Title

Not Just a Prayer before a Test: Theodicy among Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential social and academic impact of theodicy, perceived control of events by God. The sample included 428 college students from two public universities, consenting to complete internet-based protocols. Standardized measures included the Theodicy Scale (Daugherty et al., 2009), Work Related Uncertainty Scale (WRUS; Pierce et al., 2011), Big Five Inventory (BFI; John and Srivastava, 1999), and Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17; Stober, 2001). A stepwise regression analysis found the following variables were significantly associated with theodicy: extraversion, agreeableness, openness, reluctance to disclose uncertainty, and college GPA. Sociable and easy-going, persons with high theodicy scores appear less open to receiving and expressing challenging ideas and tend to achieve lower college grades. The tendency to perceive God as active in the minutia of history may have implications for the academic and personal adjustment of college students, but future research will need to move beyond correlation in order to establish causal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Education is the property of Project Innovation, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Department(s)

Psychology

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Achievement, Attribution, College Success, Control, Personality, Religious Diversity, Theodicy, Uncertainty

Publication Date

8-1-2016

Journal Title

Education

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