Research Capability of Chinese Scholars: Structural Exploration and Validation of a New Scale

Research capability is one of the essential capabilities of scholars for effectively conducting their work. Yet current research lacks a structured exploration and measurement scale for Chinese scholars on this matter. In the Chinese research context, this study conducted two questionnaires based on the Research Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES) among the teachers of “double first-class” universities in China and explored the structure elements of the research capabilities of Chinese scholars through statistical analysis. The study found that the research capability of Chinese scholars mainly contains four factors, including Research Design Capability, Analysis and Presentation Capability, Implementation Capability, and Cooperation and Communication Capability, based on which a scale consisting of 21 questions was developed. Our study can be used as a basis for subsequent investigations on the research capability of Chinese scholars.