The purpose of this study was to clarify the age of emergence of differential attributions for the success and failure of girls and boys on feminine and masculine tasks. Subjects were 192 children attending either preschool or third grade. From this group 6 boys and 6 girls from each grade level were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions…

This essay on marriage and family therapy begins with background information on the institutions of marriage and the family, including religious and social forces, and the effects of the industrial revolution on American society. The impact of the two world wars on the social, political, economic, and psychological climate of the United States is…

Three studies with college students in educational psychology courses examined the relationship between achievement, effort, and perceived ability within a mastery learning contest. In no study did it appear that students reduced effort because of the threat of failure or that expending effort led to lower estimates of ability. (Author/BS)

Feelings of helplessness can impact on learning to read. This research review illustrates problems in assessing learned helplessness, including instrumentation inadequacies, lack of comprehensive causal schemes, context specificity, etc. Observations of and discussions with the child are recommended in the assessment process. Guidelines for…

Investigates the evaluation processes used in preschools, focusing on such issues as the extent to which (1) teachers use standards to support their evaluations; (2) whether standards teachers use are congruent with those that research and theory suggest would be used by preschool children; and (3) the extent to which teachers make causal…

Based on the Laosa model, this longitudinal study examined relationships between family learning environments and the aspirations of 512 Australian adolescents from three occupational status groups. Adolescents' aspirations had moderate associations with parents' aspirations but only modest or negligible relations to parents' instrumental and…

Compared were the attributional patterns for success and failure in mathematics of 491 tenth-grade students in Papua New Guinea and Australia. Relatively few differences were found in the patterns of boys and girls or of high- and low-achieving students, but substantial differences were found between students in the two countries. (MNS)

The attributions of third and sixth graders with low and high reading achievement were assessed in two reading situations. Major findings were: (1) sixth graders' locus of control scores varied across situations while third graders did not; (2) two causes--studying and paying attention--were particularly salient; and (3) age and achievement…

Pupils at an elementary school in Israel, their mothers, and their teachers were studied to determine how each group would attribute the causes of children's problem behavior. Pupils and teachers were apt to blame external factors. Parents tended to distribute responsibility for problems more evenly. (Author/PP)

A definition of the construct of teacher sense of efficacy is proposed, a model relating it to other variables is provided. Also presented is a review of literature not only on teacher sense of efficacy but on other constructs which afford indirect insight into the phenomenon of teacher sense of efficacy. (Author/AL)

A sample of parents, school psychologists, and elementary school teachers viewed films of three different children and rated them using a 20-item Likert-type instrument. The hypothesis that perceived socioeconomic status and ethnic identification would differentially affect the three rater groups' attributions of positive and negative behavior was…

A theory of motivation based upon attributions of causality for success and failure is offered. Three central causal dimensions are identified: stability, locus, and control; these dimensions, respectively, are linked with expectancy change, esteem-related emotions, and interpersonal judgments. A theory of motivation with implications for…

The outcome interpretations, attributions for the outcome, expectancies of future test outcomes, and perceptions concerning instrumental actions of four Finnish elementary school teachers and their 84 sixth-grade students were compared after a math exam. Disagreements between teachers and students on these points reflect biases on the part of…

The effectiveness of Strategic Content Learning, an intervention model to promote self-regulated and strategic learning, was investigated. Six adults with learning disabilities chose a task of importance to current or future academic work and were provided individualized support on relevant tasks. Results indicated student gains in task…

Sexually abused girls (n=56) and their nonoffending female caretakers from primarily low-income, African American families were assessed to determine factors related to child symptomatology and self-blame. Child self-blame was related to overall relationships with caretakers, disruptions in relationship with a primary caretaker, child age, general…