Adaptation and psychometric properties of sociocognitive scales. An application in the Math/Science vocational area

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to provide measures of the main constructs of Social Cognitive Career Theory that are reliable, valid and adjusted to the Spanish educational context. This methodological approach materializes in the scientific-mathematical field through five scales: self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interest, support and contextual barriers and occupational objectives/considerations. The study comprises three phases. First a review of the literature was carried out in order to identify instruments which could be adapted to the context and the target population: Spanish secondary school students. Next, specific methodological procedures for the adaptation of these instruments were adopted. Finally, the instruments were applied to a sample of 1465 students from eight secondary schools in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha and their psychometric properties were evaluated. Taken as a whole the results suggest that the proposed scales are reliable and valid measures of the constructs. The reliability coefficients of the scales vary between .76 and .91. Exploratory factor analyses suggested solutions aligned with the theoretical and conceptual structure of the scales. The scales also correlated with each other in a way consistent with the theory and previous research. Thus the work provides the researchers with a set of useful tools for the study of career development and career building of Spanish secondary school students from the sociocognitive point of view.