Skip to main content
Log in

Cognitive-behavioral interventions for increasing motivation

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Interventions aimed at improving students' achievement behavior by promoting adaptive attributions for success and failure are described. Issues concerning identification of appropriate recipients of these interventions, content and method of training, and evaluation of treatment effectiveness are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ames, C. (1984). Achievement attributions and self-instructions under competitive and individualistic goal structures.Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 478–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C. A., & Jennings, D. L. (1980). When experiences of failure promote expectations of success: The impact of attributing failure to ineffective strategies.Journal of Personality, 48, 393–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, G. R., & Debus, R. L. (1978). Persistence and the causal perception of failure: Modifying cognitive attributions.Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 154–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. L. (1980). Metacognitive development and reading. In R. J. Spiro, B. Bruce, & W. F. Brewer (Eds.),Theoretical issues in reading comprehension (pp. 453–481). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butkowsky, I. S., & Willows, D. M. (1980). Cognitive-motivational characteristics of children varying in reading ability: Evidence for learned helplessness in poor readers.Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 408–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapin, M., & Dyck, D. G. (1976). Persistence in children's reading behavior as a function of N length and attribution retraining.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 511–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clifford, M. M. (1984). Thoughts on a theory of constructive failure.Educational Psychology, 19, 108–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Covington, M. V., & Beery, R. (1976).Self-worth and school learning. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, C. I., & Dweck, C. S. (1978). An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 451–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dweck, C. S. (1975). The role of expectations and attributions in the alleviation of learned helplessness.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 674–685.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dweck, C. S., & Elliot, E. S. (1983). Achievement motivation. In E. Mavis Hetherington (Ed.),Socialization, Personality, and Social Development (pp. 645–691). Volume 4 of P. H. Mussen (Ed.),Handbook of child psychology. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dweck, C. S., & Goetz, T. E. (1978). Attributions and learned helplessness. In J. H. Harvey, W. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd (Eds.),New directions in attribution research (Vol. 2, pp. 157–179). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dweck, C. S., & Reppucci, N. D. (1973). Learned helplessness and reinforcement responsibility in children.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 25, 109–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elig, T. W., & Frieze, I. H. (1979). Measuring causal attributions for success and failure.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 621–634.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, E. S., & Dweck, C. S. (1981).Children's achievement goals as determinants of learned helpless and mastery-oriented achievement patterns: An experimental analysis. Unpublished manuscript, Harvard University.

  • Fowler, J. W., & Peterson, P. L. (1981). Increasing reading persistence and altering attributional style of learned helpless children.Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 251–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Licht, B. G. (1983). Cognitive-motivational factors that contribute to the achievement of

  • Meyer, W-. U. (1982). Indirect communications about perceived ability estimates.Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 888–897.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R. L., Brickman, P., & Bolen, D. (1975). Attribution versus persuasion as a means for modifying behavior.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 430–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, J. G. (1976). Effort is virtuous, but it's better to have ability: Evaluative responses to perceptions of effort and ability.Journal of Research in Personality, 10, 306–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, J. G. (1978). The development of the concepts of effort and ability, perception of own attainment, and the understanding that difficult tasks require more ability.Child Development, 49, 800–814.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, J. G., (1983). Conceptions of ability and achievement motivation: A theory and its implications for education. In S. G. Paris, G. M. Olson, & H. W. Stevenson (Eds.),Learning and motivation in the classroom (pp. 211–239). Hillsdale, New Jersey. Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearl, R. (1982). LD children's attributions for success and failure: A replication with a labeled learning disabled sample.Learning Disability Quarterly, 5, 173–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearl, R., Bryan, T., & Herzog, A. (1983). Learning disabled and nondisabled children's strategy analyses under high and low success conditions.Learning Disability Quarterly, 6, 67–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pflaum, S. W., & Pascarella, E. T. (1982). Attribution retraining for learning disabled students: Some thoughts on the practical implications of the evidence.Learning Disability Quarterly, 5, 422–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, D. H. (1981). Modeling and attributional effects on children's achievement: A self efficacy analysis.Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 93–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, D. H. (1982). Effects of effort attributional feedback on children's perceived self-efficacy and achievement.Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 548–556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, D. H. (1983). Ability versus effort attributional feedback: Differential effects on self efficacy and achievement.Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 848–856.

    Google Scholar 

  • Short, E. J., & Ryan, E. B. (1984). Metacognitive differences between skilled and less skilled readers: Remediating deficits through story grammar and attribution training.Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 225–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, A., & Pashley, B. (1982). Effects of classroom training on LD students' task persistence and attributions.Learning Disability Quarterly, 5, 133–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. (1979). A theory of motivation of some classroom experiences.Journal of Educational psychology, 71, 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. (1983). Some methodological pitfalls in attribution research.Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 530–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisz, J. R. (1979). Perceived control and learned helplessness among mentally retarded and nonretarded children: A developmental analysis.Developmental Psychology, 15, 311–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, T. D., & Linville, P. W. (1982). Improving the academic performance of college freshmen: Attribution therapy revisited.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 367–376.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pearl, R. Cognitive-behavioral interventions for increasing motivation. J Abnorm Child Psychol 13, 443–453 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00912727

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00912727

Keywords

Navigation