An examination of the psychometric properties of the Student Engagement Instrument - College Version

Abstract

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Student Engagement Instrument – College Version (SEI-C) with college students in the Southeastern United States. Participants self-selected paper-and-pencil or online administration. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a modified five-factor structure. Measurement invariance of the modified five-factor structure of the SEI-C was assessed across the paper-and-pencil and online samples. Full configural, full metric, partial scalar, and full residual variance invariance were established. The paper-and-pencil and online data were aggregated, and correlational analyses between the five SEI-C factors and the four higher-order factors of the Motivation and Engagement Scale – University/College (MES-UC) provided evidence of convergent and divergent validity. All but one of the 20 correlations were statistically significant, and all correlations were in the expected direction. Overall, there is evidence to suggest the appropriateness of extending the SEI upward for use with college students and for collecting data via online or paper-and-pencil administration.