Structural robustness of life satisfaction scale of pre-service teachers in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper investigated the structural robustness of the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS) among Nigerian Pre-service Teachers. The study anchors on scale development research type of non-experimental design. Participants were selected randomly, totaling 509. The adopted instrument titled satisfaction with life scale with content validity index of 0.84 and ordinal alpha reliability of (α=0.75) aided in gathering data for the study. Obtained data were analysed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and concurrent validity (that is equating with Rosenberg Self Esteem scale), respectively. The results showed that a single trait was evident in the scale, with Eigenvalues of 2.41, 0.97, 0.64, 0.53, and 0.44. Also, the CFA indicated a good fit to the data with compliance indices. A significant positive correlation of the LSS with the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (r=0.83, P<0.05) indicated acceptable concurrent validity. Similarly, LSS maintains its strict invariance regarding gender. The authors concluded that there was psychometric confirmation for a unitary structure of LSS in Nigeria, and since the two scales produced high correlations, the validity of LSS is referred to as concurrent. Therefore, it was recommended that LSS be used to complement scales that emphasise emotional well-being since it accesses an individual’s conscious evaluative judgment of his or her life using personal criteria.