German-language adaptation and validation of the self-perceived action competence for sustainability questionnaire (SPACS-Q)

The urgency of addressing the climate crisis makes it clear how important educational practice and research are in relation to sustainable development. Implementing this requires the use of established and validated research instruments. Hence, in this study, the Self-Perceived Action Competence for Sustainability Questionnaire (SPACS-Q) – which was developed and validated by Olsson et al. (Citation2020) for the Swedish context – was translated into German and the original validation study was replicated with a German-speaking sample (N = 175). Action competence refers to three components: knowledge of action possibilities, confidence in one’s own influence, and willingness to act. As in Olsson et al’ .s original study, other pre-validated instruments were used: the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire – Short Form (SCQ-S), the German Allgemeine Selbstwirksamkeit Kurzskala (General Self-Efficacy Short Scale; ASKU), and the Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Pessimism Scale (SWOP-K9). Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and convergence validity analysis showed that the German version of the SPACS-Q had high validity using this sample. This research focused on education for sustainable development and educational practices, offering a German translation of a valuable research tool to support future practice and research development.