Roles of Internal Locus of Control and Grit in Managing the Academic Stress of Senior High School Students in Southern Luzon State University

Abstract

Any individual who transitions through different stages of life inevitably experience stress, especially adolescents who undergo physiological and psychological changes. This is the stage where they have to make relevant decisions including the academic courses they have to take for their future career. The overwhelming expectations that they are experiencing from their family, teachers and society to excel academically have been shown to cause distress among adolescents. It is, therefore, becomes imperative to study possible protective factors to formulate efficient intervention techniques. Two of the most studied constructs that have been linked to academic success are internal locus of control and grit. However, limited research has been conducted to investigate these two constructs with academic stress, especially among Filipino adolescents. The current study explored the roles of internal locus of control and grit in managing academic stress. A sample of 165 senior high school students from Southern Luzon State University-Main Campus was involved in this study. Results showed that both grit and internal locus of control are negatively correlated with academic stress. It was also shown that grit is positively associated with an internal locus of control although one is not a predictor of another.

Keywords

• adolescence
• academic stress
• grit
• internal locus of control