Development and validation of a multi-domain survey assessing student experiences with school-based restorative practices implementation: community based participatory research at work for school equity

ABSTRACTThe emerging research base on Restorative Practices (RP) efficacy in schools lacks validated instruments of RP implementation fidelity that capture youth responsiveness to RP components. Therefore, members of a University-District Community Based Participatory (CBPR) project collaboratively developed the Student Restorative Culture Survey (SRCS). This study seeks to examine the construct validity of the SRCS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the theoretical foundations of the instrument. This study found evidence supporting the construct validity for the SRCS with a five-factor structure of RP Benefits, RP Quality, School Support, Repair Harm, and Feeling Left Out. Given that RP is rooted in an emancipatory paradigm, it is critical to ensure that implementation measures reflect contextual modifications and center student experiences.