Relationship between Locus of Control and Grade Point Average in Freshman College Students
The relationship between locus of control and college achievement has not been resolved. Although Brown and Strickland ( 1972 ) reported a significant relationship between internality and grade point average for male college seniors, Warehime ( 1972 ) obtained only negligible correlations between these variables for a sample of college freshmen. The present study further examined the relationship between locus of control and grade point average in another sample of freshman college students. Participants were 137 freshman college students enrolled in a course in General Psychology. Ages ranged from 17 to 47 yr. ( M = 19.20, SD = 2.61). The Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (1966) was used to assess locus of control. Grade point average, ascertained from student-supplied university grade-report cards from the registrar, was used as the measure of college achievement. The range was 1 to 21 (M = 10.41, SD = 3.98) for locus of control and .06 to 4.00 (M z 2.82, SD = .66) for grade point average. The Pearson correlation between I-E Scale scores and grade point average was significant and negative ( r = -.16, p < .05). Since previous studies have reported sex differences, separate analyses were performed for males and females. I-E scores were significantly related to grade point average for females (n = 81, r = -.18, p < .05) but not for males (n = 56, r = -.lo, ns). Consistent with the results reported by Warehime (1972), the present correlations are quite small in magnitude. Locus of control beliefs accounted for, at most, 3% of the total variance in grade point average. These findings are consistent with Rotter's (1966) contention that generalized control measures are not likely to yield substantial relationships in specific areas, such as academic achievement. If generalized beliefs in control have any impact on academic achievement, their influence is probably mediated through other intervening variables, such as specific control expectancies and reinforcement value.