Academic Burnout Scale – Kazakhstani Version (ABS)

Abstract

The Academic Burnout Scale–Kazakhstani Version (ABS) is a recent cross-cultural adaptation (Zhou et al., 2024) of the Chinese language Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale (ABS; Wu et al., 2010). This 16-item instrument was specifically developed to assess the psychological construct of academic burnout among secondary school students across two distinct cultural contexts: China and Kazakhstan. The adaptation process involved rigorous translation and back-translation procedures into both Kazakh and Russian languages, with discrepancies resolved through expert consensus. Subsequent psychometric evaluation reported satisfactory results concerning the scale’s internal consistency and underlying factor structure within the Kazakhstani sample, allowing for meaningful cross-cultural comparisons.

Keywords

Academic burnout, Adolescent Burnout Scale, ABS, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Translation, Cross-cultural comparison, Learning Cynicism, Emotional Exhaustion, Kazakhstan.

Authors

Zhou, Mi, Ye, Baojuan, Mynbayeva, Aigerim, Yong, Lin, Assilbek, Nurtang

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Academic Burnout Scale–Kazakhstani Version (ABS) is to accurately identify and measure the key characteristics of academic burnout specifically within the educational context of Kazakhstan. By adapting a previously validated Chinese instrument, the authors aimed to facilitate cross-cultural research into the prevalence and structure of this phenomenon among secondary school students in Central Asia.

Additionally, the scale’s development served a crucial secondary purpose: to test for Measurement Invariance between the Chinese and Kazakhstani samples, ensuring that observed differences in burnout scores are reflective of true differences in the construct rather than methodological or cultural bias.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of academic burnout, which is defined as a negative psychological state resulting from prolonged academic stress. The ABS is structured around a three-factor model, consistent with established models of burnout adapted for educational settings.

The scale consists of three primary subscales, which collectively capture the multifaceted nature of academic distress:

• Emotional Exhaustion: Feelings of being drained and overwhelmed by academic demands.
• Learning Cynicism: A detached, negative, or indifferent attitude towards learning and school activities.
• Reduced Efficacy: A decline in feelings of competence and achievement regarding one’s academic performance.

Validity

While specific indicators of construct or criterion validity were not explicitly detailed in the source content, the study provided strong evidence regarding the structural equivalence of the scale across cultures through Measurement Invariance testing.

The results indicated that the total academic burnout score was invariant across the Chinese and Kazakhstani cultural groups concerning item-factor combinations and factor loadings. This suggests that the underlying structure and meaning of the factors were consistent across both samples. However, differences were noted in item thresholds, implying that students from the two cultures may interpret the response options on the Likert scale differently.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the ABS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha on the Kazakhstani sample. The results demonstrated acceptable to good reliability across the subscales and the total score, indicating high inter-relatedness among items measuring the same construct.

The specific Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the Kazakhstani sample were reported as follows:

• Emotional Exhaustion: .76
• Learning Cynicism: .81
• Reduced Efficacy: .76
• Total Score: .86

Factor Analysis

The factor structure of the Academic Burnout Scale–Kazakhstani Version was evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The CFA supported the theoretical three-factor model (Emotional Exhaustion, Learning Cynicism, and Reduced Efficacy) derived from the original Chinese scale.

The analysis yielded acceptable fit indices for the three-factor model, with key metrics such as the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) exceeding the conventional threshold of 0.90 (CFI > 0.90, TLI > 0.90). Furthermore, Measurement Invariance procedures confirmed that the factor loadings were equivalent across Chinese and Kazakhstani students, lending robustness to the structural validity of the scale in both contexts.

Instrument

Test Type: Translation (Adaptation of the Chinese Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale)

Format: The instrument consists of 16 items rated on a five-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates “not at all true” and 5 indicates “definitely true.” Higher cumulative scores reflect a greater degree of academic burnout. The administration method is electronic.

Language Available: Chinese (Original), Kazakh, and Russian (Translated and Back-translated versions).

Population Group: Human (Male and Female).

Age Group: Childhood (6–12 yrs), Adolescence (13–17 yrs), and Adulthood (18+ yrs).

Population Details: Secondary School Students aged 11–19 years, sampled from locations in China and Kazakhstan.

Test Methodology: Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Measurement Invariance.

Keywords

Adolescent psychology, Cross-cultural adaptation, Educational assessment, Secondary school students, Cronbach’s alpha, Emotional Exhaustion, Reduced Efficacy, Kazakhstani culture.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in the source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: The corresponding author’s email is [email protected] (Mynbayeva, Aigerim, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University).

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the corresponding author, Aigerim Mynbayeva, Department of General and Applied Psychology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and validated in 2024. Information regarding permissions, licensing fees, or specific availability for research use is not indicated in the source content. Researchers interested in utilizing the 16-item scale must contact the corresponding author or the publisher of the reference article for access and usage rights.

Reference’s

Zhou, M., Ye, B., Mynbayeva, A., Yong, L., & Assilbek, N. (2024). A cross-cultural comparison of academic burnout among Chinese and Kazakhstani secondary students. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 43(21), 19140–19152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05733-y

Items of the Academic Burnout Scale–Kazakhstani Version (ABS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The test items for the Academic Burnout Scale–Kazakhstani Version (ABS) are not publicly available in the source documentation. Access to the 16 items of the scale requires contacting the corresponding author (Mynbayeva, Aigerim) or the publisher of the journal in which the validation study appeared.