Week 6: Attributional Tendencies 29 May 2020

Week 6: Attributional Tendencies

29 May 2020

 

     This post will discuss attribution tendencies in cultures and some challenges that teachers face in the classroom.

     First of all, what are attributions and what types does it have? 

     Attributions are the way people make judgments about the cause of events and behavior. There are four types of it: 

•   internal - stable
•   internal - unstable 
•   external – stable
•   external – unstable

     Let’s see what each of these terms mean. Internal attribution means that one finds reasons for events in the person, related to the person’s character, feelings, behavior, etc. External attribution makes people find causes in environmental conditions, not depending on the person. Stable attribution is when someone blames a condition that is always that way. Unstable attribution is when the condition causing the event is temporary.

     Here are some examples. If a student succeeds in a test, the reason for it can be that he/she is smart (internal), he/she had a lot of time to study in preparation for it (unstable). If a student fails a test, then maybe the test was too difficult (external), the student never passes tests (stable).

     Some attributions are common in certain cultures. I love how it explains this in the video below.

     Now, about attributions and the bias that can be in the classroom. Teachers are naturally a part of some cultures, and therefore, they do follow one of the attributions mentioned above. I think this should not be the case in the multicultural classroom. In general, students should be safe knowing that the teacher understands them and their cultural background. So, if the teacher makes a comment that does not correspond with the student’s culture, it will raise the affective filter and impede the learning process. In my opinion, teachers should not blame anyone or anything for students’ failure. They can keep it neutral and help the student, instead of blaming. Additionally, other students can follow the good example of their teacher and not make blaming comments about their peers. So, the teacher’s attitude matters a lot and is essential to present a good model.

     In my home country, some major improvements could be made in this aspect. For instance, the attribution can be changed towards the external- unstable when the students fail. I think there is a stereotype here that the student never does enough studying and hence fails. So, this could be a good start if it was improved.

     I call everyone to review their attribution type and use those which would inspire, encourage, motivate, lift, and help another person!

References

https://wattersattribution.wordpress.com/

https://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/socialpsychology/section3/

 

Mane Mamajanyan