ERIC Number: EJ860129
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Dec
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 0
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-0365
Psychometric Properties of Three New National Survey of Student Engagement Based Engagement Scales: An Item Response Theory Analysis
Carle, Adam C.; Jaffee, David; Vaughan, Neil W.; Eder, Douglas
Research in Higher Education, v50 n8 p775-794 Dec 2009
We sought to develop and psychometrically describe three new student engagement scales to measure college students' engagement with their faculty (student-faculty engagement: SFE), community-based activities (CBA), and transformational learning opportunities (TLO) using items selected from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a widely used, standardized student engagement survey. We used confirmatory factor analysis for ordered-categorical measures, item response theory (IRT), and data from 941 US college students' NSSE responses. Our findings indicated acceptable construct validity. The scales measured related but separable areas of engagement. IRT demonstrated that scores on the student-faculty engagement scale offered the most precise measurement in the middle range of student-faculty engagement. The CBA scale most reliably measured above average engagement, while TLO scores provided relatively precise descriptions of engagement across this spectrum. Findings support these scales' utility in institutional efforts to describe "local" student engagement, as well as efforts to use these scales in cross-institutional comparisons.
Descriptors: College Students, Construct Validity, Transformative Learning, Measures (Individuals), Factor Analysis, Psychometrics, Item Response Theory, National Surveys, Learner Engagement, Teacher Student Relationship, College Faculty, Community, Test Construction
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: National Survey of Student Engagement

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