items

The items included in the measure are as follows:

Belonging

• The feedback my teacher gave me helped me meet expectations.

• My teacher connected what we learned with my life outside of school.

• My teacher looked out for me.

• My teacher made me feel like my opinions and ideas matter.

• My teacher let us ask others for help when we needed it.

• The material connected the world around me.

• My teacher made me feel like what I learned matters.

• My teacher tried to help me when I was struggling, sad, worried, angry, upset, or frustrated.

Competence and Task Value

• I did well.

• I enjoyed the work I did.

• I was interested in the material we covered.

• We learned things that matter to my life.

Intersectional Identities

• I felt positively about my race/ethnicity.

• The material taught me about my race/ethnicity.

• My teacher supported my learning needs.

• My teacher had high expectations of me.

• People spoke multiple languages.

• I saw examples of smart people from my ethnic background.

• The material connected to my home life experience.

• I learned from someone with a different home life experience than mine.

• Students of all genders were treated fairly.

Scale

The items are rated on a scale as outlined in the following table:

Note: Items are rated from -4 Strongly Disagree to +4 Strongly Agree.

Reference

López, F., Gray, D., Boveda, M., Oviedo, D., Ram, N., & López, L. (2024). Centering student voice to inform teacher practice and research: Validation of an asset-based identities measure. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 42(2), 166–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/07342829231216778