The Causal Attributions for Success and Failure of Problem and Non-Problem Secondary Pupils

Abstract

A comparison was made between the causal attributions offered by fifty-two problem and fifty-six non-problem children of both sexes in relation to situations involving the success and failure of pupils on a number of classroom tests. The results confirmed some general findings of attribution research that effort is an important causal explanation and that success is attributed to internal causes while failure elicits more external responses. In addition different attribution patterns were found between achievement situations, consistent with earlier results. In contrast to previous studies, however, some expected differences between boys and girls and problem and non-problem groups were not confirmed. The usual finding that girls attribute successful outcomes to luck and neglect effort while at the same time attributing failure to lack of ability was not found. Also, an earlier report that problem children will be more external, unintentional and unstable in their pattern of attributions was not supported. The importance of interest as a causal explanation and the overriding effect of outcome in relation to pupils' attributions were significant findings in this study.