Description of the Questionnaire

The questionnaire consists of three subscales that correspond to the three dimensions of the conceptual basis of internal–external locus of control, which are considered to be independent of each other. It includes a total of 24 questions. The subscales are: Internality, Powerful Others, and Chance.

Data Analysis and Use

The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 551 students (282 boys and 269 girls) in the 5th and 6th grades of primary school, aged between 9 and 12 years. The validity of the scales, measured by their correlation with the Nowicki-Strickland test, was –0.02 for internality, 0.30 for powerful others, and 0.30 for chance. The internal consistency for each subscale was 0.54 for internality, 0.60 for powerful others, and 0.53 for chance. The test-retest reliability was 0.36 for internality, 0.45 for powerful others, and 0.55 for chance.

Objective

The objective of the tool is to determine the locus of control (internal–external) of the individuals being assessed.

Scoring

Each item is rated on the following scale: Strongly Disagree = -3, Disagree = -2, Slightly Disagree = -1, Slightly Agree = +1, Agree = +2, Strongly Agree = +3. The total score for each scale ranges from 6 to 48.

Bibliography

Alexopoulos, D. S., & Asimakopoulou, S. (in preparation). Psychometric properties of the Internality, Powerful Others, and Chance Scales.