Effects of a health education course on locus of control orientation of secondary school students

This study was undertaken to assess the effect of a health education course on the locus of control orientation of a randomly selected group of secondary school students. The usefulness of the Multidimentional Health Locus of Control scale in differentiating students on the basis of their locus of control orientation was also evaluated. A control group and an experimental group exposed to a health education course were pretested prior to the course and posttested at the conclusion of the course. A statistical analysis was performed on the results of the two tests to identify any significant difference. Significant differences were found for certain sub-groups of the experimental group which valued health highly. Major conclusions of the study were that locus of control orientation can be positively changed after exposure to a health education course, and that the Multidimentional Health Locus of Control is a useful tool to evaluate that change.