Hope Scale

From PDF

Directions: Read each sentence carefully For each sentence, please think about how you are in most situations. Using the scale shown below, please select the number that best describes YOUR and put that number in the blank provided. There are no right or wrong answers.

1 None of the the time 2 A little of the time 3 Some of the time 4 A lot of the time 5 Most of the time 6 All of the time

1. I think I am doing pretty well. 2. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that are most important to me. 3. I am doing just as well as other kids my age. 4. When I have a problem, I can come up with lots of ways to solve it. 5. I think the things that I have done in the past will help me in the future. 6. Even when others want to quite, I know that I can find ways to solve the problem.

**Notes:** The **Agency** subscale score is the sum of itimes 1, 2 & 5: the **Pathways** subscale score is the sum of items 2, 4 & 6. Hope is the sum of the three **Pathways** and the three **Agency** items. Scores can range from a low of 6 to a hight of 36.

**Agency** Score: **Pathways** Score: **Total Hope** Score:

# Explanation of the Children’s Hope Scale

The Children’s Hope Scale published in 1997 by Rick Snyder can be used to help measure hope in individuals age 8 to 16. Research has linked hope with overall physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Children who can identify a means to carry out goals (pathways) and the ability to initiate and sustain action towards goals (agency) are considered more hopeful.

The full Children’s Hope Scale has six questions on it. Three that measure pathways and three that measure agency. In the 2018 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS), only four questions from the survey were asked due to spacing. Consulting with researchers it was determined that the scale is still valid with just asking four of the questions instead of all six. The results for the Children’s Hope Scale on the 2018 Healthy Youth Survey can be interpreted as follows

# Interpretation of Scores

The Children’s Hope Scale uses a six-point response scale with “none of the time” equating to the lowest value of one, and “all of the time” equating to the highest value of six. Adding the response values for pathway questions will provide a pathway score ranging from 2-12; higher scores reflect higher pathways thinking. Adding the response values for agency questions will provide an agency score ranging from 2-12; higher scores reflect higher agency thinking. Adding pathway and agency scores will provide an overall hope score (i.e., level of hope). Scores of 4-8 indicate no to very low hope, 9-12 indicate slightly hopeful, 13-16 indicate moderately hopeful, and 17-24 indicates highly hopeful.

**Pathway Questions on HYS:** • I can think of many ways to get the things in life that are most important to me. •When I have a problem, I can come up with lots of ways to solve it.

Pathways thinking is a child’s belief in their capacity to find multiple ways to reach their goals.

**Agency Questions on HYS:** • I am doing just as well as other kids my age. • I think the things I have done in the past will help me in the future.

Agency thinking is a child’s self-efficacy and motivation to use multiple ways to reach their goal.