Psychometric Properties of the Academic Satisfaction Scale in a Sample of Spanish University Students

The Academic Satisfaction Scale (ESA) has presented adequate levels of reliability and validity in university students internationally. However, no psychometric studies have yet been presented on Spanish university students. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the academic satisfaction scale in a sample of Spanish university students. A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which 2835 university students participated (71.1% women and 28.9% men), with an average age of 21.8 years (SD=2.97), belonging to the levels of Bachelor's, Master's, Own Degrees and Doctorate of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). The factorial structure of the scale was evaluated from exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses, and the results ratified the unidimensional theoretical structure. The academic satisfaction factor presented adequate levels of reliability and the findings provide evidence for its use in Spanish university students. Likewise, the evidence of validity by external criteria indicates how academic satisfaction is associated in a significant and positive way with the cognitive restructuring dimension of the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI). The results are discussed based on the theoretical and empirical evidence available.