114 Preliminary Psychometric Data for the Academic Coping Strategies Scale Jeremy R. Sullivan University of Texas at San Antonio The purpose of this article is to describe the psychometric characteristics of the Academic Coping Strategies Scale (ACSS), which was designed to assess college students’ coping strategies within the context of a specific academic stressor. This arti- cle will present results of analyses of factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest stability, and validity evidence based on relationships with other variables. Results suggest that items can be grouped into three easily interpretable factors (i.e., Approach, Avoidance, and Social Support) and that preliminary psychometric data are mostly favorable. The article will also describe limitations of the study, directions for future research, and potential applications of the ACSS. An important next step in the development of the ACSS will be to modify the scale for use with middle and high school students so that professionals working in the schools will have a method of assessing academic coping strategies among youth. Keywords: coping; postsecondary; psychometrics; test development R esearch has suggested that the development of adaptive coping strategies was critical to psychological adjust- ment during adolescence (Recklitis & Noam, 1999), and adolescents who did not learn appropriate coping strategies were at increased risk for suicide attempts, depression, con- duct disorders, and other psychological and emotional diffi- culties (Sadowski, Moore, & Kelley, 1994). Coping strategies are defined as “conscious volitional efforts to reg- ulate emotion, cognition, behavior, physiology, and the envi- ronment in response to stressful events or circumstances” (Compas, Connor-Smith, Saltzman, Thomsen, & Wadsworth, 2001, p. 89). Several distinct types of coping strategies have been proposed in the literature. For example, approach coping strategies are similar to the problem- focused strategies proposed by Lazarus and Folkman (1984), and thus refer to active and direct responses to the stressor in an attempt to change it. Avoidant coping strategies, on the other hand, involve cognitive or behavioral attempts to escape or disengage from the stressful situation or environ- ment (Oláh, 1995). Specific strategies that fall within this category include denial, distraction, substance use, and self- destructive behaviors. Devonport and Lane (2006) suggested that coping can influence academic performance and retention among university students because the amount of effort students invest to reach a certain outcome is dependent on how they cope with negative emotions, setbacks, and obsta- cles. Students who did not cope well with negative acad- emic experiences and who did not believe hard work would lead to success were less likely to be motivated than students who developed coping skills and who believed they were capable of performing well (Schunk & Pajares, 2005; Struthers, Perry, & Menec, 2000). There appear to be group differences in coping strate- gies used by successful K–12 students as compared to those who dropped out of high school. Students who dropped out of high school reported using social activities, professional support, and physical diversion strategies to deal with stress more frequently than students who gradu- ated, who were more likely to seek support from family members (Hess & Copeland, 2001). Moreover, elemen- tary school students who employed positive coping strate- gies in response to experiences of school failure were more likely than other students to be high achievers, per- ceive themselves as academically competent, experience less negative emotions following failure, and attribute experiences of failure to unstable factors such as insuffi- cient effort or bad luck (Mantzicopoulos, 1997). Given the importance of coping strategies to students’ development and academic success, coping is a construct worthy of examination by school psychologists and coun- selors who work with students of all ages (e.g., PK–12, college students). The measurement of coping strategies may provide information above and beyond that provided by measures of intelligence and academic achievement. In other words, assessing students’ coping strategies may help to identify factors contributing to academic struggles, Assessment for Effective Intervention Volume 35 Number 2 March 2010 114-127 © 2010 Hammill Institute on Disabilities 10.1177/1534508408327609 http://aei.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com Authors’ Note: Please address correspondence to Jeremy R. Sullivan, University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Educational Psychology, 501 West Durango Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207-4415; e-mail: jeremy.sullivan@utsa.edu. Article by guest on May 7, 2010 http://aei.sagepub.com Downloaded from