The General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale: Psychometric Properties, Longitudinal Invariance, and Criterion Validity

Abstract

Academic self-efficacy (ASE) refers to a student’s global belief in his/her ability to master the various academic challenges at university and is an essential antecedent of wellbeing and performance. The five-item General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (GASE) showed promise as a short and concise measure for overall ASE. However, of its validity and reliability outside of Scandinavia is limited. Therefore, this paper aimed to investigate the psychometric properties, longitudinal invariance, and criterion validity of the GASE within a sample of university students (Time 1: n = 1056 & Time 2: n = 592) in the USA and Western Europe. The results showed that a unidimensional factorial model of overall ASE fitted the data well was reliable and invariant across time. Further, criterion validity was established by finding a positive relationship with task performance at different time stamps. Therefore, the GASE can be used as a valid and reliable measure for general ASE.

Editorial: Positive Educational Approaches to Teaching Effectiveness and Student Well-being: Contemporary Approaches and Guidelines

“…Research supporting students' wellbeing and academic success are closely linked (Dix et al, 2020 ; Van Zyl et al, 2022 ), suggesting the importance of fostering wellbeing in the educational context (Ciarrochi et al, 2016 ; OECD, 2017 ; Govorova et al, 2020 ). The manuscripts featured in this Frontiers Research Topic show the many avenues of positive education for the development of positive psychology interventions within educational settings designed to increase student wellbeing and success.…”

“…In the rush to make young people into successful exam passers, we have overlooked their deeper need to become successful people” (Claxton, 2008 , p. ix). Positive education is a growing area of educational research that integrates elements of positive psychology with educational practices to promote the mental health and wellbeing of students as fundamental to student success (Seligman et al, 2009 ; Van Zyl et al, 2022 ). Positive education programs in schools encompass empirically validated and scientifically informed interventions, proactive strategies and systems thinking to enable a shared purpose toward student wellbeing (Kern et al, 2020 ; Van Zyl, 2021 ).…”

The Effect of Critical Thinking on Translation Technology Competence Among College Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy and Cultural Intelligence

“…Academic self-efficacy has been defined as an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in an academic setting and is believed to be a significant predictor of academic performance. 144 Cultural intelligence, on the other hand, is a set of cognitive and motivational abilities that help individuals adjust to and perform effectively in culturally diverse situations. 145 Prior studies showed that academic self-efficacy is a strong predictor of translation technology competence, as it allows students to build the necessary skills and confidence to use the technology effectively.…”

“…Academic self-efficacy was evaluated by the 5-item General Academic Self-Efficacy scale (GASE) developed by Nielsen et al 149 Akanni and Oduaran 150 found the internal consistency of the scale to be satisfactory, as indicated by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.81. Van Zyl et al 144 reported that the scale demonstrated adequate levels of internal consistency and reliability at both time points, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.74 and 0.78.…”

Confirmatory and validation studies on experimental self-efficacy scale with applications to multiple scientific disciplines

“…Some studies explore students' self-efficacy in chemistry, for example (Dalgety et al, 2003;Aydın and Uzuntiryaki, 2009;Uzuntiryaki and Aydın, 2009). However, these instruments are limited due to the lack of scalability or use in laboratory contexts (Alkan et al, 2016).…”