Doctoral Dissertations

Linda Blair

Date of Award

12-1998

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Marla P. Peterson

Committee Members

Ralph Brockett, Kenneth Newton, Charles Thompson

Abstract

This study addressed the issue of whether or not the attributional style of learned helplessness was more prominent in reentry college students than in traditional college students. Two other questions were also addressed: (a) Is gender a significant factor in the comparison of the attributional style of learned helplessness? and (b) Is there a relationship between gender and student status in terms of learned helplessness? Reentry students were defined as college students age 25 or over, who, since high school, had experienced a time lapse in academic participation of five or more years. Attributional style was assessed with the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), a self-report assessment of positive and negative attributions. Data were collected from 66 reentry and 111 traditional students who were enrolled in education, social work, or liberal arts in a southeastern, land grant university. No significant differences in means on the combined negative ASQ subscores between traditional and reentry students were found using a one-way ANOVA, nor did a second one-way ANOVA indicate any significant difference between males and females in the ASQ combined negative means. A two-way ANOVA considered both student status and gender with negative means on the ASQ. Again, no significant differences were found. This last finding is in opposition to a pilot study. ANOVAs were conducted again with only the undergraduate students in the sample; and then with only undergraduates who were age 24 and younger compared with students age 30 and older. No significant results occurred. A final exploration with the undergraduate students involved redefining "reentry" as any time away from academia between high school graduation and entrance into college, and this analysis did produce significant results, with those students who had a break in education expressing more teamed helplessness than those who had gone to school directly from high school. Additionally, the independent variables of full or part time student status, employment status, and education of the father were also analyzed in regard to learned helplessness, and found to be significant. Recommendations for future studies were presented and included a suggestion for possible rewording of two items on the ASQ. Until additional studies are conducted, there is presently little basis for concluding that reentry students express more learned helplessness than traditional students.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS