The UWES measures work engagement, understood as a positive, fulfilling state of mind at work characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption. It is not tied to teaching and has been used across many occupations, but it appears often in research on teachers and school staff. The original UWES-17 has six vigour items, five dedication items and six absorption items. A shortened UWES-9, with three items per dimension, was validated across ten countries (Schaufeli, Bakker, & Salanova, 2006, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716, https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471).
Respondents rate how often each statement applies to them, and scores can be reported for the three dimensions or as a total. Both versions, in many languages, and the test manual can be downloaded from Schaufeli’s website. According to the conditions set there, use is free only for academic purposes such as theses and scientific papers, users agree to share some data with the authors, and other uses require a contract.