Development of University Life Satisfaction Scale (SoULS-12)

Abstract

This study developed a compact scale with improved validity and reliability for assessing satisfaction with university life. We reconstructed the “Satisfaction of University Life” Scale (SoULS-21) developed by Okuda et al. (2010b), which has four subscales: Commitment to the University Life, Companionship Satisfaction, Study Satisfaction, and Absence of Anxiety. We conducted a factor analysis using student data from five universities (N=934). The results extracted 12 items with the identical four-factor structure as the SoULS-21 (SoULS-12). The SoULS-12 had high reliability. We also investigated the construct validity of the SoULS-12 by examining correlations between these four subscales and related scales, which indicated an acceptable correlation. These results supported the reliability and validity of SoULS-12 for assessing satisfaction with university life.