Abstract
The present study was aimed at assessing the validity and the reliability of the Sinhala version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S) among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka. The 17-item UWES-S was translated to Sinhala and the judgmental validity was assessed by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts. Construct validity of the UWES-S was appraised by using multi-trait scaling analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on data obtained from a sample of 194 grade thirteen students in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Reliability of the UWES-S was assessed by using internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Except for item 13, all other items showed good psychometric properties in judgemental validity, item-convergent validity and item-discriminant validity. EFA using principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation, suggested a three-factor solution (including vigor, dedication and absorption subscales) explaining 65.4% of the total variance for the 16-item UWES-S (with item 13 deleted). All three subscales show high internal consistency with Cronbach’s α coefficient values of 0.867, 0.819, and 0.903 and test–retest reliability was high (p < 0.001). Hence, the Sinhala version of the 16-item UWES-S is a valid and a reliable instrument to assess work engagement among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka.
Highlights
Keeping on par with the emerging trend towards a positive psychology focusing on optimal functioning rather than on malfunctioning, a growing enthusiasm is evident in student engagement research during the last few decades [1].Work engagement is defined as, “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigor (VI), dedication (DE), and absorption (AB)
Translation and pre‐testing of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)‐S The 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S) was translated to Sinhala by using the forward–backward translation method [27,28,29], involving two independent bilingual translators, who are fluent in Sinhala and English
Multi‐trait scaling analysis Table 2 summarises the results of the multi-trait scaling analysis and as per the predetermined cut-off values, except for item 13, item-convergent validity and itemdiscriminant validity were confirmed for other 16 items in the UWES-S
Summary
Keeping on par with the emerging trend towards a positive psychology focusing on optimal functioning rather than on malfunctioning, a growing enthusiasm is evident in student engagement research during the last few decades [1]. Work engagement is defined as, “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigor (VI), dedication (DE), and absorption (AB). Educators and policymakers are increasingly focusing on student engagement as a means of addressing problems of negative academic outcomes of varying student groups [17]. Amongst the different assessment tools of student work engagement, the most commonly used instrument is the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S) [2, 18,19,20,21,22], which is a 17-item self-report measure assessing VI, DE, and AB subscales
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
