Locus of control in sport

Abstract

This thesis used a modified IPC scale (Levenson, 1973) to examine whether elite badminton and soccer players would show a higher score on the Internal scale than other populations; whether there would be difference in IPC scores between players of team sports and individual sports persons, and whether gender differences found in general populations would also exist within a sports population. The literature review indicated that a sense of control is an integral part of the sports experience. It also revealed confusion as to the situational specificity versus generalability of Locus of Control (LOC) beliefs, and the appropriateness of general scales used to measure LOC in specific situations. The difficulties of research within the sports environment were also highlighted due to the number of variables involved and the nature of the sports experience. Using the modified sports-specific IPC scale, scores for internal, powerful others, and chance were compared with the results from other studies using Levenson's IPC scales with general populations. Although there were small variations, no significant differences were found. This was attributed to the fact that badminton and soccer reflect situations found in general life. Differences in scoring on the three scales between players of team sports and individual players was attributed to such variables within the sports environment such as the role of the coach. The gender differences found were also attributed to such factors as the role of the coach and the current competition situation of the team/players, as well as to the special nature of the sports experience.