The relationship between success and failure causal attributions and achievement goal orientations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether four causal attributions for success and failure each (two internal and two external attributions) can be predicted by four types of achievement goal orientations, and whether achievement goal orientations are connected with the perception of a performance as a success (vs. a failure). We surveyed 690 high school students writing a school-leaving certificate paper over the course of one year. Of these, 565 students (65 % young women) considered their paper to be a success; 101 students (59 % young women) viewed it as a failure. A binominal logistic regression and two separate path models for the success and failure samples were conducted. The main findings showed that the odds of perceiving an outcome as a success were higher with mastery goals and performance-avoidance goals. Mastery goal and performance-approach goal orientation were positively related to internal success attributions. Mastery goal orientation was positively and performance-approach goal orientation was negatively connected with the failure attribution ‘popularity with the supervisor.’ Performance-avoidance goals were positively linked to external success attributions and negatively linked to the external failure attribution ‘luck.’ Work-avoidance goals predicted all types of success attributions but none of the failure attributions. The findings provide in-depth insights into attribution processes and highlight the importance of promoting a mastery goal orientation.