, PYC4807 ASSIGNMENT 3 PORTFOLIO
DUE DATE: 5 OCTOBER 2026
QUESTION 1:
RELIABILITY OF THE UWES-S
1(a) Type of reliability
The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S) is primarily evaluated in terms
of internal consistency reliability. Internal consistency refers to the extent to which the
different items in a psychological assessment consistently measure the same underlying
construct. Cronbach’s alpha is commonly used to determine whether the items
belonging to a particular dimension are sufficiently related to one another.
The UWES-S measures student engagement through three dimensions: vigour,
dedication and absorption. A reliable measure should therefore contain items that
consistently represent each of these dimensions. Previous research has reported
acceptable internal consistency for the three dimensions of the UWES-S in different
countries. For example, studies conducted in Portugal and Italy reported satisfactory
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for vigour, dedication and absorption (Brand et al., 2025).
South African research has also found acceptable reliability for vigour and dedication,
although absorption has sometimes produced a lower coefficient (Pienaar &
Sieberhagen, 2005).
1(b) Findings and interpretation
The recent South African study by Brand et al. (2025) investigated the psychometric
properties of the UWES-S14 among 2 434 university students from three campuses. The
findings indicated that the UWES-S demonstrated high internal consistency, supporting
its reliability for measuring student engagement.
DUE DATE: 5 OCTOBER 2026
QUESTION 1:
RELIABILITY OF THE UWES-S
1(a) Type of reliability
The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S) is primarily evaluated in terms
of internal consistency reliability. Internal consistency refers to the extent to which the
different items in a psychological assessment consistently measure the same underlying
construct. Cronbach’s alpha is commonly used to determine whether the items
belonging to a particular dimension are sufficiently related to one another.
The UWES-S measures student engagement through three dimensions: vigour,
dedication and absorption. A reliable measure should therefore contain items that
consistently represent each of these dimensions. Previous research has reported
acceptable internal consistency for the three dimensions of the UWES-S in different
countries. For example, studies conducted in Portugal and Italy reported satisfactory
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for vigour, dedication and absorption (Brand et al., 2025).
South African research has also found acceptable reliability for vigour and dedication,
although absorption has sometimes produced a lower coefficient (Pienaar &
Sieberhagen, 2005).
1(b) Findings and interpretation
The recent South African study by Brand et al. (2025) investigated the psychometric
properties of the UWES-S14 among 2 434 university students from three campuses. The
findings indicated that the UWES-S demonstrated high internal consistency, supporting
its reliability for measuring student engagement.
