4,616 research outputs found

    A study of the effects of attribution retraining and cognitive self-instruction upon the academic and attentional skills, and cognitive-behavioral trends of elementary-age children served in self-contained learning disabilities programs

    Get PDF
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the integration of an attribution retraining program and a cognitive self-instruction procedure as a means of improving the academic performance and component attentional skills and modifying the cognitive-behavioral beliefs and behaviors of elementary-age children served in self-contained learning disabilities (SCLD) programs.;Subjects were 77 children, 10-13 years of age, served in public school SCLD programs. A primary group (n = 27) received attributional retraining and cognitive self-instruction, a secondary group (n = 25) cognitive self-instruction alone, and a control group (n = 25) traditional instruction. Intervention in the treatment conditions was presented over the 10-week period in three phases: (a) Controlled Instruction, (b) Transition, and (c) Direct Instruction.;Assessment was conducted in reading, mathematics, and written language on a standardized instrument (Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement) and probe sheets, locus of control (Children\u27s Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External control scale), cognitive-behavioral trends (Burks\u27 Behavior Rating Scales), general attention (Visual-Aural Digit Span Test), and attentional style (Matching Familiar Figures Test).;Analysis of covariance and post hoc least squares means analysis revealed significant primary treatment growth in cognitive-behavioral outcomes (poor attention, poor ego strength, and excessive dependency) and probe sheet mathematics; significant primary treatment growth versus either secondary treatment or control conditions was noted in cognitive-behavioral areas (poor academics and poor impulse control) and standardized reading. No significant differences were noted in mathematics or written language on the standardized instrument, reading or written language on probe sheets, trends toward internality, general attention/memory, and latency (near significant) or error rate.;Recommendations include longer term investigations of antecedent attributions, clarification of the role of attribution in cognitive-behavioral change, and a diverse application of attribution retraining in education

    The measurement of optimism and hope in relation to college student retention and academic success

    Get PDF
    Consistent with research approaches in positive psychology, the variables of optimism and hope were investigated to determine what role these constructs had in the retention and academic success of college students. A sample of 282 students (172 women, 111 men) from a large midwestern university, supplemented by 82 collateral reporters (friends or relatives of the students), participated in the study. Each participant completed a questionnaire including Scheier and Carvers\u27 Life Orientation Test (LOT); Peterson, Semrnel, von Baeyer, Abramson, Metalsky, and Seligmans\u27 Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and C. R. Snyder\u27s Adult Trait Hope Scale (HOPE) along with measures of depression, anxiety, commitment to college, and academic motivation. Participants gave consent for the release of their college grade point average, ACT composite score, and high school class rank from the registrar\u27s office. In addition, the collateral reporters were asked to complete the LOT, ASQ, and HOPE according to their knowledge of the participants.;Analyses including linear and logistic regression and Pearson correlations provided evidence for a significant relationship between hope and grade point average, but not optimism. Additionally, no significant relationships were found between optimism, hope, and continued enrollment from the fall to spring semester. Data from the collateral reporters demonstrated a similar pattern with hope significantly related to grade point average as indicated by correlation and regression analyses. The need for further clarification of the relationship between hope, academic success, and retention was discussed along with the limitations of the current study and suggestions for additional research

    Volition and the Readiness Potential

    Get PDF
    In the “Libet study” the onset of movement-related brain activity preceded the reported time of the conscious intention to move, suggesting that non-conscious brain processes predetermine voluntary movements (Libet, Gleason, Wright, & Pearl, 1983). While the study’s basic results have been replicated, its validity and assumptions have been questioned. Dominik et al. (2017) provided evidence against the study’s assumption that movement and intention to move are distinct events. In this study, in which researchers did not train participants to distinguish between movement and intention, reports for intention and movement were identical. This differed from the Libet study, in which intention was reported significantly earlier in time than movement. The current study sought to replicate the findings of Dominik et al. Participants (N = 22) were assigned to one of two groups. Both groups performed the same tasks, differing only in order of task completion. In both tasks participants made mouse clicks while tracking time via an analog clock. In one task participants reported the moment they initiated their click. In the other participants reported the moment they intended to click. Crucially, when given instructions for the initial task, they were not told about the existence of the other task. Results showed an interaction of group and task, F (1, 970) = 89.571, p \u3c .001, η_p^2 = .085. The most crucial pairwise comparison, on the initial task, revealed no difference in movement and intention reports. These findings suggest that intention reports in the Libet study may be invalid

    Determinants of international students' academic performance: A comparison between Chinese and other international students

    Get PDF
    With the increasing number of international students travelling to well-developed countries for higher education, there has been a growing interest in exploring the factors that influence their academic performance during their overseas studies. This study aims to give an insight into international students' learning experience by investigating the differences between Chinese and non-Chinese cultural groups and leads to the identification of the key predictors of their academic achievement via multiple regression analysis. The results suggest that the perceived importance of learning success to family, English writing ability, and social communication with their compatriots are significant predictors for all international students. As the predominant group, Chinese students display some distinctive characteristics. A less active learning strategy is observed among Chinese students relative to others, but no evidence has found that this negatively affects their academic achievement. © 2010 Nuffic

    The relationship between attributional style and information technology project perception

    Get PDF
    The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between attributional style and Information Technology (IT) project perception at varying job responsibility levels. To achieve this thirty participants were recruited from a large government department in the three distinct job responsibility levels of support worker (i.e. individual who undertakes activities under general direction), line manager (i.e. individual who undertakes activities under limited direction and typically performs role of team leader) and executive manager (i.e. individual who undertakes activities that involve a high a level of management skill under broad direction) and interviewed using a modified Work Attributional Style Questionnaire (WASQ) with emergent themes subsequently explored through four focus groups. Based on the research findings all job responsibility levels tend to exhibit an optimistic attributional style that characterises positive work adjustment and self-esteem. However, the attribution of failure to causes that will persist in future projects by all job responsibility levels alongside the attribution of failure to causes that have impacts beyond the project by line and executive managers have the potential to undermine this tendency to exhibit an optimistic attributional style. Reasons for the attribution of failure to causes that have impacts beyond the project include the adverse impact on perceived professionalism by peers following failure, continued inability to influence stakeholders and/or management, strategic impact of the project failure and the daunting complexity of the social and technical challenges at the macro level Whilst the tendency to exhibit an optimistic attributional style by all job responsibility levels is indicative of positive work adjustment and selfesteem, practitioners should be cognisant that individuals exhibiting an optimistic attributional style are less likely to take responsibility for IT project failure (i.e. attribute failure to situational and uncontrollable causes). This has the potential to adversely impact organisational learning. To increase the likelihood of individuals taking responsibility for IT project failure practitioners should seek to encourage individuals to freely admit to faults and acknowledge errors whilst seeking to preserve their self-worth

    A literature review on learned helplessness in school environments

    Get PDF
    Learned helplessness is a form of learning which develops when the subject perceives a loss of control in inescapable situations. This can lead to the development of cognitive and social deficits. Main research on this topic has been focused on clinical psychology. This TFM will explore the psychological phenomenon of learned helplessness and how this knowledge can be used in school environments and education. The main objective will be to find out if learned helplessness in school environments and education is actively researched and to ascertain the state-of-the-art of this research. We will provide a simple general diagnostic tool for teachers to detect signs of learned helplessness on their students. We will also provide simple treatment strategies to try to alleviate or minimize the effects of learned helplessness on students. These strategies do not treat mental disorders and, because of this, they can be used by any education professional: teachers and Psychopedagogy professionals. Relevant publications will be searched using five database engines. The results will be analyzed. We will then try to identify the relevant research groups and the most relevant journals on this subject. Finally, we will review and classify the most important publications and we will identify some of the diagnostic tools that researchers have developed

    Does video -based and live attribution training improve college freshman performance on academic -based tasks?

    Get PDF
    This study examined the effects of attribution training (an intervention designed to increase motivation and achievement) on undergraduate students\u27 effort and performance. The sample consisted of 93 undergraduate, freshman students enrolled in a study strategies course during the fall semester. The attribution training was varied for each student by attribution training mode (live, video, or control), time of semester (beginning or end), and gender of script reader (male or female). Other independent variables examined included gender of the participant (male or female) and ACT and SAT scores (low versus high). Change Scores (post minus pre) served as dependent variables for both GRE practice score and homework completion rate. Results indicated that attribution training increased homework completion rate when training was carried out via the live video mode of attribution training. Students also increased homework completion rate at the beginning as opposed to the end of the semester. Students did better on GRE practice scores when attribution training was carried out by a male as compared to a female presenter. This research will help guide future researchers interested in examining the effectiveness of various modes of attribution training
    corecore