Development and validation of sources of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and outcome expectations: A social cognitive career theory perspective

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the sub-dimensions of the learning experiences sources of self-efficacy and outcome expectations of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) in the domain of entrepreneurship. The validation process was done in three phases. The first phase was the item generation and expert reviews of the items. In the second phase (N = 335 students), we subjected the scale to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and discovered 5-theory consistent factors. In the third phase (N = 376), we collected another independent sample to further validate the scale, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a whole spectrum of validity approaches. Overall, the results suggested that the scale is psychometrically sound and supported the theory consistent five-factor structure, with adequate reliability estimates. Our proposed instrument addresses the limitations of previous intention-based models by incorporating other theory that accounts for the achievement of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour outcomes. Finally, we highlight pedagogical, policy and practical implications.