Locus of Control and Peer Relationships Among Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and African American Adolescents

Abstract

Past research has shown that locus of control plays an important role in a wide range of behaviors, such as academic achievement and positive social behaviors. However, little is known about whether locus of control plays the same role in minority adolescents' peer relationships. The current study examined ethnic differences in the associations between locus of control and peer relationships in early adolescence using samples from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K: 5,612 Caucasian, 1,562 Hispanic, 507 Asian, and 908 AfricanAmerican adolescents) and the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS: 8,484 Caucasian, 1,604 Hispanic, and 860 Asian, and 1,228 African American adolescents).Gender was approximately evenly split in both samples. The results from the two datasets were highly consistent. Significant interactions between ethnicity and locus of control indicated that having a more internal locus of control was particularly important for Caucasian students' peer relationships (ECLS-K) and social status (NELS), but less so for Asian, Hispanic, and African American students. Our findings suggest that the role of locus of control in peer relationship is contingent upon culture.

Locus of control and cell phone use: Implications for sleep quality, academic performance, and subjective well-being

“…The measure has been frequently used in educational settings due to its briefness and efficiency. Previous research has demonstrated that the scale has good internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach's a = .75 in Tourangeau, Nord, Lê, Sorongon, & Najarian, 2009; Cronbach's a = .75 in Kang, Chang, Chen, & Greenberger, 2015). Similarly, the locus of control measure had good internal consistency in this sample (Cronbach's a = .75).…”

Latino/a freshman struggles: Effects of locus of control and social support on intragroup marginalization and distress.

“…In addition, it is associated with well-being and a more positive psychological adaption (Shapiro, Schwartz, & Astin, 1996). College students with an internal locus of control report feeling more accepted than those with an external locus of control (Kang, Chang, Chen, & Greenberger, 2015).…”

Contextual Predictors of Vocational Hope in Ethnic Minority, Low-Income Youth

“…These findings also provide support for the role of PC in understanding vocational expectations of ethnic minority youth. The fact that PI may be an effective way to enhance perceptions of control is promising, given that previous research suggests promoting a sense of PC can be a complex agenda with ethnic minority youth in particular (Kang et al, 2015). This may be the case because ethnic minority youth are more likely to encounter systemic oppression that influences their assessments of being in control of their destinies (Threlfall et al, 2013).…”

“…PC might be important to examine because youth who believe that factors such as luck are more powerful determinants of the future than are one's own actions may also be less likely to feel confident in their vision for their vocational success. Some research has found that in ethnic minority populations, PC is a less consistent predictor of a variety of educational and mental health outcomes (Kang, Chang, Chen, & Greenberger, 2015). This may be because experiences of racism and oppression can result in ethnic minority youth feeling like they have less control over their destinies than do their ethnic majority counterparts (Threlfall et al, 2013).…”