THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATTRIBUTIONAL BELIEFS TO SELF-ESTEEM

Several studies have reported that beliefs about the causes of events (i.e., causal attributions) are related to achievement-oriented behavi or. Skinner (1995) has suggested that achievement-oriented behavior is related to beliefs about successful strategies and beliefs about the capacity to enact those strategies. Based on Skinner's research, Wellb orn, Connell, and Skinner (1989) developed the Students' Perception of Control Questionnaire (SPOCQ). In the present investigation, the SPOC Q was adapted for use with adolescents and adults. The SPOCQ and the R osenberg Self-esteem Scale were administered to 147 college students. The internal consistency and the intercorrelations of the SPOCQ subsca les were found to be acceptable. Additionally, SPOCQ scores were relat ed to self-esteem and grade point average. There were statistically si gnificant differences in the SPOCQ scores for males and females and in the relation of SPOCQ scores to self-esteem. It is suggested that the three constructs measured by the SPOCQ (control, strategies, and capa city) provide a more complete description of attributional beliefs tha n do previous scales.