Civic engagement among adolescents: Spanish adaptation and validation of the civic engagement scale

Abstract

The aim of this research was to adapt and validate the Civic Engagement Scale (CES) developed by Doolittle & Faul for the Spanish adolescent population while providing empirical support for its psychometric properties. After administering the instruments to 965 adolescents from high schools, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to explore the structure, and reliability was assessed through two approaches: internal consistency and composite reliability. The study confirmed a first-order factor structure with two correlated factors, and the proposed model exhibited satisfactory internal consistency indices. External evidence supporting the validity of the instrument was also established. This research underscores that the Spanish version of the CES is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating civic attitudes and behavior among Spanish adolescents.