Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
In a meta-analysis, Spector (1982) examined the relationship between locus of control and other organizational variables and made suggests for the Rotter 29-item Locus of Control scale to be more domain specific for organizations. Having created these suggestions on how to change Rotter’s scale, Spector (1988) developed a new locus of control scale that was organization/work domain specific and made up of 16-items. Studies have used this scale when looking at work-related locus of control, however, many studies have not fully analyzed the scale and its items. As more studies investigate the scale, more factors are being discovered within the model of work locus of control and how it is not unidimensional (internal-external) as first thought. The aim of this study is to explore the current 3-factor assessment of the Work Locus of Control Scale (WLCS). Currently with three factors, we want to determine if social networks (who do you know) can be a potential new factor to create a 4-factor model. Six new items will be added to this modified scale to test for new factor social networking. Furthermore, the study will compare the best fit model of the WLCS to the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) to determine if there are any similarities between the factors being measured. Archival data, collected from participants from a different master’s thesis, will be used to assess the scales. The participants completed an online Qualtrics survey via the Prolific Academic platform. The survey had the WLCS and the CSES. For this study, a confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to assess the factors within the modified Spector’s Work Locus of Control (1988) and including the new items for social networking. With the CSES, a correlation analysis will be conducted with the entirety of the WLCS using the model of best fit based on the confirmatory factor analysis. Overall, we expect that the best fit model for the WLCS will be a 4-factor model, and this model will correlate with the factors in CSES especially the locus of control factor. The implication of the findings would be the further validation of the WLCS and its measuring factors. The study will also explore the role social capital and social analysis plays in work locus of control. The study promotes further research into measurements and scales to better understand what constructs are being measured and how to be used as a practitioner tool.
Date
October 2022
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Included in
Exploring the Factor Model of the Work Locus of Control Scale
In a meta-analysis, Spector (1982) examined the relationship between locus of control and other organizational variables and made suggests for the Rotter 29-item Locus of Control scale to be more domain specific for organizations. Having created these suggestions on how to change Rotter’s scale, Spector (1988) developed a new locus of control scale that was organization/work domain specific and made up of 16-items. Studies have used this scale when looking at work-related locus of control, however, many studies have not fully analyzed the scale and its items. As more studies investigate the scale, more factors are being discovered within the model of work locus of control and how it is not unidimensional (internal-external) as first thought. The aim of this study is to explore the current 3-factor assessment of the Work Locus of Control Scale (WLCS). Currently with three factors, we want to determine if social networks (who do you know) can be a potential new factor to create a 4-factor model. Six new items will be added to this modified scale to test for new factor social networking. Furthermore, the study will compare the best fit model of the WLCS to the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) to determine if there are any similarities between the factors being measured. Archival data, collected from participants from a different master’s thesis, will be used to assess the scales. The participants completed an online Qualtrics survey via the Prolific Academic platform. The survey had the WLCS and the CSES. For this study, a confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to assess the factors within the modified Spector’s Work Locus of Control (1988) and including the new items for social networking. With the CSES, a correlation analysis will be conducted with the entirety of the WLCS using the model of best fit based on the confirmatory factor analysis. Overall, we expect that the best fit model for the WLCS will be a 4-factor model, and this model will correlate with the factors in CSES especially the locus of control factor. The implication of the findings would be the further validation of the WLCS and its measuring factors. The study will also explore the role social capital and social analysis plays in work locus of control. The study promotes further research into measurements and scales to better understand what constructs are being measured and how to be used as a practitioner tool.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology