The higher education expectation scale: development and testing

Excessive educational expectations are risk factors for poor mental health among students in higher education. However, the literature on educational expectations has largely focused on primary and secondary students with paucity among tertiary students. This study describes the development of a multidimensional scale measuring perceived educational expectations by tertiary students. Results show that students perceived expectations from four distinct sources: self, parents, educators/institutions, and culture. The final 28-item HEES multidimensional scale provides an opportunity in higher education literature to examine the weight of expectations and their impact on tertiary students’ academic performance and well-being.