The effect of attribution retraining on the academic achievement of high school students in mathematics

النوع : Thèse

This study explores the use of attribution retraining in a high school. Attribution retraining is an intervention applied with the intent to change students’ attributes, motivation, academic achievement, and locus of control. Locus of control is related to how one attributes success and/or failure. Students with an internal locus of control believe they are responsible and can control their performance, whereas those with an external locus of control tend to look for fault outside themselves. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of attribution retraining on high school students' academic achievement in mathematics. The research questions explored the effect of the intervention on students’ performance in mathematics, and the influence of gender, and attributions. The intervention focused on the role of the brain in processing information, Dweck’s motivation and intelligence theories, Weiner's attribution theory, learning and mathematics study strategies, and gender and stereotyping. An experimental pretest-posttest control group design with matched participants was used. The sample included 44 grade ten and eleven students of both sexes from a private school in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon. The experimental group was trained in the attribution retraining program for nine sessions distributed over four weeks. The control group maintained the regular academic schedule. Mathematics achievement was assessed through four scores collected before and after the intervention. The attributional styles were assessed by the Attribution Questionnaire. The study revealed significant effects of experimental training on mathematics achievement. Moreover, a qualitative analysis of structured interviews conducted with the experimental group demonstrated that their attributions shifted from external to internal ones and from performance to mastery goals. The results did not indicate an effect for gender for the experimental group, except for their interpretation of failure.