This document is a literature review discussing research on locus of control, particularly as it relates to early childhood education. Some measures of children's sense of locus of control are discussed, including the Optimism-Pessimism Test Instrument and the Stanford Preschool Internal-External Scale. A discussion of how an educator's sense of…

This paper reviews the research literature on the intervention methods practiced to enhance, and the measures used to assess, academic intrinsic motivation in the school-age population with learning disabilities (LD). According to the research surveyed, retention and generalization improve when learning is intrinsically rather than extrinsically…

This experiment investigated: (1) relationships among locus of control, attributional style, and depression; (2) if a depressogenic attributional style could be empirically isolated; and (3) if reliable relationships existed between attribution and depression when depression was operationalized using different instruments. Subjects completed the…

The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales have been used both to evaluate program effects and to assign subjects to treatment modalities. This study explored the construct validity of scores from the MHLC scales when the measure is used with adults who solicit intervention to promote their own health. The MHLC measures health…

This study was conducted to compare causal attributions for success and failure response across four school subject areas (English, Mathematics, General Music, and Physical Education) using a "critical incident" methodology. Students (N=205) from a midwestern junior high school completed a questionnaire in which they identified important…

This study was designed to examine the effect of perceived control in a non-clinical college student population that had experienced victimization (childhood molestation) and to examine predictor variables representing different types of controls. Subjects were 866 female undergraduates of whom 523 were identified as Adults Molested as Children…

A study examined the relationship between change in daycare children's classroom behavior and the teacher's socialization behavior. Various behaviors of 69 children in 24 classrooms were observed and coded in the fall and spring of the school year. Observers coded teacher behavior according to the Caregiver Interaction Scale, which assesses…

A pilot study was conducted at two middle schools to investigate the relationship among student locus of control, field dependency, self-esteem, and achievement. A relationship between self-esteem and achievement has already been identified by research; another variable considered as a possible effect on a person's predisposition to achieve was…

Since the late 1960's, researchers have been concerned with the influence of teacher expectations on student performance. Teacher expectations generally can be categorized into three types: assessments of ability, predictions of progress, and natural discrepancies between teacher estimates and actual student performance. Expectations can have the…

Assessment and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders has been enhanced by the identification of several cognitive and behavioral dimensions on which offenders differ from non-offenders. To investigate the influence of social skills training on locus of control, self-esteem, and observed behavior, 27 adolescent male offenders, aged 12-17,…

Artist/teachers are professional artists in various fields who teach in high schools for the visual and performing arts. Although many hold advanced degrees, few have taken courses in teaching methods. Nevertheless, as a group artist/teachers have a reputation for teaching excellence. Participants in this study of the psychological characteristics…

In an effort to provide a better understanding of the possible impact of teacher training upon aspiring teachers, this study was designed to ascertain whether prospective teachers' longitudinal changes in attitude, anxiety, and confidence about teaching were related to, or possibly influenced by, their locus-of-control orientation, personality…

Research on perceived locus of control indicates that there is a positive correlation between internal locus of control and a variety of cognitive behaviors associated with academic achievement, that the perceived locus of control of educationally disadvantaged students is more external than average, and that the perceived locus of control of such…

This paper is based on data collected from New York City's Computer Pilot Program, an on-going investigation of the use of comprehensive computer based instruction (CBI) programs in the basic skills remediation of educationally disadvantaged students in grades 3-12. The findings suggest that the use of comprehensive CBI is altering the ways in…