Classroom climate has often been labeled the "hidden curriculum." The positive or negative interpersonal communication between teacher and student influences student self-concept and academic performance. Teachers should be committed to the enrichment of the curriculum through the tenets of humanism and the creation of a positive classroom…

While holding the influence of socioeconomic status constant, the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement, anxiety, and level of aspiration was examined among 2,438 ninth-grade Israeli-Jewish students of Asian or African background, and European, American or Israeli backgrounds. (Author/KC)

Two studies are described in which the causal attributions of unemployed school-leavers are studied. The leavers who were out of work favored more external attributions. Prior to leaving school the groups did not differ, but the employed shifted toward more internal causal ascription. (Author)

A form of the Preschool and Primary Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale was developed for use with Black children. The psychometric data suggest that the new scale is worthy of further examination and development. (Author/GDC)

The internal-external locus of control scales of Rotter and Levenson and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were completed by 156 undergraduates. The three-factor structure underlying Levenson's questionnaire was clearly confirmed. Some new evidence for the multidimensionality of Rotter's scale was also presented. (Author/GDC)

The present study attempted to identify the factor structure of the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale by factor-analysis of the responses of 388 junior high, 389 high school and 449 elementary school students. (MS)

A study of 104 students (ages 16 to 22) with mental retardation (n=32), learning disabilities (n=34), or no disabilities (n=38) examined variables that contribute to perceptions of self-determination and increased student motivation. The students with disabilities were found to have more of an external locus of control orientation. (CR)

This study compared the motivational orientations and metacognitive abilities of 143 Grade 7 intellectually gifted students in an Australian selective school with 133 average-achieving age peers attending comprehensive schools. Gifted students had greater confidence in their own control over successes or failures in school tasks, demonstrated more…

This article discusses barriers to the identification of gifted students, including linguistic function, learning style attributes, self-concept perceptions, and locus of control issues. Methods of detecting hidden giftedness are provided for each of these barriers, along with approaches to intervention. (Contains 8 references.) (CR)

This study investigated self-actualization and locus of control in 59 academically gifted adolescents using the Reflections of Self by Youth and the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children. No significant gender or grade differences were found, though locus of control scores supported the idea that high-achieving students tend to…

In response to perceived need, the University of Pretoria (South Africa) implemented a stress management program for students using relaxation and visualization techniques and emphasizing development of study skills. Case studies of six participants in 1986 found both quantitative and qualitative improvement in all stress management areas except…

Investigates teachers' roles in erroneous referrals of children with suspected emotional disturbance. Teachers viewed two video tapes of two elementary-age students and rated the children on several child characteristics. Results revealed that the locus of control and self-esteem of teachers, along with other factors, can predict teachers'…

A study examined the effects of a 5-day rock climbing intervention on perceptions of alienation and control among 17 at-risk adolescents from an alternative high school. Following the climbing program, the experimental group was less alienated and demonstrated a stronger sense of personal control than did the control group. (TD)

Investigates how online instruction affects locus of control (LOC) as a belief in one's own competency, for graduate students enrolled in an online class in Instructional Technology. Two LOC instruments were administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Results indicate: learners tended to be external at the beginning of the…

Explored differences between high- and low-achieving freshmen women on cognitive and psychological variables. Results support hypotheses that high achievers would have a more internal locus of control, be more cognitively complex, possess a higher academic self-concept, and report more confidence in their ability and effort than would students in…