Original scientific paper
Students’ Attribution of Success and Failure in EFL
Višnja Pavičić Takač
; Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Hrvatska
Rahela Varga
; Učiteljski fakultet, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Hrvatska
Abstract
One of the affective factors that influence learning process are attributions, which
are the perceived reasons of one's success or failure in the educational context. These reasons
can be facilitating or debilitating in the learning process, depending on the dimensions of
internality, stability and controllability. The most frequently explored attributions are ability,
effort, task difficulty and luck. The research conducted with the students of a vocational
school, aiming at finding out to what they attribute their success and failure in EFL (English
as a foreign language) gave insight in students' interpretation of their learning outcomes. The
results suggest that task ease is perceived as the most influential cause of one's success,
whereas lack of effort is held responsible for their failure. Such approach to effort is
considered to have a rather positive effect on their future learning behaviour. It would be
better if they would take responsibility for their successful outcomes as well, which might
increase their motivation. Since these attributions were linked to a single written exam, they
must not be confused with students' attributional style and therefore further research is
recommended.
Keywords
attribution; academic achievement; EFL
Hrčak ID:
77321
URI
Publication date:
6.12.2011.
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