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Locus of control orientation and students' choices of resistance strategies in the classroom
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students' locus of control orientation and the way students resist teachers' request for compliance in the classroom. Specifically, the study sought to determine if students with high and low control orientations differed significantly in their selection of active or passive resistance strategies, constructive or destructive resistance strategies, and student-owned or teacher-owned resistance strategies. Using the Levenson Locus of Control instrument to classify participants as externally or internally oriented, this study examined the resistance selections made by internals and externals when asked to imagine a teacher's request. Likert scales measured participants' likelihood of selecting each of the six types of strategies, and narratives written by each participant were used to evaluate the reliability of the numerical self-report data. Results supported the hypothesis that externals tend to select constructive strategies more than internals, although the study failed to show evidence that internals choose active strategies more than externals or that internals choose student-owned strategies more than externals. It was determined, however, that externals, rather than internals, tend to select active resistance strategies. Follow-up procedures revealed that the type of teacher compliance message (positive or negative) was not related to students' selection of resistance strategies, and that the "student-owned/teacher-owned" resistance dichotomy may need clarification in future research. The conclusion of this study suggests that more research involving student resistance is warranted, and that teachers may need to be more cognizant of students' control orientations when seeking classroom compliance.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Communication
Recommended Citation
Wardrope, William Jeffrey, "Locus of control orientation and students' choices of resistance strategies in the classroom" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9615005.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9615005