Future Direction of Attribution Retraining for Students with Learning Difficulties: A Review

Is it possible to improve an individual's ability without any direct practise of the topic? Examining the way in which students think about learning and what motivates them to engage in learning material is a fundamental step in the learning process. Consideration has to be given to the effect that low self-esteem can have on the motivation and interest of a child to learn (e.g., Moriarty, Douglas, Punch, and Hattie, 1995). Once a student encounters difficulties in a particular subject area they appear to disengage with academic material on that topic (Kunnen and Steenbeek, 1999). If a student holds the belief that they do not have the capability to achieve in a task, and this belief is continually reinforced by frequent failures, then it is to be expected that the student will reduce the amount of effort they apply to that topic and will reallocate it to a task where positive gains are observed. For example, if a student with reading difficulties concludes that their ability is the main reason limiting their progress in reading, it is likely that they will disengage when reading is the area of study. This is a mechanism to protect their self-esteem, and they will most likely re-direct their focus to an area which does not threaten their self-esteem, such as social interaction. This chapter provides a timely review of the literature on cognitive behavioural approaches and how this can affect students' attributions for success and failure in learning.