Examining associations among achievement motivation, locus of control, academic stress, and life satisfaction: A comparison of U.S. and international undergraduate students Mehmet A. Karaman a, ⁎, Joshua C. Watson b a Department of Counseling and Guidance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, EDUC 1.642, 1201 W University Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539, USA b Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, ECDC 151, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA abstract article info Article history: Received 19 September 2016 Received in revised form 29 January 2017 Accepted 2 February 2017 Available online xxxx This study compared measures of achievement motivation, life satisfaction, academic stress, and locus of control across 307 U.S. and international undergraduate students. Descriptive statistics and MANOVA were used to ana- lyze the variables. A hierarchical multiple regression was employed to determine the extent to which locus of control, academic stress, and life satisfaction predicted achievement motivation. The results indicated a statisti- cally significant difference between U.S. and international students as related to achievement motivation. Further analysis revealed significant relationships among predictor and criterion variables. Locus of control, academic stress, and life satisfaction significantly explained 18% of the variance in achievement motivation. However, a comparison of model fit between U.S. and international students revealed no statistically significant differences. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Achievement motivation Life satisfaction Locus of control Academic stress International students 1. Introduction The world has become a more globalized environment as a result of cutting-edge technology, mass media, social movements, economic trade, and more expedient forms of transportation. These innovations have had a profound effect on the internationalization of education, making it easier for students to apply to different universities and move across states and countries for their education, thus establishing a new life for themselves during and after their educational careers. Consequently, this process has resulted in the highest number of stu- dents – almost 4.5 million – enrolling in postsecondary institutions out- side their country of citizenship worldwide (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2013). International students in higher education are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2015). Moving to another country is more than studying for international students. Adapting to a new environment and culture is stressful, and can seriously affect a student's life satisfaction and mo- tivation to achieve. Martinez (2001) found that high levels of motiva- tion to achieve and satisfaction with life increase student retention rates. However, the majority of literature focusing on the acculturation process (Chavajay & Skowronek, 2008; Desa, Yusooff, & Abd Kadir, 2012; Smith & Khawaja, 2011) neglects how these students motivate themselves to achieve and how their satisfaction of life, academic stress, and sense of control of their environment affects their level of achieve- ment motivation. Achievement motivation was theorized by McClelland (1961) as identifying three distinct needs: (1) a need for achievement, (2) a need for affiliation, and (3) a need for power. These distinct needs are learned, acquired over time, and shaped by one's own life experiences. Educational researchers have demonstrated achievement motivation to be a strong predictor of success, perceived accomplishment, and aca- demic ability (Liao, Ferdenzi, & Edlin, 2012; Story, Hart, Stasson, & Mahoney, 2009). In addition, researchers have found achievement mo- tivation to be significantly correlated with occupational choice, subjec- tive well-being, college satisfaction, neuroticism, life goals, locus of control, and learning strategies (Ahmad & Rana, 2012; Bakhtiarvand, Ahmadian, Delrooz, & Farahani, 2011; Rosa & Bernardo, 2013; Guns, Richardson, & Watt, 2012; Li, Lan, & Ju, 2015). In this respect, knowing the predictors and factors of achievement motivation holds value since achievement motivation is directly related to student retention and success (Martinez, 2001). There are different factors affecting both international and U.S. col- lege students' achievement, academic stress, and life satisfaction. For example, Chen (1999) stated that international college students study- ing in North America endure substantial psychological stress in their daily lives. He described academic stress as one of the common stressors experienced among international students. There are many factors Personality and Individual Differences 111 (2017) 106–110 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: Mehmet.Karaman@utrgv.edu (M.A. Karaman), Joshua.Watson@tamucc.edu (J.C. Watson). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.006 0191-8869/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid