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An Examination of Weiner's Attribution Theory of Emotion and Achievement Motivation in a Classroom Context.

Year: 1994
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Two studies investigated Weiner's theory of attribution and emotion in a classroom context with a school-aged population.Relationships between self-efficacy, attributions, and affect were examined.In the first study, 84 grade three students judged self-eff icacy for solving mathematical subtract ion problems, completed a 25-item mathematical subtraction skill test, rated their level of response to four attributions, and indicated their degree of emotional reactions across four affective dimensions.In the second study, 66 grade eight remedial math students completed the same materials, and rated their degree of emotional reactions across eighteen af fect ive dimensions.Results offered support for some of Weiner's theoretical propositions.Attributions to ability and effort were positively associated with performance outcome, and to positive and self-esteem enhancing affective reactions.Attributions to stable causes were found to be associated with emotions related to positive expectancies.Attributions to low ability and low effort displayed negative associations to negative affect, decreased expectancy of success, and displayed a positive relationship to test scores.A number of predictions remained unsupported and several findings in opposition to current attribut ional theory emerged.There was no evidence supporting a l o w ability or l o w effort linkage t o the e m o t i o n s of s h a m e or guilt.In general, t h e concept of at tr ibut ion-independent emot ions was unsupported .Finally, relationships b e t w e e n self-efficacy, affect, and a t t r i b u t i o n s were investigated.Implications o f t h e s e findings are discussed, and developmental d i f f e r e n c e s noted.
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2098175828
FWCI:
Cites: 44
Cited by: 2
Related to: 10