On the Relationship between Locus of Control and Iranian Students’ English Score in the University Entrance Exam

Abstract

This study is concerned with examining the differences in General English (GE) achievement in the university entrance exam among students of humanities, sciences, and engineering. It also explores the effect of locus of control (LOC) on GE achievement in the entrance exam among these three groups of students. One hundred and forty four students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad participated in this study. Self-report questionnaires and students’ English scores in the university entrance exam are used in this study. The results indicate that: 1) There is a significantly positive relationship between student's LOC and their GE achievement in the entrance exam and 2) There are significant differences in GE achievement in the university entrance exam across the three groups of students, The findings of this study indicate that encouraging students to improve their self-efficacy can be quite helpful for them to achieve higher scores in the GE section of the entrance exam.