Personality traits and locus of control in situations of successes and failures among first grade junior high school students

Abstract

The situation of the change of education stage is an important moment in life of school children. Finishing elementary school education and transition into the first grade of junior high school is parallel to developmental psychophysiological changes which occur in the early adolescence. The need of acceptance of these changes and the necessity of adaptation to new environment and school demands, may be interpreted by students as a developmental chance or a risk. The article presents the results of research conducted on 560 students from first grades of junior high schools in the school year 2016/2017. The analysis pertained to estimate connections between personality traits in Big Five Model measured with Obrazkowy Pomiar Cech Osobowości Dzieci OPCO-D (Maćkiewicz, Cieciuch, 2012), and locus of control in the situations of successes and failures measured with Kwestionariusz do Badania Poczucia Kontroli KBPK (Krasowicz, Kurzyp-Wojarska, 1990). Boys are more extravert, eager to engage and experience more positive emotions in social interactions than girls. Girls, in turn, scored higher in features linked with anxiety than boys. In terms of locus of control, results indicate it is not formed yet, both in the situations of successes and failures. There is no difference between boys and girls in the way how they explain causes of events which they experience. The strongest correlations between personality traits and locus of control were reported in links between locus of control and consciousness, openness to experience and agreeableness. Moreover, the results revealed interaction effect between gender and openness to experience, only in the situations of successes.