Inventory and expressive measures of locus control and academic performance: a 5-year outcome study

Inventory and expressive measures of locus of control were used in a effort to assess their long term potential for predicting academic performance. Thus 45 male graduate students from three diverse major areas and 45 male high ability undergraduates were initially administered Rotter locus of control and Autobiography locus of control scales. Academic data regarding grade point average and baccalaureal or doctoral degree attainment were gathered five years later. The hypotheses were supported to the extent that low to moderate significant correlations were found between the two locus of control scales and subsequent academic performance. The strongest relationships were found between locus of control and graduate degree attainment, with graduate student internals significantly more likely to earn the doctorate within 5-year period than externals. It was speculated that the externals might be a more persistent group, but the internals were more likely to either attain the degree within 5 years, or drop out. And within this study's restricted ability ranges, locus of control personality measures proved to be better predictors of degree attainment than conventional ability scales.