Problem Statement: Achievement goal theory has become a dominant viewpoint in understanding students’ motivation. Recently, a large body of research has investigated the association of achievement goals with adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. However, to date, studies have not directly examined the relationships between 2X2 achievement goals and the academic locus of control.
Purpose of Study: The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between the academic locus of control and achievement goals.
Methods: The study sample consisted of 627 university students from Sakarya University, Turkey. Of the participants, 379 were female and 248 were male, and their mean age was 20.2. The Academic Locus of Control Scale and the 2X2 Achievement Goal Orientations Scale were used to assess the academic locus of control and achievement goals. The relationships between the academic locus of control and achievement goals were examined using correlation and the hypothesized model was tested through structural equation modeling. The data were analyzed by LISREL 8.54 and SPSS 13.0.
Findings and Results: The results showed that while the external academic locus of control correlated positively with learning-avoidance, performance-approach/avoidance goals, the internal academic locus of control correlated negatively with performance-approach/avoidance goals. On the other hand, the internal academic locus of control was related positively to learning-approach/avoidance goals. Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that the model was a good fit (χ2=24.61, p=0.00343, GFI=.98, AGFI=.96, NFI=.91, CFI=.95, RMSEA=.059). According to path analysis results, learning-avoidance and performance-approach/avoidance goals were predicted positively by the external academic locus of control. Further, the internal academic locus of control predicted learning-approach/avoidance goals in a positive way and performance-approach/avoidance goals in a negative way. External and internal academic locus of control variables predicted 68% of learning-approach, 48% of learning-avoidance, 34% of performance-approach, and 59% of performance-avoidance goals variances.
Conclusions and Recommendations: This study reports that the academic locus of control affects achievement goals directly. Students high in the external academic locus of control are more likely to adopt LVGO, PPGO, and PVGO than are students that are high in the internal academic locus of control. In contrast, students high in the internal academic locus of control are more likely to adopt LPGO and LVGO than are students that are high in the external academic locus of control. That the samples presented here are limited to university students restricts the generalizability of the findings. For that reason, it is also important to investigate the variables studied in this research on sample groups other than university students.
Keywords: Academic locus of control, achievement goals, structural equation modeling, path analysis
