Keywords

Control (Psychology); Individuality; Personality; Time management

Abstract

Locus of Control (LOC) refers to the generalized expectancy that one controls the events in his/her life (internal orientation) or that events are controlled by other forces, such as luck (external orientation). According to many reviews of the extensive LOC literature, it is beneficial to have an internal rather than an external orientation. For example, desirable characteristics such as personal adjustment, high self-esteem, good job performance and job satisfaction are associated with internal LOC. This study was undertaken to identify and test a model which could be of use in an organizational setting for promoting the belief in internal control. A time management training model was chosen on the assumption that people who learn to manage their time better would feel more in control of their lives. The 67 University of Central Florida students who accepted the free Daytimers (a widely used professional time management system) and completed the pretest and posttest questionnaires served as the sample. The questionnaires in Rotter's LOC scale and a time management skills scale, and were administered at the beginning and end of the Spring semester. The Daytimers were distributed immediately after the pretest. Students who made frequent use of the Daytimers improved their time management skills and became more internal by the end of the semester. There were no corresponding significant changes in either time management skills or LOC for students who used the Daytimers infrequently. These results suggest that time management training can be used to promote the belief in internal control. Future research is recommended to verify the expectations that these changes in LOC will result in better personal adjustment, greater job performance and more job satisfaction.

Notes

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Graduation Date

1987

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Burroughs, Wayne A.

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Format

PDF

Pages

61 p.

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0020669

Contributor (Linked data)

Burroughs, Wayne A., 1943- [VIAF]

Burroughs, Wayne A., 1943- [LC]

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

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