Evaluation of Locus-of-Hope Scale Psychometric Properties in Iranian Students

Abstract

Hope is one of the positive psychological constructs that has been considered in many studies. This study aimed to investigate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Locus-of-Hope Scale in Iranian students. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of this study included all students of Islamic Azad University, Roodehen, Iran. The sample size was 307 people who were selected through cluster random sampling. The Locus-of-Hope Scale (LHS) was used to collect data. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. Also, the reliability coefficients for the subscales of the questionnaire were obtained between 0.71 and 0.87. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the validity of the questionnaire. CFA revealed a four-factor structure, and four subscales (i.e., internal, external-family, external-peers, and external-spiritual) were confirmed. Also, all indicators of model fitness were obtained at an appropriate level. As a result, based on the present study’s findings, the LHS can be used for research and treatment purposes related to hope among Iranian students.

Keywords

• life expectancy questionnaire
• exploratory factor analysis
• confirmatory factor analysis