Students’ School Performance in Language and Mathematics: Effects of Hope on Attributions, Emotions and Performance Expectations

Georgia Stephanou

doi:10.5539/ijps.v4n2p93

Abstract

This study examined (a) students’ (n= 342, both genders, grades 5 and 6) attributions and emotions for theirsubjectively perceived school performance in language and mathematics as successful or unsuccessful, (b) therole of students’ hope (pathways thinking, agency thinking) in the: perceived performance in the above schoolsubjects as successful or unsuccessful, subsequent attributions and emotions, impact of attributions on emotions,and,in turn,interactive effect on performance expectations. The estimated as successful and unsuccessful schoolperformance was predominately attributed to stable and unstable (external in language) factors, respectively. Thestudents experienced intense positive and moderate negative emotions for the perceived successful andunsuccessful school performance, respectively. Hope (mainly, agency thinking) positively influenced theattributions (particularly, stability) and emotions (mainly, pathway thinking), and the impact of attributions onemotions, mainly in unsuccessful performance in mathematics. Hope, attributions and emotions had unique andcomplimentarily effect on performance expectations.

Highlights

Attributing successful school performance to stable factors enhances performance expectations, and facilitates task engagement, while attributing an unsuccessful performance to unstable is likely to improve performance and minimizes the feeling of hopelessness
These analyses revealed that the students, who estimated their school performance as successful, as compared to the students, who estimated their school performance as unsuccessful, made more internal, stable, personal controllable and external uncontrollable attributions
The attributional pattern for the perceived successful and unsuccessful school performance in language and mathematics was in the main as expected

Summary

Introduction

Children’s experience of academic success or failure, in important domains, such as mathematics and language, is crucial for their personal identity and development (Hannover & Kessels, 2004; Harter, 1999; Ilgen & Davis, 2000; Mason, 2003; Paris, Morrison, & Miller, 2006; Pintrich & Schunk, 2002; Rutter & Maughan, 2002; Wigfield, Brynes, & Eccles, 2006). The psychological consequences of academic success or failure are influenced by the beliefs and goals that students have (Boekaerts, 2002; Dweck, 1999; Eccles & Wigfield, 1995; Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2000, 2002; Marsh & Craven, 1997; Mason, 2003; Stephanou, 2007a, 20011b). The findings from previous investigations have documented that attributions for past performance influence future performance, since they have psychological consequences relative to expectancy and affects (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002; Stephanou, 2004b, 2005; Weiner, 1992) Whether students perceive their academic performance as successful or unsuccessful, and which explanations or interpretations they make about their performance influence their emotions, motivation and behaviour. A student, who experiences repeated shame and hopelessness in a school course, will be likely to avoid being involved in that course in the future (see Eccles & Wigfield, 2000; Stephanou, 2004a)

Methods

Results

Conclusion