Sequential Attributional Feedback and Children's Achievement Behaviors

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Dale H. Schunk, Dean (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Two experiments investigated how the sequence of attributional feedback influences children's motivation, attributions, self-efficacy, and skillful performance. Children lacking subtraction skills received training and solved problems over four sessions. During the problem solving, one group of children (ability-ability) periodically received ability feedback, a second group (effort-effort) received effort feedback, a third group (ability-effort) was given ability feedback during the first two sessions and effort feedback during the last two, and for a fourth group this sequence was reversed (effort-ability). . In both studies, children who initially received ability feedback (ability-ability and ability-effort conditions) developed higher ability attributions, self-efficacy, and subtraction skills compared with subjects in the effort-ability and effort-effort conditions. The sequence of attributional feedback did not differentially affect motivation, effort attributions, or perceptions of training successes.

Additional Information

Publication
Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 1159-1169.
Language: English
Date: 1984
Keywords
Feedback, Attribution, Ability, Effort, Motivation, Self-efficacy, Children, Education

Email this document to