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 African-American 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.
Highlights
Locus of control, a concept developed by Rotter (1954), focuses on the degree to which individuals generally believe that they, rather than other people or uncontrollable factors such as ‘‘fate,’’ are responsible for the outcomes of events in their lives. Rotter (1954) conceptualized locus of control as occurring on a continuum from internal to external control, rather than as a dichotomous variable
We examined the association between locus of control and peer relationships among Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and African American adolescents using two large-scale, nationally representative data sets, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLSK, eight graders 2007) and the National Education Longitudinal Study [NELS, Waves 1 and 2]
To test our hypothesis that locus of control is related to peer acceptance, peer acceptance was regressed on locus of control, gender, and ethnicity
Summary
A concept developed by Rotter (1954), focuses on the degree to which individuals generally believe that they, rather than other people or uncontrollable factors such as ‘‘fate,’’ are responsible for the outcomes of events in their lives. Rotter (1954) conceptualized locus of control as occurring on a continuum from internal to external control, rather than as a dichotomous variable. Rotter (1954) conceptualized locus of control as occurring on a continuum from internal to external control, rather than as a dichotomous variable. Decades of research have shown that locus of control plays an important role in a wide range of behaviors. Most relevant to the current study, several studies have shown that locus of control is associated with social relationships. Research has shown that children and adolescents with a more internal locus of control are more engaged in their classrooms (You and Sharkey 2009), are less shy (Crozier 2011), and display greater social maturity (Nelson and Mathia 1995). It appears that having an external locus of control orientation is associated with aggressive tendencies and bullying behaviors (Osterman et al 1999),
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