Adding the “Why” to the I/E Model: Ability Attributions for Failure as Mediators of Social and Dimensional Comparison Effects

AbstractBackground: According to the internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model, students form academic self-concepts (ASCs) based on social and dimensional comparisons. However, it does not explain how comparison information is cognitively processed and integrated into ASCs. Aims: Connecting the I/E model with attribution theory, we aimed to examine whether failure-related ability attributions mediate the social and dimensional comparison effects of math and verbal achievement on the respective ASCs.Samples: Study 1 investigated 557 secondary school students from Northern Germany. Study 2 examined the nationally representative German PISA 2012 data (N = 5,001). Methods: Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: Across both studies, a consistent pattern of results emerged that supported our hypotheses. In line with the I/E model assumptions, math and verbal achievement related positively to ASCs within domains (social comparisons) and negatively to ASCs across domains (dimensional comparisons). Crucially, math and verbal ability attributions for failure partially mediated both the social and dimensional comparison effects: The lower students’ achievement in a subject relative to their classmates or to the other subject, the more likely they were to attribute failure in that subject to insufficient ability, which in turn was associated with lower ASCs. Conclusion: Ability attributions appear to represent a cognitive link through which achievement-related comparison information is interpreted and translated into ASCs. The article discusses how the findings may contribute to the theoretical advancement of the I/E model and attribution theory and outlines implications for educational practice. Keywords: Causal attributions; academic self-concepts; I/E model; social and dimensional comparisons; mediation