Abstract
With the globalization of occupational health psychology, more and more researchers are interested in applying employee well-being like work engagement (i.e., a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption) to diverse populations. Accurate measurement contributes to our further understanding and to the generalizability of the concept of work engagement across different cultures. The present study investigated the measurement accuracy of the Japanese and the original Dutch versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (9-item version, UWES-9) and the comparability of this scale between both countries. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to the data from Japan (N = 2,339) and the Netherlands (N = 13,406). Reliability of the scale was evaluated at various levels of the latent trait (i.e., work engagement) based the test information function (TIF) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). The Japanese version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with extremely low work engagement, whereas the original Dutch version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with high work engagement. The measurement accuracy of both versions was not similar. Suppression of positive affect among Japanese people and self-enhancement (the general sensitivity to positive self-relevant information) among Dutch people may have caused decreased measurement accuracy. Hence, we should be cautious when interpreting low engagement scores among Japanese as well as high engagement scores among western employees.
Highlights
In accordance with the expanding global economy, researchers in occupational health psychology have begun to conduct cross-cultural studies
Application of Item Response Theory to Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) We recognize that we should take into account the tendency to suppress the expression of positive affect among Japanese employees when comparing positive aspects of well-being, with other western countries
The amount of information in the original Dutch version decreased gradually at the level of more than 1 (Figure 3), meaning that the original version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with high work engagement. These results suggest that extremely low scores of the Japanese UWES-9 do not necessarily indicate low work engagement but might reflect decreased measurement accuracy of the scale in a Japanese sample
Summary
In accordance with the expanding global economy, researchers in occupational health psychology have begun to conduct cross-cultural studies. “Is the UWES sensitive to change in the extent of work engagement among employees in non-western countries like Japan?” To answer this question, an advanced psychometric scale analysis called Item Response Theory (IRT) [43] was applied to our cross-cultural data. The amount of information in the original Dutch version decreased gradually at the level of more than 1 (Figure 3), meaning that the original version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with high work engagement These results suggest that extremely low scores of the Japanese UWES-9 do not necessarily indicate low work engagement but might reflect decreased measurement accuracy of the scale in a Japanese sample. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests
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