Career Choice Self-Effi cacy Source Scale: Development and Initial Psychometric Studies

Assessment in career counseling can involve various constructs, including that of career choice selfeffi cacy, which refers to one’s belief in one’s ability to engage in career decision-making activities. However, the literature is still incipient in relation to the assessment of the sources of self-effi cacy for making career choices. Accordingly, the present study’s aim was to develop the Career Choice SelfEffi cacy Source Scale (Escala de Fontes de Autoefi cácia para Escolha Profi ssional, or EFAEP; initials in Portuguese). The development process involved the formulation of the items as well as pilot data collection. Upon concluding the scale’s developmental phase, we began data collection, which enjoyed the participation of 388 students between the ages of 14 and 19 years from public and private high schools in the state of São Paulo. In addition to the EFAEP, the students also responded to the Career Choice Self-Effi cacy Scale (Escala de Autoefi cácia para Escolha Profi ssional, or EAE-EP; initials in Portuguese). Principal component analysis was performed, and a three-factor structure exhibited the best fi t, with Cronbach’s alphas ranging between 0.81 and 0.73. Furthermore, all of the EFAEP’s factors displayed positive correlations with the EAE-EP’s factors. The study’s results and limitations are discussed in relation to the literature on the subject.