Validation of a five-level locus of control scale

The objective of this article is to discuss our research into the validation of a career-related locus of control scale. The instrument, the Vocational Locus of Control Scale developed by Fournier, Jeanrie, and Drapeau (1996), attempts to confirm the empirical existence of our conception of a five-level locus of control in the career domain. In this study, the empirical qualities of the instrument are confirmed through the demonstration of the factor analysis structure, the evaluation of inter-type correlations and the relationship established with Rotter's scale. The results, stemming from a study in which over 1,000 individuals were interviewed, demonstrate the sufficient reliability of the instrument and provide significant evidence for its conceptual validity, supporting, at the same time, the suggested nuances in the expression of a feeling of control. Questions of a theoretical and empirical nature are raised with regard to the structure of the concept.