+The College Adjustment Test (CAT)

Pennebaker, 2013

Topic: Campus Engagement & Belonging - College Adjustment

Instructions: 

For each of the following items, please use a 7-point scale to answer each of the following questions, where: 

Response Options

(1) Not At All, (2), (3), (4) Somewhat, (5), (6), (7) A Great Deal 

Items: 

Within the LAST WEEK, to what degree have you:

  1. Missed your friends from high school  (  )
  2. Missed your home  (  )
  3. Missed your parents and other family members  (  )
  4. Worried about love or intimate relationships with others  (  )
  5. Worried about how you will perform academically at college  (  )
  6. Worried about the way you look  (  )
  7. Worried about the impression you make on others  (  )
  8. Worried about being in college in general  (  )
  9. Liked your classes.  (  )
  10. Liked your roommate(s) (  ) 
  11. Liked being away from your parents  (  )
  12. Liked your social life  (  )
  13. Liked college in general  (  )
  14. Felt angry  (  )
  15. 15. Felt lonely  (  )
  16. Felt anxious or nervous  (  )
  17. Felt depressed  (  )
  18. Felt optimistic about your future at college  (  )
  19. Felt good about yourself  (  )

Scoring:

Positive affect= q9+q10+q12+q13+q18+q19 

Negative affect= q4+q5+q6+q7+q8+q14+q15+q16+q17 

Home sickness= q1+q2+q3+q15+q16+(8-q11)

Overall adjustment=(64-(q1+q2+q3+q4+q5+q6+q7+q8))+q9+q10+q11+q12+q13+(32-(q14+q15+q16+q17))+q18+q19 

Citation:

Pennebaker, J.W. (2013). The College Adjustment Test (CAT) . Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Science. Retrieved from www.midss.ie Links to an external site.

Link to PDF: http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/cat.pdf Links to an external site.

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