On the relationship between locus of control, level of ability and gender.
In a sample of Norwegian 14- and 15-year-old students no significant relationship was found between total externality-internality score and level of ability. However, a significant relationship was found between ability and a subscale of locus of control related to degree of belief in the impact of school effort. The analyses of gender differences showed that girls had significantly higher total internal locus of control scores than boys. Boys were, however, significantly more internally oriented than girls on a subscale related to the respondents' general belief in luck, while girls were significantly more internally oriented than boys on a school effort scale. The present study does not support the notion that girls develop an attributional pattern which is more closely related to their abilities while boys may develop a broader attributional pattern.
Manger
T
T
Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway. Terje.Manger@psych.uib.no
Eikeland
O J
OJ
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors