Adaptation of a short and universal learning self-efficacy scale for clinical skills in Turkish

The performance of a clinical task depends on an individual's skills, knowledge, and beliefs. However, there is no reliable and valid tool for measuring self-efficacy beliefs toward clinical skills in the Turkish language. This research work aims to study the linguistic equivalence, validity, and reliability of a Self-Efficacy Scale for Clinical Skills (L-SES).

After reaching the original item pool of the scale, applying both forward and backward translation processes, and collecting responses of 11 experts from health professional sciences and educational sciences, the translation and adoption processes were completed. We randomly divided 651 medical students' responses to a 15-item questionnaire into two datasets and conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) analyses.

CFA validated the three-factor model, and the model fit indexes were found to have acceptable values. The item factor loads ranged from .34 to .84, and items in the scale explained 47% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha (.91), Spearman-Brown (.88), and Guttman Split-Half (.88) coefficients obtained within the scope of internal consistency reliability demonstrated that the scale had the desired internal consistency.

The Turkish version of the short and universal learning self-efficacy scale for clinical skills questionnaire is a valid and reliable scale for measuring medical students' self-efficacy for clinical skills. Adopted questionnaires may have different factor structures when applied to two different cultures. We also discussed this issue as a hidden pattern in our study.