Sociocultural Adaptation Scale – SCAS
Measures the cognitive and behavioral difficulties associated with adapting to a new cultural environment.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sociocultural Adaptation Scale – SCAS was developed by Colleen Ward & Antony Kennedy (1999). It is designed to measure Sociocultural Adaptation. The scale is intended for use with Sojourners, international students, and immigrants.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = No difficulty, 2 = Slight difficulty, 3 = Moderate difficulty, 4 = Great difficulty, 5 = Extreme difficulty.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low difficulty / High adaptation: 1 – 2
- Moderate difficulty / Moderate adaptation: 2 – 3
- High difficulty / Low adaptation: 3 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranging from .84 to .91 (Ward & Kennedy, 1999) and .93 (Wang, 2009).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.