




































  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

1 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

MEASURING WORK ENGAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIAN CONTEXT: UTRECHT SCALE 

ADAPTATION" 

 

Prof. Emmanuel Okoye 

Department of Psychology Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Nigeria 

 

ABSTRACT  

The prevailing perception of psychology, particularly Occupational Health Psychology (OHP), has historically 

centered on addressing negative aspects of human behavior and well-being. This skewed focus on pathology 

and dysfunction has led to an imbalance in research, with a significantly greater emphasis on negative states 

compared to positive ones. For instance, the ratio of research on negative states to positive states was estimated 

at 14:1, indicating a disproportionate emphasis on the former. 

This imbalance is also evident in OHP, where approximately 94% of research has concentrated on the negative 

aspects of worker health and well-being, with only around 5% addressing positive aspects. This heavy focus 

on negatives has limited the development of new methods and strategies for enhancing organizational 

effectiveness. 

Recognizing the need for a shift in perspective, researchers have emphasized Positive Organizational Behavior 

(POB) as a crucial area of study. POB focuses on harnessing human resource strengths and psychological 

capacities to improve workplace performance effectively. This approach aligns with the emerging field of 

positive psychology, which seeks to scientifically examine human strengths and optimal functioning. 

This transformation in perspective is beginning to address the historical imbalance and offers new insights 

into how organizations can leverage positive aspects of human behavior and well-being for improved 

productivity and effectiveness. 

 

Keywords: psychology, Occupational Health Psychology (OHP), positive psychology, Positive 

Organizational Behavior (POB), well-being. 

  

 

INTRODUCTION    

Since antiquity psychology, especially Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) focused on negative aspects 

of human behaviour such as malfunctioning, weakness and pathology (Schaufeli & Salanova, 2007). Even to 

a lay person, psychology literarily means repairing or healing the mentally sick or individuals with emotional 

problems. This prevailing negative preconception of psychology is illustrated by the fact that the number of 

researches on negative states outweighs that on positive states by a ratio of 14:1 (Myers, 2000). An earlier 

estimation of Diener, Suh, Lucas and Smith (1999) revealed a poorer ratio of 17:1.  Similarly, Bakker and 

Schaufeli (2001) observed that about 94% of all researches that have been conducted so far in OHP focused 

on the negative aspects of worker’s health and well-being. In contrast, only about 5% deals with positive 

aspects. This seems to have affected productivity in organisations, in that hardly have any new means or 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

2 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

methods of improving organisational effectiveness been identified. This may be the reason Bakker and 

Schaufeli (2008) emphasised the need for Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB) research, which is defined 

as the study and application of positive-oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that 

can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace 

(Luthans, 2002). However, there seems to be a transformation because since the beginning of this century, 

more attention is being paid to what has come to be known as positive psychology: the scientific study of 

human strength and optimal functioning (Seligman & Csiksentmihalyi, 2000).   

This approach is considered to supplement the traditional focus of psychology on disease model not to replace 

it (Seligman, 1998). This recent trend to concentrate on optimal functioning also aroused attention in 

organisational psychology (Luthans, 2002; Luthans & Youssef, 2007). This trend towards positive psychology 

has led to the emergence of the concept of work engagement. Work engagement has continued to attract 

research attention within the scientific community. The current study is about the psychometric evaluation of 

the Nigerian version of a self-report questionnaire to assess work engagement - the Utrecht Work Engagement 

Scale (UWES-N). This study is pertinent because increasing job insecurity engendered by social and economic 

pressures seem to have caused many employees to be disengaged in their work. As a result, the study of work 

engagement has become a vital area in organisational and social psychology in many countries including 

Nigeria. Nigeria’s emergence from a traditional agro-based society to a somewhat industrial society with 

increasing growth and spread of formal organisation makes the study of work engagement even more 

imperative. As in many other countries that have embraced the construct, work engagement is potentially 

fruitful for the study and practice of well-being of Nigerian workers. So in order to study and to maximize the 

concept of work engagement in Nigeria, the adaptation of the UWES should be the first step.  

CONCEPTUALISATION AND DEFINITION OF WORK ENGAGEMENT  

Work engagement was conceptualised by Khan (1990) as the harnessing of organisational members’ selves 

to their work roles where people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally 

during role performances. Work engagement is the assumed opposite of burnout. In fact, it is research on 

burnout that stimulated studies on its presumed opposite: work engagement. Maslach and Leiter (1997) 

suggest that burnout and engagement are two opposite poles of one continuum and rephrased burnout as an 

erosion of engagement with the job, whereby energy turns into exhaustion, involvement turns into cynicism, 

and efficacy turns into ineffectiveness. According to Maslach and Leiter, engagement is characterised by 

energy, involvement and professional efficacy, which are perfectly and inversely related to the three burnout 

dimensions.   

Work engagement is defined as “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by 

vigour, dedication, and absorption” (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Romá, & Bakker, 2002, p. 74). According 

to them, work engaged individuals are full of vitality, they feel they are glued to their work, and are better 

able to deal with job demands (Schaufeli & Salanova, 2007). Engagement is neither a momentary nor a 

specific state, but refers to a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any 

particular object, event, individual, or behaviour (Shimazu, et al., 2008). Vigour is characterized by high 

energy levels and mental resilience while working. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in one’s work 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

3 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, and challenge. Absorption entails being fully 

concentrated and happily engulfed in one’s work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with 

separating oneself from work (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). In short, engaged employees have high levels of 

energy and are enthusiastic about their work, they are often fully immersed in their work so that time flies 

(May, Gilson, & Harter, 2004). The experiences of time passing quickly and forgetting everything around one 

are evidence of the absorption dimension (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2001). The current study adopts Schaufeli et 

al’s. (2002) definition of work engagement.  

UTRECHT WORK ENGAGEMENT SCALE (UWES)  

Because of the importance of the work engagement construct, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; 

Schaufeli, et al., 2003) was developed to measure the underlying dimensions of work engagement including 

vigour, dedication, and absorption. UWES is available in 17 languages (Schaufeli & Salanova, 2007) and have 

been psychometrically evaluated in over ten countries including China (Yi-Wen & Yi-Qun, 2005), Finland 

(Hakanen, 2002), Greece (Xanthopoulou, Bakker, Demerouti, & Kantas, 2007), South Africa (Storm & 

Rothmann, 2003), Spain (Schaufeli, et al., 2002), and The Netherlands (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003; Schaufeli, 

et al., 2002), Japan (Shimazu, et al., 2008). In most of these countries, the factor validity studies show that 

scores on the UWES are best represented by three factors (e.g., Schaufeli, Bakker, & Salanova, 2006); 

however, not all items are invariant across countries (Schaufeli, et al., 2006). Due to the fact that UWES has 

been validated across many cultures, researchers (e.g., Storm & Rothmann, 2003) have acknowledged that it 

can be used as an unbiased instrument to assess work engagement because the three-factor model has proven 

cross-national validity. Despite this global recognition and acceptance of the potency of the UWES structure 

and its psychometric values the relevance of the scale has not been ascertained in Nigeria.  

UWES DEVELOPMENT AND INITIAL VALIDATION  

The UWES has initial item pool of 24, but after psychometric evaluation, 7 unstable items were eliminated so 

that 17 items remained (Schaufeli, et al., 2002). It is a self-report instrument that includes the three dimensions: 

vigour, dedication and absorption. The original UWES (UWES-17) includes 17 items (Schaufeli, et al., 2002): 

vigour (6 items), dedication (5 items), and absorption (6 items). The UWES-17 has encouraging psychometric 

features  

(Schaufeli, et al., 2006). More specifically, the internal consistencies (Cronbach’s alpha) of the scale range 

between .80 and .90 (Durán, Extremera, & Rey, 2004; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). Thus, values of Cronbach’s 

alpha exceed the value of .70 that is traditionally used as a rule of thumb (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994).   

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM  

The psychometric properties of the UWES (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003) have been assessed by different 

researchers and in diverse countries since the scale’s development. The initial problem is that while UWES 

responses have been studied in many countries, there has been no investigation of its structural validity and 

reliability in a Nigerian sample. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that UWES items are not constant 

across countries. This is problematic because the scale has continued to gain popularity among Nigerian 

researchers, thus making it imperative to examine the dimensionality and reliability of UWES responses in 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

4 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

Nigeria. Besides, there are ample research opportunities on work engagement in Nigeria as an emerging 

economy and adapting the scale for Nigeria would stimulate research in this direction.  

RESEARCH QUESTIONS  

The current study attempted to provide answers to the following five research questions:  

1. What are the underlying factors of the UWES-17 items in a Nigerian sample?  

2. What are the internal consistency reliability estimates of the UWES dimensions?  

3. Does work engagement differ with age?  

4. Is there significant gender difference in response to the work engagement scale?  

5. Does work engagement differ between occupational groups in Nigeria?  

METHOD  

Samples and Procedure  

Participants in this study were Nigerian employees drawn from across two occupational groups: banking 

sector and employees in a production company in Nsukka, South-East Nigeria. A total of 268 employees 

completed the questionnaire (Mean age = 33.7, SD = 8.3). Their ages ranged from 23 to 51 years. Demographic 

information was collected from participants including gender, marital status, education, employment status, 

job tenure, and organisational tenure. Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of participants.  

Table 1: Demographic characteristics of participants    

 
Variables             Levels                                  No.                      (%)  

 
  

Gender              Male                           197                       (73.51%)  

      

  

          Female                              71                                    (26.49%)  

Age                Young               146       (54.48%)  

      

  

  

          Old                122       (45.52%)  

Marital status            Married                                   177       (66.04%)   

               Single                             91       (33.96%)  

                        

        

Education             Secondary   

         School graduate                       47        (17.54%)  

         University graduate            163                      (60.82%)  

      

  

  

         Postgraduate                28        (21.64%)  

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

5 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

Employment status           Full time                         203        (75.75%)       

      

  

  

         Part time                           65        (24.25%)  

Job tenure             Short tenure              151      (56.34%)                              

      

  

         Long tenure                                69        (43.66%)    

Organisational tenure           Short tenure      197        (73.51%) 

                 Long tenure         71             

(26.49%)    

In order to 

adapt the UWES-17 for Nigerian samples, it was first subjected to face and content validity and reliability 

tests. The 17-item scale was presented to eight experts; four from  the management  and  four 

 from  psychology.  They  included  four  

Industrial/organisational (I/O) Psychologists and three regional heads of Human Resource (HR) units of three 

banks and one from a production company. Those from the management were asked to verify whether the 

items in the scale actually represent what is ordinarily regarded as work engagement in their respective 

organisations, while the I/O psychologists were, on the other hand, requested to identify which items they 

think do not measure the three dimensions of engagement as was operationally defined in the study. There 

was 100% agreement among the experts that all the items have face and content validity. A total of 305 

employees received the survey in their places of work, but out of this number only 297 copies of the scale 

were adequately completed and returned, representing a response rate of 97.38%. Out of this number also, 29 

(9.76%) copies were not usable and only 268 (90.24%) copies were subjected to analyses.  

Instrument  

Work engagement was measured with a preliminary Nigerian version of the UWES (UWESN) that was 

originally developed by Schaufeli et al. (2002). The items of the UWES are grouped into three subscales that 

reflect the underlying dimensions of engagement: Vigour (six items), Dedication (five items), and Absorption 

(six items). All items are scored on a 7point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“Never”) to 6 (“Always”).  

Completion and scoring of UWES  

The UWES can be administered individually or in group and it takes about 5-10 minutes to complete the scale 

(Schaufeli, et al., 2002). The UWES may be used for individual as well as for group assessment. For instance, 

it could be used as part of an employee satisfaction survey, or a psychosocial risk evaluation (Schaufeli, et al., 

2003). It is recommended that the test takers be made to clearly understand the process involved in completing 

the scale before they respond to the items.   

In order to reduce response biases (social desirability) or the ones that might result from specific connotations 

related to ‘work engagement’ this term, that is, work engagement is not used in the title of the scale. A more 

neutral term ‘Work & Well-being Survey’ is chosen instead, with UWES in parentheses (Schaufeli, et al., 

2002). The mean score of the three UWES subscales is the bases for interpreting the scores of respondents. 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

6 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

This is achieved by adding the scores on the particular scale or subscale and dividing the sum by the number 

of items of the scale or subscale. Hence, the UWES, yields three subscale scores and/or a total score that range 

between 0 and 6 that totals 102 for the full version and 54 for the short version.  

RESULTS  

This section reports outcome of the analyses of psychometric properties of the UWES in a Nigerian sample. 

The results of the descriptive statistics are provided, followed by the results of the five research questions 

postulated in the study.   

Descriptive statistics  

Table 1: Mean and Standard Deviation Scores of Age on Work Engagement Scale  

 
Age      Mean (M)     Std. Deviation      Number   

  

Young     58.13      10.82        146   

Old      58.24      10.33        122   

Total     59.07       9.73         268   

  

Table 2: Mean and Standard Deviation Scale   
Scores of Female and Male on 

Work Engagement  

 

Gender    Mean (M)     Std. Deviation      Number   

Female    57.52     10.71       101  

Male     59.07     10.41       167  

Total     58.09     10.26       268  

 
 Table 3: Mean and Standard Deviation Scores of Occupational Groups (Banking & Production) on Work 

Engagement Scale.   

Organisation    Mean (M)    Std. Deviation      Number   

   

Banking     58.62     9.94         179   

Production     57.49     11.53        89   

Total      58.17     10.58        268   

The descriptive statistics computed shows that older respondents reported slightly higher mean score on work 

engagement scale (M = 58.24, SD = 10.33) compared to the younger respondents (M = 58.13, SD = 10.82) 

(see Table1). The results equally indicated that male respondents reported slightly higher mean score on work 

engagement scale (M = 59.07, SD = 10.41) compared to their female counterparts (M = 57.52, SD = 10.71) 

(see Table 2). The result further revealed that respondents from the banking sector reported higher mean score 

on work engagement scale (M = 58.62, SD = 9.94) compared to their counterparts from the production sector 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

7 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

(M = 57.49, SD = 11.53) (see Table 3). Results of test of significance of the means are reported in Table 4 

below.  

Table 4: Three-way ANOVA Summary Table Showing the Reports of Age, Gender and Occupational Group 

Differences on Work Engagement Scale.  

Source      Sum of Square   df    Mean Square   F   

Age  (A)           99.34     1                           99.34                   .88   

Gender (B)         415.06     1       415.06          3.70*   

Occupation (C)           6.64     1           6.64            .06   

A x B            20.58     1         20.58            .18   

A x C          282.00     1       282.00          2.52   

B x C          364.20     1       364.20          3.25   

A x B x C           61.02     1         61.02            .55   

Error      17930.15     260       112.06    

Total      18697.99     267     

Note: * p < 0.05  

A further test of significance, utilizing analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that it was only gender that 

showed a significant difference in response to work engagement scale. Age showed no significant difference. 

With regards to the two occupational groups surveyed in the study, the ANOVA test did not also reveal any 

significant differences in their response to work engagement scale, that is, between workers from the banking 

sector and their counterparts from the production sector. However, the first research question that hinged on 

the underlying factor of the UWES-17 items in a Nigerian sample was addressed by computing an exploratory 

factor analysis using Varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalisation method. Following these analyses, the 

second research question was addressed by examining the internal consistency of UWES-17 scores.   

Validity and Reliability of UWES-N  

The result of the item analysis computed revealed that the item-total correlations ranged from .38 to .68. For 

the individual scales, vigour dimension has a Cronbach’s α of .73; dedication has .79, and absorption has .70. 

The 17 items cumulatively yielded a Cronbach’s α of .85 against a Cronbach’s α of .93 observed by Schaufeli 

and Bakker (2003). The observed difference in the reliability index might have resulted from the sample size 

used. While the original version used a sample size of 9,679, the present study utilised only 268 participants 

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

8 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

(see Appendix A for the inter-item correlation). A test-retest reliability coefficient of .77 after three weeks 

interval was also obtained. This agrees with earlier studies (e.g., Schaufeli, et al., 2006) which asserted that 

UWES-17 has acceptable psychometric properties.   

An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the UWES-17 using the principal components factor analysis 

to ascertain whether the three-factor structure of UWES would hold. In the first analysis, four factors emerged, 

which almost loaded strongly in the factors, but when the Varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalization analysis 

was performed on the data, a three clear factor model emerged (see Appendix B). Based on the above finding, 

work engagement is perceived as a three-factor model in Nigeria representing employee behaviour in the 

performance of their job. This is consistent with earlier studies on UWES (e.g., Demerouti, et al., 2001; 

Schaufeli, et al., 2002). It also concurs with Seppala et al. (2008) whose factor analyses supported the 

hypothesised correlated three-factor structure.   

Towards a Short Measure of Work Engagement  

Besides the UWES-17, a shortened version of 9 items (the UWES-9) has long been advocated. For example, 

Schaufeli, Bakker and Salanova (2006) utilised data from 10 different countries (N = 14,521), and results 

indicated that the full version of UWES can be shortened to 9 items. The factorial validity of the UWES-9 

was demonstrated using confirmatory factor analysis, and the three subscale scores have good internal 

consistency and test-retest reliability. It has acceptable psychometric values (Schaufeli, et al., 2006). Also, 

Seppala et al. (2008) utilised five divergent occupational samples (N = 11, 959) and their confirmatory factor 

analyses supported the hypothesised correlated three-factor structure – vigour, dedication and absorption of 

the UWES scale. Seppala et al. reported that while the structure of the full version did not remain the same 

across the samples and time, the structure of the UWES-9 remained relatively stable. The UWES-9 has good 

construct validity and the use of the 9-item version can be recommended in future research (Seppala, et al., 

2008). Despite having used data from numerous countries to test the consistency of UWES-9, its psychometric 

properties are yet to be examined in a Nigerian sample.  

In order to adapt the UWES-9 for Nigerian samples, it was subjected to reliability test. The result of the 

reliability test that was run on UWES-9 using 268 respondents, the same as on the UWES-17 showed that the 

item-total correlations ranged from .41 to .66 (see Appendix C for the inter-item correlation). For the 

individual scales, vigour dimension has a Cronbach’s α of .76; dedication has .79, and absorption has .74. The 

9 items yielded a Cronbach’s α of .91. A test-retest reliability coefficient of .87 after three weeks interval was 

also obtained. This agrees with earlier studies (e.g., Schaufeli, et al., 2006; Seppala, et al., 2008) which 

asserted that UWES-9 has acceptable psychometric properties. Also, an exploratory factor analysis was 

performed on the UWES-9 using the principal components factor analysis to ascertain whether the three-factor 

structure of UWES would still hold and it did (see Appendix D).    

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION  

The current study confirmed that the UWES-N, both the full version (UWES-17) and the shortened version 

(UWES-9) are adequate measures of work engagement that can be used in the Nigerian context. This is based 

on the fact that the UWES has quite satisfactory psychometric properties:  

1. The three subscales are internally consistent;  

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

9 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

2. The three-factor structure was confirmed;  

3. Age was not statistically significant in responses to the work engagement scale;  

4. Males reported slightly higher work engagement scores than their female counterparts;  

5. There was no statistically significant difference between the two occupational groups   tested in their 

responses to the work engagement scale.  

The researcher expect that the adaptation of this scale will stimulate interest not only for further studies or 

theorising on work engagement in Nigeria, but also as a tool for organisational practitioners as it relates to 

positive organisational behaviour.  

The present study was limited to only two occupational groups; there is the need to extend research on work 

engagement to other occupational groups by adapting the scale to these groups. The sample size for the present 

study was small; there is need for an additional sample because this smallness of sample size may have given 

rise to sampling error. Based on findings from the current study, recommendations for further investigation 

have been offered. Although the current study supported a three dimensional structure of UWES, the question 

still remains whether this three-dimensional structure are stable over time in a Nigerian sample. Therefore, 

future research should attempt to confirm the factor structure of work engagement longitudinally in Nigeria. 

Whether there are different antecedents and consequences of each of the dimensions is still vague; further 

research is needed for clarity. This is important because since the behaviour pattern of these dimensions differs 

significantly, they could as well have different drivers and outcomes.   

REFERENCES  

Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). Socially induced burnout. Paper presented at the 5th EAWOP 

congress. Prague, Czech Republic.  

Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008). Positive organisational behaviour: Engaged employees in 

flourishing organisations. Journal of Organisational Behavior, 29, 147154.  

Diener, E., Suh, E., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. 

Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302.  

Durán, A., Extremera, N., & Rey, L. (2004). Engagement and burnout: Analysing their association patterns. 

Psychological Reports, 94, 1050-1084.   

Hakanen, J. J. (2002). Validation of the Finnish version of an instrument for measuring the job engagement 

(UWES) in an educational organisation. Työ ja Ihminen, 16, 42-58.   

Khan, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy 

of Management Journal, 33, 692 –724.  

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

10 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational 

Behavior, 26, 695-706.Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2007). Emerging Positive Organizational 

Behavior. Journal of Management, 33, 321-349.  

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and 

what to do about it. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.  

May, D. R., Gilson, R. L., & Harter, L. M. (2004). The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety 

and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. Journal of Occupational and 

Organizational Psychology, 77, 11-37.  

Myers, D. G. (2000). The funds, friends and faith of happy people. American Psychologist, 55, 56–67.  

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd revised edition). New York, NY: 

McGraw-Hill.  

Schaufeli, W. B. & Bakker, A. B. (2001). Work and well-being: Towards a positive approach in occupational 

and health psychology. Gedrag en Organisatie, 14, 229–253.  

Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2003). Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES): Test manual. 

Unpublished manuscript. Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.  

Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Preliminary Manual. 

Occupational Health Psychology Unit, Utrecht University.  

Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short 

questionnaire: A cross-national study. Education and Psychological Measurement, 66, 701-716.  

Schaufeli, W.B., & Salanova, M. (2007). Work engagement: An emerging psychological concept and its 

implications for organizations. In S.W. Gilliland, D.D. Steiner, & D.P. Skarlicki (Eds.), Research in 

Social Issues in Management (Volume 5): Managing Social and Ethical Issues in Organizations. 

Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishers.  

Schaufeli, W., Salanova, M., Gonzalez-Roma, V., & Bakker, A. (2002). The measurement of engagement and 

burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3, 71-92.  

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American 

Psychologist, 55, 5-14.  

Seligman, M. E. P. (1998). Positive social science. Science and Spirit, 9, 6.  

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com


  

    

 Academic Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 

Vol.8, Issue 2; March - April 2023; 

ISSN: 2837-2964 

Impact Factor: 6.67 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET/index; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

11 | A c a d e m i c  J o u r n a l  o f  S c i e n c e ,  E n g i n e e r i n g  a n d  T e c h n o l o g y  

|  https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJSET 

Seppälä, P., Mauno, S., Feldt, T., Hakanen, J., Kinnunen, U., Tolvanen, A., & Schaufeli, W. (2008). The 

construct validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: Multisample and longitudinal evidence. 

Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(4), 459-481.  

Shimazu, A., Schaufeli, W. B., Kosugi, S., Suzuki, A., Nashiwa, H., Kato, A., Sakamoto, M., Irimajiri, H., 

Amano, S., Hirohata, K., Goto, R., & Kitaoka-Higashiguchi, K. (2008). Work engagement in Japan: 

Development and validation of the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Journal 

of Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57, 510-523.   

Sonnentag, S. (2003). Recovery, work engagement, and proactive behavior: A new look at the interface 

between non-work and work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 518-528.  

Storm, K., & Rothmann, I. (2003). A psychometric analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in the 

South African police service. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 29, 62-70.  

Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Kantas, A. (2007). The measurement of burnout and 

engagement: A cross-cultural study comparing Greece and The Netherlands. New Review of Social 

Psychology.  

Yi-Wen, Z., & Yi-Qun, C. (2005). The Chinese Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: An 

examination of reliability and validity. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 13, 268-270.  

  

mailto:topacademicjournals@gmail.com

