TOFEDU: The Future of Education Journal
Vol 5 No 2 (2026)

Validity and Reliability Testing of the Gratitude Scale Among University Students Using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Approach

Arthadi Fitria Utami (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto)
Herdian Herdian (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto)
Retno Dwiyanti (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto)



Article Info

Publish Date
04 Jul 2026

Abstract

Gratitude is a fundamental affective disposition that plays a crucial role in enhancing university students' psychological well-being and resilience amid academic pressures. However, a methodological gap remains in the use of gratitude measurement instruments within the Indonesian context, as many studies continue to rely on adapted Western scales without rigorous cross-validation and depend primarily on traditional reliability testing. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of a Gratitude Scale adapted based on the dimensions of intensity, frequency, span, and density using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The participants consisted of 151 active university students in Indonesia selected through convenience sampling. Sample adequacy was verified using the inverse square root method. The results indicated that, after removing items with negative outer loadings, the instrument demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity, with an Average Variance Extracted (AVE) exceeding 0.50 and Composite Reliability values above 0.70 across all dimensions. However, discriminant validity assessment using the Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) criterion revealed that several dimensions exhibited very high correlations (HTMT > 0.90), suggesting that the gratitude construct within this population is holistic in nature and difficult to distinguish empirically across its dimensions. These findings confirm the overall psychometric robustness of the scale while highlighting the need for further theoretical consideration regarding the multidimensional structure of gratitude in collectivist cultural contexts.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

journal

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

TOFEDU Journal is a scientific journal related to research results, conceptual studies, critical/comprehensive studies in the field of education. The results of the work of the researchers are expected to make a positive contribution in the field of education in order to achieve equitable, inclusive ...