LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the influence of locus of control and academic achievement in financial accounting among business education students in colleges of education in Southwest Nigeria.  The population used for the study is 571, census sampling techniques was used.Using regression analysis and Two-Way ANOVA, the research tested two hypotheses: (1) the effect of internal and external locus of control on academic achievement, and (2) the negative effect locus of control on academic achievement in financial accounting. The regression results showed a multiple correlation coefficient (R) of 0.396 and an R² value of 0.157, indicating that 15.7% of the variance in students’ academic performance was explained by locus of control variables. The F-test result (F(2, 97) = 9.002, p < 0.05) confirmed that locus of control significantly influenced academic performance. Specifically, internal locus of control had a positive effect (? = 0.543, t = 4.236, p < 0.05), while external locus of control had a negative effect (? = –0.961, t = –4.182, p < 0.05). In contrast, the Two-Way ANOVA indicated no significant gender interaction effect (F(7, 70) = 0.000, p = 1.000), suggesting that locus of control affects male and female students similarly. These findings highlight the psychological dimension of academic achievement and underscore the importance of fostering internal control beliefs among students. The study recommends that students with external locus of control needs to be encouraged not to relent so that they can perform better in their study generally

Keywords: Academic Achievement, Business Education, Locus of control.