Document 1485759

The Impact of LOC on Academic Achievement
Philip R. Scherer and Adam D. Weaver, Ph.D.
Overview
• The rela(onship between locus of control orienta(on and academic achievement in students has been found to be significant in previous studies. Locus of Control (LOC) is defined as “the degree to which an individual perceives that a reward follows from, or is con(ngent upon, one’s own behavior or aBributes versus the degree to which he feels the reward is controlled by forces outside of himself and may occur independently of his own ac(ons” (RoBer, 1966). •  Perceiving an event as con(ngent on one’s effort or ability marks an internal LOC, whereas perceiving it as con(ngent on luck, chance, fate, or the control of powerful others marks an external LOC (RoBer, 1966). • An internal LOC contributes to posi(ve youth outcomes such as general well-­‐being and academic success, while also serving as a protec(ve factor against exposure to community violence and reducing nega(ve behaviors like violence (Ahlin & Antunes, 2015). • An external LOC increases the likelihood that youth will exhibit aggression or engage in delinquent acts. Addi(onally individuals with an external LOC have less self control, are less likely to successfully cope with stressful situa(ons, and have a greater likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression, while also feeling a general sense of learned helplessness (Arslan et al., 2009; Bha(a & Golin, 1978; Karabenick & Srull, 1978; Peterson et al., 1993). • Although LOC orienta(on is generally stable over (me, it can change through the accumula(on of experiences related to expectancies and reinforcements over (me (Lefcourt, 1982; Nowicki & Strickland, 1973). Impact on Academic Achievement
• Studies suggest that both internal and external LOC orienta(ons are important predictors for academic achievement (Hjelle, 1970; Messer, 1972). • Previous Studies have found that students with an internal LOC have been found to do beBer academically and have higher GPA’s (Hjelle, 1970). • Students with an internal LOC believed that hard work and focus would result in academic success and they performed significantly beBer than students with external LOC who believed that success depended upon luck or fate (Whyte, 1978). • An internal LOC fosters personality characteris(cs that are beneficial to academic performance and even students with a low internal LOC s(ll did beBer in school courses than students with a high external LOC (Verma, 1996). • Students with an internal LOC do not procras(nate as much as students with an external LOC, regardless of task difficulty (Janssen & Carton, 1999). Impact on Academic Achievement (Con’t)
• LOC, along with self esteem and parental occupa(on predicted students’ educa(onal and occupa(onal aBainment (Janssen & Carton, 1999). • More recent studies have found similar results sugges(ng that an internal LOC is associated with higher academic achievement and stronger performances on high-­‐stakes standardized tests (Greenfield, 2014; Miller, 2007). Impact on Student Behavior and Mental Health
• A student’s LOC orienta(on plays a role in the conduct and behavior of the student (Andreou, 2000; Haye, 2005). •  A study found that students with a high external LOC were more likely to be involved in bullying, either as the bully or the vic(m, than those with a stronger internal LOC (A(k & Guneri, 2013). • When individuals believe they have no influence on their surrounding environment, they may “give up” trying to change their environment, resul(ng in feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and depression (Abramson et al., 1989). • Individuals who aBribute nega(ve events to internal, stable, and global factors and aBribute posi(ve events to external, specific, and unstable factors are at-­‐risk for future depressive symptoms (Dodge, 1993). Discussion
• It is clear from the literature that one’s LOC orienta(on can play a significant role in both academic achievement and overall wellbeing. What is not clear, however, relates to what can be done to adjust children’s LOC tendencies. • Despite knowing that a child with a high external LOC is poten(ally less likely to succeed in school, there is very liBle further research demonstra(ng what can be done to assist a child in aBribu(ng his or her successes and failures to their own efforts instead things outside of their control. • Many recent studies stress the importance of discovering new methods or interven(ons that can be used to help children, yet there is s(ll very liBle to no empirically-­‐based treatments currently available. • Some general sugges(ons include aBribu(on training, counseling, and psychotherapy to provide students with classroom structures and strategies that serve to highlight the direct rela(onship between pupils' ac(ons and the reinforcements they receive (Charlton, 1985). • ABribu(on training can be easily implemented and involves an educator training a student to say posi(ve things to themselves in order help link their own efforts to their completed tasks and thus reduce their tendency to aBribute their school performance to external factors. Discussion (Con’t)
• Social-­‐Cogni(ve Training can also have an effect on a student’s LOC orienta(on. Social-­‐cogni(ve training aims to make students feel more in control of their environment and involves teaching students step-­‐by-­‐step approaches to solving interpersonal problems through prac(cing interpersonal problem-­‐solving and social skills. The program teaches pro-­‐
social value orienta(on, self-­‐cri(cal thinking, emo(onal control, crea(ve thinking, and asser(ve behavior (Manger et al., 2002). • Ul(mately, much more research is needed in regards to interven(ons and strategies that can be used to posi(vely affect a students’ LOC orienta(on. References
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