Locus of control in adolescence: a longitudinal study

The purpose of this three-year longitudinal study was to investigate the development of locus of control in adolescence. Shift and stability of the locus of control were examined in an adolescent sample of 84 students: 49 boys and 35 girls. Locus of control was measured by the Delta questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the locus of control as the dependent variable. The independent variables measured in relation to the locus of control were sex, type of locus of control, and school achievement. Analyses of the longitudinal data revealed small, insignificant shifts in the locus of control among both boys and girls when they were retested twice: one year and two years later. The male and female cohorts, however, diverged between the first, second, and the third testing. The girls moved toward the external direction while boys, who were more internal than girls at the beginning of the research, became more internal over a one-year period, and after the third testing they moved from internal to more external locus of control. There was a relationship between type (internal-external) of locus of control at the first testing and the changes one year (p < .025) and two years (p < .10) later. School achievement was not a significant factor in the prediction of locus of control changes. Explanations for these findings are suggested. The data and analyses show that adolescence is a period of relative stability of locus of control.