Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend attribution theory to children's conceptions of reading by examining (a) the effect of reading context on children's attributions, (b), the supplementation of conventionally used causes with several that seem particularly salient explanations for success and failure in reading settings, and (c) the effect of developmental status and achievement on children's attributions. The attributions of children of low and high reading achievement in third and sixth grade were assessed in two reading situations (evaluation of reading performance and reading for meaning). Children were asked to rate the degree to which each of six causes (ability, paying attention, studying, luck, task difficulty, and assistance from others) was responsible for their success or failure in the two reading situations. The three major findings were that (a) sixth graders' locus of control scores varied across situations, while third graders' scores did not, (b) two of the new causes—studying and paying attention—were particularly salient to children, and (c) age and achievement interacted, with low-achieving third graders giving higher ratings to causes more clearly beyond their control than high-achieving third graders, whereas low- and high-achieving sixth graders did not differ. These results corroborate those of previous attribution studies and extend them to the critical area of reading instruction.

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