The Utility of the Research Self-Efficacy Scale

Abstract

The Research Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES; Greeley, et al., 1989) was completed by 177 doctoral students from a wide variety of disciplines. Factor analysis of the RSES indicated four primary factors: Conceptualization, Early Tasks, Presenting the Results, and Implementation. Hierarchical regression analyses focused on 136 subjects from the original sample and indicated that three subscales of the RSES (Early Tasks, Conceptualization, and Implementation) accounted for unique variance in the prediction of interest in research involvement. The number of years in graduate school and involvement in research activities contributed significantly to the prediction of research self-efficacy.