Modifying and Translating the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement for Use in Saudi Arabia: The Difficulty of Validation

Abstract

Student engagement in the first year of university plays a vital role on retention, learning, and persistence in STEM fields. The Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) measures student engagement during their first year of university and was constructed and validated for use in the English language. In Saudi Arabia, the first year of university aims to smooth students’ transition from secondary to higher education. However, many students struggle with this transition and experience challenges to adjust. Therefore, a similar questionnaire to the BCSSE is needed to implement an exploratory study that measures student engagement during their first year of university in Saudi Arabia. To do so, some items of the BCSSE were modified and translated into the Arabic language. The process of providing evidence for validity, utilizing a forward-backward translation technique, is outlined here. Initial translation was done by the author. Face validity was obtained using multiple Arabic and English speakers. A total of 71 Saudi students completed the survey, and the internal consistency was tested using a Cronbach’s α -coefficient. Eight Saudi students participated in cognitive interviews to provide additional information regarding validity of the survey items. This paper discusses some of the problems encountered in each stage of validation. The translated survey was revised to a final Arabic version based on students’ suggestions and will be tested for reliability with a future sample.

Keywords: Cultural adaptation of instruments, Validity, Student engagement scales, First-year students.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-17-07

Publication date:June 30^th 2021