Non-School English of High-School Students

Abstract

This study explores the effects of classroom feedback and evaluation structure on students’ attributional tendencies. It extends the application of attribution theory from its conventional use in the context of individual differences to the classroom level. A classroom model was developed describing the effects of feedback and evaluation practices on the distributional pattern of students’ attributional tendencies. The results of this study suggest that the feedback and the evaluation system in the classroom affect students’ causal explanations of their successes and failures in school. The results show’ that in classrooms where the feedback structure is rich, more specific, and individualized, the attributional tendencies of the low achievers are closer to those of the high achievers.