Adolescent Internal Environmental Locus of Control Scale (AINELOC) Measurement Tool

Carnell Colebrook-Claude

doi:10.3844/ajessp.2019.64.81

Abstract

This study aims to validate the Adolescent Internal Environmental Locus of Control (AINELOC) scales (green consumer, activist, advocate and recycling attitude). The AINELOC was used to identify the association between internal locus of control and pro-environmental behaviors in adolescents. The study was conducted because of the lack of data in the literature about the subject matter and developed based on the deficiency of applicability in the original Internal Environmental Locus of Control (INELOC) scale to the adolescent population. This opportunity to adjust the language to make it more accessible for adolescents resulted in the construction of the AINELOC tool to research adolescents’ reasoning and innate ability to make interpretations about beliefs and motivations regarding the environment. It was demonstrated that persons with greater levels of internal environmental locus of control have positive mindsets and beliefs that affect their well-being, behavior and attitude toward the environment. Collectively, the literature in this research explored the role of LOC as a driving factor and a strong predictor in shaping an individual’s eco-centric thoughts and behavior. The factor structure of the AINELOC was examined and data collected from a sample of adolescents to validate the internal consistency of scales for this novel construct. Correlations between the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLOC) measure with the new AINELOC tool were conducted to provide substantiation for the convergent and discriminant validity of the AINELOC.

Highlights

The purpose of this study is to validate a new measure, the Adolescent Internal Environmental Locus of Control Scale (AINELOC), which captures the distinctiveness of an adolescent’s internal dimension of locus of control in an environmental context
The AINELOC scales were developed drawing from the framework of Cleveland et al (2012) original construct, Internal Environmental Locus Of Control (INELOC) which was inspired by social learning theory (SLT), a theory developed by Julian B
Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the AINELOC, like the INELOC, can be separated into four diverse dimensions: Green Consumer, Activism, Advocate and Recycling Attitudes

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to validate a new measure, the Adolescent Internal Environmental Locus of Control Scale (AINELOC), which captures the distinctiveness of an adolescent’s internal dimension of locus of control in an environmental context. The AINELOC scales were developed drawing from the framework of Cleveland et al (2012) original construct, Internal Environmental Locus Of Control (INELOC) which was inspired by social learning theory (SLT), a theory developed by Julian B. Rotter’s SLT formed the theory of locus of control (Rotter, 1954). Rotter’s (1966) results revealed that a person who has strong beliefs that he/she can control his/her own fate is expected to (a) be more attentive to those facets of the environment which provide useful information for his/her future behavior; (b) take steps to improve his/her environmental condition; (c) place more value on talent or achievement strengthening and generally be more worried with his/her aptitude, especially his/her failures; and (d) be resistive to subtle efforts to manipulate him/her (Rotter, 1966). Behaviors that result in support help to reinforce a person’s perception of control (Atibuni et al, 2017)

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