Development of an internal locus of control scale for at-risk adolescents

Authors

  • Annisa Dianesti Dewi Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Jambi
  • Nadia Puti Dianesti Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada
  • Dian Erhan Saputra Center of Competency Assessment, Universitas Islam Negeri Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar
  • Andre Dinas Psikologi Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22437/proca.v1i2.50326

Keywords:

Locus of control; at-risk adolescents; scale development; validity; reliability

Abstract

Background: Locus of control is a key psychological construct that plays an important role in adolescents' self-regulation and resilience, especially among at-risk groups who experience vulnerabilities in family, social, and academic domains. However, valid and reliable instruments to measure this construct remain limited in the Indonesian context. Objective: This study aims to develop and validate an Internal Locus of control Scale specifically designed for at-risk adolescents. Methods: A quantitative research design was employed with 260 participants identified as at-risk based on school counselor and parental recommendations. The initial pool of 29 items was subjected to content validity testing by seven raters, resulting in 14 items meeting the Aiken's V ≥ 0.75 criterion. Subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the removal of two items with weak factor loadings, yielding a final 12-item unidimensional model. The scale demonstrated significant item-total correlations ranging from r = 0.447 to r = 0.639 (p < 0.001). CFA results indicated a good model fit (CFI = 0.959; TLI = 0.942; RMSEA = 0.0466, 90% CI [0.0242–0.0664]). Reliability analysis showed Cronbach's Alpha of 0.805, reflecting high internal consistency. Results: These findings confirm that the Internal Locus of control Scale is psychometrically sound and suitable for assessing internal locus of control among at-risk adolescents. Conclusion: The scale can be used by researchers, psychologists, and counselors to support interventions aimed at strengthening adolescents' self-regulation and adaptive coping in challenging environments.

Author Biographies

  • Annisa Dianesti Dewi, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Jambi

    Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Jambi

  • Nadia Puti Dianesti, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada

    Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada

  • Dian Erhan Saputra, Center of Competency Assessment, Universitas Islam Negeri Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar

    Center of Competency Assessment, Universitas Islam Negeri Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar

  • Andre, Dinas Psikologi Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara

    Dinas Psikologi Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara

References

1. Rotter JB. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychol Monogr. 1966;80(1):1–28.

2. Marks DF. Health psychology: Theory, research and practice. Sage Publications; 1998.

3. Bandura A. Human agency in social cognitive theory. Am Psychol. 1989;44(9):1175–1184.

4. Syatriadin S. Locus of control : Teori temuan penelitian dan reorientasinya dalam manajemen penanganan kesulitan belajar peserta didik. Fondatia J Pendidik Dasar. 2017;1(1):144–64.

5. Jumiati J, Kartiko A. Pengaruh self efficacy dan locus of control terhadap kinerja guru. Acad J Teach Learn. 2022;1(1):32–44.

6. Caliendo M, Cobb-Clark DA, Silva-Goncalves J, Uhlendorff A. Locus of control and the preference for agency. Eur Econ Rev. 2024;165:1–24.

7. Hendryadi H. Pengembangan skala locus of control. J Ris Manaj dan Bisnis Fak Ekon UNIAT. 2017;2(3):417–24.

8. Yang Z. Contract design in China’s rural land rental market: Contractual flexibility and rental payments. J Econ Behav Organ. 2020;178:15–43.

9. Awaworyi SC, Munyanyi ME, Prakash K, Smyth R. Locus of control and the gender gap in mental health. J Econ Behav Organ. 2020;178:740–58.

10. Supriyadi T, Salsabilah MM, Heryani NS, Sevi TK. Pengaruh beban kerja terhadap stres anggota polisi. Netizen J Soc Bussiness. 2024;1(8):350–9.

11. Indriasari DP, Angreany. The effect locus of control and workload on employee performance through work ethic on local revenue agencies Province South Sulawesi. Yume J Manag. 2019;2(3):1–19.

12. Dewi AD, Purwandari E. Keharmonisan keluarga, integrasi sosial, lokus kendali, dan kesejahteraan psikologis anak yang berhadapan dengan hukum. J Ilmu Kel dan Konsum. 2024;17(1):90–102.

13. Duttweiler PC. The internal control index: A newly developed measure of locus of control. Educ Psychol Meas. 1984;44(2):209–21.

14. Levenson H. Differentiating among internality, powerful others, and chance. In: Research with the locus of control construct. Academic Press; 1981. p. 15–63.

15. Spector PE. Development of the work locus of control scale. J Occup Psychol. 1988;61(4):335–40.

16. Savitri IAGW, Adnyana IMDM, Wahyudi IW, Dewi GAPWP, Ariastuti I, Sundari NLPA, et al. Exposure to electromagnetic waves for reducing brain health: A bibliometric analysis. Svāsthya Trends Gen Med Public Health. 2024 Jul. 3;1(1):e12.

17. Nurhikmah H, Rahmawati I, Lestari H. Hubungan efikasi diri dengan kreatifitas kerja guru Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) Sekolah Dasar Negeri Se-Kecamatan Cibungbulang. J Dirosah Islam. 2021;3(1):10–7.

18. Annisa DN, Tentama F, Bashori K. The role of family support and internal locus of control in entrepreneurial intention of vocational high school students. Int J Eval Res Educ. 2021;10(2):381–8.

19. Hanvey I, Malovic A, Ntontis E. Glass children: The lived experiences of siblings of people with a disability or chronic illness. J Community Appl Soc Psychol. 2022;32:936–48.

20. Aiken LR. Three coefficients for analyzing the reliability and validity of ratings. Educ Psychol Meas. 1985;45(1):131–42.

21. Mutamimah A. Pengaruh Locus of Control terhadap kinerja pegawai struktural di Balai Diklat Keagamaan Surabaya. UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya; 2019.

22. Khoiriyah L, Asyik NF, Amanah L. Dampak locus of control pada moralitas individu dan pengendalian internal terhadap kecenderungan kecurangan akuntansi. JAAF (Journal Appl Account Financ. 2019;3(2):108–23.

23. Septikasari R, Dewi TR, Yuliantoro AT, Dewi SEK, Pertiwi RP. Pengaruh locus of control terhadap prestasi belajar peserta didik di SD N Karang Jadi. Titian Ilmu J Ilm Multi Sci. 2021;13(2):27–33.

24. Pratama AP, Widyastuti M. Minat berwirausaha dampak efikasi diri, motivasi, dan lokus kendali pada mahasiswa. J Keuang dan Bisnis. 2021;19(2):29–41.

25. Ferreira J V., Hanaki N, Tarroux B. On the roots of the intrinsic value of decision rights: Experimental evidence. Games Econ Behav [Internet]. 2020;119:110–22. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geb.2019.10.008

Downloads

Published

30-11-2025

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): The 6th Jambi Medicine and Health Science International Conference (JAMHESIC)

Section

RESEARCH DISSEMINATION

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Annisa Dianesti Dewi, Nadia Puti Dianesti, Dian Erhan Saputra, Andre

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Published with license by LPPM Universitas Jambi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 International). This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. 

How to Cite

Dewi, A. D., Dianesti, N. P., Saputra, D. E., & Andre. (2025). Development of an internal locus of control scale for at-risk adolescents. Proceedings Academic Universitas Jambi, 1(2), 659-678. https://doi.org/10.22437/proca.v1i2.50326