Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ locus of control orientations

Year 2017, Volume: 6 Issue: 3, 236 - 249, 27.09.2017

Nalan Bayraktar Balkır , Aysun Yavuz

Abstract

This study aimed to
investigate pre-service English language teachers’ locus of control orientations
in relation to academic achievement, grade level, and gender. The study, which
adopted survey methodology design, was carried out with 155 pre-service English
language teachers studying in the first and fourth grades in ELT department at
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University during 2016-2017 Academic Year Spring Term.
Locus of Control Scale (LCS) was used in order to gather data. The data were
analyzed through various statistical procedures, namely descriptive statistics,
frequencies, paired samples t-test, independent samples t-test, and One-Way ANOVA. The analysis of the data indicated that the participants
had greater internal locus of control orientations. However, there were no
statistically significant differences in participants’ locus of control with
respect to investigated variables. In the light of these findings, this study offers some suggestions for
further research and points to some implications for teacher educators.

Keywords

Locus of control, pre-service English language teachers, grade level differences, gender, academic achievement

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