AN ATTRIBUTION TRAINING PROGRAM WITH LEARNING DISABLED CHILDREN
Abstract
In light of the success of the attribution training programs in alleviating learned helplessness, and the current research suggesting that some learning disabled children may be experiencing a naturally occurring learned helplessness, it was the purpose of the present investigation to determine whether altering causal attributions for failure would enable helpless learning disabled children to deal more effectively with failure in an experimental reading situation. Sixteen learning disabled students and sixteen regular classroom students reading below grade level who attributed success and failure to forces beyond their control were assigned to an assessment control group or an attribution training group. It was hypothesized that children who were taught to attribute failure to a lack of effort would endorse more effort attributions for success and for failure, report more internal attributions for achievement situations in general, and evidence more improvement in reading persistence and self-esteem than subjects who had not received training. The results revealed that following training, subjects in the attribution training group showed a significant increase in the degree to which they emphasized insufficient motivation versus ability as a determinant of failure and endorsed significantly more internal attributions for achievement situations than did subjects in the assessment control group. In addition, subjects receiving treatment demonstrated more reading persistence following training than assessment control subjects. There was evidence of stability of training effects at a two week follow-up assessment for the changes in effort attributions and reading persistence. Contrary to predictions, no significant difference between the two groups was observed regarding self-esteem. The results suggest that educators should begin to reconceptualize failure as a necessary component of the learning process. As such, it may be beneficial to incorporate failure and coping techniques into remedial programs thereby alleviating the possibility that learning disabled children will experience learned helplessness with respect to academic situations.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
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