Development and validation of the WERT-Scales: An instrument measuring the perceived vocational and civic relevance of study programmes

In recent years, both the vocational and the civic relevance of study programmes have developed into guiding principles for German higher education institutions. Both factors are also a vital part of study motivation, as most students want a study program associated with good opportunities in the labour market and a positive impact on society. Despite its importance, there is a clear lack of validated instruments on this topic. The present study addresses this, and describes the development and validation of the WERT-scales, an instrument measuring students' perception of the vocational and civic relevance of their study programme. In three independent studies (age of M = 24.04 in Study 1, M = 22.85 in Study 2 and M = 23.94 in Study 3) with a total of N = 1683 participants, we examined the a) factor structure, b) reliability (internal consistency and retest-reliability) c) measurement invariance (gender, study subject and degree), d) group differences (study subjects; bachelor and master students), and e) correlation with educational outcomes. Results of the confirmatory factor analyses support the postulated factor structure. Both scales show excellent reliability and strict measurement invariance. The group differences and the correlations with educational outcomes were in line with prior research and established further evidence for a valid interpretation of the scales. Overall, our results indicate that the WERT-scales are a valid measurement instrument for the perceived vocational and civic relevance of study programmes. Higher education institutions could, for example, use these scales to examine whether study programmes meet their expectations for vocational and civic relevance.