TO WHAT STUDENTS ATTRIBUTE THEIR ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND UNSUCCESS

On a sample of 115 students we made investigation with purpose to answer the following questions:

1. To what students attribute their academic success and unsuccess.

2. Differences between successful and unsuccessful students in attribution of academic success and unsuccess.

3. Differences between successful and unsuccessful students in SATQ (Student Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) .

Characteristics connected with the personality they consider as the most important for their success in studying.

Giving up, inadequately learning and laziness they consider as the main point for their unsuccess in studying.

The majority of items relate to successful students speaks of influence that is coming from inner factors i.e. personal characteristics of a student.

Assessment by unsuccessful students depends on circumstances which are directed towards outside influence and is beyond their control.

As the answer of third question we find that variables, which are the most present in defining a discriminative function are those ones that relate to automatic thoughts which speak of a worry about parents reaction and anticipation of failure.

Working with students who manifest learning difficulties there are many questions which have to be asked. One of these question is -how they explain their failure and success. Answers to these questions can help in understanding the cause of their problems as well as finding the method to improve effectiveness, success and personal satisfaction.

During the relatively short history of researches in learning disabilities it seems to be rather strong agreement that one marker of learning disabilities is the presence of unexpected underachievement, that is a child fails to achieve at an expected level. That defines learning disability as a discrepancy between the performance on tests of intellectual functioning and the performance on tests of educational achievement (Kendal, 2000). Defining the term-learning disabilities Hammill(1993.,according to Zivcic-Becirevic & Anic, 2001) argues that this is a generic term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities.

Should the learning disability be independent of emotional or behavioral problems? Research often finds emotional and behavioral complications in children with learning disability (Lahey, Green, & Forehand, 1980).

As a consequence of repeated academic failure of learning problems, students often develop specific secondary characteristics as a low self-esteem, poor motivation for long -lasting learning, tendency to give up and withdraw and lack in interest in acquisition of new learning strategies. Besides this deficits in self-regulation many students with learning disabilities have also other characteristics which making learning more difficult: external locus of control, hopeless behavior, low motivation, impulsivity, maladaptive attributions, low efficacy (Wong, Harris & Graham, 1991). Bandura's model of self-regulation called self-efficacy is based on the idea that all voluntary behaviour change was mediated by subjects' perceptions of their ability to perform the behaviour in question. Another important influence was an increasing interest in the concept of self -control, based on a three-stage model of self- observation, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement. This model generated a great deal of research effort in which cognitive constructs, including attribution and self- instruction, were made explicit (Hawton & others, 1989).

Great many emotional disorders are direct consequence of irrational believes known as cognitive distortion. Irrespective of where some disorder has originated from its continuation defends on a significant role between cognitive processes and mutual constitution.

According to the cognitive behavioural model of understanding learning disabilities, it seems that negative automatic thoughts are one of the key factors in treatment programs. During assessment of learning difficulties special attention must be paid to the identification of the cognitions -students' thoughts, believes and attitudes about their problems and about their own capacities to cope with them ( Zivcic-Becirevic & Anic, 2001).

In our study we are trying to find the students' attribution of academic (under) achievement. The internal-external dimension is akin to the older notion of locus of control. Some individuals will feel responsible for events happening to them, while others tend to feel they are the victims of the circumstances. In cognitive therapy we are working on the attributions one can give to his success and unsuccess.

Several researches support the clinical observations that negative automatic thoughts strongly influence human behaviour and affects. If repeated continuously, they can severely disturb student's learning process on the cognitive and affective level.

Soric (1995) has studied whether the methods of confrontation are linked with motives attributed to success at examination and in what proportion confrontation explains a success at examination. Obtained results show that unsuccessful students experience the situation as menacing and self-achievements uncontrollable using imagination and distraction as means of confrontation. Successful students experience testing situation as a challenge and expect good results because they are focused on solving problems and their own emotions.

Our study wanted to answer the following questions:

1. To what students attribute their academic success and unsuccess

2. Differences between successful and unsuccessful students in attribution of academic success and unsuccess.

3. Differences between successful and unsuccessful students in SATQ (Student Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire).

Method

Participants

The sample consisted of the third (N=57) and the fourth (N=58) year students at University of Zagreb, from the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation (age 20-31).M=22.1; SD=1.65. Almost all students were female (104 were female, 11 were male).

The data were obtained during May 2001.

Instruments

In study we used two instruments:

a) The questionnaire of attributing success and unsuccess was originally created for this purpose by the author. For the measuring attributing of success we used 23 items and also 23 items for measuring attributing of unsuccess.

b) The SATQ (Student Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) - Zivcic-Becirevic & Anic, 1999. SATQ has been developed in Croatian language with the aim to assess the negative and positive automatic thoughts that students have during learning and it is based on the cognitive-behavioural model of learning difficulties.

Results and Discussion

As the attributive questionnaire is composed for the necessity of this research, its metrical characteristics were tested first. Internal consistency of all items Cronbach alpha) shows a value .80

It is interesting that students consider some characteristics connected with the characteristics of personality as the most important for their success in studying. They are: inner motivation, persistence, work, good organisation. The items they consider the last dominant for their success in learning are related primarily to their parents' influence. It is interesting that the worthless (intercession) was considered not so important for the success in studying.

In consideration of the most important main values it is evident that students consider giving up, inadequately learning and laziness as the main point for their unsuccess in studying. Surrounding they live in, their parents, imagination, dreaming and irregular attendance are the least important for them.

Differences between successful and unsuccessful students regarding evaluation of their SUCCESS in studying

Student's success is determined on the basis of average marks in past study. A mark average was ranging between 2,8-4,8. As successful students are recognised those ones whose marks have ranged from 3,5-4,8. As unsuccessful students are defined those ones whose mark average has been between 2,0-3,4. In consideration of that criterion 25 students were unsuccessful and 90 ones were successful. To determine which type of students attribution can differentiate students by their success in studying, analysis of variance has been conducted. Statistically it has shown significant differences between successful and unsuccessful students in 13 of 23 proffered variable of the questionnaire

- What do you find important for a success in studying . There are: general knowledge;persistence; luck; good lectures; determination; conscience; a will to gain knowledge; well organised; current mood on exam; interesting contents; responsibility; learning with interest; parents.

In regard to unsuccessful students, successful ones evaluate that the most important things for their success in studying are: persistence, good lectures, conscience, a will to gain knowledge, well organised. It seems that the majority of items relate to the importance of influence that is coming from inner factors i.e. personal characteristics of a student. These results can be explained as locus control experience of a student, which is undoubtedly connected with more effective strategies confronted during an exam.

Unsuccessful students compared to successful ones assess more important for a success as follows: general knowledge, luck, determination, current mood on exam, interesting contents, responsibility, learning with interest, parents. Given results show that the assessment by unsuccessful students depends on circumstances which are directed towards outside influence and is beyond their control. These results confirm an opinion that some individuals will feel responsible for events happening to them while the others tend to feel they are the victims of circumstances.

Differences between successful and unsuccessful students concerning evaluations of variables important for their UNSUCCESS during studying

Variance analysis of questionnaire-What do you find important for an unsuccess in studying shows that successful students differ from unsuccessful ones in 15 of 23 variables: uncertainty at choosing the subject of studying, bad organisation, fear, parents, fantasy and dreaming, tension and fear, giving up, boredom, lack of interest, current mood of professors, absence of ambition, disorganisation of faculty, overload with obligations, boring lectures, low self-confidence. Successful students, compared to unsuccessful ones assess more important for the failure at the university as follows: bad organisation, parents, tension and fear, giving up, lack of interest, absence of ambition, low self-confidence. Unsuccessful students, in comparison with successful ones, assess that their failure is due to : uncertainty at choosing the subject of studying, fear, fantasy and dreaming, boredom, current mood of professors, disorganisation of faculty, overload with obligations, boring lectures.

An analysis of variance variables, which makes great differences between successful and unsuccessful students, shows how factors of evaluation are important for failure compared to a success. Successful students attribute more influence to self- characteristics which prevent them to succeed or not which means that the locus of control comes out of their inner-self . Unsuccessful students attribute more importance to influence of surroundings looking for an excuse for their failure. In the case of unsuccessful students it is a question of less effective confrontation (fantasy and dreaming). Soric (1995) has taken a survey after causal attribution success and concluded that unsuccessful students perceive their achievement as uncontrollable and use distraction and fantasy as ways of confrontation. As a contrast successful students use a confrontation to resolve problems and emotions.

Discriminative analysis of SATQ for successful and unsuccessful students

Analysis between subsamples has been made by discriminative analysis data. By analysing two groups of data the first discriminative function has been acquired which Lambda value is 3.2856. Variables, which are the most present in defining a discriminative function are those ones that relate to automatic thoughts which speak of a worry about parents reaction (what are they going to say, I shall disappoint them) and anticipation of failure( I know nothing, I will not be able to do it, I will not be able to remember anything, it is useless to try, I will fail anyway, I shall lose a year, for sure I will fail, I can't do it).

Regarding the position of centroids it is evident that unsuccessful students achieve significantly higher results on stated variables. That result shows that cognitive factor distracts the effectiveness of students quite significantly. It is doubtless that on one side expected failure, influences on formation of frustrating personal characteristics (anxiousness, lack of concentration, feeling of incompetence, loss of self-confidence). That results in less effectiveness of students and their low achievement. Liebert and Morris (1967, according to Arambasic 1988) speak about anxiousness and achievement, stressing two components of anxiousness : care and emotional state. Care is cognitive component which corresponds with negative thoughts about contents of an exam and subsequent outcome. That cognitive component of anxiousness is directly negatively correlated with a success at exams (Morris and Liebert, 1970). Our results have also shown that.

A significant point of negative thought about failure expectation at inefficient than at efficient students have been found by Becirevic and Anic (2001). Sarason(1988) has found that persons who are preoccupied with themselves during an exam so that they undervalue and incriminate themselves are unsuccessful at an exam because they are distracted to set a task. It seems that a treatment for unsuccessful students should be directed towards cognitive restructuring of negative thoughts. Negative self-assessment, preoccupation with oneself and success at an exam are acquired mechanisms of behaviour and substantiated by real failure and unfavourable assessment by important people mostly in school surroundings but in a family circle as well.

The second group of automatic thoughts which makes a difference between successful and unsuccessful students relates to a reaction of parents. Becirevic and Anic(2001)quote the fear of disappointing parents as a factor which differentiates students based on their success efficiency and satisfaction best. They state it is clear that these are the thoughts which distract student's concentration during studying, disturb the process of retrieval and answering on the exam. It is evident that students are afraid of losing a support (emotional and material), trust and eventual anger from their parents. That information is very interesting, because it speaks of grown ups and their dependency on their parents.

If all the matters are taken into account it seems that unsuccessful students need help priority by method of cognitive restructuring above mentioned catastrophic and negative thoughts to strengthen selfconfidence, positive personal potential and streamlining a problem.

References:

1. Beck, A.T. (1976):Cognitive therapy and emotional disorders . New York. International University Press.

2. Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy for Children and Families (1998)-edited by Philip Graham, Cambridge University Press

3. Hawton,K.,Salkovskis,P.M.,Kirk,J.,Clark,D.M.( 1989):Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychiatric Problems-A Practical Guide, Oxford University Press.

4. Kendall,P.,C.(2000):Childhood Disorders, Psychology Press Ltd.UK

5. Lackovic-Grgin,K.(2000): Stres u djece i adolescenata-izvori, posrednici i u_inci Naklada Slap, Jastrebarsko.

6. Lahey, B.B., Green, K.,& Forehand, R. (1980): On the independence of ratings of hyperactivity, conduct problems, and attention deficits in children:A multiple regression analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,48,566-574

7. Soric, I.(1994) : Kauzalne atribucije i strategije suocavanja u skolskoj situaciji ispitivanja znanja, Magistarska radnja, Filozofski fakultet,Zagreb.

8. Wong, B,Y.L.,Harris,K.R. & Graham,S.(1991): Academic applications of cognitive-behavioral programs with learning disabled students, in P.C.Kendal(Ed.) Child and adolescent therapy, cognitive-behavioral procedures, 245-275.New York:Guilford Press.

9. Zivcic-Becirevic & Anic (2001):Automatic thoughts school success, efficiency and satisfaction of university students, Horizons of Psychology, 10, 1,49-59.

PROF.MARIJA LEBEDINA-MANZONI,PH.D

University of Zagreb, CROATIA

Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation

Kuslanova 59 a, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia

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