AjusteU Questionnaire

Abstract

The AjusteU, developed by Moreira-Mora, Mata-Salas, and Pizarro-Aguilar in 2023, is a scale designed to measure the multifaceted process of college adjustment. The theoretical underpinning of the AjusteU is based on a three-dimensional model encompassing academic, social, and institutional aspects of university life. The development process involved a comprehensive bibliographic review to establish a conceptual framework for eight key indicators, leading to an initial pool of 65 items. A subsequent pilot study, incorporating a student focus group and content validity analysis, refined the instrument to 38 items. Data collected from a sample of college students further supported a final 37-item scale, validated through factor analysis to reflect the academic, social, and institutional dimensions. The instrument has reported evidence of its reliability and validity.

Keywords

Academic; College Adjustment; Institutional; Social

Authors

• Moreira-Mora, Tania Elena

• Mata-Salas, Adriana

• Pizarro-Aguilar, Laura Vanesa

Purpose

The primary purpose of the AjusteU is to assess the process of adaptation to university life among students. This includes understanding how students navigate and integrate into the academic demands, social environment, and institutional structures of higher education. The scale aims to provide insights into student adjustment to facilitate timely interventions and support during the transition from high school to higher education.

Validity

The AjusteU demonstrates several forms of validity:

• Content Validity: Content validity was rigorously assessed using a team of judges and the CVI (Content Validity Index). Based on their recommendations, 38 items retained their original wording, 16 were modified, and 11 were eliminated due to issues such as inadequate formulation, ambiguity, or content similarity with other items.

• Convergent Validity: A significant positive correlation of 0.582 (p < 0.01, bilateral) was found between the AjusteU and the Adaptation to University Life Questionnaire (CAVU; Rodríguez-Ayan & Sotelo, 2014), another established measure of university adaptation. This indicates that the AjusteU converges with other instruments measuring the same construct.

• Predictive Validity: The AjusteU score was found to be significantly associated with students’ academic performance during their first university term. This empirical evidence suggests that the AjusteU can predict future academic success and facilitate appropriate decision-making to support students’ transition.

Reliability

The AjusteU demonstrates strong internal consistency, with a reported reliability coefficient of 0.913. This indicates that the items within the scale are highly correlated and consistently measure the same underlying construct.

Factor Analysis

Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish the structural validity of the AjusteU. The final measure consists of 37 items distributed across a clear three-factor structure: Academic, Social, and Institutional. The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated a good model fit, with ChiSq. = 60.51, P = 0.00, CFI = 0.98, and RMSEA = 0.07.

Instrument: AjusteU

• Test Type: Original

• Format: Items are rated using a 7-point Likert-type scale.

• Language Available: Spanish

• Population Group: Human; Male; Female

• Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

• Population Details:

  • Location: Costa Rica

  • Respondents: University Students

• Test Methodology: Test Validity, Content Validity, Convergent Validity, Predictive Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling.

Authors Including

• Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

• Affiliation: Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Departamento de Orientación y Psicología

• Email addresses: Mata-Salas, Adriana: [email protected]

• Correspondence Address: Mata-Salas, Adriana: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

• Fee: No

• Test Year: 2023

References

Moreira-Mora, T. E., Mata-Salas, A., & Pizarro-Aguilar, L. V. (2023). Evidencias de validez de una escala para evaluar el ajuste a la vida universitaria [Evidence of validity of a scale to assess college adjustment]. Avances en Psicología Latinoamericana, 41(3), 1–16.

Items of the AjusteU

The AjusteU is a 37-item measure. The specific items are not available in the provided text. However, the items are categorized into three main factors: Academic, Social, and Institutional. No file is available for the test items.