Validity and Reliability of the Chinese Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students in a Sample of Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) among Chinese early childhood pre-service teachers (ECPTs) and to corroborate the factor structure of both the UWES-17S and UWES-9S. The study examined the UWES-17S and UWES-9S through CFA, convergent validity, reliability, and inter-correlations with a sample of 515 ECPTs in China. The modified UWES-17S and UWES-9S models showed acceptable fit indices, with the 9-item, 3-factor model showing a slightly better fit than the 17-item version. Both models had good convergent validity, with the UWES-9S performing slightly better. In both versions, strong positive correlations were found across all dimensions. The UWES-17S showed slightly higher internal consistency across the total scale and its three factors. The study confirmed the 3-factor structure of UWES-17S and UWES-9S, confirming that they are reliable tools for assessing Chinese ECPTs’ learning engagement. The UWES-9S model is simpler and has a better fit, while the UWES-17S has an advantage in reliability.