Using transformative mixed methods to develop a measure of school belonging for Indigenous students

We aimed to support the self-determination of Wolastoqey communities by developing a measure of contextual factors that contribute to school belonging for their middle school and high school students who attended school off-reserve. Most post-positivist methodologies of measure development minimize researcher bias after an item pool has been generated; however, there is limited check on researcher bias before the item pool has been generated. Transformative methodologies include checks on researcher bias throughout the research process by ensuring that individuals who are influenced by the research are actively involved. The mixed methods methodological aim of this paper was to illustrate the application of a transformative approach to instrument development. We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. A transformative mixed methods approach to scale development can support the self-determination of those influenced by the research and its outcomes. Methodological contributions of this approach are discussed.