Development and initial validation of a Work-Study Congruence Scale for university students

Abstract

The 16-item Work Study Congruence Scale was developed to assess self-perceived congruence between work and study roles in university students. Items were based on student interviews and reviews by experts. Responses were subjected to Exploratory (Sample 1: N = 251, mean age 25 years) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (Sample 2: N = 260, mean age 23 years), and validated against an existing brief congruence measure. The new scale taps four domains: university demands/resources, occupational goals, family, and leisure. It has the potential to promote research on work-study congruence, which can shed light on factors that promote student engagement and well-being.