Development of a Career Self-Efficacy Scale for University Students: A Study of Validity and Reliability

Abstract

The aim of this research is to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the self-efficacy perceptions of universitystudents in their career development processes. In the scale development process, a comprehensive literature reviewwas conducted, a pool of 16 items was created in line with the theoretical framework, and the draft form was revisedbased on expert opinions. Following the pilot application, necessary language and content corrections were made tothe items. Exploratory factor analysis was performed with data obtained from 173 university students. As a result of theanalyses, seven items were gradually removed from the scale, and it was determined that the scale has a single-factorstructure consisting of 9 items. In the final form, the factor loadings of the items ranged from 0.701 to 0.815, explaining59% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on an independent sample of 202 individuals,and the fit indices were found to provide an acceptable level of model fit (Comparative Fit Index = .930; Goodness-of-Fit Index = .902; Non-Normed Fit Index = .900). In terms of criterion-related validity, a positive and strong correlation(r = .621) was found between the developed scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale; however, the correlation with theCareer Decision Scale remained weak. Reliability analyses revealed a Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficientof .899, a Spearman–Brown split-half reliability coefficient of .885, and a test–retest reliability of .720. These findingsprovide supportive evidence regarding the validity and reliability of the Career Self-Efficacy Scale for assessing universitystudents’ career self-efficacy. The scale’s short, single-dimensional, and easily applicable structure increases its usabilityin career counseling practices and related field research.   Cite this article as: Ercan, B., & Bek, H. (2026). Development of a career selfefficacy scale for university students: A study of validity and reliability. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 23, 0002, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2026.26002.