Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2010

Publication Title

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

Volume

29

Abstract

Transitions to new achievement settings are often accompanied by unfamiliar learning conditions wherein individuals experience unanticipated failures and engage in dysfunctional explanatory thinking. To counter these developments, attributional retraining (AR) was presented to 457 first-year students following an initial test in a two-semester course. A Semester 1 AR treatment (no, yes) and initial-test-performance (low, average, high) 2 × 3 quasi-experimental design was used to assess Semester 2 attributions, emotions, and performance outcomes. AR encouraged all students to endorse controllable attributions and de-emphasize uncontrollable attributions in explaining achievement outcomes in Semester 2. For low- and average-initial-performance students, AR improved subsequent in-class tests, final course grades, and first-year GPAs. Higher initial-test-performance was related to positive emotions and better achievement in Semester 2. The discussion focused on the implications of AR for attributional thinking in unfamiliar achievement settings.

Issue

6

First Page

668

Last Page

700

DOI

10.1521/jscp.2010.29.6.668

ISSN

0736-7236

Rights

Published by Guilford Press at:

Perry, R. P., Stupnisky, R. H., Hall, N. C., Chipperfield, J. G., & Weiner, B. (2010). Bad starts and better finishes in achievement settings: The role of attributional retraining in students’ transition to university. The Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 29(6), 668-700. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2010.29.6.668

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