Scale Overview
The Parenting Self-Efficacy Measuring Instrument – P-SEMI was developed by Harty, M., Alant, E., & Uys, C. J. E. (2007). It is designed to measure Parenting Self-Efficacy. The scale is intended for use with Parents (specifically mothers of young children).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 43 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Showing affection and empathy, Engaging in play, Facilitating routines, Establishing discipline strategies, Providing appropriate activities for learning and development, Promoting communication interaction.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Showing affection and empathy |
6,8,17,18,37,38,42 |
7 |
| Engaging in play |
3,7,26,28,33,35,41 |
7 |
| Facilitating routines |
2,9,10,12,13,43 |
6 |
| Establishing discipline strategies |
1,5,16,31,36,40 |
6 |
| Providing appropriate activities for learning and development |
14,19,22,24,27,29,32 |
7 |
| Promoting communication interaction |
4,11,20,21,23,25,30 |
7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Always, 2 = Almost always, 3 = Often, 4 = Sometimes, 5 = Seldom, 6 = Never.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 40 to 240. Interpretation guidelines:
- High Parenting Self-Efficacy: 40 – 100
- Moderate Parenting Self-Efficacy: 101 – 170
- Low Parenting Self-Efficacy: 171 – 240
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Showing affection and empathy (a=0.8); engaging in play (a=0.83); facilitating routines (a=0.82); establishing discipline strategies (a=0.91); providing appropriate activities for learning and development (a=0.88); promoting communication interaction (a=0.91).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.