Development and Validation of the 21st Century Skills Self-Efficacy Scale (21CS-SES)
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Authors
Morello, Laura
Chick, John
Issue Date
2026-04-17
Type
Other
Language
en_US
Keywords
Self-efficacy , Scales
Alternative Title
Abstract
The convergence of AI, digital transformation, and evolving workforce demands has created an urgent need to measure adults’ self-efficacy across core competencies. No validated instrument measures domain-specific self-efficacy in both traditional and digital contexts for adult learners (Succi & Canovi, 2020; Ulfert-Blank & Schmidt, 2022).
Self-efficacy—an individual’s belief in their capacity to execute actions necessary to achieve specific outcomes (Bandura, 1997), shapes how adults approach challenges, persist through setbacks, and seize opportunities.
Purpose: To develop and validate the 21CS-SES, measuring adults’ self-efficacy across five foundational skill domains in both traditional and
digital contexts.
Aims:
• Construct a theoretically grounded item pool from qualitative data
and literature
• Establish content validity (expert review, n=16) and face validity
(pretesting, n=24)
• Evaluate factor structure through exploratory factor analysis
• Assess reliability using Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω
Research Question:
Is the 21CS-SES a reliable and valid measure of adults’ self-efficacy in problem-solving, communication, creativity,
collaboration, and critical thinking?
Five Target Domains:
Problem-Solving, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, and
Critical Thinking—from 99 international frameworks (Kotsiou et al., 2022; Van Laar et al., 2020; WEF, 2023).
Description
UB Rise 2026
School of Education