An Investigation of Locus of Control and Achievement Motivation in Physically Handicapped Community College Students
Moreau, Francis Austin
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68854
Description
Title
An Investigation of Locus of Control and Achievement Motivation in Physically Handicapped Community College Students
Author(s)
Moreau, Francis Austin
Issue Date
1983
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Educat.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Educational Psychology
Abstract
This research examined the relationship between condition of physical handicap, and locus of control and achievement motivation among community college handicapped students. Three categories of handicapped students were selected: (a) Deaf, (b) Blind, and (c) Orthopedically Impaired, and compared to able-bodied students on locus of control and achievement motivation. The purposes of the study included ascertaining (a) whether the three selected categories of community college handicapped students differed from able-bodied students in their locus of control orientation and in their need for achievement and (b) whether or not type of handicapping condition significantly affects locus of control and achievement motivation scores.
Fifty-two physically handicapped students were interviewed and asked to respond to Levenson's Attitude Statement Survey (LASS) and the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, Section II (WOFO). In addition, these subjects were given the Student Information Interview Schedule (SIIS), which gathered pertinent demographic information. Fifty able-bodied community college students, serving as the control group, were also given the LASS and WOFO.
Results indicated physically handicapped students were significantly more external than the control group on the Powerful Others (P) and Chance (C) scales of the LASS but not significantly different on the Internal (I) scale. Only the Deaf (D) showed a significant difference from Blind (B) and Orthopedically Impaired (OI), and only on the C scale with D being more external than B and OI.
The results on achievement motivation indicated that handicapped and able-bodied students showed no significant differences on the four independent scales of the WOFO: Mastery, Work, Competitiveness and Personal Unconcern. A comparison of achievement motivation among D, B, and OI resulted in a parallel finding with no significant differences found among the three categories.
These findings support the perspective that locus of control is a multidimensional construct. Handicapped students expressed the belief that external forces (i.e., powerful others and chance or fate) controlled their lives on the one hand, yet maintained a belief in self-control on the other hand. These findings also refute the belief that an external locus of control orientation suggests low need for achievement, at least when considering the physically handicapped population.
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