Adaptation and psychometric properties of the school engagement and contextual factors questionnaires for Covid-19 and post Covid-19 context

Abstract

School engagement has been demonstrated to be a relevant aspect in promoting students’ successful trajectories, a commitment that in its turn is influenced by contextual factors (family, teachers, and peers). Having instruments to measure these constructs allows decisions to be made to improve student retention, especially relevant in the context of uncertainty caused by covid-19. The aim of the study was to adapt and analyze the psychometric properties of questionnaires used to measure school engagement and contextual factors in the context of the pandemic with elementary school students in Chile. After adaptation of the instruments, through expert evaluation and focus groups with students, they were administered to 579 students in seventh and eighth grade (mean age = 12.79, 52% were boys), and to 334 students in fifth and sixth grade (mean age = 11.35, 38% were boys) in Chile. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the two versions of the school engagement measurement instrument had an adequate fit with the original model of three correlated factors, cognitive, affective, and behavioral commitment. Similarly, these two versions of the instrument measuring the contextual factors had a good fit with the original model of three correlated factors, family, teachers, and peers. In addition, both versions of both questionnaires presented appropriate levels of internal consistency.