Development and Validation of a Work Engagement Scale for Federal Civil Servants in Nigeria

Work engagement is a positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Although many studies have examined work engagement, few have developed and validated a scale specifically for Nigerian federal civil servants. This study developed and validated a Work Engagement Scale (WES) for this population. A crosssectional survey design was used. A 24-item self-developed questionnaire was administered to 240 federal civil servants at the Ikolaba Federal Secretariat, Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2023. Two hundred and thirty-eight completed questionnaires (99.2% response rate) were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis (principal component extraction and varimax rotation) and confirmatory factor analysis using SmartPLS. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a threefactor structure: workplace effectiveness (18 items), organizational support (4 items), and commitment (2 items). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure with acceptable model fit (CFI = .914, SRMR = .043, RMSEA = .096). The scale showed construct validity. Convergent validity was supported by a significant correlation with an attitude toward work measure (r = -.276, p < .01). Internal consistency was excellent (McDonald's Omega = .968, Cronbach's alpha = .968). Split-half reliability for the total scale was .877 (SpearmanBrown corrected full-scale estimate = .935). The 24-item Work Engagement Scale demonstrated strong reliability and validity evidence and is suitable for measuring work engagement among Nigerian federal civil servants.