The measurement invariance of job diagnostic survey (JDS) across three university student groups
Abstract: The main purpose of
this study is to apply a multigroup confirmatory analysis to examine the
measurement invariance (MI) of the adapted version of the Job Diagnosis Survey
(JDS) as a measurement tool that analyses the relationship between the features
of teaching methodologies with university students’ motivation and satisfaction
across data collected on different degrees and academic years.
Design/methodology/approach: Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out
using a multigroup structural equation model, using the program EQS 6.1 to test
the invariance of the adapted version of JDS in a sample constituted by 535
student of a Spanish public university. The assessment of invariance included
the levels of configural, metric, scalar, covariance and latent variables
invariance. Several goodness-of-fit measures were assessed.
Findings: The results show that measurements are equivalent at the
configural, metric, covariance and latent factors invariance. Although the
hypotheses of scalar invariance is rejected, results suggest that JDS is partial
strict invariant and has satisfactory psychometric properties on all samples.
Research limitations/implications: The sample is framed in university
students aged between 18 and 30 and for a questionnaire on teaching methodology
and students' satisfaction in the context of a Spanish university and the
generalization to other questionnaire, or population, should be proved with
specific data. Furthermore, the sample size is rather small.
Originality/value: In the current process of change that is taking place
in universities according to the plan developed by the European Space of Higher
Education, focused on increasing the student skills, validate instruments as
the satisfaction scale of JDS, are necessary to evaluate students’ satisfaction
with new active methodologies. These findings are useful for researchers since
they add the first sample in which the MI of a student’s satisfaction survey is
tested.
Keywords: measurement
equivalence, student's satisfaction and motivation, job diagnosis survey,
multigroup confirmatory analysis, higher education, invariance
Author: Monica Martinez-Gomez,
Juan A. Marin-Garcia, Martha Girado O`Meara
Journal Code: jptindustrigg160028
