Research on Attribution Theory and Motivation in English Learning from Psychological Point of View

Abstract

Attribution Theory concerns the way people arrive at causal interpretations of behavior - their own, other people's, and that of the world in general. This theory examines the processes that go on inside us when we use incoming information to assign a cause (attribution) to that information. The assumptions and expectations that we use to interpret events affect not only the cause assigned to a situation after it has occurred. They also have implications for our expectations and performance in the future. Attribution is concerned with how people come to know and to understand their world, including interpersonal relationships, and how they subsequently function in it. Attributions may be categorized as internal and external. If the cause of a behavior is attributed to the person rather than something outside the person, this is called an internal attribution. An external attribution places the responsibility or cause of a behavior outside the person. There are some consistent differences between the way people make attributions for their own behavior and the way they make attributions for the behavior of others: people tend to make external attributions for their own behavior while they make internal attributions for the behavior of others. For example, if I do well on a test I might say it was because the test was easy (external cause) while if Mary does well I might say it is because Mary is smart (internal attribution). The way we make attributions to our own and other people's behavior also has implications for expectations and performance. Attributions influence a wide range of personal and interpersonal phenomena, including self perception, person perception, attitudes, and motivation in learning English. It would be no easy task to identify which factor is the most influential and significant for the success of foreign language learning. Many attempts have been made by psychologists and educators to do so. Among them is J.B. Carroll, who has presented a conceptual model of the learning process which applies with particular force to the learning of a foreign language. The model proposes that the success of learning in an educational setting is a complex function of the following five kinds of elements: The learner's aptitude, general intelligence, perseverance, the quality of the instruction and the opportunity for learning. But I suppose that the most important factor is the relationship between motivations and attributions in teaching- learning situations. If we know the relationship between motivational factors and attributions in pupils and let them study English with their own will, they can surely make theri learning more effectively and significantly.