International Journal of Linguistics & Communication

The Relationship between Locus of Control and Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Iranian EFL Learners
Ali Rahimi, Rouhollah Askari Bigdeli

Abstract
This study was an attempt to explore the possible relationship between EFL learners' psychological orientations manifested in the dichotomous categorization of internal and external locus of control with the strategies they use for learning vocabulary. Also, attempts were made in order to explore any regular patterns which would decide for male and female EFL learners to be put into either internal or external groups in terms of their LOC and vocabulary learning strategies. To this end, Rotter's Locus of Control Scale (1966) and a questionnaire adapted from Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire of Li (2004) were distributed among 74 students selected from junior students of English Literature at University of Kashan and AllamehTabataba’i University (51females and 23 males). Pearson product moment correlation and independent samples t-test were used for data analysis. EFL learners’ locus of control (LOC) and their use of vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) were found to have an insignificant correlation with each other. It was also found that there was no significant difference between male and female participants in terms of their locus of control and their use of vocabulary learning strategies.

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