Predicting the likelihood of going to graduate school: the importance of locus of control.(Report)

Although many undergraduates apply to graduate school, only a fraction will be admitted. A question arises as to what factors relate to the likelihood of pursuing graduate studies. The current research examined this question by surveying students in a Careers in Psychology course. We hypothesized that GPA, a more internal locus of control orientation, and a non-consumer orientation to the educational process would predict the perceived likelihood of pursuing graduate study. Results indicated that academic locus of control orientation was a better predictor of graduate school intentions than GPA or consumer orientation. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of an internal locus of control for graduate school success.

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Approximately 65% of college freshmen indicate an interest in pursuing some form of post-baccalaureate education (Astin, Parrot, Korn, & Sax, 1997 as cited in Rajecki, Lauer, & Metzner, 1998). Although many will pursue graduate study, only a percentage will be admitted. Within the field of Psychology, for example, for the 2003-2004 academic year, 27.4% of doctoral candidates and 57.4% of Master's candidates were admitted (Norcross, Kohout, & Wicherski, 2005). Consequently an interesting question arises as to whether the "right" students are pursuing graduate school. To this end, researchers have begun examining what separates those who hold aspirations for an advanced degree from those who do not. Scepansky and Bjomsen (2003), for example, found that students who were planning to pursue graduate studies differed from those who did not in a number of ways. Specifically, those interested in graduate education participated more in class discussions and scored higher in conscientiousness and openness to experience.

In the current exploratory study, we examined characteristics associated with students' intentions to apply to graduate school--academic performance, locus of control, and consumer orientation. One characteristic that we expected to predict future plans for graduate school was students' academic performance. From a purely objective standpoint, one of the prerequisites for graduate school admittance is a strong academic record typically referenced by GPA. Thus, we expected that students with stronger academic records would be more likely to indicate an interest in pursuing graduate work. But as important as previous academic success is in predicting future graduate school success (Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2001), there is an emerging literature suggesting that high grades and a stellar set of GRE scores are not enough (Appleby, 1990; Sampson & Boyer, 2001). Oftentimes, students sporting high undergraduate credentials do not turn out to be the "graduate superstars" they appeared on paper.

Therefore, in addition to examining "objective" measures of students' ability, we also explored motivational constructs associated with graduate school success. We specifically focused on academic locus of control (Trice, 1985) and consumer mentality toward the education process (Delucchi & Korgen, 2002). Academic locus of control deals with whether students perceive themselves as exerting control over their educational fates. Those with an internal locus of control perceive they have a direct impact on their learning, grades, and educational opportunities through the time and effort they put in. Those with an external locus of control believe external factors (e.g., luck, social activities, professors, course requirements, etc.) dictate what they learn and the educational outcomes they derive. An internal locus of control has been associated with better study skills (Onwuegbuzie & Daley, 1998) and better grades (Ogden & Trice, 1986). In the current study, we expected that those with an internal academic locus of control would be more likely to pursue graduate study as they would feel a greater likelihood of being able to exert mastery and succeed in such an environment.

A second motivational variable examined was the degree to which students possessed a consumer mentality to the educational process. As consumers, some students feel that the main purpose for college is economic, a means to increase their earning potential rather than learning for its own sake (Delucchi & Korgen, 2002). According to the 1999 Higher Education Research Institute's report, 75% of students surveyed indicated that they attended college to earn more money (as opposed to acquiring knowledge)--up from 21% of students in 1976 (Higher Education Research Institute, 1999). Students with a consumer mentality to the educational process may not see the value associated with pursuing additional learning. Instead, they may feel that a more effective strategy for economic success is to graduate and begin their "earning" careers. Moreover, the amount of effort and sacrifice required in graduate school may not seem "worth it" to consumer-oriented students.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships among the perceived likelihood of pursuing graduate studies, GPA, locus of control, and consumer orientation. We hypothesized that likelihood of applying to graduate programs would be associated with higher GPA's, a more internal locus of control, and less of a consumer orientation. Additionally, we sought to explore which of these variables would best predict the likelihood of pursuing graduate studies.