Effect of Socio-Economic Status, Area of Residence and Gender on Locus of Control among College Students

Abstract

The present study examined locus of control among college students in relation to three background variables: socio-economic status, area of residence, and gender. A quantitative descriptive-comparative survey design was adopted. For the present analysis, a balanced sample of 160 college students was arranged in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, with 20 students per cell. Factor A represented socio-economic status (A1 = High SES; A2 = Low SES), Factor B represented gender (B1 = Male; B2 = Female), and Factor C represented area of residence (C1 = Urban; C2 = Rural). Locus of control was assessed with the Locus of Control Scale (LCS-HJ), while socio-economic status was classified using the Socio-Economic Status Scale. Means, standard deviations, and three-way analysis of variance were employed. The analysis indicated significant main effects of socio-economic status and gender, while the overall main effect of area of residence was not significant. Significant SES × Area, Gender × Area, and SES × Gender × Area interactions were observed; the SES × Gender interaction was not significant. The pattern suggests that control orientation among college students is associated not only with socioeconomic and gender differences but also with how these characteristics operate in urban and rural contexts. The findings support a contextual interpretation of locus of control and underline the usefulness of factorial analysis in educational psychology.