A belief that success or failure are under one's own control is characterized as high internal control, and those believing that success or failure are under the control of outside forces are said to have high external control. Research has shown that students who have a higher internal locus of control are more confident about achieving, actually achieve at higher levels, and persist in tasks because they feel they can score well. When students succeed, they increase confidence and sense of worth by attributing their performance to internal, personal factors. It is expected that persons with high internal loci of control are likely to have greater self-concepts when compared to those displaying high external loci of control. High internals' have increased pride in their accomplishments, while 'high externals' are hampered by failure and prone to cease their goal-directed activities.
Motivation is the inner force that initiates action toward a specific end.
Educators are concerned with motivating students to increase time on tasks, to improve task completion and accuracy, to use prosocial skills in interaction with others, and to develop self-discipline and confidence. But social learning theory emphasizes that regardless of level of motivation, behaviour is not undertaken without the likelihood that action will result in goal attainment. All tend to accentuate students' effort, sense of responsibility, self-reliance, high expectations and consistency in goal attainment. The interrelation of self-concept, motivation, locus of control, and academic success has long been integral to humanistic education programmes. This research was exploratory, and suggests the need for further investigation and analysis.