General Self-Efficacy Scale

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Instrument Overview

Expert Notes AvailableView expert commentary on strengths and cautions for this instrument
Strengths

Strong reliability and widely validated across countries and languages.

Cautions

Measures general, not task-specific, self-efficacy.

The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) is a 10-item self-report survey used to measure a student’s belief in their ability to handle difficult tasks and cope with daily stressors. Originally developed by researchers Matthias Jerusalem and Ralf Schwarzer in 1981, the scale was later shortened from 20 items to the current 10-item version to make it more efficient for school and clinical settings. Self-efficacy is a student’s internal confidence that they can perform well, adapt to change, and recover after stressful life events. It measures how students view their own ability to solve difficult problems, resilience when facing unexpected challenges, and capacity to remain calm when facing difficulties.

Organization

Topic
Student Well-Being
Collection(s): Self-Directed Learning
Collection Category(ies)
Motivation
Tags
Motivation,
Stress and coping

Content

Grades
9th Grade,
10th Grade,
11th Grade,
12th Grade,
Post secondary
Respondent
Student

Administration Information

Length
10 items

Access and Use

Link
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/26768/1/General_Self-Efficacy_Scale%20(GSE).pdf
Open Access
Yes
Use in Research

Salanova, M., Grau, R., Martínez, I., & Llorens, S. (2001).
Professional self-efficacy and burnout among information and technology workers: An extension of the job demands-resources model. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 14(1), 1–18.

Judge, T. A., Erez, A., Bono, J. E., & Thoresen, C. J. (2003). The core self-evaluations scale: Development of a measure. Personnel Psychology, 56(2), 303–331.

Psychometrics (additional guidance)

Reliability

Cronbach's alpha: .86

Psychometric References

Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35–37). Windsor, UK: NFER-NELSON.

Is general self-efficacy a universal construct? Psychometric findings from 25 countries. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1027//1015-5759.18.3.242

Luszczynska, A., Scholz, U., & Schwarzer, R. (2005). The General Self-Efficacy Scale: Multicultural validation studies. The Journal of Psychology, 139(5), 439–457. https://doi.org/10.3200/JRLP.139.5.439-457

Item Type
Likert