Relations among Moral Reasoning, Locus of Control, and Demographic Variables among College Students

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the relationships among Rest's Defining Issues Test, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and demographic variables. 205 undergraduates from two secular universities and one religious liberal arts college from the Middle Atlantic states were given the Defining Issues Test, the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. The Pearson correlations indicated significant associations between the Defining Issues Test scored for percentage of principled reasoning about moral dilemmas and five demographic variables. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences between the group means for the Defining Issues Test scores on three demographic variables and between the group means for the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale scores on two demographic variables. A stepwise multiple regression analysis using five variables predicted a significant amount of the variance (25%) in the Defining Issues Test scores and two variables that predicted a significant amount of the variance (7%) in the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale scores. The Defining Issues Test is both a developmental and cognitive measure. In addition, the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale scores showed a significant relationship with religious affiliation and with Defining Issues Test scores.