Investigating the Influence of Attribution Styles on the Development of Mathematical Talent

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine the influence of attribution styles on the development of mathematical talent. The study employs a Self-Confidence Attitude Attribute Scale questionnaire, which measures ability and effort attributions. Participants are three groups of highly, moderately, or mildly mathematically gifted Finnish adolescents and adults ( N = 203). The results of Bayesian classification modeling show that items attributing success to effort and failure to lack of effort are the best predictors for the level of mild mathematical giftedness and gender (females). The results of multivariate analysis of variance show that highly and moderately mathematically gifted students reported that ability was more important for success than effort, but mildly mathematically gifted tended to see effort as leading to success. Moderately and mildly mathematically gifted students attribute failure to lack of effort, whereas highly mathematically gifted students attribute failure to lack of ability.