ARC Self-Determination Scale

The Arc's Self-Determination Scale is a questionnaire students fill out themselves, describing how much control they feel they have over their own lives. It covers four characteristics of self-determined behavior: autonomy (acting on your own preferences), self-regulation (setting goals, planning, checking your own progress), psychological empowerment (believing your choices make a difference), and self-realization (knowing your own strengths and limits).

Seventy-two items span four sections and mix formats: frequency ratings, agree/disagree choices, and open-ended story problems. Scoring produces a total self-determination score plus a score in each of the four areas, which can be compared against norms.

• Procedural Guidelines with norms and scoring

The publisher instructs that the scale should not be used until the administrator is thoroughly familiar with the Procedural Guidelines, which cover scoring and the limits of self-report measures generally.