Investigate the role of locus of control and social problem-solving competence in predicting students’ achievement motivation

The purpose of the present research is to investigate the role of locus of control and social problem-solving competence in predicting students’ achievement motivation in Karaj, Iran. The present study is of the correlational research type. The research population includes all female and male students in District four in Karaj, from among whom 200 students (100 female students and 100 male students) were selected as the sample with the multistage cluster sampling method. For assessment of the research variables, Hermens’ (1970) achievement motivation questionnaire, Rotter’s (1966) locus of control scale, and the revised short-form social problem-solving questionnaire were used. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used for data analysis. The results of the research demonstrated that there is a significant correlation between locus of control and achievement motivation and all the social problem-solving components except the impulsiveness component. Furthermore, the results of regression analysis demonstrated that locus of control and problem-solving competence are potent predictors of achievement motivation.