Development of the Measure of Obstacles to Succeeding Academically in College (MOSAIC)

The authors sought to develop a multidimensional scale that could be used in academic assistance settings to assess barriers to academic success among college students. Relative to the number of studies in the literature focused on the relationship between behavioral health and study behaviors as they relate to academic success (American College Health Association, 2018; Becker et al., 2018; Credé & Kuncel, 2008), fewer studies have included the impact of trauma (childhood trauma, sexual assault, relationship violence, or other trauma; Baker et al., 2016; Jordan et al., 2014). The results of this study suggest that more attention to trauma is warranted: trauma was endorsed as a barrier to academic success by almost 1 in 6 (14.6%) students in this study. Items representing trauma and mental health barriers loaded onto separate factors, reveal that trauma might influence academic performance independently of mental health issues. One limitation of this study was that some potential barriers to academic success were not assessed, such as excessive drinking and marijuana or other substance use. Research has demonstrated that substance use is associated with lower academic achievement and attrition (Arria et al., 2013; DuPont et al., 2013; Suerken et al., 2016). Future iterations of research with the Measure of Obstacles to Succeeding Academically in College (MOSAIC) should consider the inclusion of additional barriers, such as inability to concentrate after using marijuana. The 14-item MOSAIC provides the foundation for a novel and comprehensive academic support tool that could be used to measure and address barriers to student success.