Short Scale of Belonging to the Study Program (ZeS)

Abstract

The Short scale affiliation to own degree program (ZeS) is a validated instrument designed to measure the multidimensional construct of belonging specifically related to a student’s academic program. This construct encompasses the fundamental psychological need to feel socially and emotionally connected to one’s study program, to identify with the cohort, and to experience a sense of well-being within the community. The scale consists of eight items rated on a six-point Likert scale. Validation efforts across two separate surveys confirmed strong factorial validity and high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s Alpha values consistently meeting or exceeding 0.79.

Further analyses established content, convergent, divergent, and criterion validity, confirming the ZeS as a robust measurement tool. The scale is particularly economical due to its brevity and is suitable for use among students in higher education, specifically enabling comparisons across different academic programs or teaching contexts (such as online versus in-person instruction).

Keywords

Belonging, Affiliation, Study Program, Student Well-being, Pride, Social Connection, Academic Community, Psychometrics, Short Scale.

Authors

Yaas Bahmani, Aruna Gallas, Janina Kreisel, Hannah Merforth, Elena Neubauer, Anne Wendelken.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ZeS short scale is to quantitatively assess the degree of emotional and social affiliation students feel toward their specific academic degree program, as distinct from general belongingness to the university institution. This scale addresses a gap in the literature, as previous instruments focused predominantly on university-wide affiliation and were often only available in English.

The instrument is intended for use in research settings to compare different educational variables, such as the effectiveness of various teaching modalities (e.g., in-person vs. online learning) or to examine differences in student belonging across various fields of study. Due to its concise nature, the scale is highly economical, requiring only approximately one minute to complete. However, it is not recommended for individual diagnostic purposes.

Construct

The construct measured is Affiliation to one’s own Degree Program (Zugehörigkeit zum eigenen Studiengang). Drawing on established definitions of belonging, such as the fundamental human motivation proposed by Baumeister and Leary (1995), the construct is defined as the student’s need to feel socially and emotionally connected to their program, to identify with it, and to experience positive well-being within its community.

The ZeS is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct exhibiting two distinct, yet correlated, factors: Factor 1: Well-being (Wohlbefinden), which measures feelings of comfort, acceptance, and positive social relationships within the cohort (5 items); and Factor 2: Pride (Stolz), which measures positive identification and the desire for outward representation of the study program (3 items).

Validity

The validity of the ZeS scale was thoroughly evaluated, demonstrating strong psychometric properties across several domains.

• Content Validity: The selection of pride and well-being as core components of affiliation is supported by existing literature, suggesting that these concepts are comparable and transferable even from non-academic contexts (e.g., school settings) to higher education.
• Factorial Validity: The hypothesized two-factor structure was confirmed across two separate samples (Item Selection Sample, N=97; Evaluation Sample, N=110), establishing strong factorial validity.
• Construct Validity: Convergent validity was established through positive correlations of medium strength between the ZeS factors (Well-being: $r = .33^{***}$; Pride: $r = .26^{**}$) and an external measure of dispositional pride. Divergent validity was assumed due to near-zero correlations with several Big Five personality factors (Extraversion, Openness). Expected correlations were observed with Conscientiousness (positive) and Neuroticism (negative), aligning with theoretical predictions that highly neurotic individuals struggle more with social connection.
• Criterion Validity: Demonstrated through significant positive correlations of medium strength between both ZeS factors (Well-being: $r = .29^{**}$; Pride: $r = .32^{***}$) and the criterion measure of Satisfaction With Life (SWLS). This indicates that stronger affiliation is linked to greater overall life satisfaction.

The original appendix containing further validation details, including item analyses and factor loading matrices, can be downloaded here: https://zis.gesis.org/appendix/Bahmani+_ZeS_appendix.pdf

Reliability

Internal consistency, measured using Cronbach’s Alpha, was consistently found to be good across both factors and samples, supporting the reliability of the instrument for research purposes.

• Item Selection Sample (N=97): Well-being ($alpha$ = 0.81); Pride ($alpha$ = 0.81).
• Evaluation Sample (N=110): Well-being ($alpha$ = 0.79); Pride ($alpha$ = 0.81).

The high reliability coefficients, despite the low number of items per factor, confirm the scale’s ability to consistently measure the underlying constructs. The objectivity of the scale is high regarding administration and scoring, as it is a standardized, computer-administered test analyzed using statistical software (R).

Factor Analysis

The scale development involved two main phases of data collection and factor analysis. Initially, 24 items were generated via a bottom-up approach combining the lexical approach and focus groups. An initial Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Axis Factoring with Oblimin rotation was conducted on the Item Selection Sample (N=97). Although Horn’s Parallel Test suggested three factors, the third factor was unstable, leading to the establishment of a final, stable two-factor structure: Well-being (5 items) and Pride (3 items).

This finalized 8-item structure was then subjected to a second, confirmatory EFA using the Evaluation Sample (N=110). This analysis successfully confirmed the two-factor model. In the selection sample, the two factors correlated at $r = 0.22$ and explained 55% of the total variance. In the evaluation sample, the correlation was $r = 0.39$, explaining 50% of the variance. The consistent confirmation of the structure across independent samples strongly supports the factorial validity of the ZeS.

Instrument

Test Type: Short Scale (Kurzskala), Self-report Questionnaire.

Format: Eight positively polarized items, scored on a six-point Likert scale. The response options range from (1) “Stimme überhaupt nicht zu” (I don’t agree at all) to (6) “Stimme voll und ganz zu” (I completely agree).

Language Available: German (deutsch).

Population Group: Students (Studierende).

Age Group: Participants in the validation samples ranged from 18 to 41 years old (Average age approx. 22 years).

Population Details: The scale targets students across all higher education institutions and degree programs, specifically requiring participants to be in their second semester or higher. It is administered via Computer-Assisted Self-Administered Interviewing (CASI).

Test Methodology: Sum scores are calculated separately for the two distinct subscales (Well-being and Pride) by adding up the selected values for the respective items. Sum scores should only be calculated for individuals who answered all items within the subscale. The instrument is highly economical with an estimated completion time of approximately one minute.

Keywords

Zugehörigkeit zum eigenen Studiengang, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Social Support, Student Identity, Academic Belongingness, Pride, Higher Education.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Yaas Bahmani ([email protected]), Aruna Gallas ([email protected]), Janina Kreisel ([email protected]), Hannah Merforth ([email protected]), Elena Neubauer ([email protected]), Anne Wendelken ([email protected]).

Correspondence Address: Universität Mannheim (Implied Affiliation).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The authors share first authorship, indicating comparable contribution to the development of the scale. Specific licensing or usage permissions are not detailed in the provided documentation.

Fee: Not specified.

Test Year: Development and validation occurred in late 2021.

References

• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.
• Danner, D., Rammstedt, B., Bluemke, M., Lechner, C., & Rammsayer, T. (2016). BFI-2-XS: Eine ultra-kurze Skala zur Erfassung der Big Five-Persönlichkeitsfaktoren. Universität Mannheim.
• Hagenauer, O., & Raufelder, D. (2020). Social relationships in the educational context. Springer.
• Horn, J. L. (1965). A rationale and test for the number of factors in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 30(2), 179–185.
• Janke, S., & Glöckner-Rist, A. (2012). Skala zur Erfassung der Lebenszufriedenheit (SWLS). In: Schumacher, J., Klaiberg, A., & Brähler, E. (Hrsg.). Diagnostische Verfahren in der Psychologie, 5.
• Leiner, D. J. (2019). SoSci Survey (Version 3.2.14). [Software].
• R Core Team (2020). R: A language and environment for statistical computing (Version 4.0.3). [Software].
• Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & John, O. P. (2006). The nature of pride: Content, structure, and functions. Cognition and Emotion, 20(8), 1145–1179.

Items of the Short scale affiliation to own degree program (ZeS)

Instruction: Nachfolgend finden Sie eine Reihe von Aussagen, die Ihr Verhältnis zu Ihrem Studiengang beschreiben. Geben Sie bitte für jede Aussage an, inwieweit diese auf Sie zutrifft.

Response Format (6-point Likert scale): (1) Stimme überhaupt nicht zu, (2) Stimme nicht zu, (3) Stimme eher nicht zu, (4) Stimme eher zu, (5) Stimme zu, (6) Stimme voll und ganz zu.