Psychometric Properties of the Academic Locus of Control Scale- Adolescent Form

The aim of this research is to examine the psychometric properties of the Academic Locus of Control Scale (Akin, 2007) in adolescence. The research was conducted with 587 (301 + 286) adolescents in total. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of sampling adequacy was calculated as . 72 and a significant result was found on Bartlett's test of Sphericity χ 2 = 561.619 (p< .001, df = 136). Results confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that 17 items yielded two factors as original form and that the two-dimensional model was appropriate (χ² = 697.06, df =392, RMSEA= .059, GFI = .94, CFI = .93, AGFI = .92 and SRMR = .047). Factor loadings ranged from . 32 to . 88. Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient was found as . 71,5 for internal academic locus of control sub-scale, . 81 for external academic locus of control sub-scale. In the concurrent validity significant relationships were found between academic locus of control, locus of control, student responsibility, and student responsibility. Test-retest reliability coefficient was as . 81 for internal academic locus of control and . 79 for external academic locus of control. Corrected item-total correlations ranged from . 41 to . 81. Overall results demonstrated that the Academic Locus of Control Scale can be named as a valid and reliable instrument that could be used in the field of education with adolescents. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: Student who has academic internal locus of control believes that his/her success /failure are the reason for his/her efforts and abilities. If she/he has academic external locus of control, s/he thinks that her/his success or failure is because of fate or luck. There are no scales to measure the levels of academic locus of control for adolescents in Turkey. Therefore, some scales are necessary for investigation of academic locus of control, which is a very important concept in that reflection of academic achievement. The aim of this research is to adapt Academic Locus of Control Scale to adolescents and to examine its psychometric properties. Method: The general research model was adopted for this study. The research was conducted with 587 (301 + 286) adolescents in total. The validity of scale was calculated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and criterion related validity methods. Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, The Student Responsibility Scale and Motivational Persistence Scale were used for the criterion related validity. As for the reliability analysis, Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficients, the item-total correlations, and the differences between mean scores of upper 27% and lover 27% groups were examined. For the analysis of data, SPSS 17 and LISREL 8.54 were utilized. Results: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of sampling adequacy was calculated as . 72 and a significant result was found on Bartlett's test of Sphericity χ 2 = 561.619 (p< .001, df = 136). Results confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that 17 items yielded two factors as original form and that the two- dimensional model was appropriate (χ² = 697.06, df = 392, RMSEA = .059, GFI = .94, CFI = .93, AGFI = .92 and SRMR = .047). Factor loadings ranged from . 32 to . 88. Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient was found as . 71,5 for internal academic locus of control sub-scale, . 81 for external academic locus of control sub-scale. In the concurrent validity, internal academic locus of control is associated with internal locus of control, student responsibility and motivational persistence (r = .72, .54, .51) respectively; external academic locus of control is associated with locus of control, student responsibility and motivational persistence (r = .69, -.43, -.53) respectively. Test-retest reliability coefficient was as . 81 for internal academic locus of control and . 79 for external academic locus of control. Corrected item-total correlations ranged from . 41 to . 81. Discussion and Conclusions: As a result, it is possible to say that the Academic Locus of Control Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool to be used for the purpose of measuring adolescents' academic locus of control levels. The scale can be used in research in education, and in the process of psychological counseling. Moreover, it can be used as an efficient instrument in order to assess the academic self-efficacy, educational stress, and school burnout levels.