Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Previous studies of the relationship of test anxiety, locus of control, and academic performance yielded contradictory results. In seeking a remedy for the negative effects of test anxiety, it will be useful to know to what extent the highly test-anxious students assume responsibility for their performance (internal view) and to what extent they believe it to be due to luck, chance, or “the system” (external view). University students enrolled in an upper division psychology course completed the Test Attitude Inventory of Spielberger, et al. and a locus of control measure only of personal control items from Gurin, et al. and of academic control items from Rotter. The students' performance on the course examinations was affected by the interaction of test anxiety and personal locus of control; highly test-anxious students achieved higher mean examination scores if they were also internal, while students low in test anxiety had higher scores if they scored external on locus of control. Studies of the interaction of test anxiety and locus of control on academic performance are needed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Butterfield

E. C.

Locus of control, test anxiery, reactions to frustration and achievement attitudes, Journal of Personality, 1964, 32, 353–370.

Doris

Sarason

S. B.

Test anxiety and blame assignment in a failure situation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1955, 50, 335–338.

Findley

M. J.

Cooper

H. M.

Locus of control and academic achievement: a literature review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1983, 44, 419–442.

Gurin

Morrison

B. M.

Personal and ideological aspects of internal and external control. Social Psychology, 1978, 41, 275–296.

McKeachie

W. J.

Interaction of achievement cues and facilitating anxiety in the achievement of women. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1969, 53, 147–148.

Meichenbaum

Cognitive modification of test anxious college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1972, 39, 370–380.

Phares

E. J.

Locus of control in personality. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press, 1976.

Proauk

T. J.

Breen

L. J.

Internal-external control, test anxiety and academic achievement: additional data. Psychological Reports, 1973, 33, 563–566.

Rotter

J. B.

Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 1966, 80, No. 1 (Whole No. 609)

10.

Watson

Relationship between locus of control and anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1967, 6, 91–92.

11.

Wine

Test anxiety and direction of attention. Psychological Bulletin, 1971, 76, 92–104.

Interaction of Test Anxiety and Locus of Control on Academic Performance

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References