PSCP Cognitive Engagement Scale: A Scale Development Study

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to measure students' cognitive engagement in teaching-learning environments. An exploratory correlational method was employed to develop the scale. 446 university pre‐degree students learning English as a foreign language participated in the study. A pilot study was conducted with 117 students to explore the item and factor structure of the scale, resulting in the removal of eight items from the scale. A subsequent study with 329 students was conducted to confirm the scale's item and factor structure. Results showed that the scale demonstrated content validity, with a content validity index of .94. The scale consisted of nine items and two factors, identified as cognitive attention and cognitive effort. Convergent validity was established, as evidenced by composite reliability values of .83 and .84 for each factor, with average variance extracted of .55 and .51, respectively. Corrected item-total correlation values ranged from .54 to .71, and inter-item correlation exceeded .30. Reliability analysis revealed high internal consistency, with each factor demonstrating reliability of .83 and .85, resulting in an overall scale reliability of .89. In conclusion, the findings indicate that the developed PSCP Cognitive Engagement Scale is a valid and reliable scale for measuring cognitive engagement in learning environments.