Reliability and Validity Assessment of a Psychological Adaptation Measurement Tool for College Students

Abstract

Given the current limited availability of measurement tools and insufficient reference materials on the dimensions and assessment of college students' psychological adaptation, this study aimed to develop and validate a new instrument through literature analysis and a pilot study. A review of existing psychological adaptation instruments used by domestic and international scholars informed the initial dimensions and items for assessing psychological adaptation among college students. Subsequently, a survey was administered to a sample of college students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified five key dimensions of psychological adaptation: academic adaptation, interpersonal adaptation, emotional adaptation, self-adaptation, and campus life adaptation. Following the reliability and validity testing, the instrument demonstrated a Cronbach's α coefficient of .904 and a KMO measure of .932. After item refinement, 31 items were retained, resulting in a scale that shows potential as a measurement tool for assessing psychological adaptation in college students.