Locus of control as a correlate of achievement in english as a second language in ibadan

The search for means of improving performance and consequently ameliorating declining achievement in English at public examinations have made it imperative for researchers to explore the psychological bases of academic achievement prominent among which is locus of control of learners. Its relationship with learners' achievement in English. is the focus of this study. The descriptive research design was adopted in the study which attempted to provide answers to three research questions. The participants were 300 SSII students while locus of control scale ( r=.72 and English language achievement test r=.87) were the instruments used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and t-test . Findings revealed that the locus of control of students positively correlates with their English Language achievement(r=.670); but students with internal and external locus of control did not differ significantly in their English Language achievement (t=.513;df=298;P<.05) .Based on these findings, it is recommended that teachers of English should factor learner' locus of control into their instructional programmes for improved performance.

Academic Achievement ,

English Language ,

Internal Locus ,

External Locus ,

Motivation ,