Family Factors, Locus of Control and Adjustment to Self-Regulation in College.

This study seeks to explore the significance of relationships between the ability of college students to become self-regulating with respect to dem and s of life in the first year of college, and particular background factors related to their experience of control in their families of origin. A central issue concerned the appropriateness of a model in which Internal-External Locus of Control was viewed as mediating the effects of family experience on college adjustment. Adjustment to self-regulation was assessed by a twenty-six item, forced choice instrument called the College Adjustment Satisfaction Scale. Dimensional analysis produced four sub-scales described as Work Adjustment, Social Adjustment, Separation Adjustment (concerned with student case in leaving home and family) and Dating Adjustment. Bachman's (1967) modification of the Rotter I-E scale was used to measure locus of control. Additional background measures included: (1) The style of Parental Control (punitive, educational, laissez-faire or affective). (2) Family Climate including such aspects as warmth, physical affection, liberality, openness of communication, obedience, pride and maternal control (a summary scale of Positive Family Climate was also constructed). (3) The degree of choice students were permitted in a number of areas while living at home. Positive Family Climate and non-use of punitive control by parents had significant positive effects on internality. Openness of communication was related to internality at the system level for men but not women. Internality of aspects of I-E were positively related to Social and Work adjustment in college. Personal control externality was related to dating satisfaction. Students in more structured settings (Nursing and Engineering) showed a stronger relationship between internality and social self-regulation than students in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Although significant relationships were shown between Locus of Control and Adjustment satisfaction, stronger correlations were revealed between several of the family measures and the dependent scales directly. Consequently, the model viewing Locus of Control as mediating the effects of family experience was ab and oned. Multiple regression results are reported for combinations of background factors (including I-E) on college adjustment. The author concludes that family experiences are related to self-regulation success. The mechanisms by which this influence are transmitted, however, are seen as needing further investigation.PhDDevelopmental psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158645/1/8204664.pd