Abstract
This research aimed to examine the relation between child anxiety and causal attributions in mathematics using a person-centered approach. The Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety-Revised and the Sydney Attribution Scale were administered to 1287 Spanish students aged 8 to 11 (M = 9.68, SD = 1.20); 49.4% were girls. Four child anxiety profiles were obtained by the latent class analysis technique: Low Anxiety, Moderate Anxiety, High Anxiety, and Low Anxiety School-type. The four anxious groups significantly differed in all attributions of failure and in attributions of success to ability and effort, with effect sizes ranging from small to large (d = 0.24 to 0.99). The group with the highest anxiety levels attributed its failures more to the lack of ability and effort, and less to external causes. This group attributed its successes less to ability and effort. However, the Low Anxiety School-type group attributed its failures more to external causes and its successes more to ability and effort. The practical implications of these findings suggest that applying cognitive-behavioral programs for anxiety with a component of attribution retraining could be useful to improve both anxiety levels and the maladaptive attributional pattern of each child anxiety profile.
Highlights
Anxiety, understood as an emotion that allows anticipating future dangers, constitutes an essential part of child development [1]
Considering the limitations of the previous empirical findings, this study aims to analyze the relation between anxiety and causal attributions in mathematics in Spanish child population
This result is partially consistent with Carey et al [27] who, they assessed other forms of anxiety, distinguished an Academic Anxiety group in the four-class solution obtained in British secondary education students
Summary
Understood as an emotion that allows anticipating future dangers, constitutes an essential part of child development [1]. Weiner [7], in his attributional theory, argues that people spontaneously search for the reasons why events occur, especially whether these events are surprising or negative This theory tries to explain the cognitive processes by which individuals establish the cause of a result, and the way in which these attributions influence behavior thorough emotions and expectations (see Weiner [8] for a review). In this sense, Weiner’s model states that successes and failures are attributed mainly to ability, to effort, and to external causes such as luck or task difficulty. Locus of causality is linked with self-esteem and pride; stability affects expectations and the emotions of helplessness, hopelessness, and hope; while in the third dimension, the cause can elicit regret in the individual if it is controllable, and shame if it is uncontrollable [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
