Objective: This study uses the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to measure the causal thinking of 42 college students with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LD), ADHD, or co-occurring ADHD and LD. Attribution style, or explanatory style, is a term used to describe the tendencies of individuals to think that the causes of meaningful events are internal or external, global or specific, and stable or unstable.
Method: No significant differences in explanatory styles are found among the three subgroups. The study also investigates whether there is a relationship between explanatory style and grades.
Results: Significant positive correlations are found between ASQ scores and grade point averages for the subgroup with co-occurring ADHD and LD and for the three subgroups combined.
Conclusion: These findings are significant because they continue to clarify factors related to the postsecondary success of students with LD and attention deficit disorders.
Abramson, L., Seligman, M. E. P., & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(1), 49-74.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the nature of self-control. New York: Guilford.
4.
Buchanan, G. M., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1995). Explanatory style. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
5.
Butkowski, I. S., & Willows, D. M. (1980). Cognitive-motivational characteristics of children varying in reading ability: Evidence for learned helplessness. Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 408-422.
6.
Farrell, E. (2003). Paying attention to students who can’t. Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(5). Retrieved August 25, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database.
7.
Gerber, P. J., & Reiff, H. B. (1994). Learning disabilities in adulthood: Persisting problems and evolving issues. Boston: Andover Medical.
8.
Hall, N. C., Hladkyj, S., Perry, R. P., & Ruthig, J. C. (2004). The role of attribution retraining and elaborative learning in college students’ academic development. The Journal of Social Psychology, 144(6), 591-612.
9.
Hoza, B., Pelham, W. E., Milich, R., Pillow, D., & McBride, K. (1993). The self-perceptions and attributions of attention deficit hyperactivity disordered and non-referred boys. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 21(3), 271-287. Retrieved September 24, 2003, from Infotrac database.
10.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. Retrieved March 21, 2006, from http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html
11.
Jacobsen, B., Lowery, B., & DuCette, J. (1986). Attributions of learning disabled children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 78, 59-64.
12.
Kaidar, I., Weiner, J., & Tannock, R. (2003). The attributions of children with AD/HD for their problem behaviors. Journal of Attention Disorders, 6(3), 99-108.
13.
Lerner, J. W. (1997). Learning disabilities: Theories, diagnosis, and teaching strategies (7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
14.
Licht, B. G., & Kistner, J. A. (1986). Motivational problems of learning disabled children: Individual differences and their implications for treatment. In J. K. Torgeson & B. W. L. Wong (Eds.), Psychological and educational perspectives on learning disabilities (pp. 225-255). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
15.
Mangrum, C. T., II, & Strichart, S. S. (Eds.). (2000). Colleges with programs for students with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Thomson Learning.
16.
Martinez, R., & Sewell, K. W. (2000). Explanatory style as a predictor of college performance in students with physical disabilities. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 66(1). Retrieved April 27, 2005, from Infotrac database.
17.
Miller, M., & Fritz, M. F. (1998). A demonstration of resilience. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33, 265-271.
18.
Peterson, C., Semmel, A., von Bayer, C., Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1982). The Attributional Style Questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6(3), 287-300.
19.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1984). Causal explanations as a risk factor for depression: Theory and evidence. Psychological Review, 91(3), 347-374.
20.
Peterson, C., & Barrett, L. C. (1987). Explanatory style and academic performance among university freshmen. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(3), 603-607.
21.
Peterson, C., Colvin, D., & Lin, E. (1992). Explanatory style and helplessness. Social Behavior and Personality, 20, 1-14.
22.
Presnell, M. J. (1999). Self-esteem and attributional style in college students reporting childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. (UMI # 9941660).
23.
Reivich, K. (1995). The measurement of explanatory style. In G. M. Buchanan & M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.), Explanatory style (pp. 21-47). Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
24.
Schulman, P. (1995). Explanatory style and achievement in school and work. In G. M. Buchanan & M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.), Explanatory style (pp. 159-171). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
25.
Settle, S. A., & Milich, R. (1999). Social persistence following failure in boys and girls with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 32(3), 201-212.
26.
Sharma, V., & Mavi, J. (2001). Self-esteem and performance on word tasks. The Journal of Social Psychology, 141(6), 723-727. Retrieved October 1, 2003, from Infotrac database.
27.
Shaw-Zirt, B., Popali-Lehane, L., Chaplin, W., & Bergman, A. (2005). Adjustment, social skills, and self-esteem in college students with symptoms of ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 8(3), 109-120.
28.
Shmulsky, S. (2003). Social and emotional issues associated with learning disabilities. In L. C. Shea & S. W. Strothman (Eds.), Understanding learning disabilities at the postsecondary level: A landmark college guide (pp. 63-76). Putney, VT: Landmark College.
29.
Tabassam, W., & Grainger, J. (2002). Self-concept, attributional style, and self-efficacy beliefs of students with learning disabilities with and without AD/HD. Learning Disability Quarterly, 25(2), 141-152. Retrieved October 15, 2003, from Infotrac database.
30.
Tennen, H., & Hersberger, S. (1986). Attributional Style Questionnaire. In D. J. Keyser & R. C. Sweetland (Eds.), Test critiques (Vol. 4, pp. 20-30). Kansas City, KS: Test Corporation of America.
31.
Tominey, M. F. (1996, February). Attribution style as a predictor of academic success for students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder in postsecondary education. Paper presented at the International Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association, Chicago.
32.
Treuting, J. J., & Hinshaw, S. P. (2001). Depression and self-esteem in boys with AD/HD: Associations with comorbid aggression and explanatory attributional mechanisms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(1), 1-25.
33.
Vogel, S., Hruby, P. J., & Adelman, P. B. (1993). Educational and psychological factors in successful and unsuccessful college students with learning disabilities. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
34.
Vogel, S. (2002, September). Success for students with LD in higher education. Presentation given at Landmark College, Putney, Vermont.
35.
Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review, 92, 543-573.
