Development and Initial Validation of the Cultural Match Scale for Higher Education Settings

Cultural mismatch theory of inequality and associated research indicates that a mismatch between independent cultural norms of institutions of higher education and students’ interdependent backgrounds account for disparities in academic achievement for students from historically underrepresented groups. Despite growing interest in interventions to reduce cultural mismatch, there was not yet a comprehensive measure of cultural match. We developed and validated the Cultural Match Scale (CMS) composed of 24 Likert-scale items. The CMS measures Navigation of Institutional Culture, Connection to Community, and Connection to Institutional Values. Data from 858 participants were utilized to obtain validity and reliability evidence. Three factors with a general method factor for all negatively worded items showed the best fit. Consistent with the prior findings, relationships with four criterion measures showed medium to large magnitudes of correlations. Reliability was acceptable to excellent levels. The use of the CSM was discussed along with the needs for future research.