Description

The Cultural Congruity Scale (CCS) was originally developed to assess the degree to which students’ values, beliefs, and cultural background are perceived as congruent with the culture of the university environment. It measures cultural fit and potential conflict, with items addressing belonging, value conflicts, and comfort in academic settings (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996). The Cultural Congruity Index (CCI) is an adaptation of the CCS used in studies with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) graduate students (Brazill et al., 2021). The CCI retained 9 of the original 13 CCS items, modified for graduate student contexts, and measured perceptions of cultural congruity in higher education settings.

AI/AN Communities where the measure has been used

American Indian/Alaska Native graduate students in STEM at 12 U.S. public research universities (Western and Midwestern regions).

Demographics of AI/AN participants where the scale has been used

AI/AN Master’s and doctoral graduate students in STEM fields at 12 US public research universities (Western & Midwestern regions); disciplines included biological sciences, mathematics, chemistry, agriculture, engineering, medicine, and computer science.

Notes on adaptations or modifications

  1. CCI adapted from CCS: 9 of 13 original CCS items retained.
  2. Wording adapted for graduate-level STEM students.

Modality and administration

Self-report; Administered via paper-and-pencil or online as part of larger survey of Indigenous graduate student experiences in STEM.

Scoring

  • Items summed and averaged to maintain 7 point Likert scale (1=Not at all true – 7=Very true).
  • 5 items reverse-coded so higher scores indicated greater sense of cultural congruity (stronger sense of belonging, less conflict between personal/cultural values and academic environment).

Psychometric evidence

Internal reliability α = .86 with AI/AN graduate students in STEM. Predictive validity supported by associations with peer interactions and academic confidence.

Citation(s)

  • Gloria, A. M., & Robinson Kurpius, S. E. (1996). The validation of the Cultural Congruity Scale and the University Environment Scale with Chicano/a students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 18(4), 533–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/07399863960184007 [Original citation]
  • Brazill, S. C., Myers, C. B., Myers, S. M., & Johnson, C. M. (2021). Cultural congruity and academic confidence of American Indian graduate students in STEM: Peer interactions, mentor cultural support, and university environment fit. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(4), 425–436. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000353

Note: The included citations are not exhaustive, but represent the examples we had access to. If you are an original author or have other work that could be included here, please contact us.