The effect of attribution and persistence retraining on reading achievement in third, fourth and fifth grade learning‐disabled students

Research related to learning disabled (LD) students has evidenced the effects of repeated failures on attributions for success and failure and suggested that these motivation constructs may effect overall academic achievement. Studies have demonstrated that attribution and persistence retraining result in short-term improvement in math and heightened reading persistence and increased effort. This study aimed to directly measure increases in reading ability as a result of changes in persistence, effort and attributions. The procedures for this study followed a pretest, intervention, posttest schedule. A sample of LD students were matched on the basis of single word reading ability. The matching procedure produced three groups: (a) the attribution retraining group (ARG), (b) control group 1 (CG1) and (c) control group 2 (CG2). The ARG and CG1 were then pretested with regard to persistence for reading difficult material and attributions for success and failure in reading. After pretesting an attribution and persistence treatment was conducted with the ARG over the course of 14 weeks for 10, 30 minute individual sessions. Each group was then posttested for word identification, reading persistence and attributions for success and failure in reading using the pretesting measures. It had been anticipated that the ARG would demonstrate reading achievement gains among those students who were low on initial persistence, but not among those who were high on initial persistence. ANCOVA results yielded a demonstrated increase in reading achievement for all initial levels of persistence. Secondly, it had been anticipated that students reporting extrinsic attributions for successful reading could be retrained to report intrinsic attributions and that the retraining would effect single word reading achievement. Lastly, it was anticipated that attribution retraining would negatively effect reading achievement for students who initially reported intrinsic attributions. ANCOVA analysis revealed that attribution training does increase single word reading achievement for students who initially report extrinsic attributions. Students who initially reported high levels of intrinsic attributions for success demonstrated lower single word reading gains. Overall, this study suggests that assessment of achievement motivation is of utmost importance for LD students'' reading achievement and that retraining in this area should be selectively conducted.