Validade da Escala de Cognições Acadêmicas Autorreferentes: autoconceito, autoeficácia, autoestima e valor.

The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the structural validity of the Academic Self-Referential Cognitions Scale, which assesses academic self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem, as well as the value assigned to school skills. The sample consisted of 812 high school students from public and private schools from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and Cronbach's alpha test were used to analyze the data. The structural model proposed presented good fit to data: Χ²[145]=475.299; comparative fit index (CFI)=0.98; root mean square error approximation (RMSEA)=0.053. All of the itemfactor relations proposed showed beta values higher than 0.30. The reliability indices were reasonable: school self-concept, α=0.69; value assigned to school, α=0.79; school self-efficacy, α=0.74; school self-esteem, α=0.72. The data provide empirical support to the structural validity of the scale. This instrument represents an advancement in the measures of self, indicating the possibility of a differential definition and measurement of the constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]