ERIC Number: ED330656
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Internality and Achievement in the Intermediate Grades.
Creek, Roy J.; And Others
Locus of control is a construct that reflects an individual's perception of control over his or her own destiny. The thesis is that people adopt either an internal or an external orientation. Internally oriented persons consider success the result of ability and effort. Externally oriented individuals attribute success to luck, fate, or powerful others. There is sufficient research to document a relationship between locus of control and academic achievement. Just as one would expect students with higher I.Q. scores to outperform their lower scoring classmates, there is evidence to support the notion that internally oriented students outperform their externally oriented counterparts. This study explores the respective degrees of influence that each of these variables exercises upon the reading and mathematics achievement of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children (N=77) as measured by the California Achievement Tests. The data from the test performance of the intermediate students supported the results of previous studies with middle school students. The group of nongifted internals with a mean I.Q. of 120 produced the same test results in reading and mathematics as the gifted externals group with a mean I.Q. of 140. The data support the contention that internality is as accurate as I.Q. in predicting performance on standardized achievement tests. The data are displayed in nine tables. (JD)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Cognitive Measurement, Cognitive Style, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Intelligence Quotient, Intelligence Tests, Locus of Control, Mathematics Achievement, Predictive Validity, Predictor Variables, Reading Achievement, Scores, Self Concept, Student Characteristics
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: California Achievement Tests
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A