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published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which two psychological variables, locus of control and metacognition, are correlated in high school students. In addition, the study considered the effects of such secondary variables as grade level, ethnic status and sex on locus of control and metacognition during the high school years. Data were gathered from 102 subjects enrolled in four high school English classes. The subjects completed a package containing two instruments. The Rotter Internal-External scale was used to assess locus of control. Low score values on this instrument are indicative of an internal locus of control, while high values typify persons having an external locus. An index of metacognition was provided by a researcher-prepared instrument composed of a cloze task in which each response was accompanied by a prediction of correctness. The correctness of responses, paired with the prediction values, provided for calculation of an index of metacognition which could subsequently be correlated with scores on the locus of control measure. The subjects completed a short questionnaire which identified such personal characteristics as their year in school, ethnic status and sex. Identification of these variables provided for an investigation of the effects of these factors on locus of control and metacognition. Results of hypothesis testing indicated a significant (alpha = .05) negative correlation between locus of control and metacognition. Subjects with an internal locus of control tended to have higher levels of metacognition. No significant differences were found between either mean locus of control scores or mean metacognition scores when these values were compared across the secondary variables of grade level, ethnicity and sex. The values of the correlation coefficient between locus of control and metacognition were not found to differ significantly when compared across grade level, ethnicity and sex. Based on the results of hypothesis testing it was concluded that locus of control and metacognition are correlates. The lack of significant differences when each variable was compared across grade levels, minority/non-minority status and sex led to the conclusion that the correlation between the primary variables is a general one, not dependent on linkage to one of the secondary variables investigated.

It was the purpose of this study to determine and compare the locus of control of selected seventh and tenth grade students attending the comprehensive high school (Gesamtschule) with those attending two of the traditional high schools (Hauptschule and Gymnasium) in West Berlin, Germany. Eight hundred twenty-nine students from three Hauptschulen, two Gymnasium and two Gesamtschulen participated in the study (males = 486, females = 343). A translated version of Rotter's Internal-External Scale of Locus of Control and a demographic questionnaire were administered to the students in the spring of 1981. The data were analyzed in reference to seven variables: school affiliation; grade level; sex; ordinal position; family size; socioeconomic status; and religious affiliation. Data analysis was performed by comparisons of means using one and two factor analyses of variance with the .05 level of significance held critical. Results revealed significant differences among secondary school students. Students at the Hauptschule, on the whole, were significantly more internal than students at the Gesamtschule or the Gymnasium. Taking grade level into consideration, seventh grade students were more internal than tenth grade students. Analyses of the results on the influence of sex, ordinal position and family size on locus of control did not produce significant differences. Although high socioeconomic status students in all schools had lower, more internal, locus of control scores, the difference was not significant. Analysis of variance of locus of control as a function of school attendance and religious affiliation produced significant differences across school types and significant interaction, but failed to produce significant differences between Protestan and Roman Catholic students as a whole. This study succeeded in providing a prototype for cross-cultural research of locus of control. It demonstrated the usefulness of a translated American assessment scale and established locus of control norms for a specific German population.

The primary purpose of this study was to describe relationships between the concepts of caring behaviors of nurses, adolescent hopefulness and adolescent health care outcomes. The secondary purpose was to test and refine instruments developed to index those concepts. The conceptual framework used for the study was derived from two sources: an existential theory of nursing, Humanistic Nursing, as developed by Paterson and Zderad (1976). and a set of inductive studies on nurse-adolescent patient interactions (Hinds, 1983). A longitudinal, descriptive-correlational design having three data collection points was used. The study sample consisted of 25 adolescents (x age 15.6 years) receiving inpatient treatment for substance abuse. The data collection points occurred at 24-48 hours after admission (T₁), 96-120 hours before discharge (T₂), and 4-5 weeks after discharge (T₃). Adolescents completed visual analogue instruments and responded to a set of open-ended questions indexing the study concepts. Instrumentation data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics and tests of significance for change. Qualitative data resu1ting from the interviews were content analyzed. Findings included statistically significant positive relationships between the concepts of caring behaviors of nurses and adolescent hopefulness at T₁, and T₂. Secondly, the relationship between adolescent hopefulness and adolescent health care outcomes was statistically significant at T₃. The concepts of caring behaviors of nurses and adolescent hopefulness changed significantly in a positive direction from T₁ to T₂. Content analysis findings indicated the concept of adolescent hopefulness was qualitatively different at each of the data collection points. Findings provide support for the theorized link between nurse-patient relationships and positive patient change. The purposeful use of a caring self for positive patient change represents the blend of art and science that defines the nursing profession.

Man-Chi Leung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 34-39.