A review of the Attribution Theory used in Educational Psychology

1. THE ATTRIBUTION
THEORY
IT’S INFLUENCES ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING

2. WHAT IS THE
ATTRIBUTION
THEORY?

4. There are three (3) dimensions or characteristics of this
theory;
The Internal and External Locus of Control
Stable or Unstable Causes for Outcomes
Controllable or Uncontrollable Behaviour

5. THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LOCUS OF
CONTROL
A ‘Locus of Control’ refers to an individual's perception about the
underlying main causes of events in his/her life
A person with an internal locus of control believes that he or she can
influence events and their outcomes, while someone with an external
locus of control blames outside forces for everything.
Internal students demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement.
External students tend to exhibit lower levels of academic achievement.

6. HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE CLASSROOM?
Encouragement
• “You worked really hard to get your
grade.”
• “How do you feel about your work so
far?”
• “Look at all the improvement you
have made.”)
Praise fosters an external locus of control, and encouragement fosters
an internal locus of control.
Praises
• “You got an A on the test.”
• “Great job.”
• “You came in first; therefore, you get 1%
towards your passing grade.”

7. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Praise
1. Praise focuses on the outcome rather than the effort. Praise is often
exaggerated for effect.
2. Praise is often more about the feelings of the one giving the praise than
the one receiving it.
Encouragement
1. Encouragement is specific.
2. Encouragement is focused on the child’s feelings, not the adult’s.
3. Encouragement focuses on the effort, not the outcome.

9. STABLE OR UNSTABLE CAUSES FOR OUTCOMES
Stable causes are known to be difficult in changing. If an outcome is stable,
then it is likely to be the same the next time as well. If your students go for the
stable explanation, they may tend to rationalize: 'it doesn't really matter how
hard I try, I will fail anyway'.
Unstable causes can be changed easily. Hence, the outcome will probably be
different on another occasion. If you point to the unstable explanation on the
other hand, you think you might succeed if you put in more or smarter efforts.

10. CONTROLLABLE OR UNCONTROLLABLE BEHAVIOUR
A controllable factor you can alter or influence if you wish to
do so.
An uncontrollable factor is one that you cannot easily alter

11. SCENARIO
Depending on the teacher for success or if you compete with your peers for the few
available high grades, you explain your situation by pointing to uncontrollable
factors.
If you fail in your studies, you can thus attribute this to external, uncontrollable
factors by blaming the bad school and the poor teachers.

13. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME AND WE
HOPE YOUR LEARNT
SOMETHING NEW
HAPPY STUDYING!