Abstract
BackgroundApart from skills, and knowledge, self-efficacy is an important factor in the students’ preparation for clinical work. The Physiotherapist Self-Efficacy (PSE) questionnaire was developed to measure physical therapy (TP) students’ self-efficacy in the cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological clinical areas. The aim of this study was to establish the measurement properties of the Dutch PSE questionnaire, and to explore whether self-efficacy beliefs in students are clinical area specific.MethodsMethodological quality of the PSE was studied using COSMIN guidelines. Item analysis, structural validity, and internal consistency of the PSE were determined in 207 students. Test-retest reliability was established in another sample of 60 students completing the PSE twice. Responsiveness of the scales was determined in 80 students completing the PSE at the start and the end of the second year. Hypothesis testing was used to determine construct validity of the PSE.ResultsExploratory factor analysis resulted in three meaningful components explaining similar proportions of variance (25%, 21%, and 20%), reflecting the three clinical areas. Internal consistency of each of the three subscales was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha > .90). Intra Class Correlation Coefficient was good (.80). Hypothesis testing confirmed construct validity of the PSE.ConclusionThe PSE shows excellent measurement properties. The component structure of the PSE suggests that self-efficacy about physiotherapy in PT students is not generic, but specific for a clinical area. As self-efficacy is considered a predictor of performance in clinical settings, enhancing self-efficacy is an explicit goal of educational interventions. Further research is needed to determine if the scale is specific enough to assess the effect of educational interventions on student self-efficacy.
Highlights
Apart from skills, and knowledge, self-efficacy is an important factor in the students’ preparation for clinical work
Measurement properties of the cross-cultural adapted Physiotherapist Self-Efficacy (PSE) were assessed in accordance with the Consensusbased Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) [21]
The cross cultural adaptation of the PSE was endorsed by the original author
Summary
Apart from skills, and knowledge, self-efficacy is an important factor in the students’ preparation for clinical work. The aim of this study was to establish the measurement properties of the Dutch PSE questionnaire, and to explore whether self-efficacy beliefs in students are clinical area specific. Self-efficacy beliefs towards functioning as a PT was improved by engaging senior students as standardized patients [14] All these studies used self-developed and clinical area specific self-efficacy scales. In line with one of the most important recommendation of Bandura [15], such specific self-efficacy scales are thought to be more predictive for the behavior under study than general selfefficacy scales. These self-developed scales often rely on face validity, and additional measurement properties have not been reported. Such measures allow for comparisons between different educational methods and interventions, and might help to progress evidence based PT education
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