The Schoolwork Engagement Inventory: Factorial Structure, Measurement Invariance by Gender and Educational Level, and Convergent Validity in Secondary Education (12-18 Years)

This study analyzes the dimensionality, reliability, metric invariance, and convergent validity of the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory (SEI) in secondary education. Participants in the study were 679 students in compulsory and post-compulsory secondary education in a large city in Eastern Spain during the 2014-2015 academic year. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the one-factor model of the SEI is superior to the other alternative models considered, providing an overall schoolwork engagement score in this educational stage. Reliability was also adequate and the instrument was found to be invariant by gender and educational level. Latent mean comparisons revealed a significant decline in schoolwork engagement throughout secondary compulsory education, and returning to higher levels in post-compulsory secondary education. A CFA also showed SEI’s convergent validity with self-regulated learning, given its direct relationship with metacognitive strategies and self-efficacy for learning, and its inverse relationship with test anxiety.