General Self-Efficacy Scale – GSE
Measures a broad sense of personal capability to deal effectively with a variety of stressful situations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The General Self-Efficacy Scale – GSE was developed by Ralf Schwarzer & Matthias Jerusalem (1995). It is designed to measure General Self-Efficacy. The scale is intended for use with General population (adults and adolescents).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all true, 2 = Hardly true, 3 = Moderately true, 4 = Exactly true.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 10 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low self-efficacy: 10 – 20
- Moderate self-efficacy: 21 – 30
- High self-efficacy: 31 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha typically ranges from .76 to .90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 4 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.