Constructive response to failure in music: the role of attribution feedback and classroom goal structure

Abstract

Within the past decade, researchers have made significant progress in understanding how and why students are motivated to learn. Little research, however, has examined motivation within music classrooms, despite indications that motivational responses to music and related arts classes may differ significantly from responses obtained in other school content areas. In the present study, the effects of attribution feedback for failure (ability, effort, strategy) on behavioural and affective responses to failure in music were examined. A total of 120 junior high students, randomly assigned to nine treatment conditions (outcome attribution x goal structure), were presented with a scenario describing the failure experience of a fictitious music student. After reading through the situational description, participants completed a questionnaire assessing their expectations about the student's future behaviours and affective responses. Results indicated that most participants believed the student would feel badly about his failure experience, but would respond constructively in terms of future classroom behaviour (performance, effort, use of sound strategies). The most to least constructive future behaviours and affective reactions occurred when failure was attributed to the use of inappropriate strategies, lack of effort, and lack of ability, respectively. Guilt, anger, and upset following failure and attribution feedback were more strongly correlated with constructive future behaviours than were shame and embarrassment. No significant results were found for classroom goal structures.