Expanding the concept of belonging in academic domains: Development and validation of the Ability Uncertainty Scale

Belonging uncertainty, or questioning whether one “fits in” socially, is an important determinate of academic success and retention. We expand this concept to capture uncertainty regarding whether one “fits in” intellectually. This article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the 12-item Ability Uncertainty Scale (AUS). Study 1 (N = 605) showed that the AUS is internally consistent and best described by a single underlying factor. Study 2 (N = 253) showed that the AUS is correlated with social belonging, but also has unique predictive validity in accounting for domain motivation and intentions to persist in an academic field. Study 3 (N = 231) replicated Study 2 and additionally showed that the AUS is a better predictor of intentions to persist than a measure of academic self-efficacy. These results indicate that academic belonging is comprised of the related components of ability fit and social fit that each uniquely predict academic outcomes.