A new construct, the Science Locus of Control (SciLOC) Orientation, was examined as a predictor of attitudes toward science teaching among 108 preservice elementary teachers. It is postulated that each person holds beliefs regarding the degree of his or her personal control in situations where decision, actions, or other modes of performance…

Research suggests that individuals who were never heavy, were once heavy but lost weight, or who are currently obese can be differentiated by physical self concept, number of hours spent in various activities, and the hierarchial reinforcement value of different behaviors. Subjects (N=99) completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Test, the Self-Control…

In male and female adolescents (n=30), the predictive relationship between social competency and peer relations and age differences in social competence was studied. Based upon a social deficit hypothesis, linear age differences were observed in social knowledge, locus of control, and a trend in empathy. (Author/PN)

Examined the relationship between adolescents' (N=72) perceptions of their parents' marital coalition and academic success as a college freshman. Results showed that students reporting a primary marital alliance tended to succeed academically and were more integral on the Rotter I-E scale than students reporting a nonmarital alliance as primary.…

A factor analysis of the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale was conducted with a biracial sample of children over a wide age range. Three factors (personal control and helplessness, achievement and friendship, and luck) had sufficient item loadings to be interpretable. (Author/GK)

Hypothesized that dogmatism and externality in locus of control are inversely related to skill in facilitative responding. Dogmatism and externality were measured by the Opinion Scale, and skill in facilitative responding was determined with the Gross Rating of Facilitative Interpersonal Functioning Scale. Results supported the hypothesis. (Author)

Describes a study which used scales based on Rotter's social learning theories to predict absenteeism among community college students. Only two variables were significantly related to avoidable absences: high concern for grades was related to high absenteeism and belief in the importance of attendance for learning was related to low absenteeism.…

This study found that personality characteristics (including locus of control and self-esteem) of 33 maltreated adolescent females interacted with maltreatment status in predicting depression, suggesting that they are protective factors. Adolescents first experiencing maltreatment during childhood were less likely than those first experiencing…

Evaluated the effects of stress-moderating factors of social support and locus of control in high school students (n=200) focusing on maladaptive outcomes such as depression. Social support satisfaction, impact of negative life events, and locus of control were found to directly predict levels of depression. (ABL)

Longitudinal study of newly admitted nursing home residents (n=50) revealed that perceived control over relocation decision had positive effects on health during first month of residency but negative effects on health and morale between second and fourth months. Acceptance of relocation had positive effects on health and morale between second and…

This correlation study assessed whether the psychological variables of college students' locus of control, self-efficacy, and achievement expectations strengthen the prediction of academic achievement beyond that of traditional cognitive measures of high school grade point average and scores on the ACT or SAT examination. The study used earned…

What role does a person's support for local educational control play in determining her attitude towards equity-minded school finance reform? This article reports estimations of binary and ordered probit models of two state public opinion polls and discusses newspaper coverage from the same two states to determine if and how local control has such…

Freshmen college students often experience a dramatic change in activities, values, and personal demands compared to home and previous schooling. To investigate the relationship between psychological maladjustment and stressful life events, locus of control, and social support networks, 62 college freshmen in their first semester of school…

Using analysis of variance and regression techniques, the authors analyzed the results of 40 studies that were conducted between 1953 and 1976 and contained 232 correlations between various measures of motivation and achievement. The motivation variables were restricted to students' achievement motivation, locus-of-control perceptions, and general…

Past research has suggested that supervisors, when evaluating the poor performance of a subordinate, are influenced by the outcome of the performance. Nurses (N=55) in advanced training assumed the role of a supervisor of a nurse described as having performed poorly. Half of the subjects read an incident without an outcome and half read an…