A Study Strategies Self-Efficacy Instrument for Use with Community College Students

Abstract

Theories of self-efficacy and self-regulation were used to examine scores from an instrument that measures self-efficacy for using self-regulatory study strategies. The authors investigated the dimensionality of responses to the Study Skills Self-Efficacy Scale using exploratory factor analysis and Rasch measurement. They also investigated the utility of the Rasch measures in differentiating between groups of students who report being academically successful or at risk. The participants were 550 social science students at a midsized northeastern community-technical college. Results indicated that responses define three related dimensions and that measures were able to differentiate between students reporting to be academically successful or at risk. Additional items need to be developed to increase measurement precision along various portions of the self-efficacy dimensions.