Questionnaire of Conditions of Choice and Academic Adaptation (CE-AA)

Abstract

The Cuestionario de Condicionantes de la Elección y Adaptación Académica (CE-AA), developed by Sánchez-García, Moreno-Yaguana, and Fernández-García in 2023, is an original psychometric instrument designed to evaluate the critical conditions and psychosocial aspects that influence the university experience, particularly among students in Ecuador. This inventory focuses on measuring the determinants of academic choice and subsequent adaptation.

The instrument is structured across four key dimensions: students’ perceptions regarding information and orientation determinants; the underlying motivational aspects that shaped their choice of university studies; their current level of academic satisfaction; and the quality of support and guidance received from their university institution. The scale underwent rigorous development involving expert analysis for refinement and item validation using a sample of university students. The resulting data demonstrated good content validity and strong internal consistency, although the authors noted that the fit of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis model was acceptable but not considered optimal.

Keywords

Academic Satisfaction, Academic Success, Psychosocial Factors, Reasons for Choosing Studies, Risk Factors, University Students, Educational Adaptation, Psychometrics.

Authors

Sánchez-García, María Fe, Moreno-Yaguana, Paulina E., Fernández-García, Ana.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CE-AA is to quantify the factors underlying students’ decisions regarding their academic path and their subsequent level of adaptation and academic satisfaction. This measurement is specifically calibrated to explore the relationship between these conditioning factors and eventual academic success.

By providing a standardized assessment of these critical psychosocial variables, the CE-AA serves as a diagnostic tool for higher education institutions. The data gathered can be used to identify potential risk factors early in a student’s career and inform the design of targeted intervention strategies aimed at improving student retention and academic outcomes.

Construct

The CE-AA measures the multidimensional construct of Academic Choice and Adaptation Conditionals. This construct encompasses the entire spectrum of psychosocial and institutional influences that shape a student’s university trajectory from initial selection through current engagement.

The instrument is designed to capture complexity through its four primary dimensions: (1) Information and Orientation Determinants influencing the selection of studies; (2) Motivational Aspects of Choice, differentiating between intrinsic, instrumental, and social influences; (3) Academic Satisfaction, measuring current contentment with the chosen path and environment; and (4) Institutional Support and Guidance, evaluating the perceived effectiveness of university resources.

Validity

The validation process focused heavily on ensuring high content validity. This was achieved through meticulous expert judgment, which led to item refinement, adjustment, and removal based on established criteria, notably those proposed by Tristán (2008).

Quantitative validation results were strong, with most content validity indices exceeding 0.90, and none falling below 0.50. The calculated global Content Validity Index (CVI) was 0.88, which substantially surpassed the minimum acceptable threshold of 0.58 recommended by Tristán (2008). This metric confirms a high degree of consensus among expert judges regarding the relevance, clarity, and sufficiency of the questionnaire items in measuring the intended construct.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the CE-AA was assessed using McDonald’s Omega coefficient, a robust indicator of reliability for scales based on factor analysis. The overall Omega values reported for the instrument were within the highly acceptable range of 0.7 to 0.9.

The “Academic Satisfaction” scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, yielding a coefficient of 0.912. For the “Reasons for Choice” scale, Factor 1 exhibited a very strong coefficient of 0.919, while Factor 2 showed a coefficient of 0.687. These results indicate that the items within the major subscales consistently measure the same underlying construct.

Factor Analysis

The psychometric structure of the CE-AA was verified using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

For the “Reasons for choosing studies” scale, the EFA identified two distinct factors that collectively accounted for 68.92% of the total variance. For the “Academic Satisfaction” scale, the EFA revealed that the total variance explained was 53.54%. Following the EFA, the CFA was performed to confirm the hypothesized structure.

The CFA results confirmed the suitability of the structure for factor analysis. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) sampling adequacy indices were high (0.8547 and 0.921, respectively), indicating that the data were appropriate for factoring. Furthermore, Bartlett’s sphericity tests for both scales (χ²=7555.41; 36 gl; p<.000 and χ²=8368.18; 55 gl; p<.000) were highly significant, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis and supporting the use of factor analysis. Although the CFA models showed a good level of adjustment, the authors noted that the fit was acceptable rather than optimal.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: The CE-AA incorporates a variety of response formats, including multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and rating scales.

Language Available: Spanish

Population Group: Human (Male, Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older), Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs), Thirties (30-39 yrs)

Population Details: The study population comprised university students located in Ecuador.

Test Methodology: The instrument’s development involved Test Validity, Content Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis (both Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis).

Keywords

Academic Satisfaction, Academic Success, Psychosocial Factors, Reasons for Choosing Studies, Risk Factors, University Students, Educational Adaptation, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Sánchez-García, María Fe (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)): [email protected]

• Moreno-Yaguana, Paulina E. (Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja): [email protected]

• Fernández-García, Ana (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)): [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Juan del Rosal 14, Madrid, Spain, 28040 (Corresponding Author: Sánchez-García, María Fe)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Sánchez-García, M. F., Moreno-Yaguana, P. E., & Fernández-García, A. (2023). Condicionantes Psicosociales y Perfiles de Riesgo para el Éxito Académico Universitario: Validación de un Instrumento para su Exploración [Psychosocial conditioning factors and risk profiles for academic success: Design of an instrument for their exploration]. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación Psicologica, 67(1), 129–145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21865/RIDEP67.1.10

Items of the Cuestionario de Condicionantes de la Elección y Adaptación Académica (CE-AA)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The CE-AA is a 15-item measure. The specific items are available in Appendix 1, Pages 144-145 of the source reference (2023-56663-009).

Subscales:

• Reasons for choosing studies (Intrinsic-instrumental reasons; Social influence)

• Academic satisfaction