Helping Students Make Informed Choices About College
Category: Pathways to and Through Postsecondary
Instrument Overview
Expert Notes AvailableView expert commentary on strengths and cautions for this instrument
Strengths
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 Some scenarios may feel outdated or culturally specific.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.
The 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 students with scenarios that require choosing between a short-term, more immediately enjoyable option (e.g., socializing) and a long-term academic benefit (e.g., studying). Students respond on a 4-point scale: “Definitely choose A,“ “Probably choose A,” ” Probably choose B,” and “Definitely choose B.”
Organization
Collection Category(ies)
Content
Grades
Post secondary
Languages
English
Administration Information
Length
10 items
Access and Use
Developer
Hefer Bembenutty and Stuart Askarabenick, 1998, Eastern Michigan University
Open Access
Yes
Use in Research
O’Connor, P. A., Sneddon, K., Breen, A., Magee, A., & Garrett, R. (2025). Who Can Wait? Differences in Academic Delay of Gratification and Executive Function in Self-identifying Neurodivergent and Neurotypical psychology students. Psychology Teaching Review, 31(2), 6-27.
Zhang, L., Karabenick, S. A., Maruno, S. I., & Lauermann, F. (2011). Academic delay of gratification and children's study time allocation as a function of proximity to consequential academic goals. Learning and Instruction, 21(1), 77-94.
Abd-El-Fattah, S. M., & Salman, A. M. (2017). Academic delay of gratification: A construct validation with high school students. Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychiatry, 8(1), 00472.
Psychometrics (additional guidance)
Psychometric References
Ganotice Jr, F. A., & King, R. B. (2014). Blessed are those who wait: Validating the Filipino version of the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS). The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(1), 19-27.
Populations of Validation
Grade level: secondary and postsecondary students
Cross-cultural validations: Asia, Latin America, Middle East
