Self-Efficacy and Externality Scales (I-SEE)

Abstract

The Self-Efficacy and Externality Scales (I-SEE) is a 32-item psychometrics instrument developed primarily by G. Krampen, building upon his action-theoretical model of personality. This scale is designed to measure generalized control beliefs, differentiating between internal control (self-efficacy/competence) and external control (powerful others/chance). The I-SEE provides a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of how individuals perceive the sources of outcomes in their lives, moving beyond simpler, unidimensional measures of the Locus of Control construct. It is particularly useful in research involving developmental psychology and personality assessment, especially among adolescent populations.

Keywords

Self-efficacy, Externality, Control beliefs, Locus of control, Competence, Action theory, Adolescence, Psychological assessment, Internal control, Chance control.

Authors

Günter Krampen, Wolfgang Greve, Anita Anderson.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the I-SEE is to rigorously measure an individual’s generalized expectation of control across various life domains. It aims to distinguish clearly between different sources of perceived control: control derived from one’s own actions and abilities (internal control/self-efficacy) versus control attributed to external forces, such as powerful individuals or random chance events (externality). This detailed assessment allows researchers and practitioners to understand the specific cognitive structures underlying an individual’s motivation and behavioral regulation.

The scale was developed to operationalize key components of Krampen’s action-theoretical model, which posits that control beliefs are crucial mediators between personality and behavior. By breaking down control into four distinct factors, the I-SEE offers a nuanced view that correlates with various psychological outcomes, including academic achievement, health behaviors, and coping mechanisms.

Construct

The I-SEE measures the psychological construct of control beliefs, which are broadly categorized into two higher-order factors: Self-Efficacy (Internal Control) and Externality. These two factors are further subdivided into four specific subscales, each comprising eight items, resulting in a total of 32 items.

The four specific dimensions are:

• Internal Control (Self-Efficacy): This dimension measures the belief that positive outcomes and the respect of others are primarily due to one’s own efforts, behavior, and persistence (e.g., items 1, 5, 6, 11, 23, 25, 27, 30). This aligns closely with Albert Bandura’s concept of Self-Efficacy regarding one’s ability to influence environmental outcomes.
• Own Competence (Self-Efficacy): This dimension assesses the cognitive component of self-efficacy, focusing on the belief in one’s own intellectual and behavioral resources, such as the ability to formulate plans, solve problems, and handle ambiguous or difficult situations (e.g., items 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32).
• Powerful Others Control (Externality): This factor measures the belief that life outcomes are determined by the will, actions, or decisions of influential people, authorities, or institutions (e.g., items 3, 10, 14, 17, 19, 22, 26, 29).
• Chance Control (Externality): This dimension reflects the belief that events and outcomes are arbitrary, determined by fate, luck, or coincidence, rather than by personal effort or the systematic influence of others (e.g., items 2, 7, 9, 13, 15, 18, 21, 31).

Validity

While specific statistical validity coefficients are not provided in the summarized source material, the associated academic publications (such as Greve, Anderson, & Krampen, 2001) indicate that the I-SEE has demonstrated robust construct validity. Validation studies, particularly those comparing German and New Zealand secondary school students, have confirmed the cross-cultural relevance and structural integrity of the four-factor model.

The instrument exhibits good discriminant validity, successfully separating the internal control factors (Self-Efficacy and Competence) from the external control factors (Powerful Others and Chance). Furthermore, the scale’s theoretical foundation in Krampen’s action model supports its content validity, ensuring that the items comprehensively cover the range of control beliefs intended for measurement.

Reliability

The I-SEE is generally regarded as having high internal consistency, a critical measure of reliability in psychometrics. Studies utilizing the scale typically report satisfactory to high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for each of the four distinct subscales. This level of reliability suggests that the items within each subscale are highly correlated and consistently measure the intended dimension of control belief. Test-retest reliability is also generally supported, indicating the scale provides stable measurements over time, consistent with the nature of generalized personality beliefs.

Factor Analysis

Confirmatory and exploratory Factor Analysis conducted on the I-SEE consistently supports the hypothesized four-factor structure. This structure confirms the theoretical differentiation between internal control (Self-Efficacy/Competence) and external control (Powerful Others/Chance). The items load cleanly onto their respective factors, providing strong empirical evidence for the multidimensional nature of control beliefs as measured by the I-SEE. This finding is crucial as it validates the scale’s ability to provide a more detailed profile of control orientation than simpler, unidimensional locus of control measures.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Scale

Format: 32 items, scored on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”

Language Available: German (original, as *Fragebogen zu Kompetenz- und Kontrollüberzeugungen*) and English.

Population Group: General population, particularly effective for studying developmental psychology and personality in students and adolescents.

Age Group: Adolescence through Adulthood.

Population Details: Has been widely validated in secondary school student populations in Europe (Germany) and Oceania (New Zealand).

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement. Scoring involves summing item responses within each of the four subscales (Internal, Competence, Powerful Others, Chance) to derive four distinct scores reflecting the respondent’s control orientation.

Keywords

Personality assessment, Control beliefs inventory, Krampen, Internal consistency, Multidimensional scaling, Action theory, Secondary school students.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The foundational theoretical work for the scale was published in 1988, with the German inventory (*Fragebogen zu Kompetenz- und Kontrollüberzeugungen*) published in 1991. Subsequent international validation and application, demonstrating the English version, occurred around 2001. Information regarding required permissions or fees for academic use should be directed to the primary authors or the publishing house (Hogrefe for the 1991 German version). The source document for the 2001 study is publicly accessible, suggesting permission for non-commercial academic use may be granted upon request.

The original PDF of the 2001 study outlining the scale and its application can be downloaded here: https://www.uni-trier.de/fileadmin/fb1/prof/PSY/KPW/2001_Self-efficacy.pdf

Reference’s

• Krampen, G. (1988). Toward an action-theoretical model of personality. European Journal of Personality. 2, 39-55.
• Krampen, G. (1991). Fragebogen zu Kompetenz- und Kontrollüberzeugungen [Inventory on competence and control beliefs]. Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.
• Greve, W., Anderson, A., & Krampen, G. (2001). Self-Efficacy and Externality in Adolescence: Theoretical Conceptions and Measurement in New Zealand and German Secondary School Students. International Journal of Theory and Research, 1(4), 321-344.

Items of the Self-Efficacy and Externality Scales (I-SEE)

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

1. Whether or not other people respect my wishes is mostly up to me.
2. To a great extent my life is controlled by accidental happenings.
3. I feel like what happens to me in my life is mostly determined by powerful people.
4. Sometimes I feel I have no ideas and don’t want to do anything.
5. Whether or not I have an accident depends entirely on my behavior.
6. When I make plans. I am almost certain to make them work.
7. Often there is no chance of protecting my personal interests from bad luck happenings.
8. I don’t like ambiguous situations‚ because I don’t know how to behavior or what to do.
9. When 1 get what I want it’s usually because I’m lucky.
10. Other people often prevent my plans from becoming reality.
11. I can do a lot to protect myself from disease.
12. I often don’t know what to do to make my wishes come true.
13. Much of what happens to me in my life is a matter of coincidence.
14. My life is chiefly controlled by powerful others.
15. Whether or not I have an accident is mostly a matter of luck.
16. I know many ways of protecting myself from dis ease.
17. I have little chance of protecting my personal interests when they conflict with those of other people.
18. It’s not wise for me to plan too far ahead because many things turn out to be a matter of good or bad luck.
19. Getting what I want requires pleasing those people above me.
20. In unclear or dangerous situations I always know what to do.
21. It is sheer coincidence when somebody else ever considers my wishes.
22. My well-being depends to a great extent on the behavior of other people.
23. I can pretty much determine what will happen in my life.
24. Sometimes I just don’t know at all what to do in a given situation.
25. I am usually able to protect my personal interests.
26. Whether or not I have an accident depends to a large extent on the behaviors of others.
27. When I get what I want‚ it’s usually because I worked hard for it.
28. I can usually think of many alternative ways of dealing with even difficult situations.
29. In order to have my plans work I make sure that they fit in with the desires of people who have power over me.
30. My life is determined by my own actions.
31. Whether I fall ill or not is a matter of fate.
32. I can usually think of many ways of solving my problems.

Response Scale: “strongly agree”‚ “moderately agree” ‚ “slightly agree”‚ “slightly disagree”‚ “moderately disagree”‚ “strongly disagree”

Subscale Item Assignments:

• Self-Efficacy (Internal Control): Items 1‚ 5‚ 6‚ 11‚ 23‚ 25‚ 27‚ and 30.
• Self-Efficacy (Own Competence): Items 4‚ 8‚ 12‚ 16‚ 20‚ 24‚ 28‚ and 32.
• Externality (Powerful Others Control): Items 3‚ 10‚ 14‚ 17‚ 19‚ 22‚ 26‚ and 29.
• Externality (Chance Control): Items 2‚ 7‚ 9‚ 13‚ 15‚ 18‚ 21‚ and 31.