Academic Locus of Control Scale (ALC)

Abstract

The Academic Locus of Control Scale (ALC) is a specialized psychological instrument developed to assess how college students attribute responsibility for their academic successes and failures. It adapts the general concept of Locus of Control to the educational environment, distinguishing sharply between beliefs of personal agency (internal control) and reliance on external factors (e.g., fate, luck, or powerful others like professors).

The ALC is designed to be a concise and highly relevant measure for researchers and educators studying motivation, achievement, and coping strategies among tertiary learners. By identifying a student’s predominant attribution style, the scale provides valuable insights into their potential for academic persistence and responsiveness to intervention programs.

Keywords

Academic Locus of Control, ALC, Locus of Control, College students, Academic achievement, Attribution theory, Internal Locus of Control, External Locus of Control, Educational psychology, Student success.

Authors

A. Trice

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Academic Locus of Control Scale (ALC) is to provide a reliable and context-specific measure of attribution beliefs regarding academic outcomes. While generalized locus of control scales exist, the ALC focuses exclusively on the student’s perception of control over grades, learning effectiveness, study habits, and overall collegiate success, making it highly specific to the educational domain.

The scale aids in identifying students who possess a high sense of Internal Locus of Control, believing that effort, personal planning, and diligent work dictate results, versus those with an External Locus of Control, who attribute academic results primarily to factors beyond their personal control, such as instructor bias, difficult exams, or arbitrary institutional rules. This distinction is crucial for academic advising, curriculum development, and targeted psychological interventions.

Construct

The ALC measures the Psychological Construct of Locus of Control (LOC) as applied specifically to academic life. LOC, a foundational concept rooted in social learning theory, refers to the degree to which individuals believe that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over the outcomes of their lives. In academic settings, this concept dictates how students interpret their performance.

The construct is typically operationalized along two dimensions: Internal Locus of Control, where academic success or failure is seen as a direct result of one’s own studying, preparation, skill, and persistence; and External Locus of Control, where outcomes are attributed to external variables like fate, powerful others (e.g., professors), or the perceived difficulty of the subject matter. The 28 items of the ALC are designed to assess the balance between these two competing attribution styles among college students.

Validity

Research conducted by the scale’s author and subsequent studies have provided evidence supporting the Validity of the ALC. Specifically, concurrent validity has been demonstrated through correlations with established measures of general locus of control, confirming that the scale measures the intended construct within the academic domain. Furthermore, the ALC shows significant associations with objective measures of academic engagement.

The scale has also exhibited predictive Validity in relation to key student behaviors. For instance, studies have found that students with a stronger internal orientation are more likely to demonstrate required and optional class attendance (Trice, 1987) and exhibit lower rates of college absenteeism (Trice & HackBurt, 1989). These findings underscore the scale’s utility in forecasting proactive and constructive academic engagement.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Academic Locus of Control Scale is generally reported as acceptable across multiple studies utilizing university populations. Given the dichotomous (True/False) nature of the response format, reliability estimates are typically calculated using measures such as the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) or, less commonly, Cronbach’s Alpha on scored items.

The ALC has also demonstrated acceptable test-retest Reliability, suggesting that the underlying attribution beliefs measured by the instrument are stable over short to moderate time periods. This consistency is essential for researchers tracking changes in academic motivation or evaluating the long-term impact of educational interventions.

Factor Analysis

Although the Academic Locus of Control construct is theoretically unidimensional—representing a continuum from pure internal to pure external attribution—Factor Analysis is often performed to confirm the structure. Initial validation studies typically confirmed that the items cluster effectively along the primary internal/external dichotomy inherent in the Locus of Control framework.

The items loading on the internal factor generally relate to personal responsibility, effort, planning, and motivation, while items loading on the external factor relate to chance, luck, systemic bias, or the influence of powerful others (e.g., professors or institutional policies). This clear factorial structure ensures that the scale accurately captures the intended theoretical components of academic control beliefs.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological inventory

Format: 28 items, dichotomous response format (True/False)

Language Available: English (Primary validation)

Population Group: Tertiary students / College students

Age Group: Typically 18-25 years, corresponding to the undergraduate population

Population Details: Developed and validated primarily on undergraduate university populations in the United States.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to indicate whether each statement is true or false for them. Scoring typically involves assigning points based on whether the response aligns with an internal or external orientation, resulting in a total score that indicates the respondent’s dominant academic attribution style.

Keywords

Attribution, Academic motivation, Student success, Academic persistence, Educational psychology, Internal control, External control, College adjustment, Test reliability, Scale validation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source materials)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source materials)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed through the original publishing institutions or academic departments associated with A. Trice.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Academic Locus of Control Scale was first published and validated in 1985 by A. Trice. The scale is typically found in academic literature and is often available for use in non-commercial research or educational settings, subject to standard copyright permissions from the author or the journal publisher (Perceptual and Motor Skills). Specific licensing and fees for commercial use must be determined by contacting the copyright holder.

The original instrument, in the context of a study on tertiary students, is available as a PDF download for review. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://digitalknowledge.cput.ac.za/jspui/bitstream/11189/894/1/Tertiary%20students%20locus%20of%20control%20%26%20approaches%20to%20study.pdf.

Reference’s

Trice‚ A. (1985). An academic Locus of Control scale for college students. Perceptual and Motor Skills‚ 61‚ 1043-1046.

Trice‚ A. et al. (1987). Concurrent validity of the Academic Locus of Control Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement‚ 47‚ 483-486.

Trice‚ A. D. (1987). Academic Locus of Control and required and optional class attendance. Perceptual and Motor Skills‚ 64‚ 1158.

Trice‚ A. D. & HackBurt‚ L. (1989). Academic Locus of Control‚ type A behavior‚ and college absenteeism. Psychological Reports‚ 65‚ 337-338.

Items of the Academic Locus of Control Scale (ALC)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way. Responses are True or False.

1. Some people have a knack forr writing‚ while others will never write well no matter how they try.
2. I am a good writer.
3. There are some subjects in which I could never well.
4. College grades most often reflect the effort you put into classes.
5. Studying every day is important.
6. I feel I will someday make a real contribution to the world if I work hard at it.
7. What I learn is more determined by college and course requirements than by what I want to lean
8. I am easily distracted.
9. I can be easily talked out of studying.
10. I have taken a course because it was an easy good grade at least once.
11. Professors sometimes make an early impression of you and then no matter what you do‚ you cannot change that impression.
12. Some students‚ such as student leaders and athletes‚ get free rides in college classes.
13. I sometimes feel that there is nothing I can do to improve my situation.
14. I never feel really hopeless; there is always something I can do to improve my situation.
15. I would never allow social activities to affect my studies.
16. There are many more important things for me than getting good grades.
17. For some courses it is not important to go to class.
18. I consider myself highly motivated to achieve success in life.
19. Doing work on time is always important to me.
20. I have been known to spend a lot of time making decisions which others do not take seriously.
21. I get depressed sometimes and then there is no way I can accomplish what I know I should be doing.
22. Things will probably go wrong for me some time in the future.
23. I keep changing my mind about my career goals.
24. There has been at least one instance in school where social activity impaired my academic performance.
25. I would like to graduate from college‚ but there are more important things in my life
26. I came to college because it was expected of me.
27. I have largely determined my own career goals.
28. I plan well and slick to my plans.