Psychometric evaluation of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale in a Chinese sample
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Psychometric evaluation of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale in a Chinese sample Tao Wang 1 & Ting Zhang 1 & Wenlong Mu 1 & Xue Li 1 Accepted: 30 October 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The current research investigated the factor structure, measurement invariance, internal consistency reliability, convergent and incremental validity, and test-retest reliability of the Chinese version of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale (ECSS). The bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM) resulted in the best-fit indices and unbiased parameter estimates with the joint presence of the general encouragement character strength factor and the two specific factors (i.e., perceived ability and enjoyment). The total and factor scores of the ECSS showed good internal consistency reliability in all samples. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. In support of their convergent validity, the ECSS scores showed strong associations with measures of kindness, hope, social connectedness, extroversion, agreeableness, and psychological wellbeing. After controlling the variables of kindness, hope, social connectedness, extroversion, and agreeableness, the ECSS showed incremental validity for psychological well-being. Test-retest reliability was established for the total and factor scores of the ECSS. Overall, the Chinese version of the ECSS seems to be an effective and dependable scale for measuring the encouragement character strength construct. Keywords Encouragement Character Strength Scale . Psychometric properties . Bifactor modeling . Chinese sample
Introduction Encouragement plays an indispensable role in our daily lives (Wong, 2015). From simple words to hand gestures, encouragement is a form of social behavior individuals engage in to communicate support and sustenance for one another (Jose & Bellamy, 2012). Wong (2015) theorized the concept of encouragement as “the expression of affirmation by using words or other symbolic representation to inject courage, persistence, self-confidence, inspiration, or optimism in a person when addressing a tough situation or realizing a potential” (p. 182). Specifically, the definition of encouragement is exhibited through four dimensions. First, encouragement entails the transfer of a message from at least one person to another. Second, the message is an affirmation of which contains positive meaning. Third, the key objective of encouragement is to increase the motivation of the recipient. Fourth,
* Xue Li [email protected] 1
School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Bayi Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
encouragement is usually communicated when facing a challenging circumstance or helping the recipient unveil their selfpotential. In spite of the pervasiveness of encouragement in our society, the majority of existing research emphasized encouragement as a way of relational communication or the experience of receiving encouragement (Yeager et al., 201
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