Brett -
Although you may have a conceptual reason for summing the four item scores to
form a composite, the low level of internal consistency that these items display
suggests that they may not be assessing a unitary construct. So, to sum these
four items and label this score as a single variable or construct (locus of
control?) may be problematic. Have you assessed the dimensionality of these
items? If you find that these items do not strongly load on a single, unitary
factor, you may want to consider breaking the items up, rather than summing
them.
John
