Attributions can have a significant effect on academic achievement and students with learning difficulties are more likely to display negative attributions than their peers. In this article, the attributions of students identified as having learning difficulties are compared with those of other non-labelled low achievers, and non-labelled average…

Extends the locus of control theory by distinguishing situation effects across three types of internal locus of control: more internal for success than failure, more internal for failure than success, equally internal for success and failure. (Author/RL)

An investigation of the causal attributions of success and failure performances on various levels of task difficulty by 36 learning disabled and 36 nondisabled adolescents revealed that Ss' perceptions of the task difficulty levels were significant determinants of the two groups' differing causal attributions. (Author/CL)

Studies the effects of childhood achievement experiences as they might determine generalized internal-external control orientations (I-E). Analysis of I-E items revealed that those who performed poorly were most likely to attribute achievement experiences to luck. (Author)

Twenty-nine third and fourth grade learning disabled children's attributions for success and failure were examined. Results indicated that Ss did not always interpret successes as reflecting something positive about themselves. Nor did they view failure as something that could be overcome with effort. (Author/CL)

Contrary to prediction, failure feedback increased the performance of all fifth graders involved in this study, whether they had scored high or low on a locus of control measure. (Ed./JD)

This article describes three dimensions of attribution (locus of causality, stability, and controllability) and discusses the importance, with regard to athletic performance, of assigning appropriate attributions to success or failure. Guidelines are provided to help students and athletes choose appropriate attributions. (IAH)

This study, involving 49 teachers and 1,164 students, found that teachers tend to feel responsible for the academic successes of their students and to attribute their failures to external factors. Teachers with a high or medium rating on sense of responsibility exhibited more significantly positive attitudes toward their students. (Author/JDD)

Learned helplessness is a state of passivity and loss of persistence resulting from individuals' perceptions, over a period of time, that they cannot control outcomes of events nor can their efforts lead to attainment of goals. Research studies are reviewed and implications for the study of learning disabilities are evaluated. (MH)

Describes a competence/risk theory that hypothesizes that people can use personal competence to influence the probabilities of success or failure in an adventure, providing their perceptions are correct. In a series of linked pathways and feedback loops, a model illustrates the impact of a risk-taking activity on the participant's emotional and…

Studies of learning disabled students' self concept and attributions suggest that the passive learning style may reflect their beliefs that they are not in control of their destinies. The paper reviews strategies to help LD children acquire more adaptive notions about the causes of their successes and failures. (Author/CL)

Five matched groups of 15 children (ages 8-13) were compared to determine whether behavioral subgroups of children with learning disabilities (LD) form different beliefs regarding causes of their achievement-related successes and failures. The achievement attributions of subjects were heterogeneous and related to presence and type of behavior…

The construct of locus of control formulated by Rotter (1966) is being increasingly emphasized in personality functioning, since it appears to be related to several classes of behavior. It is also being considered as an important construct in cross-cultural research. Cross-cultural comparisons are particularly important, not just because they may…

The pattern of changes in locus of control for college persisters and dropouts were examined over a three-year period, and differences between males and females were considered. Data on 6,608 students enrolled in four-year U.S. colleges were collected in 1973, 1974, and 1975. A repeated measures analysis of locus of control composite scores…

Type A and B students (N=159) received contingent or non-contingent feedback on an aptitude test, attended a lecture from an expressive or unexpressive instructor, and received an achievement test and attributional questionnaire. Non-contingent feedback lowered perceived control for both types. Self-perceptions of Type A students were unaffected…