Causal attributions (explanations for outcomes) have been found to predict college students' academic success; however, not all students attributing success or failure to adaptive (i.e., controllable) causes perform well in university. Eccles et al.'s ("Achievement and achievement motives." W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 75-145, 1983)…

There is a long history indicating that during times of reform, the interests and needs of Black children are in many ways dismissed. This history culminated in 1990's to what is described today as the "Math Wars." The underlying narrative focuses on America's national security, technological interests, social efficiency, and…

Though anchored in cross-cultural comparisons, this study aims to identify the key factors that impacted the talent development of successful dancers from childhood through adulthood. Case studies of eight Finnish and Singaporean ballet and contemporary dancers exemplify the qualities of successful dancers in terms of their career achievements and…

The article offers suggestions for dealing with learning disabled children's apparent lack of achievement motivation, which may be a lack of belief that their actions affect academic and nonacademic achievement. Suggestions include establishing appropriate standards, focusing on effort rather than outcome, and promoting self-acceptance of credit…

Researchers in attribution theory have used two styles in wording attributional questions. The informational style asks subjects the extent to which they possess ability, effort and luck relative to a task, and task difficulty. The causal style asks subjects the extent to which various factors influenced or caused the outcome. A study was…

Performance is affected by cognitive learning skills, but also by the reasons people perceive as causes of their successes and failures. People with high achievement needs perceive their successes as caused by their own ability and effort, and their failures as caused by lack of effort. People with low achievement needs blame their failures on…

Compared female business owners, managers, and secretaries to examine predictors of occupational choice, satisfaction, and success in the self-employment of women. Results showed owners rated higher than secretaries in achievement motivation, locus of control, and sex role, while owners and managers were similar except in parental models. (JAC)

Tested and extended Deaux's expectancy model of sex-linked differences in attribution for success. Finding's indicated that female occupational subjects, relative to males, tended to attribute success more to unstable causes of effort and luck. Male subjects attributed success more to the stable causes of ability and task ease. (Author/RC)

Explored the relationship between attribution of success and sex role orientation of women (N=114) in graduate school. Results indicated that, among achievement oriented college women, attributional style was related to sex role orientation. Women who were more traditional saw their reinforcers coming from family and social forces. (JAC)

This symposium contains a report of a study which (1) examined the relationship between Malaysian children's perception of control and their academic achievement, by Maznah Ismail and Choo Piang Foong, and two abstracts of studies which (2) investigated achievement motivation and attribution of success in rural and urban Malaysian ethnic groups,…

An experiment was performed to obtain judgments of 324 college students about a list of 18 causal explanations for good or poor performance on an examination. These stimulus causes were judged with respect to a description of two hypothetical situations in which a student either did well or did poorly on the examination. Half the sample judged the…

The major task of life is to become masterful. As individuals grow the choice of which tasks to attempt and how best to achieve mastery at them becomes increasingly under their control by the situations they choose to engage in and by perceptions of their abilities. Mastery oriented people tend to attribute failure to unstable, external factors…

Successful work performance and its corollary, career success, generate both positive (intended) and negative (unintended) outcomes for individuals. The negative outcomes foster a sense of personal and social alienation, which in turn promote behaviors that have negative implications for work motivation and organizational and leadership processes.…