Autoeficácia: evidências de validade de uma medida e seu papel moderador no desenvolvimento de dotação e talento

Abstract

Self-efficacy is defined as the individual's belief about their own capabilities. The concept was developed in the Social Cognitive Theory and targets very specific tasks, so it has applications in many different fields of knowledge. Among these fields, have the Education, more specifically, the students with giftedness and talent (G&T). There are several theoretical models that seek to explain and articulate the concepts of G&T. The Munich Model of Giftedness highlights the role of individual and environmental moderators that affect the achievement of talent. Self-efficacy beliefs are considered important individuals moderators of this process. The purpose of this study was to compare levels of self-efficacy from adolescents with and without G&T. Due to lack of instruments with evidence of validity was necessary to make a first step in order to analyze the psychometric properties of a selfefficacy scale to then compare these beliefs in students with and without G&T. Step 1 - We obtained content, semantics, factor and internal consistency evidences of validity for the Brazilian version of Children's Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES-Br). Participated experts in selfefficacy (N = 3), which acted as judges, and elementary school students (N = 679) who fulfill in the classroom the CSES-Br and a questionnaire of student characterization. We obtained satisfactory evidence of validity of the instrument for Brazilian context, allowing it to be used later. Step 2 - The CSES-Br was applied again in 390 elementary school students, which 7.7% of them had G&T and were bound to CEDET (Centre for Development of Potential and Talent) in Lavras, MG. The highest averages of self-efficacy were obtained for students with G&T in all nine subscales of the CSES-Br. However, they did not differ significantly from peers about the ordering of these measures. However, it should be noted that the self-efficacy plays a developmental and educational role that goes far beyond the moderation of the development of G&T, therefore, is necessary to develop self-efficacy in all students, with and without G&T.