Inspirational Book Reading: The Changes in Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control in Minority Students: A Mixed Method Study

Abstract

The literature on college attrition rates has revealed that self-efficacy and locus of control play a critical role in academic performance and retention. However, despite the importance of students’ attitudes in academic performance, there have been few studies focused on how to develop students’ self-efficacy and internal locus of control. We examined the impact of motivational book reading on the promotion of self-efficacy and locus of control by leveraging a mixed method study, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. One hundred diverse, business students participated in the research, where they read one motivational book and wrote essays to reflect their learning and took surveys that measured the quantitative variables before and after reading the book. The analysis revealed that motivational book reading significantly increased self-efficacy and locus of control of the participants. The qualitative analysis revealed that students expressed improvement in self-efficacy and internal locus of control after reading the book. The limitations, practical implications, and future research implications are discussed in this paper.