Attributional Retraining: Rethinking Academic Failure to Promote
Success
RESEARCH TO PRACTICE
Issue 1 – September/October 2004
by Silja Kallenbach and Cynthia Zafft
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Why is attributional retraining important for college
transition students?
One of the biggest concerns for teachers and counselors is how
to encourage college transition students to continue down the
exciting but long academic road ahead. Current research finds
that for academically unprepared or underprepared students, affective
traits -- such as degree of motivation or level of anxiety, are
more reliable predictors of student performance than looking
exclusively at cognitive traits, such as academic ability (Hill,
2004). Attributional retraining (AR) is designed to enhance motivation
and achievement striving by changing how students think about
their academic successes and failures so that their beliefs work
for -- rather than against -- their academic success.
Examples of mental processes related to
- cognitive domain -- comprehending, applying, analyzing, synthesizing,
and evaluating
- affective domain – feelings, attitudes, beliefs, preferences,
and values
- psychomotor domain – perception and physical skill
development
Classification framework begun by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues
in 1948 (Bloom's Taxonomy); domains now considered to overlap. http://tip.psychology.org/taxonomy.html
What is attributional retraining (AR)?
AR comes from attributional theory (Heider, 1958; Weiner, 1985),
a theory of motivation. According to attributional theory, people
look for causes to explain outcomes and events in their environment,
especially if those outcomes and events are unexpected or important
or negative. In academic settings, this means that students look
for causes for their academic successes and failures, and the
causes they identify shape the way they view their academic competence.
Attributional retraining is intended to restructure students'
explanations about their academic performance to change unhelpful
attributions to ones that sustain motivation.
For example, a student may attribute a bad test grade to lack
of ability. If the student believes s/he does not have what it
takes to succeed academically, the student will naturally be
less motivated to continue striving for success. In this example,
a teacher might point out that the test was more difficult than
the student expected and go on to discuss test preparation strategies
to use next time. In general, students who feel they can control
academic outcomes are more likely to recover from academic setbacks
rather than give up.
[http://tip.psychology.org/weiner.html]
What does current research say about attributional retraining?
Most studies on AR in academic settings involve one-time interventions.
For example, several studies were based on showing "at risk" college
freshmen a videotaped interview of successful college seniors
talking about how changing the way they thought about their initial
failure experiences at college improved their performance. The
seniors stressed how they originally attributed their academic
problems to low ability but eventually realized that using the
college support system and changing their study habits produced
success. The AR videotape interventions in the studies correlated
with increased final course grade, increased grade point average
and/or reduction in withdrawals from college at the end of the
semester for the students in the studies (see a comprehensive
review of the studies in Perry, Hechter, Menec & Weinberg,
1993).
While it is difficult to find AR research studies that focus specifically
on GED and Adult Diploma Program (ADP) graduates, most studies
do focus on incoming college students who require developmental
education and this often includes adults with non-traditional
diplomas. Studies showed that AR works best:
- when "at risk" students are below but close to the college
academic standard;
- when coupled with high quality teaching, including teaching
of study skills and note-taking;
- as part of opportunities to experience success;
- with coursework that does not have a "myth of innate ability" – for
example, the assumption that some people are just better
at math; and,
- when successful learning is thought of as mastery over time
rather than hinging on one specific test or activity.
What might AR look like in practice?
Discussion. To what does a student attribute his or her
academic success or failure? Is it something the student has
control over? Does the attribution take into consideration the
whole picture? Faced with statements like, "I'm not smart enough
to pass," as a retraining strategy, teachers and counselors can
explore the many reasons why students fail. Have students reflect
on and discuss their perceptions. Explain the importance of their
perceptions.
Role play. Role play different takes on poor performance.
Teacher modeling. As part of your routine interaction
with students, share how your thinking has changed. "When I had
difficulty with this subject as a student, I thought, and later
I came to understand…"
Student modeling. Invite graduates of your program who
are now attending college to come back and present to your current
students. Ask them to talk about what they thought at the beginning
of college and how that understanding has changed over time.
Analyzing success. Although most students focus on their
concerns of failure, it is important to examine the causes of
success. Which strategies are helpful and why and for whom?
Teaching strategies that enhance student control. This
could include case study readings, affirmations, encouraging
students to strive for mastery rather than simply passing, helping
students anticipate and prepare for what will be difficult in
college by talking about and simulating the college environment.
A caveat. Attributing causes, especially to failure,
has a self-protective nature. While teachers and counselors may
be reluctant to hear a student attribute a failure to events
beyond the student's control, such as a bad teacher or bad luck,
it may be a "safer" attribution than concerns about low ability.
Sometimes a student's academic performance is compromised by
bad teaching, and it is important to acknowledge that. Rather
than denying legitimate external factors, AR is about helping
students identify ways in which they can improve their academic
performance in spite of external factors.
References
Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New
York: Wiley.
Hill, A.B (2004). Affective correlates of developmental student
performance: A literature review. Research in Developmental
Education, 18(4), 1-4. A brief and interesting review that
covers a number of affective components of learning for students
in developmental course work.
Perry, R.P. (2003). Perceived (academic) control and causal thinking
in achievement settings. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie
Canadienne, 44(4), 312-331).
Perry, P.P, Hechter, F.J., Menec, V.H., & Weinberg, L.H.
(1993). Enhancing achievement motivation and performance in college
students: An attributional retraining perspective. Research
in Higher Education, 34(6), 687-723.
Wambach, C.A. (1993, Spring). Motivational themes and academic
success of at-risk freshman. Journal of Developmental Education,
16(3), 8-10, 12, 37.
Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation
and emotion. Psychological Review, 92(4), 548-573.
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