Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
Fall 1998, pp. 48-57
The Community Service Self-Efficacy Scale: Evidence of Reliability,
Construct Validity, and Pragmatic Utility
Roger N. Reeb, Ronald M. Katsuyama, Julie A. Sammon and David S. Yoder
University of Dayton
This article presents the results of three studies that replicate and complement one another in examining
the psychometric properties of the Community Service Self-Efficacy Scale (CSSES), which was developed
for service-learning program evaluation. The CSSES was constructed to assess the individual's confidence
in his or her own ability to make clinically significant contributions to the community through service. In
regard to reliability, results indicate high levels of inter-item consistency and test-retest stability for the
CSSES. Examination of criterion-related validity indicated that: (a) CSSES scores of service-learning students are higher at pre-semester than are CSSES scores of students who do not pursue service-learning
opportunities; (b) students who engaged in service have higher CSSES scores relative to non-participants;
and (c) among a number of measures of student development, self-efficacy as measured by the CSSES corresponded best with students' levels of involvement and satisfaction in course-related service, summer service, and extracurricular service. In addition, factor analysis yielded evidence of construct validity for the
CSSES. In light of the complexities of Bandura's self-efficacy theory, recommendations forfurther research
and program applications are provided.
Advocates of service-learning argue that, "when
community service is combined with classroom
instruction, the pedagogical advantages of each
compensates for the shortcomings of the other"
(Markus, Howard, & King, 1993, p. 417). Indeed,
empirical investigations (Kendrick, 1996; Markus,
Howard & King, 1993; Reeb, Isackson, & Sammon,
1997; Reeb, Isackson, Sammon & Karban, 1997)
suggest that service-learning projects have a favorable affect on students' (a) mastery of course material, (b) perceptions of social justice, and (c) social
responsibility. Only recently, however, have
researchers (see Miller, 1997) focused on the influence of service-learning on the student's self-efficacy for community service (i.e., the student's confidence that he or she has the capacity to make clinically significant contributions in the community
through service). Further, as reviewed by Trudeau
and Devlin (1996), research identifying characteristics of students who provide community service has
focused on motives (e.g., spiritual, altruistic, or affiliative), personality traits (e.g., extroversion -introversion), social-political values, or demographic
variables (e.g., gender); therefore, it appears that
research on the self-efficacy construct would fill a
significant void in the literature. This paper
describes the psychometric properties of an instrument to measure self-efficacy and presents results of
research examining the role of self-efficacy in service-learning.
Background
Self-efficacy, a theoretical construct derived from
Bandura's (1977, 1982, 1995a, 1997) research, has
been defined as follows: "an expectation of personal mastery..." (1977, p. 191); "a conviction that one
can successfully execute the behavior required to
produce [desired] outcomes" (1977, p. 193); a "selfappraisal of operative capability" (1982, p. 123); or
"a belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage
prospective situations" (1995a, p. 2). For conceptual and practical reasons, Bandura (1997, p. 21) continues to emphasize the distinction between self-efficacy and outcome expectations: "...self-efficacy is a
judgment of one's ability to organize and execute
given types of performances, whereas an outcome
expectation is a judgment of the likely consequences
such performances will produce..." In the area of
service-learning, for instance, a student may believe
that a particular set of actions (e.g., performing competently as a literacy tutor) would make a positive
difference in the community, but if the student has
serious doubts as to whether he or she has the capacity to perform the set of actions, such information
would not influence the student's behavior.
As reviewed by Bandura (1997), two decades of
research has yielded substantial support for his original hypothesis that "...expectations of personal efficacy determine whether coping behavior is initiated,
how much effort will be expended, and how long it
will be sustained in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences..." (1977, p. 191). Further, across
various types of circumstances, situations, and populations, the research indicates that: (1) self-efficacy
for coping in a given situation improves over the
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