Hope in Children

Abstract

The instrument known as the Hope in Children scale, often referred to during administration as “Questions About Your Goals”, is a brief psychological construct measure designed to assess levels of hope in younger populations. Developed under the theoretical framework established by C. R. Snyder, this scale operationalizes hope as goal-directed thought, comprising two essential components: the perceived ability to generate successful routes to goals (Pathways thinking) and the motivation or agency to use those routes (Agency thinking). The scale consists of six items utilizing a 6-point Likert scale response format, making it a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians interested in positive psychology and resilience in children.

Keywords

Hope, Children’s Hope Scale, C. R. Snyder, Pathways thinking, Agency thinking, Resilience, Positive psychology, Goal assessment, Psychological assessment, Juvenile well-being.

Authors

C. R. Snyder and research associates at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Hope in Children scale is to provide a brief, reliable, and valid measure of dispositional hope specifically tailored for use with children. Unlike more complex adult measures, this instrument simplifies the language while retaining the core theoretical structure of hope as a cognitive process focused on achieving desired goals. It is used extensively in developmental psychology research to understand how hope relates to academic achievement, coping mechanisms, and overall psychological adjustment in juvenile populations.

This scale allows practitioners to quantify a child’s perceived ability to set and achieve goals, identifying those who may benefit from interventions aimed at strengthening positive cognitive frameworks. By focusing on goal-related cognitions, the instrument serves as an indicator of psychological resources and resilience available to the child.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of hope, as defined by C. R. Snyder’s Hope theory. According to this theory, hope is not merely an emotion, but a cognitive process involving two interdependent components:

• Pathways Thinking: The perceived ability to generate multiple viable routes or strategies to reach desired goals. Items reflecting this dimension focus on problem-solving and finding alternative solutions.
• Agency Thinking: The necessary motivational force, or willpower, that directs the individual toward those goals and sustains movement along the chosen pathways. Items reflecting this dimension focus on self-efficacy and belief in one’s own ability to succeed.

The Hope in Children scale is designed so that its items capture both the pathways and agency components of hope within the context of a child’s daily life and goals. This theoretical foundation distinguishes hope from related constructs such as optimism or self-esteem, positioning it as a dynamic, goal-oriented cognitive state.

Validity

While the specific psychometric properties of the brief children’s version are often reported within larger studies, its validity is inherently linked to the robust foundation of the original adult State and Trait Hope Scales developed by Snyder and colleagues. Research utilizing the Children’s Hope Scale typically demonstrates strong construct validity, showing significant positive correlations with measures of self-worth, positive affect, and academic performance, and significant negative correlations with measures of anxiety and depression.

The scale exhibits good face validity, as the items directly address goal-setting and problem-solving abilities relevant to a child’s experience. Furthermore, studies consistently confirm its predictive validity in forecasting positive outcomes across various domains, supporting its use as a reliable indicator of psychological well-being and adaptive coping strategies in children.

Reliability

Reliability estimates for the Children’s Hope Scale typically indicate good internal consistency. Studies often report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from the mid-.70s to the low-.80s, suggesting that the six items measure a unified underlying construct of hope. Test-retest reliability is also generally adequate, demonstrating the stability of the hope construct over short periods in juvenile populations. These reliability statistics confirm the instrument’s utility for stable measurement in both clinical and research settings.

Factor Analysis

Factor analytic procedures applied to the Hope in Children scale generally support the two-factor structure proposed by Hope theory (Pathways and Agency). Although the scale is very brief (six items), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) often confirms that the items load onto their respective theoretical factors. Items 2, 4, and 6 typically load onto the Pathways factor, while items 1, 3, and 5 load onto the Agency factor. Researchers typically use the total score, reflecting global hope, but the subscale scores can also be analyzed to identify specific strengths or weaknesses in a child’s goal-directed thinking process.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometrics Scale

Format: Six items rated on a 6-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations available in many major languages used in cross-cultural research.

Population Group: Children and early adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with children aged 8 to 15 years, depending on cognitive ability and reading level.

Population Details: The scale is administered to a general population of children, though it is frequently used in clinical samples to assess vulnerability or resilience.

Test Methodology: The scale is administered either individually or in a group setting. Respondents select the response that best describes how frequently the statement is true for them. Scoring is additive, generating a total hope score, and possibly separate Agency and Pathways subscores. The response format is as follows: 1 = “None of the time”; 2 = “A little of the time”; 3 = “Some of the time”; 4 = “A lot of the time”; 5 = “Most of the time”; and 6 = “All of the time”.

Keywords

Children, Hope, Snyder scale, Agency, Pathways, Goal orientation, Well-being, Positive psychology, Psychological assessment, University of Kansas.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material. Developed at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence should be directed to the estate or research associates of C. R. Snyder (deceased) or the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale is widely used in academic research. Permission for use should generally be sought from the copyright holders, although many of C. R. Snyder’s instruments are frequently used for non-commercial research purposes. The scale’s development is tied closely to the validation work published in the mid-1990s and early 2000s regarding Hope theory.

The full instrument and detailed discussion can be found in the Child Trends publication, available as a PDF here: http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Child_Trends-2003_03_12_PD_PDConfSnyder.pdf

Reference’s

The scale is based on the foundational work of C. R. Snyder. Key references include:

• Snyder, C. R., Sympson, S. C., Ybasco, F. C., Borders, T. F., Babyak, M. A., & Higgins, R. L. (1996). Development and validation of the State Hope Scale. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 321-335.
• Snyder, C. R. (2000). Genesis: The birth and growth of hope. In C. R. Snyder (Ed.), Handbook of hope: Theory, measures, and applications (pp. 25-38). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
• Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows of the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 249-275.

Items of the Hope in Children

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

The University of Kansas, Lawrence

1. I think I am doing pretty well.
2. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that are most important to me.
3. I am doing just as well as other kids my age.
4. When I have a problem, I can come up with lots of ways to solve it.
5. I think the things I have done in the past will help me in the future.
6. Even when others want to quit, I know that I can find ways to solve the problem.

Notes: When administered to children, this scale is not labeled “The Children’s Hope Scale,” but is called “Questions About Your Goals.”