Locus of Control and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Taraba State

This study investigates the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement among secondary school students in Taraba State, North East Nigeria. Locus of control, the degree to which individuals believe they can influence events in their lives, is a psychological construct with well-documented implications for educational outcomes. Despite its theoretical importance, empirical evidence from rural and semi-urban North East Nigerian school populations remains limited. The study adopts a descriptive correlational design, involving 280 SS3 students from seven secondary schools across Jalingo and Wukari Local Government Areas. Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, adapted for the secondary school context, and students' West African Senior School Certificate Examination mock scores were used as instruments. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and analysis of variance. Findings reveal that students with an internal locus of control achieve significantly higher academic scores than those with an external locus, supporting the established relationship between perceived agency and academic outcomes. Male students showed marginally higher internal locus of control scores, though this difference was not statistically significant. School type (government versus private) emerged as a significant moderating variable. These findings support cognitive-behavioural models of academic achievement and suggest that building self-efficacy and personal responsibility is as important as content instruction. The Taraba State Ministry of Education is advised to introduce guidance interventions targeting attribution retraining and goal-setting skills for secondary school students. Keywords: locus of control, academic achievement, secondary school, Taraba State, attribution theory.