Evaluation of factors contributing to the achievement of students participating in a culturally responsive curriculum in Hawai`i public schools

This research explored the effectiveness of Ka Hana ‘Imi Na ‘auao, a culturally responsive science curriculum developed for Hawaiian and other students in Hawai‘i high schools. An instrument, The Culturally Responsive Science Perception (CRSP) inventory was developed to measure students’ (a) perceptions of their science self-efficacy, (b) perceived frequency of behaviors valued by members of the Hawaiian community and (c) frequency of perceptions of behaviors conducive to learning. Initial validation for the three-factor construct was obtained using Exploratory Factor Analysis and further validated utilizing Confirmatory Factor Analysis with an oblique rotation and 24 items were found to measure the three aspects with a multicultural group of 332 students on Oahu and Hawai‘i island. A multi-level analysis was conducted by (a) testing for internal consistency and growth patterns over time utilizing Confirmatory Factor Analysis, (b) developing a 2-level model using a Growth Curve Modeling approach as the final method of measuring growth over time and analyzing the differences between treatment and control groups. Results indicated a significant change ( p < .05) in science self-efficacy and frequency of pono behaviors (p <.05), as well as significant gains in overall GPA (p < .01) in the treatment group. These positive findings suggest that when curriculum developers in Hawai‘i are more culturally conscious, it may benefit all learners.