Fifth- through twelfth-grade students completed a causal attribution questionnaire and were asked to choose one of three games to play. Students who attributed their own success on achievement tasks to ability, effort, or luck were more likely to prefer to perform tasks that were compatible with such beliefs. (Author/RD)

This study examined the development of causal expressions in children's discourse from two to three years of age. Linguistic, contextual, and pragmatic influences on language development were the major factors considered. (CM)

Relates findings from a review of the literature on six academic motivational constructs studied in traditional environments to online education concepts. Examines self-efficacy, locus of control, attributions, goal orientation, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, and self-regulation to identify methods for ensuring student success in online…

This 3-wave longitudinal study spanning 12 months examined the process by which emotional distress contributes to competence estimation in 9- to 13-year-olds. Findings indicated that emotional distress predicted negative beliefs about the self and the world over time; these beliefs in turn predicted decrements in competence estimation over time.…

Gifted students' perceptions of an internal or external locus of control (LOC) and the effect on their behavior is discussed. Research is reviewed that shows that gifted students who are proficient academically or in other areas believe they have an internal locus of control, while underachieving gifted students perceive an external LOC. (CR)

This article demonstrates how to improve students' learning motivation by means of an attributional dialogue between teachers and students. Students are asked to describe events and to explain to what they attributed success or failure. Dialogue pages of a typically achieving learner and a student with learning disabilities are provided. (Contains…

A study involving 697 male and 765 female ninth and twelfth graders was undertaken to assess learned helplessness in attribution patterns associated with personal failure. Although significant gender differences were identified, little evidence was obtained supporting the learned helplessness model for adolescent female achievement motivation.…

Tested three competing structural equation models concerning auditory inspection time (AIT) and cognitive ability. Found that auditory inspection times near age 11 correlate most strongly with later high IQ. (ET)

A total of 50 children were observed at home at 33 months of age and then tested at 40 months on affective labeling, perspective taking, and false belief tasks. Individual differences at 40 months were associated with family discourse about feelings and causality at 33 months, verbal fluency of mother and child, and sibling cooperation. (BC)

Describes a study of motivational factors influencing 19 first-year students who made the dean's list their first quarter in college, despite a poor academic performance in high school. Applies Weiner's attributional theory of motivation. Most students attributed their prior academic performance to a lack of motivation/effort. (DMM)

The question of whether special education students exhibit more learned helpless behavior and a more external locus of control than regular students is examined. The effects of these psychological conditions on school success are considered, and programs for alleviating learned helplessness and establishing a more internal locus of control are…

Effects of an intervention by teachers and researchers to enhance mathematics and reading self-concepts were studied for 162 Australian students in grades 3 through 6 with low academic self-concept. Implications of the modest enhancement of self-concept for specific facets over a relatively short period are discussed. (SLD)

This article proposes that teachers of students with learning disabilities combine instruction in writing strategies with training in strategy attribution, whereby students learn to attribute their success or failure to use or nonuse of a particular writing strategy. Specific strategies are offered for writing subprocesses and steps in linking…

Investigated differences in depressive symptomatology, attributional style, dysfunctional attitude, and social competency in 147 adolescents classified as learning-disabled-unsuccessful, learning-disabled-successful, nonspecial education-low grade point average, and nonspecial education-high grade point average students. Results suggest that…

Examined relations between characterological versus behavioral self-blaming attributions for victimization and maladjustment in middle school students. Found that self-perceived victimization was associated with characterological self-blame, loneliness, anxiety, and low self-worth. Peer-perceived victimization was related to peer acceptance and…