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

To access this resource, visit https://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Love_and_Compassion_Research_OPTIMISM.pdf

Outcome Families
Well-being
Connectedness
Awareness
Agency
Mastery
Programmatic Purpose
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
Pre-primary
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

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.