Changing academic task persistence through a self-instructional attribution training program

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a self-instructional method of attribution training could effectively alter both academic task persistence and effort attributions for success and failure. Ninety children with low-effort attributions were identified and randomly assigned to three groups. The two experimental groups (experiential and formal presentation) were given training with two slightly different self-instructional procedure and compared to a control group receiving no such training. The results revealed that both experimental groups receiving the self-instructional attribution training evidenced significant differences from the control group in both academic task persistence and effort attribution.     

Changes in student attributions due to the implementation of central exit exams

The central aim of standardized exit exams is to motivate students and teachers to work harder on critical subject matters and thus increase student achievement. However, the effects of the implementation of central exams on student motivation have not been analyzed in a longitudinal section until now. In the present study, the consequences of implementing central exams in the German states Bremen and Hesse on student attributions after the exams have been analyzed. We expected an increase in attributions to effort, teaching and luck, caused by the change in examination systems in Bremen advanced courses from 2007 to 2008. Differential results were expected for students perceiving themselves successful or not successful respectively. As a control, advanced courses in Bremen were compared to those in Hesse that did not pass through a change in examination systems at this time. The results point to an increase of attributions to effort and teaching in the total group, but none of attributions to luck. Additionally, as hypothesized, the change in attributions to effort occurred only for perceived successful and a change in attribution to teaching was found mainly for perceived unsuccessful students. The outcomes are interpreted and consequences for further studies are formulated.     

归因信念与英语学习成败的相关性研究

旨在考察英语学习者在学习英语时对于成功和失败的归因与他们在英语学习方面所取得的成绩的关系。为了调查英语学习者的归因和英语成绩之间是否有着显著的关系,通过SPSS软件对这些数据做了皮尔逊相关检验和多元线性回归等数据分析。研究结果表明归因和英语成绩之间有着密切的相关性。通过回归分析,并借助于语言成绩归因量表(LAAS),发现努力程度归因是成绩的最佳预示变量,那些能在平时考试中把考试成绩归因于个人努力的学生最有可能在期末考试中取得高分,并且稳定性归因和自我控制归因也有助于学生在英语学习上取得好的成绩。在本文的最后,对数据结果进行了讨论,并对英语教学提出了建议。     

The Effects of Combined Strategy and Attribution Training on LD Adolescents' Spelling Performance

This investigation was intended to evaluate the effects of attribution training combined with spelling strategy training on spelling performance, strategy transfer, and effort attributions. Thirty-four adolescents with learning disabilities in Grades 7 and 8 were stratified by grade level and randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: spelling strategy training, spelling strategy plus attribution training, or a traditional study control condition. Individually administered training sessions were conducted over 3 consecutive days. Participants in the two strategy training conditions received instruction in a five-step study strategy that included explicit training for strategy transfer, whereas participants in the control condition received training in the use of traditional spelling study procedures. Spelling performance was assessed across the training days and on an unprompted general- ization task that occurred 1 week following instruction. Results indicated that significant differences occurred on spelling recall scores across the training days, favoring the strategy training condition. No performance differences emerged on numbers of words learned on the unprompted generalization task or on posttest numbers of effort attributions. Significant differences were detected on numbers of participants who employed the trained strategy independently on the unprompted task, favoring the strategy attribution condition and the strategy training condi- tions. In this study, attribution training did not result in greater spelling perfor- mance, strategy transfer, or numbers of attributions to effort. Limitations are discussed in addition to implications for future research and classroom practice.     

Reinforcement schedules,effort vs. Ability attributions,and persistence

Two treatment studies of special education students markedly helpless with regard to arithmetic are reported. The first experiment compared an attribution retraining (Dweck, 1975) treatment to a control treatment matched to it in schedule of successes and failures. Both the attribution retraining and control treatments proved effective in alleviating helplessness, but they were not differentially effective. The second experiment compared the effects of three success-failure schedules (100% success, 76.9% success, and 46.2% success) on attributions and persistence. Only the 76.9% success schedule increased attributions of failures to lack of effort and improved behavioral persistence in the face of failure. The results were interpreted as supporting one aspect of Weiner's (1979) theory, which implies that an infrequently experienced event, i.e., failure, will be attributed to an unstable cause, i.e., lack of effort.     

Anchoring,Attributions, and Self-Efficacy: An Examination of Interactions

This study addresses gaps in the current literature by examining hypotheses based on the integration of self-efficacy, anchoring, and attribution theory. A novel anchor, attributional feedback, was utilized after an initial performance episode, and its influence on self-efficacy judgments was examined. This study also tested the previously ignored mediating influence of attributional analysis on the relationship between performance and self-efficacy as well as the influence of different attributions on self-efficacy under conditions of both successful and unsuccessful performance. Findings of this research indicate that carefully structured feedback is crucial when discussing an individual's performance, as this feedback may influence the causal attributions that are made; moreover, it is through this attributional analysis that past performance affects judgments of self-efficacy.     

Getting off on the wrong foot: Longitudinal effects of Hispanic students' stability attributions following poor initial test performance

Though studies have established that following poor performance, attributions to stable causes affect the performance of minority students, few studies have explored the impact of stability attributions over time. This study explored attributions following initial failure among a predominantly Hispanic student population. We measured students' collectivism, stability attributions and grades at three points during the semester. Attributions to stable causes were associated with worse initial grades and lesser gains in academic performance over time. Further, collectivism was associated with greater initial attribution to stable causes but less increase in attributions to stable causes over time.     

Causal Attributions for Success or Failure of Students in College Algebra

Research in the field of attribution theory and academic achievement suggests a relationship between a student's attributional style and achievement. Theorists and researchers contend that attributions influence individual reactions to success and failure. They also report that individuals use attributions to explain and justify their performance. Studies in mathematics education identify attribution theory as the theoretical orientation most suited to explain academic performance in mathematics. This study focused on the relationship among a high risk course, low success rates, and attribution by examining the difference in the attributions passing and failing students gave for their performance in College Algebra. Students from a large urban community college in South Florida (n = 410) self-reported their performance on an in-class test by providing open-ended attribution statements to explain the cause of their performance. They then attributed their performance along the dimensions of locus of causality, stability, personal controllability, and external controllability using the Causal Dimensions Scale (CDSII). The open-ended attribution statements were coded in relation to ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck and compared using a Pearson chi- square procedure. The quantitative data compared the passing and failing groups and their attributions for performance on the test using One-way ANOVA and Pearson chi-square procedures. The results of the quantitative data comparing passing and failing groups and their attributions along the dimensions measured by the CDSII indicated statistical significance in locus of causality, stability, and personal controllability. The results comparing the open-ended attribution statements indicated statistical significance in the categories of effort and task difficulty.     

Causal Attribution Profiles as a Function of Reading Skills,Hyperactivity, and Inattention

ABSTRACT

The causes that individuals attribute to reading outcomes shape future behaviors, including engagement or persistence with learning tasks. Although previous reading motivation research has examined differences between typical and struggling readers, there may be unique dynamics related to varying levels of reading and attention skills. Using latent profile analysis, we found 4 groups informed by internal attributions to ability and effort. Reading skills, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity were investigated as functional correlates of attribution profiles. Participants were 1,312 youth (8–15 years of age) of predominantly African American and Hispanic racial/ethnic heritage. More adaptive attribution profiles had greater reading performance and lower inattention. The reverse was found for the least adaptive profile with associations to greater reading and attention difficulties. Distinct attribution profiles also existed across similar-achieving groups. Understanding reading-related attributions may inform instructional efforts in reading. Promoting adaptive attributions may foster engagement with texts despite learning difficulties and, in turn, support reading achievement.     

A Binomial Test of Group Differences With Correlated Outcome Measures

The purpose of this study was to determine whether female subjects demonstrate learned helplessness in their attribution patterns to a greater extent than male subjects when they describe failures they actually have experienced. Subjects were 1,462 ninth- and twelfth-grade students (697 boys, 765 girls) from representative rural, urban, and inner-city high schools in the Midwest. The subjects recalled failure experiences from a wide range of achievement domains: school, sports, aesthetics, family, social, and work. The dependent variables were four failure attributions: lack of ability, lack of effort, lack of luck, and lack of cooperation. Sex and achievement domain differences accounted, respectively, for 2% and 18% of the variance in attribution responses. Both boys and girls recalled a substantial and comparable proportion of school-related failures. The strongest differences between boys and girls was in their choice of salient achievement domains outside of school; girls recalled more family and aesthetics failures and fewer sports failures than boys. Little evidence was obtained supporting the learned helplessness model for adolescent female achievement motivation. There was also considerable variability in the relative importance of the four failure attributions both within and across achievement domains. Internal attributions were most characteristic of school and least characteristic of work failures. Cooperation attributions were endorsed more in the social and family domains than in the other domains.     

Developing Self-Regulated Learners: Goal Setting,Self-Evaluation,and Organizational Signals During Acquisition of Procedural Skills

The authors examined how 2 types of goal setting (process vs. outcome), self-evaluation (presence vs. absence), and organizational signals (presence vs. absence) affected student ability to perform a set of procedural skills, namely animating slides created via presentation software. They also examined how these variables influenced a variety of affective outcomes, including students' self-efficacy, satisfaction with their performance, evaluation of the instruction, and attributions of success or lack of success in acquiring the skills. Using a 2 X 2 X 2 (Goal Setting X Self-Evaluation X Organizational Signals) design, 96 ninth- and tenth-grade students were randomly assigned to 1 of 8 versions of a print-based instructional module designed to teach slide-animation skills. Results indicated that students in the process goal condition reported a higher degree of self-efficacy, more satisfaction with their performance, and more strategic attributions than students in the outcome goal condition. Moreover, among students who were not directed to self-evaluate their own work, those students in the process goal condition demonstrated a higher level of animation skills, self-efficacy, and satisfaction, and rated the instruction more positively than did their counterparts in the outcome goal group. Self-evaluation also had a positive effect on student skill acquisition, particularly for students in the outcome goal condition. Organizational signals did not have any effect on any of the dependent measures. These results are discussed from a social cognitive perspective of self-regulation.     

Mathematics Attribution Differences by Ethnicity and Socioeconomics Status

The differences in attributions for success and failure in mathematics between African American and White students and between students from low and higher socioeconomic status (SES) were examined. Two hundred sixty-four 7th-grade students from 5 schools in a midsize urban school district were surveyed to analyze attribution differences. Then, a stratified purposeful sample of 12 focus students, representing different ethnicity and economic combinations, were selected for follow-up interviews. Results indicated that students from all groups provided similar ratings on 5 attributions related to mathematics success-with effort rated more highly than ability, luck, task difficulty, or rapport with teacher. Notwithstanding this high rating for effort, other differences were found. Ability was rated significantly higher by Whites than by African Americans in relation to mathematics success. African Americans attributed their mathematics success significantly more to rapport with teachers than did Whites. Similar results were found for low versus higher SES students. Further, higher SES students attributed success significantly more to effort than did low SES students. Failure in mathematics was most commonly attributed to a lack of effort.     

归因、动机、自我效能与英语成绩的相关研究

该研究采用问卷调查的实证研究方法,从城乡、性别、年级和英语高低分等多变量的角度出发,探讨了扩招背景下高职高专学生在英语学习中的归因、自我效能、成就动机等非智力因素与英语成绩的关系,并建立相关因果关系模型予以证实。研究结果表明：学习动机、成就归因、学习效能感与英语成绩之间是相互联系和相互影响的,三者直接或间接影响个体的英语成绩。     

Measurement of achievement attribution: A review of instigation methods,question contents,and measurement formats

Various methods of achievement attribution measurement are compared with regard to the construction of the achievement event and the measurement of the attributions elicited. The method of instigation and the content of the instruments depend greatly on whether situational or dispositional (individual differences) factors are emphasized. It is suggested that natural events, particularly those with pronounced effects, generate actual affective reactions and direct consequences and are particularly useful for studies of situational factors in attributions. On the other hand, hypothetical multiple-event measures are generally employed for studies of individual differences in attributions. The present review shows that questions on specific causes are more popular than those on attribution dimensions. Researchers should be cautious, however, because the dimensional meaning of these causes may vary across different cultures, age groups, or achievement settings. Different question formats and scoring methods also are compared. It is concluded that different methods have their own strengths and weaknesses and that researchers should select the one that best serves their purpose.     

A comparison of Australian and Chinese teachers' attributions for student problem behaviors

The present study compared Australian and Chinese teachers' causal attributions for student behavior. A total of 204 Australian teachers and 269 Chinese teachers rated the importance of four causes (ability, effort, family, teacher) of six student problem behaviors. Results showed that both groups of teachers attributed misbehaviors most to student effort and least to teacher factors. Chinese teachers emphasized family factors more while Australian teachers placed greater importance on ability. There was significant variation in attribution patterns for different types of problems, with effort attribution being equally and strongly emphasized across cultural contexts and behavior types. The results are interpreted in the light of how individualistic and collectivistic values influence teacher thinking, and implications for school‐based interventions for behavior problems are discussed.     

Personality Dispositions,Expectancy and Context in Attributional Thinking

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between attribution and selected personality dispositions, as well as self‐serving attribution. Four hypotheses were formulated: (1) Attributions for positive events correlate differently with the five personality dispositions than attributions for negative events, (2) factor analysis and cluster analysis of attributions for positive and negative events and the five personality dispositions will generate a general bipolar expectancy factor, (3) self‐serving attributions will dominate irrespective of subcultural context, and (4) the dominance of self‐serving attributions will be stronger in an individualistic‐oriented context than in a collectivistic‐oriented context. One‐hundred‐and‐fifty students, selected from two educational contexts (one individualistic‐oriented and one collectivistic‐oriented), were scored on attributions for positive and negative events as well as on the five personality dispositions on the basis of an inventory. All four hypotheses were supported. Educational implications are discussed.     

Students’ attributions for their best and worst marks: Do they relate to achievement?

Research has found a relation between motivation and attributions for success and failure. However, few studies have clarified the relationship of attributions to school achievement and possible cultural differences in this relationship. To investigate this issue, 5333 secondary students (European, Asian, Maori, Pacific) rated four common attributions - ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck - and three social influences (teachers, peers, and family) for their best and worst marks. Motivation orientations were also measured. Several measures were significantly related to students’ GPA scores, most notably the motivation orientations Doing My Best and Doing Just Enough, but also attributions to effort, teacher, and peer influences. There were substantial differences for ethnicity, particularly between European students and Maori and Pacific students. The results support theories claiming that effort attributions motivate achievement but also support the benefits of a self-serving bias.     

The effects of computer-based attribution retraining on the attributions, persistence, and mathematics computation of students with learning disabilities.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of attribution retraining, embedded within a mathematics computer-assisted instructional (CAI) program, on students' attributions, persistence, and mathematics computation. Twenty-nine school-identified students with learning disabilities from five urban schools participated in the study. The sample's mean age was 13.3 years. After blocking on initial attributional patterns, students were randomly assigned to a mathematics CAI program that provided either attribution retraining or neutral feedback. Students used their assigned program for eight 30-minute sessions. Results did not support the contention that attribution retraining would have a significant impact on students' attributions. However, students who participated in the attribution retraining condition completed significantly more levels of the program than their counterparts who received neutral feedback. Attribution retraining students also obtained significantly higher scores on a test of problems practiced during the CAI program. These results suggest that attribution retraining may be a desirable addition to the type of feedback typically provided by CAI programs. However, they also highlight the need for further research that examines the conditions under which specific attributions are most advantageous.     

Attribution—Affect relationships following classroom performance

Two studies that examine distinct affect—attribution linkages in the context of an actual examination are reported. The results provide partial support for Weiner's model but also suggest that attributions are related to positive affect when the attributions are associated with the potential of satisfactory performance. That is, attributions generate positive affect to the extent that such attributions help ensure good performance.