Brief COPE Inventory
Expert NotesStrengths:Useful for institutions trying to understand how different students respond to stress and which supports might be needed (academic vs. mental health vs. social). Captures both “adaptive” strategies (e.g., planning, support seeking) and “maladaptive” strategies (e.g., denial, substance use).
Cautions:Limited evidence linking directly to institutional KPIs like retention or graduation. Therefore, best used as a diagnostic lens, not a standalone accountability metric. Potential for underreporting or social desirability bias on some items, e.g., around substance use.
The Brief COPE Inventory is a short, self-report questionnaire designed to assess how individuals respond to stress. Developed by Charles S. Carver in 1997, it is a streamlined version of the earlier COPE Inventory (1989).This instrument is a questionnaire (self-report survey) that measures a range…Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30)
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong theoretical grounding in coping, motivation, and persistence frameworks. Captures cognitive, behavioral, and emotional responses to academic setbacks. Demonstrates good internal consistency across validation studies
Cautions:May not fully capture contextual or structural barriers to resilience. Limited cross-cultural validation across diverse student populations. May overlap conceptually with related constructs like grit or motivation.
Tags: College readinessThe Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) is a student self-report survey that measures how well learners respond to academic challenges, setbacks, and pressure. It focuses on students’ ability to stay motivated, manage stress, and persist when schoolwork becomes difficult.Students completing the ARS…Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS)
Expert NotesStrengths:Applicable across secondary and postsecondary student populations.
Cautions:Relies on hypothetical self-reported choices rather than observed behavior. Some scenarios may feel outdated or culturally specific. Does not directly assess broader executive functioning skills.
Tags: College readinessThe Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS) is an adaptation of the Multidimensional Delay of Gratification Scale (Ward et al. 1989). It measures students’ willingness to delay immediate rewards in favor of longer-term academic goals, a key aspect of self-regulation. The instrument presents…Student Self-Expectancies and Task Value
Expert NotesStrengths:Grounded in well-established expectancy-value motivation theory. Helps explain why students choose or avoid challenging tasks.
Cautions:Often adapted differently across studies and contexts.
Tags: College readinessStudent Self-Expectancies and Task Value scale were created by Eccles and colleagues (2005) and later applied in higher education settings by Davis and colleagues (2019).Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ)
Expert NotesStrengths:Short, easy-to-administer. Applicable across college subjects and instructional formats. Supports course improvement and teaching evaluation efforts.
Cautions:Responses may be influenced by instructor popularity or course difficulty.
The Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ) is a student self-report questionnaire developed in 2005 by Handelsman and colleagues to measure how actively students engage in a specific course. Rather than focusing on general attitudes about school, the SCEQ captures what students actually do…College Student Inventory (CSI)
Expert NotesStrengths:Combines academic, motivational, and social factors related to persistence. Widely used across colleges and universities.
Cautions:Commercial instrument that requires paid access and proprietary scoring. Some recommendations may require substantial advising capacity to implement.
Less useful for measuring changes over time or intervention impacts. Use for at-risk screening and intervention, not as a standalone measure of success.Tags: College readinessThe College Student Inventory (CSI) is a survey used by colleges to support first-year students early in their transition to college. It was developed by Ruffalo Noel Levitz as part of a broader retention system. The goal is to help institutions identify students’ needs, strengths, and potential…College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ)
Expert NotesStrengths:Measures multiple factors linked to college persistence and retention. Provides actionable insights into reasons students may consider leaving.
Cautions:Some subscales showed lower reliability than others. Predictive factors may vary across institutions and student populations. Administration time may be longer than shorter screening surveys.
Tags: College readinessThe College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ) is a student survey designed to help colleges identify first-year students who may be at risk of leaving before their sophomore year. Developed by researchers William B. Davidson, Hall P. Beck, and Meg Milligan, the questionnaire measures students’…Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE)
Expert NotesStrengths:Complements NSSE data by connecting expectations with later college experiences.
Cautions:Most useful when paired with follow-up engagement or outcomes data. Student expectations may change quickly after college enrollment begins.
The Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) is a student survey given to incoming college students, usually before they start their first term. It collects information about students’ high school experiences, academic preparation, and expectations for college. BCSSE was introduced in…