Student motivation, confidence, and perceived control are of key interest to sociology instructors seeking to develop pedagogical techniques that increase student engagement. However, attribution research suggests that strengthening these aspects of student learning can be challenging if students attribute academic outcomes to factors over which…

As part of the research on motivation, causal attribution studies have an important role in predicting and improving academic performance since controllable and uncontrollable attributions have an effect on learners' future actions. Following this path, the present qualitative study investigates the attributions of students in an English Language…

Failing a course is an acutely negative event for first-year university students, and a major contributor to high attrition rates at North American universities. Despite its prevalence, course failure receives relatively little research attention. What can be done to reduce course failure and help first-year students remain in university? This…

The influences of locus of control, awareness of control and metacognition on the use and transfer of a trained strategy were examined. Specifically, it was hypothesized that internal locus of control would be associated with more strategic performance, and that those children who were able to both accurately assess their performance with and…

This article discusses the importance of attribution and strategy training for understanding motivation in students with learning disabilities, contributions of attributions to the larger motivational schema, and problems associated with measuring this affective variable. (DB)

Thirty-four adolescents with learning disabilities received either spelling strategy training, spelling strategy plus attribution training, or a control condition. Significant differences in spelling recall scores favored the strategy training condition. Addition of the attribution training resulted in no observable improvement in spelling…

Attributional beliefs of African-American 11- and 17-year-old students with mental retardation were assessed. Results indicated that strategy ratings were intercorrelated, as were capacity ratings, yet the two constructs were differentiated by both age groups. Belief in the importance of internal strategies was positively related to recall and…

The self-regulation of attributions, beliefs concerning the causes of outcomes, is explored. An increasing body of research substantiates the idea that effective self-regulation depends on forming positive attributions that promote perceptions of competence and sustain motivation directed toward learning. Self-regulation refers to the process by…

This study compared the motivational orientations and metacognitive abilities of 143 Grade 7 intellectually gifted students in an Australian selective school with 133 average-achieving age peers attending comprehensive schools. Gifted students had greater confidence in their own control over successes or failures in school tasks, demonstrated more…

Studies indicate that individual differences in strategy use among mentally retarded and learning disabled students can be explained by a metacognition model which integrates three components--Specific Strategy Knowledge, Metamemory Acquisition Procedures, and General Strategy Knowledge (including beliefs about the causes of successful…

Twelve elementary students with learning disabilities and 42 students at risk for special education referral served as tutors for younger children. Half the tutors were trained to make statements attributing success to ability and effort, as well as strategy suggestions for errors. These tutors became more positive in their self-perceptions than…

Discusses improvement in self-concept, self-management of behavior and learning, and reduction of emotional dependence for slow learners which resulted from feelings of personal control and effectiveness when using computer-assisted instruction. Guidelines for improving instructional software and current research investigating effects of computer…