Study Orientation and Causal Attribution in Mathematics Achievement

The empirical relationship between study orientation as measured by the Study Orientation in Mathematics Questionnaire (SOM) and achievement in mathematics was investigated for Grade 9 learners from five racially integrated, secondary schools in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. A series of hierarchical regression analyses was performed to determine the percentage of the criterion (mathematics achievement) variance that could be explained by study orientation in mathematics. This investigation was augmented by the further exploration of learners' attributions regarding the causes of their achievement in mathematics. The results emphasised the importance of the set of study orientation variables as predictors of achievement in mathematics for both genders and all three race groups (i.e., black, white and coloured students). Study milieu and problem-solving behaviour appeared to be the most significant individual predictors of mathematics achievement for both genders, and both black and white Grade 9 learners. The causal attribution of achievement scales jointly contributed significantly to the explanation of the variance in mathematics achievement for the following groups: male, white and coloured learners with positive perceptions of their achievement; and male, white and black learners with negative perceptions of their achievement in mathematics