Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of A. Kirk’s Standardized Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale: Evidence from a Kazakhstani Sample

Abstract

The Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) is a standardized tool designed to assess a person's confidence in their ability to perceive, use, and regulate emotions. However, to date, the scale has not had a validated Russian-language version adapted for the Kazakh sample.

The aim of the study was linguistic and cultural adaptation, as well as psychometric verification of the Russian-language version of the scale. The adaptation procedure included a double-translation method (direct and reverse professional translation), an expert assessment of semantic and meaningful equivalence, and pilot testing. The study involved 20 respondents of different ages, genders, and professional categories.

The results showed that the adapted version of ESES demonstrated a high degree of conformity with the original, sufficient internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81), positive expert assessments, and a high level of clarity of formulations for participants. There are signs of substantial and constructive validity, which indicate the reliability of the Russian-language version of the scale.

The results obtained make it possible to recommend a Russian-language adaptation of the standardized emotional self-efficacy scale for further application in academic research on emotional intelligence and psychological well-being, as well as for use in counseling and educational practice. This work serves as the basis for the next stage – a large-scale psychometric validation of the instrument within the framework of a doctoral study on the comparative analysis of the emotional well-being of Kazakhstani and foreign students.