The Bandura's Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale: A Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Educational Psychology
• Measurement Theory

Background:

• Test score reliability is not static; it can differ across populations and testing conditions.
• Assessing scale performance across diverse samples is crucial for understanding measurement error and psychometric generalizability.
• Bandura's Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale (SESRLS) is a widely used instrument requiring reliability evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a reliability generalization meta-analysis of the SESRLS to assess the generalizability of Cronbach's alpha.
• To investigate the influence of substantive and methodological study characteristics on the scale's reliability.

Main Methods:

• A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled mean reliability coefficient.
• Meta-regression analysis examined moderator variables including age group, administration mode, test language, region, item type, mean age, sample size, and number of items.
• Bonett's transformation stabilized variances for bounded reliability estimates, synthesizing 78 alpha coefficients from 32,116 participants.

Main Results:

• The pooled mean Cronbach's alpha for the SESRLS was .869 (95% CI [.857-.884]), indicating good reliability.
• Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 97.6%) was detected, suggesting variability in reliability estimates across studies.
• Test language was the only significant moderator, with non-English versions showing slightly higher reliability coefficients (β = -0.221, p = .047).

Conclusions:

• The SESRLS demonstrates generalizable reliability across various demographic and methodological contexts.
• While generally reliable, the study underscores the importance of considering the adaptation process and reporting rigor for accurate reliability interpretation.
• Future research should explore the impact of translation and cultural adaptation on the scale's psychometric properties.