Psychometric properties and invariance of the self-efficacy for writing scale in Peruvian high school students

Abstract

IntroductionBeing able to write is a key competency in educational models; therefore, it is important to have a scale to assess writing self-efficacy.ObjectiveThe study evaluated the internal structure, providing evidence of reliability, validity, and factorial invariance of the self-efficacy for writing scale (SEWS) across sex and age in Peruvian schoolchildren.MethodsAn instrumental study was carried out on 1,107 Peruvian adolescents (early, middle, and late) of school age. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out and the factorial invariance for sex and age was evaluated.ResultsA good fit was obtained for the total sample (χ2 = 1229.08, df = 101, CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.997, RMSEA = 0.057 [90% CI: 0.0540.059], and SRMR = 0.029) and presented good α, ω, and H reliability (>0.89). Correlations between another measure of writing self-efficacy (p = 0.76; p < .01), study satisfaction (p = 0.31; p < .01), and burnout (p = −0.12; p < .01) scales supported convergent and concurrent validity. Multigroup factor analysis supported strict invariance for sex and age, for which the SEWS provides evidence of validity and reliability.DiscussionThis adaptation of the SEWS is a valid, reliable, and invariant measure that can be considered for assessing self-efficacy for writing in Peruvian high school students.

Psychometric properties of the reading self-efficacy scale in Peruvian students aged 10 to 16 years

“…Skewness (g1) and kurtosis (g2) were considered adequate if the values were between ±1.5 (Pérez and Medrano, 2010). Also, the corrected item-test correlation was used to eliminate items when r(i-tc) was less than or equal to 0.2 or when there was multicollinearity (i-tc) less than or equal to 0.2 (Kline, 2016).…”

“…A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) of the unifactorial scale was carried out using the MLR estimator, considered robust against deviations from inferential normality (Muthen and Muthen, 2017). The criteria to evaluate the model fit included the chi-square test (χ 2 ), the Confirmatory Fit Index and Tucker-Lewis (CFI and TLI ≥ 0.95) indices (Schumacker and Lomax, 2016), and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation and Standardized Root Mean Square Residuals (RMSEA and SRMSR ≤0.05) indices (Kline, 2016). Additionally, to demonstrate internal validity, through convergent validity, the average variance extracted (AVE) per factor was calculated (AVE > 0.50).…”

“…Specifically, in the context of reading, it focuses on the student's confidence in their ability to handle specific reading tasks (Shell et al, 1989). Recent research has demonstrated a positive relationship between reading self-efficacy and critical aspects such as reading performance and motivation to read (Prat-Sala and Redford, 2012;Chen et al, 2021;Hoesny et al, 2023;León-Gutiérrez et al, 2023). This relationship becomes even more crucial when examining educational contexts with particular challenges, such as in Peru.…”

Validation of a Spanish version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale in Peruvian secondary education students

“…This form of anxiety, specifically associated with the context of learning a second language, manifests through tension, nervousness, and worry in situations perceived as stressful, such as oral interaction, listening comprehension, reading, and writing in the foreign language classroom (Huang, 2014). The factors behind this anxiety are multiple, encompassing both intrinsic aspects of the student and extrinsic aspects related to the learning environment (León-Gutiérrez et al, 2023). Among these, the fear of making mistakes and distress during communication with teachers and peers are predominant, reflecting how the perception of social judgment and fear of negative evaluation play crucial roles in exacerbating anxiety (Yashima et al, 2009;García et al, 2016).…”