Coping Questionnaire for children
Shenoy‚ Uma A. 1996
Given below are some of the areas in which children living in a foreign country are generally known to find different. We would like to know what you did or are doing to deal with‚ or‚ cope with these differences. Please tick the appropriate response‚ that is‚ what you did‚ for each situation.
If you did something other than what is listed‚ please tell us what you did by writing it down under the section “Any other way I dealt with it”. If you did not experience the difference‚ then tick the “Not appropriate” box and move on to the next question.
[A] Living under different climatic and weather conditions:
(1) Stayed at home
(2) Complained a lot and did not know what to do
(3) Went out more to get used to it
(4) Did nothing
(5) Cried
(6) Learnt to wear different clothes in different seasons
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[B]Wearing different kinds of clothes:
(1) Did not wear clothes like other Americans/continued wearing clothes from my country
(2) Started wearing clothes like other Americans
(3) Cried
(4) Saw what clothes other children wore‚ and learnt to wear the same kind of clothes
(5) Complained and did not what to do
(6) Was scared of wearing clothes like other children
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[C] Learning to speak a different language:
(1) Cried
(2) Went to an ESL class
(3) Practiced speaking with friends/parents/guardians
(4) Avoided learning it
(5) Felt bad about being speaking differently
(6) Read books and heard others speak English so I could learn better
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[D] Different kind of school than in home country:
(1) Made friends who helped me to get to know the school
(2) Spoke with teachers to learn about the school
(3) Complained and did not know what to do
(4) Cried
(5) Learnt about different things in the school by talking to classmates
(6) Felt scared and wanted to go back to my home country
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[E] Eating different kind of food:
(1) Did not eat American food at all/ continued eating only food from home country
(2) Decided to try American food and see whether I like it
(3) Continued eating food from home country but also sometimes ate American food
(4) Cried
(5) Complained a lot and did not know what to do
(6) Disliked American food and wished to go back to my country
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[F] Praying in a different way / following a different religion:
(1) Cried
(2) Avoided meeting children because they prayed to a different God
(3) Felt bad about praying differently compared to American children
(4) Changed to a different religion
(5) Asked my friends to take me with them to their place of worship
(6) Spoke to friends and got to know about their way of praying
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[G] Playing different kinds of games and sports:
(1) Asked my friends or parents to teach me to play new games
(2) Watched others play the game I wanted to learn
(3) Avoided playing with other children
(4) Cried
(5) Complained a lot and did not know what to do
(6) Read books and magazines to help me learn the games
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
[H] Forming new friendships:
(1) Went and made friends with other children
(2) Asked children if I could be their friend
(3) Felt shy or scared to make friends
(4) Learnt to do what other children did‚ so I could be their friend
(5) Cried about not having friends
(6) Avoided meeting other children
(7) Any other way of dealing
( ) Not applicable
This instrument can be found on pages 90-92 of “In Moving to a New Country: Children and Adolescent’s Adaptation”‚ available online at: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-44915251972550/unrestricted/etd.pdf
Shenoy‚ Uma A. 1996. In Moving to a New Country: Children and Adolescent’s Adaptation. Virginia Polytechnic Institute. master’s Thesis