Self-regulation refers to the process whereby students activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors, and affects, which are systematically oriented toward attainment of goals. Effective self-regulation requires that students have goals and the motivation to attain them, and make attributions (beliefs about the causes of outcomes) that enhance…

Much motivational research has examined the role of attributions of perceived causes of outcomes. Attributions are important because theory and research show that attributions have differential effects on motivation. There are many different attributions; for example, ability, effort, task ease/difficulty, luck, strategy use, help from others,…

This experiment tested the hypothesis that rewards given for progress during competency development promote children's mathematical skill development, percepts of self-efficacy, and interest. Children received didactic instruction in division operations and were offered rewards contingent on their actual progress, rewards for simply participating,…

This experiment was designed to (1) test the effectiveness of proximal goals in promoting performance, developing self-efficacy, and fostering interest in activities, and (2) investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and interest. The focus of the study was children's mastery of arithmetic operations in which they had displayed low…

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…

Two experiments tested the idea that the means by which children acquire efficacy information can produce different levels of task motivation and self-perception of competence. In Experiment 1, children periodically received either ability attributional feedback, effort feedback, ability plus effort feedback, or no attributional feedback. Although…

Discusses motivational processes as they apply to educational contexts. Defines motivation and compares it to other constructs. Provides a brief history of motivation theory and reviews important trends and areas in motivation research. Suggests four areas that future research might address: constructivism and learning, long-term motivation,…

This paper discusses the role of perceived self-efficacy during self-regulated learning, the process whereby students' cognitions manifest themselves in behaviors systematically oriented toward the attainment of academic learning goals. The conceptual focus derives from A. Bandura's social cognitive learning theory. A model of cognitive skill…