Brief Description

The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Scale is part of the broader Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) developed by Pintrich and De Groot (1990). The Greek adaptation includes 8 items that assess students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed in academic subjects such as Mathematics and Language Arts.

Purpose

The aim of the scale is to measure students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding specific learning tasks. The concept of self-efficacy refers to an individual’s personal assessment of their capacity to organize and execute actions required for successfully completing a task. Measuring these beliefs is essential for understanding academic performance and learning motivation.

Scoring Method

The scale contains 8 statements. Students indicate their level of agreement using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). The total score is calculated as the average of the 8 item responses. Higher scores reflect stronger perceived self-efficacy.

Validity

The validity of the scale has been confirmed through factor analysis using orthogonal Varimax rotation. The analysis revealed a single-factor structure, with high factor loadings ranging from 0.64 to 0.83, supporting the construct validity of the instrument.

Reliability

The scale demonstrates high reliability. Internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.90, indicating strong stability and coherence among the items.

Data Analysis and Use

Data analysis involves computing the mean overall score, or comparisons by gender, grade level, or academic subject. The results can be used to predict academic performance, assess the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions, or identify students with low confidence in their abilities. The scale is widely used in educational psychology and learning strategies research.

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 Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly & Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.