Causal Attributions for Achievement of Filipino Barrio Children

Abstract

Summary An investigation of the causal attributions of 82 male and 112 female school children from a depressed rural area of the Philippines found that they ascribed examination results almost equally to ability, effort, and task difficulty. Luck, although rated more important than in Western studies, was considered the least important cause. The males tended to rate unstable factors, effort and luck, as more important than did the females. Unsuccessful students were least likely to use internal ascriptions, consistent with the self-serving bias hypothesis. The results were similar to those obtained from students at a major prestigious Filipino university. In general, this study supports the Filipino literature which indicates that the outlook on life of Filipinos, even from deprived circumstances, tends to be one of “optimistic fatalism.”