Aspirations and expectations measures for adolescents and emerging adults: A scoping review

Several measures assessing different facets of young people’s aspirations and expectations have reached conflicting conclusions regarding their impact on their lives. This study aims to survey the theoretical background, internal structure, and psychometric properties of measures that assess aspirations and expectations of adolescents and emerging adults. We searched three online databases for psychometric studies on psychological measures that assess adolescents’ and/or emerging adults’ aspirations and/or expectations through a deductive and thematic approach. The eligibility study resulted in 12 articles reporting the psychometric properties of five measures. The measures were grouped based on the similarities of their theoretical backgrounds. Findings suggest that the measures’ theoretical background has a direct impact on their content. Internal structures and items may be sensitive to cross-cultural adaptation. The included measures have psychometric limitations regarding the selection of methods for the estimation, retention, and rotation of factors/components. Reliability evidence was mostly tested by Cronbach’s alpha. Future studies may refine the measures present in this study or overcome their limitations through the construction of new measures.