Design and validation of a behavioral academic engagement questionnaire for professional practice students in social work

Abstract

The objective of this study was to design and validate a behavioral academic engagement questionnaire for higher education students. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 206 Chilean students who were studying professional practice at different levels (initial, intermediate, final). The final version of the scale was composed of 11 items evaluating three theoretical dimensions: Effort- Persistence, Dedication, and Absorption. Confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate fit indices CFI= 0.975; T LI= 0.966, SRMR= 0.0606. Meanwhile, the internal reliability coefficient was also positive (a= 0.86). The results confirm that it is an adequate instrument to evaluate the academic involvement of Chilean university students