Essay on Locus of Control in Distance Learning

Locus of control only means the capability of feeling that one has total control over the activities and circumstances happening in their lives. The belief may be external or internal depending on the variables causing the feeling. In the case of online learning and control, it is quite clear that the integration of online studies in courses offered at the universities is necessary and inevitable. The urgency of raising awareness by the course designers concerning vital issues with effect on online education is recommendable. When a study aimed at assessing the difference between online and conventional learning processes is performed; regarding both biographic and demographic characteristics and also the locus of control, the results achieved portray that both online and conventional learning methods don't differ a lot. The statistical difference is insignificant concerning locus of control. On the contrary, with the advancement of the internet and online academic resources, students can integrate their learning activities and also make online communities where they can share their opinions. A study performed with the aim of determining the impact of locus of control concerning academic success as a characteristic of an individual portrays that the kind of online community developed has no effect on the type of learning activity carried out online.

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An attempt at determining the relationship between locus of control and overall achievement led to the employment of a newly developed locus of control scale. The determination provided that the internality is related to cases of high performance in male whereas externality is related to high achievements cases in females. Two concurrent studies performed also gave the same results. However, in the event of a quantitative review of a particular research involving the determination of the relationship between locus of control and academic success, two conclusions were arrived at. One of the findings was that more subjective beliefs are entangled with great academic prosperity. The other conclusion determined that the magnitude of the relationship ascertained is almost small to medium. Mediator investigations performed include the characteristics of the participants and the nature of the locus control together with the academic achievements. The obtained results included stronger relations observed in an adolescent that in children or adults and relationships being more substantial in males as compared to females. It was also determined that more significant effects are associated with specific measures of locus control and standardized achievement.

Regarding e-learning dropouts and locus control, it should be noted that e-learning practices are geared towards dealing with types of online learners who tend to have special needs. It is, therefore, the duty of online instructors to identify the needs and react to them accordingly. Considering academic participation patterns, special attention is required for the dropouts. All the same, there are many reasons why a student would drop out of online courses. All the reasons that would be identified are unique depending on the kind of online courses the students choose. Some of the most identifiable factors that may lead to dropout include isolation, disconnectedness or technological hitches. A study performed on the same concern deduced that there is a similarity on the percentage of student dropouts against the factors mentioned earlier. The results also concluded that case of dropouts in open and distance learning institutions were more rampant compared to those in conventional education systems.