Description

The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Scale (SEB-8) is a subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) developed by Pintrich and De Groot (1990). In its Greek adaptation, it includes 8 statements assessing students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed in school subjects such as Mathematics and Language.

The scale focuses on students’ subjective judgments regarding whether they believe they can organize and carry out the actions required to complete learning tasks successfully.

Purpose

The main purpose of the SEB-8 is to measure students’ self-efficacy beliefs in relation to specific learning tasks. Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s personal judgment of their ability to organize and perform the actions needed to complete a task successfully.

Assessing these beliefs is particularly important for understanding academic performance and learning motivation.

Scale Structure

The SEB-8 consists of 8 items reflecting students’ confidence in their abilities in relation to academic demands and specific school subjects.

Its brief format makes it suitable for inclusion in broader educational psychology research protocols.

Scoring

Students respond using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from:

1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree.

The total score is calculated as the mean of the responses to the 8 items. Higher scores indicate higher perceived self-efficacy.

Validity

The validity of the scale was examined using factor analysis with Varimax orthogonal rotation. The analysis identified a single factor, with factor loadings ranging from 0.64 to 0.83, supporting the construct validity of the instrument.

Reliability

The SEB-8 demonstrates high internal consistency, with a reported Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90, indicating strong coherence among the individual items.

Data Analysis and Use

Data may be analyzed using the overall mean score or through comparisons by gender, school grade, or academic subject. Results may be used to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and school achievement, to evaluate psychoeducational interventions, or to identify students with lower confidence in their academic abilities.

The scale is particularly relevant to research in educational psychology and the study of learning strategies.

Interpretation

Higher scores reflect stronger beliefs that the student can successfully meet learning demands, whereas lower scores indicate lower confidence in their academic abilities.

Interpretation should take into account the specific subject area, educational context, and characteristics of the student population.

References

Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33–40.

Leontari, A., & Gonida, E. (Greek adaptation). Department of Preschool Education, University of Thessaly & Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.