Locus of control and academic achievement: A literature review.

Abstract

A quantitative review of research investigating the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement was conducted. Two basic conclusions resulted: (a) More internal beliefs are associated with greater academic achievement, and (b) the magnitude of this relation is small to medium. Characteristics of the participants in the reviewed studies (i.e., gender, age, race, and socioeconomic level) and the nature of the locus of control and academic achievement measures were investigated as mediators of the relation. The relation tended to be stronger for adolescents than for adults or children. Also, the relation was more substantial among males than among females. Finally, stronger effects were associated with specific locus of control measures and with standardized achievement or intelligence tests (as opposed to teacher grades).

Delving into the Relationship between LOC, MI, and Reading Proficiency

“…There are a couple of studies investigating the relationship between either MI or LOC and some other factors (Findley & Cooper, 1983;Ghonsooly & Elahi, 2010;Fatemi and Elahi, 2010;Razmjoo, 2008;Hashemi, 2008). To the best of the researchers' knowledge, no comparative study in Iran has concentrated on the relationship between MI and LOC in an EFL context.…”

“…Findley & Cooper (1983) reviewed 98 studies that investigated LOC and academic achievement. Seventy percent of the hypotheses reported internals to have significantly higher academic achievement than externals.…”

Increasing Achievement Motivation of Elementary School Students with Mild Disabilities

“…Researchers have found that young learners make poor instructional choices (Carrier, 1984;Okolo, Hinsey, & Yousefian, 1990), perhaps by virtue of their relative lack of experience with educational endeavors. Furthermore, some researchers have found that opportunity to exercise control has more impact on the achievement of young adolescents than on preadolescent or college-age students (Findley & Cooper, 1983;Stipek & Weisz, 1981).…”

The effects of transition intervention on students with mild disabilities.

“…Similar to the lack of studies on self-efficacy, research on students with mild disabilities and Locus of Control was sparse. A meta-analysis by Findley and Cooper (1983) demonstrated the association between locus of control and academic achievement but did not connect Rotter's social learning theory or any other theoretical framework to guide their analyses, according to Nowicki and Kalechstein (1997). Both sets of researchers (Findley & Cooper; Nowicki & Kalechstein) controlled for gender, age, race, and socioeconomic status, but neither included students with mild disabilities.…”

“…For the second step, psychometric testing (reliability analysis) was calculated for the Self-efficacy and Locus of Control Scales that were included as mediating variables. This step was necessitated because no psychometric data could be found to affirm the use of these scales for populations with mild disabilities (see Findley & Cooper, 1983;Kalechstein & Nowicki, 1997;Klein & Keller, 1990;Luthar, 1991;Marsh & Gouvernet, 1989). Because the Self-Improvement scale from the STEP Grant Intervention Project had not been previously analyzed, no psychometric data existed to confirm its sufficient reliability to be used as a single construct.…”