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). The concept of locus of control, although relatively new (Rotter, 1954), has received considerable attention in the study of individual psychological differences (Lefcourt, 1976; Phares, 1976). Locus of control refers to a person's beliefs about control over life events. Some people feel personally responsible for the things that happen to them. These people are labeled internals. Others feel that their outcomes in life are determined by forces beyond their control (e.g., fate, luck, and other people). These people are labeled externals. Obviously, most people fall between the two extremes, forming a continuous distribution of locus of control beliefs. Locus of control is thought to be a relatively enduring dispositional characteristic, although certainly modifiable through experience.

Cites (24)

1. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
   1990 · Computers, Environment and Urban Systems
2. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.).
   Lachenbruch, Peter A., Cohen, Jacob · 1989 · Journal of the American Statistical Association
3. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
   Rotter, Julian B. · 1966 · Psychological Monographs: General and Applied
4. The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results.
   Rosenthal, Robert · 1979 · Psychological Bulletin
5. EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
   Coleman, James S. · 1968 · Equity & Excellence in Education
6. Meta-analysis in social research
   1982 · Evaluation and Program Planning
7. Social learning and clinical psychology.
   Rotter, Julian B. · 1954 · Prentice-Hall, Inc eBooks
8. Locus of control: Current trends in theory and research
   Herbert M. Lefcourt · 1976 · Medical Entomology and Zoology
9. A locus of control scale for children.
   Nowicki, Stephen, Strickland, Bonnie R. · 1973 · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
10. The role of expectations and attributions in the alleviation of learned helplessness.
    Dweck, Carol S. · 1975 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Show all 24 references

Cited by (15)

1. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations
   Baron, Reuben M., Kenny, David A. · 1986 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
2. Motivational beliefs, values, and goals
   Eccles, Jacquelynne S., Wigfield, Allan · 2002 · Annual Review of Psychology
3. One Hundred Years of Social Psychology Quantitatively Described
   Richard, F. D., Bond, Charles F., Stokes-Zoota, Juli J. · 2003 · Review of General Psychology
4. What it takes to do well in school and whether I've got it: A process model of perceived control and children's engagement and achievement in school.
   Skinner, Ellen A., Wellborn, James G., Connell, James P. · 1990 · Journal of Educational Psychology
5. Factors associated with success in medical school: systematic review of the literature
   Ferguson, Eamonn, James, David, Madeley, Laura · 2002 · BMJ

See all 566