Abstract
The present study reported the initial validation of an abbreviated version of the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale- Chinese version (SLSS-Chinese) in two samples of Chinese middle school students. Initial analyses based on the original 7-item scale suggested that the two reverse-worded items functioned differently compared to other items. The plausible reasons behind this finding were discussed based on extant literature on mixed worded scales and cross-cultural research on life satisfaction scales. Then we compared the validity of three formats of the SLSS-Chinese: the 7-item (full scale), the 5-item (positively worded items only), and the 2-item (reverseworded items only) scales, respectively. Convergent evidence suggested that the two reverse-worded items hampered the scale's internal consistency, dimensionality, and validity. Also, the 5-item scale demonstrated good psychometric properties, and was clearly superior compared to the 7-item scale. These findings provide a solid foundation for applying the 5-item SLSS-Chinese in measuring Chinese adolescents' life satisfaction.
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Notes
LS stands for life satisfaction.
SLSS refers to the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale.
SWLS refers to the Satisfaction with Life Scale.
The five global evaluation items of LS in the SLSS are (1) My life is going well, (2) My Life is just right, (3) I would like to change many things in my life, (4) I wish I had a different kind of life, (5) I have a good life, (6) I have what I want in life, and (7) My life is better than most kids’.
RWIs refer to the reversed-worded items.
PWIs refer to the positively worded items.
The five global evaluation items of LS in the SWLS are (1) In most ways my life is close to my ideal, (2) The conditions of my life are excellent, (3) I am satisfied with my life, (4) So far I have gotten the important things I want in life, and (5) If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
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Jiang, X., Fang, L., Stith, B.R. et al. A Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale. Applied Research Quality Life 13, 1081–1095 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9576-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9576-x