Measuring self-efficacy: Multitrait-multimethod comparison of scaling procedures

Convergent and discriminant validity of various self-efficacy measures was examined across 2 studies. In Study 1, U.S. high school students (N = 358) rated their self-efficacy in 6 school subjects in reference to either specific problems or general self-efficacy statements on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ; Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). In Study 2, Korean female high school students (N = 235) judged their perceived efficacy in reference to specific problems. specific task descriptions, and MSLQ statements in 3 school subjects. Across Studies I and 2, the 1st-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) provided support for both convergent validity of different self-efficacy responses and discriminant validity of perceived self-efficacy across different subject areas, The 2nd-order CFAs confirmed the discriminant validity of self-efficacy beliefs. Substantial method effects were also observed. The problem- and task-referencing methods correlated with each other to a greater extent than they did with the MSLQ Self-Efficacy scale.