Development and Psychometric Assessment of the Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale

Background: The study aim was to develop and psychometrically assess an instrument to measure baccalaureate nursing students' self-efficacy for practice competence. Social cognitive theory includes the construct of self-efficacy and supports this study. Method: Before the Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (NCSES) was administered to senior nursing students (N = 252), nursing experts in research, practice, instrument development, and psychometrics participated in a two-step validation process consisting of two reviews. Construct validity assessments included content, face, contrasting groups, criterion, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The chosen EFA solution consisted of 22 items, each moderately or highly loaded by one of four factors deemed to be interpretable and parsimonious. Results: The initial psychometric assessment of the NCSES supported construct validity, internal consistency reliability (. 919), and test-retest stability reliability (r =.831). Conclusion: With further psychometric assessment, the NCSES can be useful to evaluate new curriculum interventions aimed at increasing students' self-efficacy for comprehensive practice competence.