Psychometric properties of the university student engagement inventory among Chinese students

Long She, Fatemeh Khoshnavay Fomani, João Marôco, Kelly-Ann Allen, Hamid Sharif Nia, Pardis Rahmatpour

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, student engagement in online learning has been a critical issue for all educational institutions. The university student engagement inventory (USEI) is the most used scale for assessing the construct of student engagement. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the USEI among 1504 Chinese university students who completed a survey through an online platform between December 2020 and January 2021. Design/methodology/approach: In this cross-sectional study, content validity, construct validity and reliability of the scale were assessed. Findings: The results supported the three-factor model with acceptable goodness-of-fit (χ2 (71) = 369.717, p = 0.13, χ2/df = 5.207, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.967, normed fit index (NFI) = 0.960, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.958, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.030, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (90% CI) = 0.053 [0.049, 0.057]), good internal consistency and construct reliability (Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficient >0.70), and strong convergent validity. Also, the measurement invariance was confirmed across gender. Originality/value: This study showed that the 3-factor structure of USEI with Chinese university students had good construct validity, internal consistency and reliability. It could help measure student engagement in online learning in China.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)46-60
Number of pages15
JournalAsian Association of Open Universities Journal
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 May 2023

Keywords

  • Chinese version
  • Online learning
  • Psychometric evaluation
  • Student engagement

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