Furnham Parental Locus of Control Scale – FPLOC
Measures parents' beliefs regarding the source of control over their children's development and behavior, distinguishing between internal control and external influences.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Furnham Parental Locus of Control Scale – FPLOC was developed by Adrian Furnham (1986). It is designed to measure Parental Locus of Control. The scale is intended for use with Parents and caregivers.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 60 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Parental Efficacy / Internal Control, Luck / Fate / Chance, External Environment (School/Peers/Media), Child Control / Genetics, Powerful Others / Socioeconomic Factors.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Parental Efficacy / Internal Control | 1,2,3,5,6,10,11,23,24,25,26,31,36,38,39,50,54,55,56,57 | 20 |
| Luck / Fate / Chance | 7,19,22,27,29,30,32,33,34,37,42,49,51,53,58 | 15 |
| External Environment (School/Peers/Media) | 9,12,13,15,16,17,18,20,21 | 9 |
| Child Control / Genetics | 14,35,45,60 | 4 |
| Powerful Others / Socioeconomic Factors | 4,8,28,40,41,43,44,46,47,48,52,59 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 22 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 60 to 300. Interpretation guidelines:
- Strong Internal Parental Locus of Control: 60 – 140
- Moderate / Mixed Parental Locus of Control: 141 – 220
- Strong External Parental Locus of Control: 221 – 300
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.