The relationship between attributions, affect and the achievement in English of standard 8 students in the Sebokeng/Evaton circuits

Abstract

The aims of this study were: I. to determine the nature of attributions and affect, and the interactive relationships between these two composite variables and academic achievement, from a literature review; II. to empirically determine the relationship between socio-economic status, age and sex and achievement in English of Standard 8 students; and III. to empirically determine the relationship between attributions, affect and achievement in English of Standard 8 students. From the literature review it was evident that the causes (i.e. attributions) to which students ascribe their achievement (especially poor achievement) in specific subjects or learning tasks, and their perceptions of the locus, stability and control (i.e. attributional dimensions, or attributional style) of such attributions, influence their affect, as aspect of motivated behaviour, as well as their achievement. Students who ascribe their success to internal, stable (Le. ability) or variable but controllable causes (i.e. effort), experience a high level of self-efficacy and pride and high expectancies of future success. Failure which is ascribed to internal (or external), but variable and controllable causes (such as effort), leads to feelings of guilt and does not affect self-efficacy detrimentally. Failure which is ascribed to stable and uncontrollable causes (such as ability or teaching methods), however, results in shame or hopelessness and decreased self-efficacy. A strong relationship was also evident between achievement and the type of value attached to achievement (mastery or learning values versus achievement or social recognition values). The empirical study led to the following conclusions: * there is no relationship between the socio-economic status of the school, the age and sex and the achievement in English of the students of this study; * there is no relationship between the attributional style, affect and achievement in English of the students who were used in this study, yet; * there is a relationship between the students' affect and their achievement in the comprehension test that formed a part of the motivational questionnaire used in this study. The results must, however, be interpreted with care, due to the classification used for SES, the nature of the questionnaire and the rather high average achievement in English of the students who formed the sample.