Development and initial validation of an academic entitlement scale in Egyptian college students

Academic entitlement represents students' expectations of academic success without personal responsibility. Despite growing research on academic entitlement in Western contexts, validated measurement tools for non-Western educational settings remain limited. This study aimed to develop and validate an academic entitlement Scale specifically designed for use within Egyptian higher education. A quantitative methodology was employed with 1,327 undergraduate students from Al-Azhar University's Faculty of Education. The study utilized a 43-item Academic Entitlement Scale, which underwent expert review and translation. Data analysis included exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with 728 students (370 males, 358 females), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 599 students (161 males, 438 females), reliability assessment through multiple methods (Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, test–retest reliability), and validity examination through correlational analyses. EFA revealed a five-factor structure accounting for 42.8% of total variance, initially resulting in a 34-item scale. Following CFA model refinement, a final 28-item scale emerged. The factors identified were: Reward for Minimal Effort, Control Over Learning Environment, Consumer Mindset, Entitled Expectations, and Externalized Responsibility. CFA confirmed this structure with satisfactory fit indices (CFI = 0.918, RMSEA = 0.045, CMIN/DF = 2.207). The scale demonstrated good convergent validity (AVE = 0.574) and composite reliability (CR = 0.869). Inter-factor correlations ranged from 0.366 to 0.551, supporting discriminant validity while confirming their collective representation of the broader academic entitlement construct. Reliability coefficients were robust across multiple metrics (ω = 0.714–0.842; α = 0.710–0.841), with the total scale showing excellent reliability (ω = 0.902). Test–retest reliability over 17 days demonstrated acceptable to good temporal stability (r = 0.561–0.870). The Academic Entitlement Scale demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties within Egyptian higher education, capturing the multidimensional nature of academic entitlement in this cultural context. The emergence of Control Over Learning Environment and Consumer Mindset as distinct factors suggests unique cultural considerations in Egyptian students' academic expectations. This validated scale provides a valuable tool for researchers and educators to assess and address entitlement behaviors in Arab university settings, contributing to a more globally inclusive understanding of academic entitlement.