Teachers and students assuming the role of teachers (N = 375) rated the importance of effort, ability, tasks difficulty, and teachers’ attitudes in explaining grades earned by high- and low-achieving students with high, moderate, and low levels of motivation. Attributions about ability distinguished protocols of highly motivated students from those of students with moderate and low motivation. Attributions about task difficulty distinguished protocols of highly motivated, low-achieving students from protocols of low-achieving students with lower motivation. The disadvantage of attributing achievement to stable factors is discussed.
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