The Construct Validity of Student Engagement: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	The Construct Validity of Student Engagement: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach.
Authors:	LaNasa, Steven¹ slanasa@donnelly.edu, Cabrera, Alberto², Trangsrud, Heather¹
Source:	Research in Higher Education. Jun2009, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p315-332. 18p. 2 Diagrams, 5 Charts.
Subject Terms:	Test validity, Confidence testing, Student attitudes, Educational surveys, Factor analysis, Student interests, College freshmen, Statistical correlation, Path analysis (Statistics)
Abstract:	As institutions seek to promote student engagement on campus, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is increasingly being used to chart progress and compare results using the Five Benchmark Scores. While recent research has begun to decompose the five benchmarks in a variety of ways; few research studies have sought to explore the underlying structure of these five benchmarks, their interdependence, and the extent to which the items do reflect those five dimensions. This study begins to address the instrument’s construct validity by submitting a single, first-time freshman cohort’s NSSE responses to a confirmatory factor analysis, and proposes as an alternative, eight “dimensions” of student engagement that fit this set of data slightly better and in a more useful way. Results have practical implications for institutions utilizing NSSE, but also contain conceptual implications pertaining to the application of these benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	As institutions seek to promote student engagement on campus, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is increasingly being used to chart progress and compare results using the Five Benchmark Scores. While recent research has begun to decompose the five benchmarks in a variety of ways; few research studies have sought to explore the underlying structure of these five benchmarks, their interdependence, and the extent to which the items do reflect those five dimensions. This study begins to address the instrument’s construct validity by submitting a single, first-time freshman cohort’s NSSE responses to a confirmatory factor analysis, and proposes as an alternative, eight “dimensions” of student engagement that fit this set of data slightly better and in a more useful way. Results have practical implications for institutions utilizing NSSE, but also contain conceptual implications pertaining to the application of these benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	03610365
DOI:	10.1007/s11162-009-9123-1