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7International Annual Edition of Applied Psychology : Theory, Research, and Practice Volume 6, Issue 1, 2019.
ATTRIBUTIONS OF TEACHER ACHIEVEMENTS AND MOTIVATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITY
Aida M. Mutalimova,
Dagestan State University,
43-a, Gadjiev Street, Makhachkala, Russia
aidamag@inbox. ru
Abstract
The article presents the results of an empirical study of the types of causal attributions, attributive style of teachers and motivation of pedagogical activity. It is shown that the influence of the style of attribution of teachers on the manifestations of external and internal motivation of pedagogical activity.
Key words: motivation of pedagogical activity, achievements, type of causal attribution of achievements, attributive style of personality, optimism, pessimism.
In modern psychology, a large number of studies have been carried out, in which a detailed analysis was subjected to pedagogical activity, as a result of which its characteristics were established, its structure was revealed. In most studies of pedagogical activity, it is noted that it is a complex, holistic, multidimensional reality, system education.
The study of the relationship between causal attribution and motivation of professional activity of the teacher to a certain extent sheds light on the solution of the problem of indirect influence of causal attribution on the effectiveness of pedagogical activity.
In our study, it was suggested that the type and style of attribution determines the motivation of professional activity of teachers.
To diagnose the type of attribution of achievements, we used a modified version of the Bugenthal - Whalen -Huneker method (Whitehead, Anderson, 1987)
ISSN 2313-4097
developed in accordance with the theory of attribution of B. Weiner [1]. The method was modified by I.I. Ilyasov and M.M. Dalgatov and belongs to the number of blank [2]. Subjects are asked to evaluate the role of abilities, effort, task difficulty, luck (luck), help from the outside, mood, individual style (methods) of work and health (health) in the success and failure of their professional activities, and then rank them by importance, attributing these factors to the corresponding figure (rank).
The methodology is a questionnaire that includes instructions and a list of causal factors that determine the success and failure of teachers in their professional activities. Causal factors, called B. Weiner types of attribution, include: ability, effort, luck (luck), difficulty of the task, help from the outside, mood, individual style of work and well-being. Subjects are asked to evaluate the place and role of these factors in determining success and failure in their professional activities, for which they need to assign each factor a rank from 1 to 6.
1. The situation of success (what defines my success?)
№ Factors (conditions) that determine your success Place (rank)
1 Having the ability to ( )
2 Efforts made, strive ( )
3 Easy task ( )
4 luck ( )
5 Help from (other people) ( )
6 Good mood ( )
7 Own (individual) style, method, method of work ( )
8 Well - being and health ( )
2. The situation of the failure (what determines my failures?)
№ Factors (conditions) that determine Your failures Place (rank)
1 Lack of ability ( )
2 The lack of effort of effort (laziness) ( )
3 Difficulty of tasks ( )
4 Lack of luck, ( )
5 Lack of help from outside and the presence of external interference (from other people) ( )
6 Bad mood ( )
7 Own (individual) style, method, method of work ( )
8 Poor health and well-being ( )
The results obtained on the forms of the method are recorded in summary tables, where all the subjects of the study sample are recorded. The conclusion about the presence or absence of one or another type of attribution (causal factor) is made on the basis of what place is occupied by a particular factor in the ranking.
It is believed that if this factor is assigned the first, second or third rank, then the subject is dominated by this type of attribution. If the factor was assigned to the sixth, seventh or eighth place, it indicates the absence of the appropriate type of attribution. If the factor is assigned to the fourth or fifth place, it indicates the situational explanation of this causal factor. First, the dominant type of attribution is determined for each subject, then the entire sample is grouped according to the predominance of the corresponding type of attribution, and separately for the situation of success and the situation of failure.
According to the attributive theory of B. Weiner, attribution is considered favorable when teachers explain their success by the presence of high abilities, efforts and individual style of work, and failure - the lack or insufficiency of effort, inefficiency of style and method, as well as a bad mood. Unfavorable is usually called such attribution, when success is due to chance, luck, ease of the task, help from the outside (i.e., external reasons), and failure-the absence or insufficiency of such a stable, internal factor as ability.
To measure the explanatory style of personality, a modified questionnaire of M. Seligman's attributive style "test for optimism" developed by L.M. Rudina was used [3]. The questionnaire of formal-dynamic properties of V.M. Rusalov's individuality was adopted as a sample for the development of the method. The process of constructing the "optimism Test" consisted of several stages. The structure of "Attributive Style Questionnare" by M. Seligman was taken as a basis: 48 questions of 8 for each of the 6 scales:
PmB (Permanent Bad) - constancy in explaining the causes of trouble;
PmG (Permanent Good) - constancy in explaining good events;
PvB (Pervasiveness Bad) - latitude parameter-specific or universal explanation
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of helplessness;
PvG (Pervasiveness Good) - estimation of optimism from the position of latitude for good events;
PsB (Personalization Bad) - evaluation of personalization in bad conditions;
PsG (Personalization Good) - evaluation of personalization in good conditions.
The method is carried out individually with each subject. Instructions are available on the form. If necessary, repeated and explained orally.
It can be assumed that a person who demonstrates "calm optimism" is more likely to have adaptive life strategies. In a problematic situation, such a person will be focused on action in both the cognitive and behavioral spheres, developing a sufficient list of alternatives and acting on the developed scheme. The pessimist (as well as the unrestrained optimist) is state-oriented. He is not inclined to create a variable field for solving the problem, nor to actively act.
Individual attributive style is a stable, but not invariable characteristic. There are well-developed methods of cognitive-style features of thinking (A. Ellis, S. Wallen, M. Seligman), aimed at changing the attributive style [3].
For diagnostics of motivation of professional activity of teachers the method of K. Zamfir in modification of A.A. Rean "Motivation of professional activity" was applied [4].
This method is based on the concept of internal and external motivation. With the dominance of internal motivation for the individual is important activity in itself, its content and procedural aspects. If the motivation of professional activity is based on the desire to meet other needs that are external to the content of the activity itself (motives of social prestige, salary, etc.), then we are talking about external motivation. External motives themselves are differentiated into external positive and external negative. External positive motives are undoubtedly more effective and more desirable from all points of view than external negative motives.
The study involved 128 teachers: 79 teachers of secondary schools in Makhachkala, Izberbash, and 49 University teachers (Dagestan state University and
Dagestan state pedagogical University).
After examining the types of motivation of the subjects, we found the influence of almost all types of attribution in a situation of failure on internal motivation. In a situation of success, internal motivation is influenced by attributions to the difficulty of the task and to help from the outside (Table. 1). External positive motivation is influenced by the attribution of success to mood and the attribution of success to luck. Attributing success to an individual style affects external negative motivation.
Table.1. The main results of the variance analysis of the influence of success/failure
attribution types on motivation
Independent Variables Dependent Variables RMS F Amount Eta-Products RMS F Amount Eta-products
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Attribution to Abilities Internal Motivation ,459 ,233 ,630 ,002 21,196 11,764 ,001 ,085
External Negative Motivation ,007 ,000 ,996 ,000 11,376 5,115 ,025 ,039
Attribution to Effort Internal Motivation 2,458 1,260 ,264 ,010 27,925 15,972 ,000 ,113
Attribution to Luck Internal Motivation 4,723 2,444 ,120 ,019 19,845 10,949 ,001 ,080
External Positive Motivation 4,366 4,332 ,039 ,033 ,245 ,235 ,628 ,002
External Negative Motivation 5,196 2,286 ,133 ,018 29,645 14,259 ,000 ,102
Attribution to Difficulty Internal Motivation 11,479 6,110 ,015 ,046 23,882 13,413 ,000 ,096
External Negative Motivation ,601 ,260 ,611 ,002 13,176 5,963 ,016 ,045
Attribution to Help Internal Motivation 9,747 5,120 ,025 ,040 11,683 6,187 ,014 ,047
Attribution to Mood Internal Motivation ,415 ,210 ,648 ,002 16,018 8,692 ,004 ,065
External Positive Motivation 7,949 8,054 ,005 ,061 ,004 ,004 ,949 ,000
External Negative Motivation 2,418 1,039 ,310 ,008 18,039 8,308 ,005 ,062
Attribution to Style of Work Internal Motivation 4,817 2,478 ,118 ,020 5,563 2,889 ,092 ,022
External Negative Motivation 21,972 10,122 ,002 ,075 14,218 6,458 ,012 ,049
Attribution to Health Internal Motivation ,572 ,289 ,592 ,002 31,859 18,330 ,000 ,130
Comparing the average values of both groups of subjects, we can say the following. In subjects with the attribution of failure to abilities indicators of internal motivation is lower, and external negative higher than in subjects with the absence of this attribution (Table. 2).
Table 2. The average level of motivation of teachers on the presence or absence of attribution
of success/failure to ability
Dependent Variables Attribution to Abilities RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Internal Motivation Presence 3,7863 1,35906 117 3,2326 1,37732 43
Absence 4,0000 1,83030 11 4,0941 1,32444 85
Total 3,8047 1,39802 128 3,8047 1,39802 128
External Negative Motivation Presence 2,8299 1,51238 117 3,2488 1,42518 43
Absence 2,8273 1,62117 11 2,6176 1,52332 85
Total 2,8297 1,51530 128 2,8297 1,51530 128
Conversely, the subjects with the attribution of failure to efforts have higher internal motivation indicators than the group with the absence of this attribution (Table. 3).
Table 3. Average values of the level of internal motivation of teachers with the presence or absence of attribution of success/failure to effort, help, health
Independent Variables Presence or Absence of Attribution RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Attribution of Effort Presence 3,8380 1,38072 121 4,1973 1,22286 75
Absence 3,2286 1,68297 7 3,2491 1,45200 53
Total 3,8047 1,39802 128 3,8047 1,39802 128
Attribution to Help from the Outside Presence 4,1426 1,32517 54 3,5384 1,46900 73
Absence 3,5806 1,41925 72 4,1519 1,23376 54
Total 3,8214 1,40238 126 3,7992 1,40218 127
Attribution to Health Presence 3,7244 1,42000 41 4,3131 1,22290 61
Absence 3,8682 1,39985 85 3,3031 1,40328 64
Total 3,8214 1,40238 126 3,7960 1,40749 125
Analyzing the average values of internal motivation [Tab. 4], we can confidently say that subjects with the attribution of success to the difficulty of the task and to help from the indicators of this motivation is lower than subjects with the absence of these attributions.
Table 4. Average values of the level of motivation of teachers with the presence or absence of attribution of success/failure to the difficulty of the task
Dependent Variables Attributions to Difficulty of the Task RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Internal Motivation Presence 3,2115 1,51111 26 3,3925 1,48990 67
Absence 3,9559 1,33369 102 4,2574 1,13893 61
Total 3,8047 1,39802 128 3,8047 1,39802 128
External Negative Motivation Presence 2,9654 1,35763 26 3,1358 1,50290 67
Absence 2,7951 1,55725 102 2,4934 1,46832 61
Total 2,8297 1,51530 128 2,8297 1,51530 128
The average values of intrinsic motivation in the subjects with the attribution of failure to ability, to no luck (Tab. 5), the difficulty of the task and the lack of help from the side is lower than in subjects who explain their failures by other causal factors. Indicators of internal motivation in the presence of subject's attribution of failure to efforts, to mood or to health, on the contrary, higher than in subjects with the absence of these attributions.
Table 5. The average level of motivation of teachers on the presence or absence of attribution
of success/failure to luck
Dependent Variables Attribution to Luck RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Internal Motivation Presence 3,4853 1,48979 34 3,4109 1,45418 64
Absence 3,9202 1,35302 94 4,1984 1,22895 64
Total 3,8047 1,39802 128 3,8047 1,39802 128
External Positive Motivation Presence ,8382 ,71181 34 1,1891 ,95171 64
Absence 1,2564 1,08889 94 1,1016 1,08414 64
Total 1,1453 1,01700 128 1,1453 1,01700 128
The reliable influence of attribution on external positive motivation was found only in the case of attribution of success and failure to luck (Tab. 5). The average level of external positive motivation in subjects with the attribution of success to luck is lower, and with the attribution of failure is higher than in subjects with the absence of this attribution.
Low average values of external negative motivation were found in subjects with attribution of success to individual style, as well as with attribution of failure to
mood and attribution of failure to individual style of work. High indicators of this motivation were found in subjects with attribution of failure to the ability and difficulty of the task (Tab.6-7).
Table 6. Average values of the level of motivation of teachers with the presence or absence of
attribution of success/failure to the mood
Dependent Variables Attribution to Mood RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
Internal Motivation Presence 3,7444 1,41751 45 4,1167 1,27798 72
Absence 3,8642 1,40092 81 3,4036 1,45377 56
Total 3,8214 1,40238 126 3,8047 1,39802 128
External Positive Motivation Presence 1,4933 1,16099 45 1,1504 1,09641 72
Absence ,9691 ,88791 81 1,1388 ,91454 56
Total 1,1563 1,02109 126 1,1453 1,01700 128
External Negative Motivation Presence 3,0089 1,62324 45 2,4986 1,50534 72
Absence 2,7198 1,46956 81 3,2554 1,43133 56
Total 2,8230 1,52610 126 2,8297 1,51530 128
Table 7. Average values of the level of motivation of teachers with the presence or absence o: attribution of success/failure to the style and method of work
Dependent Variables Attribution to Style of Work RMS SD N RMS SD N
Situation of Success Situation of Failure
External Negative Motivation Presence 2,4787 1,48327 75 2,4518 1,44474 56
Absence 3,3294 1,45840 51 3,1236 1,51327 72
Total 2,8230 1,52610 126 2,8297 1,51530 128
The study of the influence of attribution styles on motivation types also revealed the influence of some parameters on motivation. Table 8 presents the main results of the variance analysis of this effect.
As we can see from the table, the attribution style affects internal and partly external negative motivation.
Table 8. The main results of the variance analysis of the influence of attribution style on the
motivation of teachers
Parameters of Dependent Variables RMS F Amount Eta-
Attribution Style Products
PmB Internal Motivation 34,555 19,484 ,000 ,147
External Negative Motivation 20,476 9,492 ,003 ,077
PVB External Negative Motivation 10,236 4,554 ,035 ,039
PvG Internal Motivation 8,597 4,291 ,041 ,037
HOB Internal Motivation 8,593 4,290 ,041 ,037
External Negative Motivation 42,584 21,709 ,000 ,161
PSG Internal Motivation 9,833 4,935 ,028 ,042
B GR Internal Motivation 13,306 6,783 ,010 ,057
External Negative Motivation 20,495 9,502 ,003 ,078
G GR Internal Motivation 12,057 6,112 ,015 ,051
G-B GR Internal Motivation 7,950 3,957 ,049 ,034
External Negative Motivation 10,158 4,518 ,036 ,038
The average level of internal motivation of subjects with an optimistic style on the parameters of constancy of adverse events (PmB) and breadth (universality) of favorable events (PvG) is higher than that of pessimists on the same parameters. Also, optimists on the coefficient of hope (H0B), personalization in good events (PSG), on the final indicators in favorable (G_GR) and unfavorable events (B_GR), as well as on the overall result (G-B_GR) indicators of internal motivation are higher than pessimists (Table. 9). For other parameters, no significant influence on internal motivation was found.
Table.9. Average values of the level of internal motivation of teachers who differ in the
parameters of attribute styles
Parameters of Attribution Style Attribution Style RMS SD Confidence interval N
Lower Limit Upper Limit
PmB Optimism 4,2743 1,12065 3,959 4,590 70
Pessimism 3,1511 1,60788 2,758 3,544 45
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
PvG Pessimism 3,6274 1,60531 3,299 3,956 73
Optimism 4,1952 ,99779 3,763 4,628 42
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
HOB Optimism 4,1105 1,31362 3,739 4,482 57
Pessimism 3,5638 1,50865 3,196 3,932 58
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
PSG Optimism 4,6538 ,37553 3,878 5,429 13
Pessimism 3,7304 1,48736 3,454 4,007 102
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
B GR Optimism 4,1839 1,24269 3,813 4,555 56
Pessimism 3,5034 1,53533 3,142 3,865 59
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
G_GR Pessimism 3,5138 1,65947 3,148 3,879 58
Optimism 4,1614 1,08509 3,793 4,530 57
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
G-B GR Pessimism 3,5741 1,58342 3,205 3,943 58
Optimism 4,1000 1,22547 3,728 4,472 57
Total 3,8348 1,43564 115
When investigating the influence of attribution style on the external negative motivation has determined the following: the pessimists for parameter constancy in adverse situations (PmB), the breadth (universality) of adverse events (PvB), the factor of hope (H0B), the final terms in adverse situations (B_GR) and total (G-B_GR) have the highest level of external negative motivation (Table. 10).
Table 10. Average values of the level of external negative motivation of teachers who differ in
the parameters of attribute styles
Parameters of Attribution Style Attribution Style RMS SD Confidence interval N
Lower Limit Upper Limit
PmB Optimism 2,4843 1,42835 2,136 2,832 70
Pessimism 3,3489 1,52995 2,915 3,783 45
Total 2,8226 1,52247 115
PvB Optimism 2,5468 1,44094 2,170 2,924 62
Pessimism 3,1453 1,56495 2,737 3,553 53
Total 2,8226 1,52247 115
HOB Optimism 2,2088 1,34765 1,841 2,576 57
Pessimism 3,4259 1,45066 3,062 3,790 58
Total 2,8226 1,52247 115
B GR Optimism 2,3893 1,45160 2,000 2,778 56
Pessimism 3,2339 1,48470 2,855 3,613 59
Total 2,8226 1,52247 115
G-B GR Pessimism 3,1172 1,56319 2,727 3,507 58
Optimism 2,5228 1,43178 2,129 2,916 57
Total 2,8226 1,52247 115
Summing up the results of the study, it is necessary to note the following. Teachers with the dominance of internal motivation attribute in the situation of success to the individual style (methods) of work (favorable attribution). In a
situation of failure, such teachers attribute to effort, to mood, or to health (favorable attribution). That is, teachers with favorable attribution in a situation of success and failure is dominated by internal motivation and for them their professional activity is significant in itself. Subjects with favorable attribution in a situation of success and failure have low rates of external negative motivation.
With regard to the attribution style, we note here that optimists are dominated by internal motivation, and external negative motivation is expressed to the least extent. Teachers-pessimists is the reverse of the picture: extrinsic motivation prevails over the internal.
Thus, our empirical research has allowed us to detect the dependence of the motivation of pedagogical activity on the causal attributions of subjects.
References
[1] Whitehead, G.J., Anderson, W.F. (1987). Children's Causal Attribution to Self and Others as a Function of Outcome and Task. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 79. No. 2. Pp. 192194.
[2] Dalgatov, M.M. (2006). Causal Attribution and Activity: Phenomenology, Research and Change. Moscow: UMK "Psychology". 334 p. (in Russian).
[3] Rudina, L.M. (2002) Test for Optimism: a Method for Determining Attributes Styles: Based on "Attributive Style Questionnaire" by M.E. Seligman. Methodological Guide Under. Moscow: Science. 21 p. (in Russian).
[4] Rean A.A. (1996) Psychodiagnostics of Personality in the Pedagogical Process. St. Petersburg. 109 p. (in Russian).
