Methods of diagnostics of role self-efficacy

Abstract

Existing methods for assessing self-efficacy do not adequately capture its manifestation in individuals’ role-related behaviors across different activities. Therefore, this study introduces a new instrument designed to evaluate the degree of self-efficacy in the context of assuming social roles. We hypothesized that role-specific self-efficacy possesses distinct characteristics that differentiate it from general, task-related, and communicative self-efficacy—domains commonly assessed in self-efficacy research. The conceptual foundation for developing such instrument is the premise that role-specific self-efficacy constitutes a distinct type of self-efficacy that emerges in the enactment of social roles, allowing individuals to evaluate their own perceptions of role-related success or failure.

The study sample comprised 1,720 participants (78% females). In the process of the instrument’s development, reliability testing (based on internal consistency) and assessments of content, test-retest, and convergent validity were conducted. The findings indicate that the instrument represents both a reliable and valid measure, enabling the efficient and high-quality assessment of role-specific self-efficacy without requiring additional diagnostic tools. The developed instrument consists of a single scale measuring the degree of role-specific self-efficacy. This construct is conceptualized as an individual’s confidence in their own success while performing social roles. The phenomenon of role-specific self-efficacy can be examined within the framework of social-cognitive personality theory, as well as through the methodological perspectives of role-based and situational approaches.