Locus of Control and Existential Concerns: A Comparative Study on First-Generation and Continuing-Generation Students

Abstract

The present descriptive correlational study examined the relationship between locus of control (LOC) and existential concerns (ECS) among university students. Moreover, it also aimed to discover differences in LOC and ECS between first-generation and continuing-generation students. A sample of 100 students (63 first-generation and 37 continuing- generation students) were collected using convenience sampling and statistical techniques including pearson correlation, independent sample t-test and multiple regression were carried out. The results of these analyses revealed no significant association between LOC and ECS (r= 0.0789). Furthermore, no significant differences in LOC (t= -0.31, p= 0.759) and ECS (t= 1.94, p= 0.055) regarding generation status were found. Although, higher mean scores of ECS among first-generation students (M= 83.33, SD= 41.03) than continuing-generation students (M= 67.05, SD= 31.87) were observed. Findings of multiple regression indicated that generation status was a significant predictor of ECS (B= 15.762, p= 0.049), while gender and LOC did not contribute significantly as predictors of ECS. The overall regression model was not significant (R= 0.047), p= 0.199) highlighting that only a smaller proportion of variance ECS was explained. This illustrates that generation status of students has a significant influence on the levels of existential concerns, regardless of the model’s lower predictive ability.