Original scientific paper
Optimistic and Pessimistic Explanatory Styles and School Performance in the Higher Forms of Elementary School
Ivana Mijočević
Majda Rijavec
orcid.org/0000-0001-6361-9968
; Učiteljski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the link between optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles and school performance in the higher forms of elementary school. A total of 153 students from the fifth to eighth grades of primary school between the ages of 11 to 14 years participated in the research, of whom 84 were boys and 69 were girls. The Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ) was applied, which tests optimism, pessimism and a general explanatory style (Seligman et al., 1984). The results show that the optimistic explanatory style is positively correlated with general school performance and grades in mathematics and Croatian, while the pessimistic style shows a negative correlation. Confirmation was also made of the results of previous research which show that girls of this age are more optimistic than boys. The results indicate the need to implement interventionist programmes for the development of an optimistic explanatory style in elementary school students.
Keywords
explanatory style; optimism; pessimism; school performance
Hrčak ID:
21068
URI
Publication date:
14.11.2006.
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