Perceptions of Parents Scales – The College-Student Scale (POPS)
Measures college students' perceptions of their parents' support for autonomy, involvement, and warmth.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Perceptions of Parents Scales – The College-Student Scale (POPS) was developed by Robyn M. Grolnick, Edward L. Deci (1987). It is designed to measure Parental autonomy support, involvement, and warmth. The scale is intended for use with College students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 42 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Mother Autonomy Support, Mother Involvement, Mother Warmth, Father Autonomy Support, Father Involvement, Father Warmth.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Mother Autonomy Support | 2,5,11,14,17,19 | 6 |
| Mother Involvement | 3,6,9,12,15,18 | 6 |
| Mother Warmth | 1,4,7,8,10,13,16,20,21 | 9 |
| Father Autonomy Support | 23,26,32,35,38,40 | 6 |
| Father Involvement | 24,27,30,33,36,39 | 6 |
| Father Warmth | 22,25,28,29,31,34,37,41,42 | 9 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all true, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = Somewhat true, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = Very true.
The scale includes 16 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically ranges from .78 to .90 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.