Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth

Abstract

The Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth is an adaptation of the original Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) developed by Kirk, Schutte, and Hine (2008). This instrument is designed to measure an individual’s perceived ability to manage and utilize their own emotions, as well as their competence in understanding and dealing with the emotions of others. Specifically tailored and validated for young adolescents by Qualter and colleagues (2014), the scale assesses four key dimensions of emotional competence, providing a self-report measure of confidence in emotional tasks. It is administered using a 5-point Likert scale format.

Keywords

Emotional Self-Efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, Youth Assessment, Emotional Competence, Psychological Measurement, Affect, Self-Report, Adolescent Psychology.

Authors

B.A. Kirk, N.S. Schutte, D.W. Hine (Original ESES); P. Qualter, L. Dacre Pool, K.J. Gardner, S. Ashley-Kot, A. Wise, A. Wols (Youth Adaptation).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth is to quantitatively assess young people’s self-perceptions regarding their competence in various emotional domains. This psychological instrument aids researchers and practitioners in identifying strengths and weaknesses in a youth’s ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively, both internally and socially. It serves as a valuable tool for evaluating the outcomes of emotional intelligence training programs or interventions designed for adolescent populations.

The scale focuses specifically on perceived Emotional Self-Efficacy, which reflects a belief in one’s capacity to execute behaviors necessary to manage emotional situations successfully. Its adaptation for youth ensures developmental appropriateness, making the items relevant to the typical experiences and challenges faced by young adolescents.

Construct

The scale measures Emotional Self-Efficacy (ESE), a key component within the broader framework of Emotional Intelligence (EI). ESE is defined as the belief in one’s ability to perform tasks requiring emotional skills. The scale is empirically structured around four distinct, yet related, dimensions of emotional competence:

• Using and Managing one’s own emotions (e.g., self-regulation and mood optimization).
• Identifying and Understanding one’s own emotions (e.g., emotional clarity and awareness of causes).
• Dealing with emotions in others (e.g., empathy and social support).
• Perceiving emotion through facial expressions and body language (e.g., non-verbal decoding).

Validity

The original ESES (Kirk et al., 2008) demonstrated preliminary construct and discriminant validity, showing expected correlations with measures of personality and affective states. The adaptation and validation of the scale for young adolescents (Qualter et al., 2014) further established its applicability within this age group. Specifically, validation studies confirmed the four-factor structure through confirmatory factor analysis, indicating that the items reliably group into the intended subscales related to self-management, self-understanding, other-management, and perception.

The items were shown to be meaningful and relevant to the youth population, supporting the instrument’s ecological validity. Subsequent studies utilizing the scale, such as those by Dacre Pool & Qualter (2012a, 2012b), have provided additional evidence of its utility in measuring changes in Emotional Self-Efficacy following interventions, suggesting strong criterion validity in educational and psychological settings.

Reliability

Internal consistency, measured using Cronbach’s Alpha, was reported across the four subscales, indicating good to acceptable reliability for both research and applied purposes in youth populations. The reported alpha coefficients for the youth adaptation are:

• Using and Managing one’s own emotions: alpha 0.88
• Identifying and Understanding one’s own emotions: alpha 0.75
• Dealing with emotions in others: alpha 0.85
• Perceiving emotion through facial expressions and body language: alpha 0.69

While the overall reliability for the total scale is high, the coefficient for the ‘Perceiving emotion through facial expressions and body language’ subscale (0.69) is generally considered acceptable for exploratory research in psychological scales, particularly those adapted for adolescents.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth consistently supports a four-factor structure, aligning with the theoretical model of emotional competence derived from Emotional Intelligence research. This structure divides the 32 items into clusters representing specific emotional skills. The four factors identified are: Using and Managing one’s own emotions; Identifying and Understanding one’s own emotions; Dealing with emotions in others; and Perceiving emotion through facial expressions and body language.

The item distribution across these factors is crucial for scoring:

• Using and Managing one’s own emotions: Items 3, 6, 8, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 26, and 30.
• Identifying and Understanding one’s own emotions: Items 1, 4, 9, 11, 19, and 27.
• Dealing with Emotions in Others: Items 2, 7, 13, 15, 23, 24, 31, and 32.
• Perceiving Emotion through Facial Expressions and Body Language: Items 17, 21, and 25.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale

Format: Paper-and-pencil or digital administration; 5-point Likert Scale response format.

Language Available: English (Original development and validation).

Population Group: Youth / Adolescents.

Age Group: Typically young adolescents (Validation studies often target ages 11-16).

Population Details: The scale is adapted specifically for school-aged populations to assess their confidence in emotional abilities relevant to academic, social, and personal life.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their confidence in performing the described emotional task using the following anchors: 1= Not At All Confident, 2= A Little Confident, 3= Moderately Confident, 4= Quite Confident, 5= Very Confident. Higher scores indicate greater perceived Emotional Self-Efficacy.

Keywords

Self-Efficacy, Affective Skills, Adolescence, Emotional Regulation, Social Competence, Psychological Assessment, Kirk Schutte Hine, Qualter Dacre Pool.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale was developed in 2008 (Kirk, Schutte, & Hine). The adaptation and validation for young adolescents were published in 2014 (Qualter et al.). Permission for use typically resides with the primary authors or the journal holding the copyright. Researchers interested in utilizing the scale should contact the corresponding author of the relevant publication for permission.

The full instrument is often made available for academic research purposes. The instrument can be found via ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271210695.

Reference’s

The following references document the scale’s development, validation, and application:

• Kirk, B.A., Schutte, N.S., Hine, D.W. (2008). Development and preliminary validation of an emotional self-efficacy scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(5), 432–436.
• Kirk, B.A., Schutte, N.S., Hine, D.W. (2011). The Effect of an Expressive-Writing Intervention for Employees on Emotional Self-Efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, Affect, and Workplace Incivility. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(1), 179–195.
• Dacre Pool, L., & Qualter, P. (2012a). The dimensional structure of the Emotional Self Efficacy Scale (ESES). Australian Journal of Psychology, 64, 147–154. doi:10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00039.x
• Dacre Pool, L., & Qualter, P. (2012b). Improving emotional intelligence and emotional self-efficacy through a teaching intervention for university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 22, 306-312. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2012.01.010
• Qualter, P., Dacre Pool, L., Gardner, K.J., Ashley-Kot, S., Wise, A., and Wols, A. (2014). The Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale: Adaptation and validation for young adolescents. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33, 33-45. doi: 10.1177/0734282914550383

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Items of the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I can tell when I feel unhappy or angry.
2. I know how to cheer someone up when they feel unhappy.
3. When I feel unhappy, I know how to make myself happy again.
4. I can tell what makes me feel good.
5. ..
6. I know how to use good feelings to be creative in solving problems.
7. I know what makes other people feel happy.
8. I know how to make myself feel better when I am in a bad mood.
9. I can tell when I am feeling happy.
10. …
11. When I feel unhappy, I can tell what has caused it.
12. I know how to control my feelings when I am stressed.
13. I can tell when someone is feeling a pleasant emotion.
14. If needed, I know how to change my mood to match the occasion, e.g. make myself feel happy or sad.
15. I can tell what makes other people feel unhappy.
16. …
17. I can tell what I feel from the way my body behaves.
18. I know how to use good mood to come up with new ideas.
19. I can tell why my feelings change.
20. I can calm myself down when feeling angry.
21. I can tell what other people feel from the way their body changes.
22. I know how to make myself feel calm and focused when needed at school.
23. I can tell why other person’s feelings change.
24. I know how to help another person calm down when he or she is feeling angry
25. I am able to tell what feelings I show on my face.
26. I can make myself feel full of energy and motivated to do well in sports.
27. I can tell what makes me feel different emotions.
28. …
29. …
30. I can get in the right mood to come up with many new ideas.
31. I can figure out what made someone feel the way they feel.
32. I can help someone think positively when their pet has gone missing or cheer them up when they have lost someone.