Explain what psychologists mean when they talk about attributions. Then:

Question

a. Explain how students' responses to failure are likely to be different when they attribute that failure to a controllable cause or to an uncontrollable one. Give a concrete example to illustrate your explanation.
b. Describe three specific strategies you might use to foster more productive attributions in your students. In each case, explain why you think the strategy will be effective.

Answer 1

An attribution is a student's explanation regarding why a specific event (perhaps a success or failure) has occurred.
a. Students are more likely to respond appropriately to failure—for example, to try harder or use a different strategy—if they believe they have control over the factors contributing to their failure. They are unlikely to change their behavior if they think the source of the failure is beyond their control. The response should include a concrete example illustrating the difference.
b. Possible strategies for promoting productive attributions include these (the response should describe three strategies, which may include those listed below and/or other strategies justifiable from the perspective of attribution theory):
• Provide sufficient instruction and support that students can experience success if they exert reasonable effort.
• Make response–reinforcement contingencies clear.
• Communicate high yet realistic expectations for student performance.
• Attribute students' successes to both high ability and such controllable internal factors as effort or learning strategies.
• Attribute students' successes to effort only when they have exerted a great deal of effort.
• Attribute students' failures to factors they can control.
• Attribute students' failures to a lack of effort only when they clearly haven't tried very hard.
• Help students acquire more effective learning strategies.
• Define success as eventual rather than immediate mastery.
• Evaluate students in terms of the improvement they're making.
• Minimize competition among students.
The response should provide a reasonable justification of each strategy it describes.