Student motivation and achievement in relation to Attribution Theory were examined in this study. Public school students (N = 1,114) were asked to respond to items on Asmus's Music Attribution Orientation Scale, indicating those causes that they attributed most to succeeding or failing in music. Results showed that, collectively, students placed more importance on ability and effort as causal attributions. Gender, school level, and school system were found to have significant effects on student response. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed.
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