Key Competences in Education and General Self-efficacy. Validation of COMINT scale

Abstract

Key competences are one of the basic elements of European curricula to promote lifelong learning in young people. Currently, there are few instruments to assess Key Competencies in education. For this reason, the Comprehensive Measurement of Competences (COMINT) scale was created as a global construct under the framework of Positive Psychology and Positive Youth Development. The objective of this work was to analyze the relationships between Key Competencies and General Self-efficacy, finding additional evidence of the validity of the COMINT scale through the variables age and sex. The adequate adjustment of the psychometric properties of the COMINT scale to a sample of Spanish adolescents, the statistically significant relationships between key competencies and general self-efficacy, and age and sex differences in key competencies were hypothesized. A sample of 1245 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the COMINT scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes were performed to evaluate model fit in different samples. A model is proposed that shows adequate construct validity and a high level of internal reliability, based on the elimination of two items from the initial scale. The instrument has shown adequate adjustment indices after modifying some initial items. The analysis of the Structural Equations Model showed a significant association between Key Competences and General Self-Efficacy, with high adjustment indices. Evolutionary and sex differences were found, with girls in mid-adolescence being the ones who obtained lower levels on both scales. These results and the usefulness and implications of the instrument for the psychoeducational field, both scientific and applied, are discussed.

Keywords: key competences, general self-efficacy, positive psychology, positive youth development, statistical validation, adolescents.