Item response theory analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) using a sample of Japanese university and college students majoring medical science, nursing, and natural science

Objectives The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students has been used internationally to assess students’ academic engagement, but it has not been analyzed via item response theory. The purpose of this study was to conduct an item response theory analysis of the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students translated by authors. Using a two-parameter model and Samejima’s graded response model, difficulty and discrimination parameters were estimated after confirming the factor structure of the scale.