On the Relation of Locus of Control and L2 Reading and Writing Achievement

Abstract

Locus of control, a psychological construct, has been the focus of attention in recent decades. Psychologists have discussed the effect of locus of control on achieving life goals in social/psychological interactions. While learning a foreign language involves both social interactions and psychological processes, the role and relation of locus of control in foreign language achievement is seemingly overlooked. This study is, therefore, concerned with examining the relationship between EFL learners' locus of control (LOC) and their L2 reading and writing achievement. Using Internal Control Index as the main instrument of the study and measuring L2 reading and writing achievements of 136 undergraduate students studying English as their major in two universities followed by an interview, the researchers examined the relation of their locus of control and their writing and reading comprehension achievements. The results of the study indicated that locus of control had a positive correlation with their L2 reading and writing achievement. Also the results of the interviews supported the information obtained from the questionnaires. The researchers have pinpointed to the importance of inculcating a sense of responsibility in EFL learners to improve their LOC orientation which might result in higher achievements in L2 reading and writing.

On the Relation of Locus of Control, Social and Cultural Capital and Oral Proficiency Achievement of EFL Students: A case of Iranians in Mashhad

“…The result of their study indicated a significant positive relationship between internal orientation and high academic achievement. The obtained results are in parallel with previous research on the influence of LOC and English achievement (Ghonsooly & Elahi, 2011, Ghonsooli & Elahi, 2010Ghonsooly &Moharer, 2012;Heidari & Khorasaniha, 2013;Hosseini Fatemi & Elahi, 2011).…”

Creativity in Writing: A Study of EFL Learners’ Locus of Control

“…However, the study of different experimental and descriptive researches reveals that literature is in favor of interalizers. Tending to be more intelligent and success-oriented (Almajali, 2005), greater responsibility and persistence in learning (Joo et al, 2013), higher level of metacognition (Hrbáčková et al, 2012), and reading and writing achievements (Ghonsooly & Elahi, 2011) and continued admission for the education (Martinez, 2003) are among a few examples of all reported outperformances of internals over externals. According to Hrbáčková et al (2012), "if students believe that academic success (mastering specific skills in a specific context) depends on themselves they may achieve a higher level of metacognition" (p. 1809).…”

“…Hrbáčková et al (2012) argued that internally oriented learners showed greater improvement in the academic achievement and metacognition while it was not the case for external locus of control, "if students believe that academic success (mastering specific skills in a specific context) depends on themselves they may achieve a higher level of metacognition" (p. 1809). Quantitatively assessing and interviewing learners, Ghonsooly and Elahi (2011) reported significant role for locus of control in learners' reading and writing skills. The more externals attribute their outcomes to outside sources, the lower scores they get in reading and writing test as opposed to internals.…”

“…On the contrary, learners who perceive their behaviors as influenced by their internal beliefs and action are named internally reinforced students (White, 1999;Lefcourt, 1982). A plethora of research has pointed out the effects of locus of control on problem solving (Wang, 1983), self-esteem and persistence (Basgall & Snyder, 1988;Bender, 1995;Kernis, 1984;Lonky & Reihman, 1980), anxiety (Biaggio, 1985;Carden, Bryant & Moss, 2004), language achievement (Ghonsooly & Elahi, 2010) and reading and writing (Ghonsooly & Elahi, 2011;Knowles & Kerkman, 2007). It seems that creativity and reflectivity in doing tasks have been neglected in the literature on locus of control.…”

Locus of Control and Receptive Skills in Second Language Acquisition

“…We may therefore conclude a number of things based upon the few studies which have been conducted within the field of SLA on LOC. Primarily, it would appear that the results of surveys on the relationship between academic achievement and LOC are reflected by a corresponding relationship between achievement and internal LOC in language learning (cf., Gałązka, 2008;Ghonsooly and Shirvan, 2011; and Ghabanchi and Golparvar, 2011 as exemplary studies). In addition to this, an orientation towards external LOC is empirically linked to increased levels of anxiety which, as mentioned previously, is correlated with lower levels of achievement (cf., Andrade, 2008 or Rastegar et al, 2013).…”