Front cover image for Locus of Control and Human Capital Investment Revisited

Peer-reviewed

Locus of Control and Human Capital Investment Revisited

Merve Cebi
This paper examines the effect of teenagers' outlooks--specified as their locus of control--on educational attainment and labor market outcomes. I replicate the study of Coleman and DeLeire (2003) and test the predictions of their theoretical model using a different data set--National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The findings fail to support the predictions of the model and suggest that locus of control is not a significant determinant of educational outcomes once cognitive ability is controlled for; however, locus of control is rewarded in the labor market later in life

Article, 2007
The Journal of Human Resources, 42, 20071001, 919
2007