DEVELOPMENTAL ADVISING INVENTORY DEMO

The purpose of the Developmental Advising Inventory (DAI) is to spotlight the main areas of development for young adults. The items can help you identify potential obstacles to academic success and achieve personal goals related to career interests. The DAI can also help enrich your collegiate experience by showing the relationship between your academic life and personal life.

There are nine major dimensions of development on the DAI: Intellectual, Life Planning, Social, Physical, Emotional, Sexual, Cultural, Spiritual and Political. There are also several task areas for each of these dimensions. When you develop advanced skills in these areas, you should improve the quality of your life and increase your ability to successfully handle tasks that come later. Becoming well-developed on each dimension also means you are reaching a major goal of a college education: becoming an effective leader!

The nine dimensions are thought of as spokes on a wheel. As you complete the items, ask yourself the questions: "How strong are my spokes?" and "Is my wheel rolling smoothly?"

1. These instructions are important whether or not you have a DAI Answer Sheet. If you have an answer sheet, follow the instructions printed on that form after reading this section. If you do not have an answer sheet, respond to the items directly on this inventory. It is not necessary to do both. If an item is unclear, define it for yourself.
   
   
2. The Development section indicates your level of development. If you have an answer sheet, "fill-in" the appropriate circles which correspond to each numbered item. If you do not have an answer sheet, "circle" the appropriate option. You must choose between options with which you basically agree or disagree. There is no "neutral" position. So take your time and consider which one most typically describes you.
   
   
   • Indicate SD (1) if you Strongly Disagree or the item is rarely true.
   • Indicate D (2) if you Disagree or the item is sometimes true.
   • Indicate A (3) if you Agree or the item is often true.
   • Indicate SA (4) if you Strongly Agree or the item is usually true.
     
     
3. The Satisfaction section indicates your level of satisfaction with the Development ratings. Fill-in (answer sheet) or check the "Yes" box on this form if you are generally satisfied with your development on the item; or check the "No" box if you are not generally satisfied. In other words, if you want to improve in an area check "No." The DAI is based on the assumption that high development on the items is generally beneficial. But it may not be important to you now. Here is where you have an opportunity to express your own values. Be sure to ask yourself, your friends, or your advisor what the potential consequences are of being satisfied—not improving an item or an entire dimension (15 items).
   
   
4. The Discussion section indicates whether or not you would like to discuss a particular item with your advisor (unless specified otherwise). Fill-in (answer sheet) or check the "Yes" box on this form if you would like to discuss the item; or check the "No" box if you do not want to discuss the item. This column indicates to your advisor that you wish your privacy to be respected or you simply do not wish to discuss it. You may wish to share only your total dimension scores shown on the Developmental Scoring Wheel (back cover) with your advisor, rather than individual item scores. Now look at the example.
   
   

   

5. When you have answered all of the items, follow the directions for Building Your Developmental Wheel (p.6) and charting your scores on the Developmental Scoring Wheel (back cover). Remember, the goal is not to get a "perfect" score. In fact, if your scores are very high you may want to explore what a 4-level Development rating (SA) might actually look like on particular items in terms of attitudes or behavior. One effective method to do this is by discussing it with your peers, resident advisor, or faculty advisor. In this way you will probably develop a more realistic picture or standard for scoring. The real task here is to learn to assess yourself accurately and then set some specific goals. Asking a friend—someone who knows you, someone who will tell you the truth, someone you trust—to assess you on some items can be a valuable experience when the discussion is candid and supportive. So be honest with yourself—it's your life!