Effects of Gender, Attributional Style, and Item Difficulty on Academic Performance

Abstract

ABSTRACT To examine the effects of gender, attributional style, and item difficulty on subsequent performance, 140 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions. Group A received a sequential-numbers completion test with difficult items, and Group B received a test with easy items. Five similar items, moderately difficult and identical on both tests, were used as the criterion measure. To assess attributional style, subjects completed the Attrbutional Style Questionnaire (Peterson et al., 1982). Results revealed significant gender and attributional style differences, with men and subjects with self-serving attributional styles scoring higher on the criterion than women or subjects with self-derogating attributional styles. A statistically significant three-way interaction indicated that the effects of item difficulty on subsequent performance were dependent on each subject's attributional style and gender.