The attributions of third and sixth graders with low and high reading achievement were assessed in two reading situations. Major findings were: (1) sixth graders' locus of control scores varied across situations while third graders did not; (2) two causes--studying and paying attention--were particularly salient; and (3) age and achievement…

Low-income women, ages 18 to 59, attending basic adult education classes (DHS group) or community college development classes (DEV group) in rural East Tennessee, completed questionnaires examining their occupational possible selves and their locus of control. The two groups were compared as to their number of hoped-for and feared occupational…

The purpose of this study was to provide an analysis and evaluation of composite variables in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) and School and Staffing Survey (SASS) in a way that provides guidance to the staff of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the more effective use of survey resources. The study…

This paper focuses on the purposes, theoretical model, and functionality of the SMILE (Solution Mapping Intelligent Learning Environment) Maker--a World Wide Web-based problem-solving tool. From an instructional design point of view, an attempt to establish a balance between constructivism/instructivism, content-treatment…

A survey of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba superintendents' perceptions of control exercised by departments of education, school boards, superintendents' offices, principals and teachers shows a gradual and yet growing influence of teachers and principals on decisions affecting education. Also reflects projected trend in…

Questions whether career indecision is a natural aspect of college life. Reviews literature suggesting undecided students are anxious, externally controlled, and confused as to their identity. A second article distinguishes between being truly undecided and choosing undecided as an admissions option. (JAC)

More information has led to an ever-increasing sense that things are out of control. A recognition that inability to control is not necessarily a sign of weakness or incompetence could help nourish the emergence of more humane and worthy modes of personal behavior and public regulation. (Author/RM)

The aims of the present study were methodological and substantive; validity and reliability of the Optimism-Pessimism Test Instrument (OPTI) were tested. Moderate, but significant, correlations were found between OPTI and attitude toward school, self-concept, delay of gratification, and locus of control. (GK)

Pupils at an elementary school in Israel, their mothers, and their teachers were studied to determine how each group would attribute the causes of children's problem behavior. Pupils and teachers were apt to blame external factors. Parents tended to distribute responsibility for problems more evenly. (Author/PP)

The predictive ability of five characteristics of elementary school teachers on curriculum implementation was studied. The variables were dogmatism, knowledge, seniority, attitudes, and locus of control. Dogmatism was the best predictor; attitude was the poorest. Locus of control, as hypothesized, was related to the attribution of success or…

The extent to which locus of control as a general expectancy model relates to career maturity was measured by the Career Maturity Inventory (Crites) and the Career Development Inventory (Super and Forrest). The most striking finding was the career maturity advantage of the internally oriented student. (MF)

Maintaining "locus of control" is a significant variable for educators, human resource personnel, and employment counselors dealing with the chronically unemployed, or the underemployed disadvantaged or handicapped workers, this article describes 10 techniques related to change of locus of control and development of more responsible and successful…

A theory of motivation based upon attributions of causality for success and failure is offered. Three central causal dimensions are identified: stability, locus, and control; these dimensions, respectively, are linked with expectancy change, esteem-related emotions, and interpersonal judgments. A theory of motivation with implications for…

The locus of control scores of 181 high school aged youth from five institutional environments (jail, "street academy," alternative school, and two high schools) reveal significant differences between groups for personal control, race ideology, and internal control variables, but no differences between groups for control ideology or system…

Changes in attitude were examined over a one-year period in pre-, early, and later adolescent samples. Self-esteem, locus of control, and achievement motivation were examined. The amount of attitudinal change evidenced by subjects at each age level varied with the kind of attitude being assessed. (Author/RD)