Enhancement of the measurement precision and interval-level scaling of the general self-efficacy scale (GSE) using rasch analysis

Adu P. Attiah N.A.K. Bartholomew E. Jurcik T.
March 2026 Springer

Current Psychology
2026 #45 Issue 5

International research on general self-efficacy highlights its positive influence on physical and mental well-being. However, the literature predominantly measures general self-efficacy using the imprecise ordinal scores, which are unsuitable for parametric analysis. This study employed Rasch methodology to evaluate and enhance the psychometric properties of the 10-item General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE). We evaluated the validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of the scale and developed an algorithm to convert its ordinal scores into interval-level scores. The Partial Credit Rasch model was applied to analyse responses from 411 participants from Ghana, West Africa. Our initial analysis resulted in a misfit of the scale to the Rasch model (χ² = 73.17, p <.001). Acceptable fit to the Rasch model (χ² = 24.57, p <.38), including good reliability (Person Separation Index = 0.82), was achieved after minor modifications, which involved combining locally dependent items into testlets. The findings from the current study support the structural, convergent, and divergent validity, as well as the internal reliability and unidimensionality of the GSE scale. The scale demonstrated invariance across sociodemographic variables. The presented ordinal-to-interval Rasch conversion table can be employed to enhance the GSE scale’s precision and parametric analyses without modifying the original scale. The current findings offer valuable implications for various fields, including psychology, requiring precise assessments of general self-efficacy by introducing an advanced statistical perspective to the literature.

General Self-Efficacy , Measurement , Rasch methodology , Reliability , Validity

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School of Health, Wellington Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
College of Human Sciences, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University, Auburn, United States
Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Division of Social and Cultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, H3A 1A1, QC, Canada
Department of Psychology, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

School of Health
College of Human Sciences
Department of Psychological Medicine
HSE University
Division of Social and Cultural Psychiatry
Department of Psychology
Department of Psychology

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Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026