The relationship of attributional beliefs to self-esteem

Several studies have reported that beliefs about the causes of events (i.e., causal attributions) are related to achievement-oriented behavior. Skinner (1995) has suggested that achievement-oriented behavior is related to beliefs about successful strategies and beliefs about the capacity to enact those strategies. Based on Skinner's research, Wellborn, Connell, and Skinner (1989) developed the Students' Perception of Control Questionnaire (SPOCQ). In the present investigation, the SPOCQ was adapted for use with adolescents and adults. The SPOCQ and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were administered to 147 college students. The internal consistency and the intercorrelations of the SPOCQ subscales were found to be acceptable. Additionally, SPOCQ scores were related to self-esteem and grade point average. There were statistically significant differences in the SPOCQ scores for males and females and in the relation of SPOCQ scores to self-esteem. It is suggested that the three constructs measured by the SPOCQ (control, strategies, and capacity) provide a more complete description of attributional beliefs than do previous scales.