Date Approved

5-6-2003

Embargo Period

5-3-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in School Psychology

Department

Educational Services and Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Klanderman, John

Committee Member 1

Dihoff, Roberta

Subject(s)

Fourth grade (Education); Locus of control; School children--Economic conditions; School children--Social conditions

Disciplines

Educational Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine a possible relationship between locus of control and socioeconomic status. Past studies have shown that children of higher socioeconomic status have a more internal outlook on life, and children of lower socioeconomic status have a more external outlook. Two groups of fourth graders containing both males and females were involved in the study. One group (n=20) were from a school located in a high socioeconomic area, and the other group (n=40) were from a school located in a lower socioeconomic area. Both groups were given The Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control scale, which is a "yes" or "no" questionnaire geared toward children. A higher score on the scale indicated a more external viewpoint, and a lower score on the scale indicated a more internal viewpoint. The data was analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation-R and an independent samples T-test. They were used to determine whether there existed a positive or negative relationship between socioeconomic status and locus of control and a possible relationship between gender and locus of control. It was found that the scores on the scale differed significantly between schools, but gender was not found to have a significant relationship with locus of control. Specific questions on the scale are discussed, as well as implications for further research.

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