Student Leadership Measurement Library
Life Orientation Test
The Life Orientation Test (LOT) was developed to measure individual differences in optimism versus pessimism.
Constructs Being Measured
Primary
Optimism
How to Access and Cite
Outcome Families
Well-being
Awareness
Programmatic Purpose-terms
Classroom-level data and feedback
Program-level monitoring and evaluation
Instrument Characteristics
Type of items
10 Likert type questions
Format
Self-report
Applicable Grade Levels-terms
Primary
Secondary
Post-secondary
Supporting Research
Michael F. Scheier & Charles S. Carver. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4, 219-247
Available Languages
Rationale
Points to Consider
For more guidance on measuring student learning and best practices in adapting measurement tools to your contexts, check out the Portal page on Monitoring and Evaluation. You can also contact Alvin Vista (Knowledge Lead, Student Outcomes) and Robbie Dean (Director of Research) for specific questions.