EXAMINING LOCUS OF CONTROL AND GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY AMONG THE STUDENTS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Bandura (1977) noted that assured success in a particular situation constitutes self-efficacy. He further stated that although self-efficacy is critical in determining academic achievement, individuals form their perceptions by interpreting information influenced by various sources. Students' perceptions and convictions regarding their aptitude for scholastic success and their assurance of their ability to finish academic tasks and effectively engage in the subject matter. People can succeed because positive self-efficacy beliefs strengthen commitment, effort, and perseverance. On the contrary, students with low self-efficacy levels are more likely to evade, postpone, or abandon their academic tasks. In 1985, Philip Zimbardo defined the locus of control orientation as "a perspective regarding whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent upon our actions (external control orientation) or on circumstances beyond our control" (internal control orientation). An individual's locus of control can influence the motivation for engaging in behaviour and the response to life events. When necessary, individuals are more likely to take action to alter their circumstances if they believe they have agency over their fate. Conversely, individuals may exhibit diminished motivation to initiate change if they perceive the outcome as uncontrollable. This research aimed to study locus of control and general self-efficacy among middle school students. A total of 67 students (33 boys and 34 girls) from classes VII and VIII of an English medium school in West Bengal were selected for the study. In this instance, purposive sampling was utilized. Levenson's locus of control scale (Levenson, 1973) and the general self-efficacy scale (Schwarzer et al., 1999) were administered. Utilization of psychological measures to gather data, with subsequent interpretation predicated on applying correlation, t-tests and fundamental descriptive statistics. The study's results revealed a positive relation between a sense of general self-efficacy and locus of control and a significantly higher sense of self-efficacy among female middle school learners. Potential confounding factors that could account for the observed results include variations in structural components, such as school characteristics, and socio-cultural impact.

Keywords: Locus of control, Middle School Learners, Self- efficacy.