Perceived Control at School Scale – PCSS
Measures students' perceived control at school across dimensions of personal power, self-determination, and autonomy.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Perceived Control at School Scale – PCSS was developed by Adelman, H. S., et al. (1986). It is designed to measure Perceived Control at School. The scale is intended for use with Students (special education and regular education).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 16 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Personal power/decision making, Self-determination, Others interference with autonomy, Powerlessness, Impersonal interference with autonomy.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Personal power/decision making | 1,3,12,14,15 | 5 |
| Self-determination | 7,8,11 | 3 |
| Others interference with autonomy | 2,5,13,16 | 4 |
| Powerlessness | 4,6 | 2 |
| Impersonal interference with autonomy | 9,10 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Not very often, 3 = Slightly less than half the time, 4 = Slightly more than half the time, 5 = Very often, 6 = Always.
The scale includes 8 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 16 to 96. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Control: 16 – 42
- Moderate Perceived Control: 43 – 69
- High Perceived Control: 70 – 96
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha of 0.80 for special education samples and 0.69 for regular education samples.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.