Nowicki–Strickland Internal-External Control Scale for Children – Short Form [TNSIECSCSF-40]

Description

The Nowicki–Strickland Internal-External Control Scale for Children – Short Form is a self-report measure designed to assess locus of control in children, namely the extent to which they believe that life events are determined by their own actions or by external factors.

According to the provided material, the short form consists of 40 items and was based on extensive research data from 1,000 school-aged children between 8 and 18 years old. The Greek adaptation includes 20 statements answered in a Yes/No format.

Purpose

The main purpose of the scale is to determine whether a child tends toward:

• Internal locus of control: the belief that they can influence life events through their own actions.
• External locus of control: the belief that events are mainly determined by external forces or circumstances.

The provided material states that, according to the developers, the scale is suitable for children aged 6–12 years.

Response Format and Scoring

Responses are given in a dichotomous format:

Yes / No

Each item is scored as follows:

• 1 point when the child agrees with the statement,
• 0 points when the child disagrees.

The total number of positive responses constitutes the child’s overall score.

The exact interpretation of score direction should follow the instructions of the specific version of the scale being used.

Validity

Validity was examined through its association with the Bialer Locus of Control Scale.

According to the provided material, the Pearson correlation coefficient between the two measures was:

r = -0.76

This value is presented as evidence of good construct validity.

Reliability

For the Greek version, the reported internal consistency coefficient was:

0.62

The provided material describes this value as moderate but acceptable for research involving younger children, given the simple and behavioral nature of the items.

Data Analysis and Use

The Greek standardization was conducted on a sample of 572 children, attending the 5th and 6th grades of primary schools in different regions of Greece.

The provided material reports:

• Mean total score: 7.98
• Standard deviation: 3.30

The instrument may be used in school settings, psychological assessment, and research concerning motivation, self-perception, and children’s behavior.

Applications

The scale may be used in:

• educational and school psychology,
• research on self-perception and motivation,
• studies of child behavior and adjustment,
• assessment of individual differences in perceived control over life events.

Reference

Alexopoulos, D., Andreou, E., Maramnios, I., Palikara, O., Margariti, O., & Alexopoulou, E. (2001, May). Reliability and validity of the Nowicki–Strickland Internal-External Control Scale for Children. 8th Panhellenic Conference of Psychological Research, Alexandroupoli, Conference Abstracts, p. 150. Democritus University of Thrace.