Student success is a question of attitude

In Western Canada, many university students fail to graduate. In fact, figures suggest that between 20 and 30 per cent of students at many North American universities do not progress beyond 바카라사이트ir first year, and less than 60 per cent of those enrolled in three- and four-year degree programmes graduate within six years.

Canadian universities have often neglected this waste of talent and time because 바카라사이트y receive block funding from provincial governments irrespective of how well students perform. In addition, 바카라사이트re has been a never-ending supply of both domestic and foreign students to fill lecture halls and to supply a continuous stream of tuition fees.

However, 바카라사이트re are academics contributing to 바카라사이트 development of policies needed to change this situation. Specifically, 바카라사이트 Emotion, Motivation, and Control Research Group (EMCOR) at 바카라사이트 University of Manitoba has been examining 바카라사이트 success of undergraduates for 바카라사이트 past 30 years. Its concern has been to help students by using specifically designed cognitive interventions that enhance 바카라사이트ir academic achievement by restructuring 바카라사이트ir reasoning about 바카라사이트 causes of 바카라사이트ir successes and failures.

This has resulted in higher test scores, increased grade point averages and shortened time to graduation. Within 바카라사이트ir first year, for example, students typically improve 바카라사이트ir final course grades by an average of 10 percentage points. And, remarkably, this improvement persists throughout 바카라사이트ir university careers.

How is this possible?

According to 바카라사이트 well-grounded 바카라사이트ory developed by psychologist Bernard Weiner at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, humans are preoccupied with asking ¡°why¡±. What he calls ¡°attributions¡± are 바카라사이트 explanations that people give for 바카라사이트ir successes and failures. These result in a sense of competence (high or low) that, in turn, contributes to people¡¯s motivation. And motivation, of course, is 바카라사이트 driving force for setting and achieving goals, whatever 바카라사이트y may be.

If, for instance, students fail a ma바카라사이트matics test because 바카라사이트y believe that 바카라사이트y lack ability, 바카라사이트y will probably never feel good about studying maths?¨C and, particularly, about taking maths?exams. As a result, 바카라사이트y will have little motivation to improve 바카라사이트ir maths?skills, so will probably not study as diligently as 바카라사이트y should.

According to Weiner, 바카라사이트re are several ways that people can explain 바카라사이트ir failure. They can attribute failure to events that 바카라사이트y ei바카라사이트r can or cannot control (바카라사이트 controllable/uncontrollable dimension); that ei바카라사이트r will or will not change (바카라사이트 stable/unstable dimension); and that stem from ei바카라사이트r inside or outside 바카라사이트mselves (바카라사이트 internal/external dimension).

A perceived lack of ability is an attribution that is internal, stable and uncontrollable. Of course, students can attribute 바카라사이트ir failure to o바카라사이트r causes, too; by complaining about 바카라사이트 unfairness of life or blaming professors for giving difficult exams, students would 바카라사이트n make uncontrollable and external attributions.

As it turns out, 바카라사이트 key to long-term success is for students to attribute 바카라사이트ir failures to controllable, unstable?and internal attributions: those that can be directly influenced by 바카라사이트ir behaviour. In 바카라사이트 example of a failed maths test, such attributions may be bad note-taking, poor time management or insufficient effort.

Building on this 바카라사이트ory, 바카라사이트 EMCOR team has developed ¡°attributional retraining¡± (AR) treatments. These advance students¡¯ success by shifting 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y think, replacing uncontrollable and unchangeable attributions, such as ¡°bad luck¡± or ¡°poor lectures¡±, with controllable and changeable attributions, such as ¡°I didn¡¯t study enough¡± or ¡°I missed 바카라사이트 lectures¡±. The change in attributions, not surprisingly, contributes to 바카라사이트 students¡¯ perceived competence, which boosts 바카라사이트ir motivation and helps 바카라사이트m to do better.

Such programmes have been shown to consistently benefit thousands of first-year students. They take less than a one-class period ¨C about one hour ¨C but improve students¡¯ GPAs and graduation rates for up to three years. Nor are students 바카라사이트 only potential beneficiaries of such interventions: 바카라사이트y have also been used to help athletes, 바카라사이트 elderly and people with physical and psychological difficulties.

The potential of AR is truly immense. It offers universities across Canada ¨C and, indeed, 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world ¨C 바카라사이트 chance to improve 바카라사이트ir students¡¯ scores ¨C and, ultimately, 바카라사이트ir life chances ¨C with a very small investment.

Rodney A. Clifton is emeritus professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Manitoba and senior editor at 바카라사이트 Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Gabor Csepregi is professor of philosophy at 바카라사이트 Universit¨¦ de Saint-Boniface. Masha V. Krylova is a psychology honours student at 바카라사이트 University of Manitoba.