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Causal Attributions and Reading Achievement: Individual Differences in Low-Income Families
1Faculty of Education, Memorial University
Contemporary Educational Psychology
|October 1, 1996
Summary
Children’s reading achievement is linked to their beliefs about why they succeed or struggle. Parents’ views also align with their children’s, with older students attributing success more to themselves.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Understanding causal attributions in reading is crucial for educational interventions.
- Low-income families face unique challenges influencing children's academic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine causal attributions about reading in low-income families.
- To investigate the relationship between children's reading achievement and their attributions.
- To explore the connection between children's self-attributions and parental attributions.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 513 students (Grades 3, 6, 9) and their parents from low-income backgrounds.
- Students and parents rated the importance of seven causal variables for reading outcomes.
- Reading achievement was assessed using the Gates-MacGinitie reading comprehension test.
Main Results:
- Student attributions for reading success/failure were reliably related to achievement.
- Attributions to ability, liking for reading, and home help were particularly critical.
- Parental attributions consistently correlated with student attributions across grades.
- Older students increasingly attributed reading performance to internal factors.
Conclusions:
- Causal attributions for reading are significant predictors of academic achievement in low-income students.
- Parental beliefs about reading causations influence children's attributions.
- Developmentally, students shift towards self-attributed causality for reading performance.