Self Efficacy Scale: Reliability and Validity Test

Shin, Sung Rae

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a self efficacy scale which was revised for Korean adolescents. The self efficacy scale was based on 48 smoking situations, developed by Best and Hakstian (1978), and was revised according to situations which tempt Korean adolescents to smoke. The 18 situations which were believed to have true characteristics of a temptation to smoke for Korean adolescents. The psychometric evaluation was done on 281 high school adolescents. The result revealed a high internal consistency Alpha coefficient of .97, Principal Component Factor Analysis with a varimax rotation which resulted in 3 factors with more than 1.0 of eigen value. The three factors were 'negative feelings, interpersonal relationship', 'dependence ', and 'self image'. There was a significant positive correlation of r=.290 between this self efficacy scale and the scale of intention for smoking cessation, and a significant negative correlation of r=-.330 between number of cigarettes they smoked. The result indicated that the self efficacy scale measuring adolescents' degree of efficacy in a smoking tempted situation was reliable and valid. Further application of research in the various age and sex groups was recommended for a generalization of the scale.