title: Development and initial validation of a survey to assess students' self-efficacy in medical school.
abstract: Self-efficacy is a personal belief in one's capability to successfully execute the behaviors necessary to attain designated types of performances. Sometimes described as task-specific self-confidence, self-efficacy is a key component in many contemporary theories of motivation and learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a survey for measuring students' medical skills self-efficacy and to collect reliability and validity evidence for the instrument. A secondary purpose was to explore differences in students' self-efficacy from year 1 of medical school to year 4. We created 19 survey items based on the 6 core competencies of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and we collected data from 304 medical students. Results from an exploratory factor analysis suggested three interpretable factors: patient care self-efficacy (eight items, Cronbach's alpha = 0.92), interpersonal skills self-efficacy (three items, Cronbach's alpha = 0.76), and evidence-based medicine self-efficacy (three items, Cronbach's alpha = 0.79). We then compared students' self-efficacy at different stages of training using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. Consistent with our expectations, we found several statistically significant differences, suggesting students' self-efficacy increased considerably from year 1 of medical school to year 4, F(9, 725) = 30.58, p < 0.001, Wilks' lambda = 0.46. Using this survey, medical educators and researchers have a psychometrically sound tool for measuring students' medical skills self-efficacy during undergraduate medical education. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Artino
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Kent J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: DeZee
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Gilliland
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Waechter
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Cruess
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Durning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult