Can life satisfaction be measured fairly for different groups of South African first-year university students? Testing differential item functioning and invariance of The Satisfaction With Life Scale

Student well-being has gradually become a topic of interest in higher education, and the accurate, valid, reliable measure constructs is crucial South African context. This study examined item bias configural, metric scalar invariance Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) for first-year university students. A cross-sectional design was used. sample 780 students included. Confirmatory factor analysis, differential functioning (DIF) measurement invariance, internal consistency were tested. one-factor structure confirmed. Item 1 SWLS particularly problematic concerning (uniform non-uniform bias). Measurement established; however, again problematic, resulting only partial invariance. The scale (α ≥ 0.70). contributes to limited research on specific psychometric properties diverse Higher Education setting. results could assist with valid when developing interventions enhance student well-being.