Attributional Choices for Academic Success and Failure by Intellectually Gifted Students

Abstract

This study emerges from the lack of empirical research on gifted students' attributions about academic success and failure in multiple subject areas and school in general. We explored differences in top attributional choices between boys and girls for success and failure in general academics, language arts, science, and mathematics. Gifted students were more likely to attribute failure to not working hard enough (long-term effort), rather than to not being smart (ability). Sex differences were found in attributional choices for general academics, science, mathematics, and language arts. The findings counter some popular theoretical expectations of gifted students' attributional choices for success and failure in their academic performance.