AjusteU Questionnaire

Abstract

The AjusteU Questionnaire is a psychological scale developed in 2023 by Moreira-Mora, Mata-Salas, and Pizarro-Aguilar, designed specifically to quantify the complex process of college adjustment among university students. The scale is theoretically grounded in a robust three-dimensional model that captures the essential components of university integration: the Academic, the Social, and the Institutional aspects of student life.

The development of the instrument was rigorous, beginning with an extensive bibliographic review that established a conceptual framework across eight key indicators, yielding an initial pool of 65 items. This was subsequently refined through a pilot study involving student focus groups and professional content validity analysis, reducing the scale to 38 items. The final version of the AjusteU consists of 37 items, substantiated by empirical data from college students and validated via factor analysis, demonstrating strong evidence of both its validity and reliability for measuring this crucial transition phase.

Keywords

College Adjustment, University Adaptation, Academic Performance, Social Integration, Institutional Adjustment, Psychometric Scale, Validity, Reliability.

Authors

Moreira-Mora, Tania Elena, Mata-Salas, Adriana, Pizarro-Aguilar, Laura Vanesa.

Purpose

The primary objective of the AjusteU Questionnaire is to accurately assess the process of adaptation and integration experienced by students entering university life. This measurement is crucial for understanding how individuals successfully manage the unique demands inherent in higher education.

Specifically, the scale provides measurable insights into how students navigate academic rigor, integrate into the social environment, and adapt to the administrative and structural policies of the institution. By offering a detailed profile of student adjustment, the AjusteU serves as a vital tool for researchers and educational institutions to identify at-risk students and implement timely, targeted interventions and support programs during the critical transition period from secondary education to university.

Construct

The AjusteU measures the construct of College Adjustment, which is defined as the successful integration of a student into the university environment across three distinct, yet interrelated, dimensions. This multidimensional approach ensures a comprehensive assessment of the student experience, moving beyond mere academic success.

The three core dimensions measured by the 37-item scale are:

• Academic Adjustment: Reflects the student’s ability to manage study habits, meet institutional expectations, and cope with the cognitive demands of coursework.
• Social Adjustment: Measures the student’s integration into the peer environment, including forming friendships, participating in campus life, and developing a sense of belonging.
• Institutional Adjustment: Assesses the student’s comfort level and successful interaction with the university’s rules, services, resources, and administrative processes.

Validity

The validity of the AjusteU has been established through several psychometric analyses, ensuring the instrument measures the construct of college adjustment accurately and meaningfully.

• Content Validity: Content validity was meticulously evaluated using a panel of expert judges and quantified via the Content Validity Index (CVI). This process led to the modification of 16 items and the elimination of 11 items identified as ambiguous, poorly formulated, or redundant, resulting in a refined and focused instrument.

• Convergent Validity: Strong evidence of Convergent Validity was demonstrated by comparing the AjusteU scores with those from the established Adaptation to University Life Questionnaire (CAVU; Rodríguez-Ayan & Sotelo, 2014). A highly significant positive correlation of 0.582 (p < 0.01, bilateral) confirmed that the AjusteU measures the same underlying construct as other recognized university adaptation instruments.

• Predictive Validity: The scale exhibited robust Predictive Validity, as the AjusteU total score was found to be significantly associated with students’ academic performance during their initial university term. This empirical finding suggests the scale is effective not only as a diagnostic tool but also as a mechanism for predicting future academic success and guiding early intervention strategies.

Reliability

The AjusteU demonstrates high levels of internal consistency, which is a key measure of reliability. The items within the scale consistently measure the same latent construct (college adjustment), resulting in a reported reliability coefficient (likely Cronbach’s Alpha) of 0.913. This high coefficient indicates that the scale is highly dependable and reproducible across the studied population.

Factor Analysis

Both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to validate the structural integrity of the AjusteU. These analyses confirmed the hypothesized measurement model, supporting the distribution of the final 37 items across the three distinct factors: Academic, Social, and Institutional adjustment.

The results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated a good model fit, providing strong support for the three-factor structure. Key fit indices reported were: ChiSq. = 60.51, P = 0.00, CFI (Comparative Fit Index) = 0.98, and RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) = 0.07. These statistics confirm that the empirical data align well with the theoretical model of college adjustment.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: Items are rated using a 7-point Likert-type scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

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 (SEM).

Keywords

Academic Adjustment, Social Adjustment, Institutional Adjustment, Psychometrics, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Costa Rica, Higher Education, Structural Equation Modeling.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

Affiliation Email addresses: Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Departamento de Orientación y Psicología. Contact email for Mata-Salas, Adriana: [email protected]

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

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The AjusteU was developed and validated in 2023. Currently, there is No Fee reported for the use of the instrument. Permissions to use the scale must be obtained by contacting the Corresponding Author directly.

Reference’s

• 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 Questionnaire

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

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.