Causal attributions in early childhood education: a new categorization system / Atribuciones causales en Educación Infantil: nuevo sistema de categorización

BACKGROUND: From Early Childhood Education onwards, causal attributions influence explanations of school performance. We performed a systematic review of the available knowledge (1970-2019) about Weiner's (1986) Attribution Theory of the Motivation of Achievement in order to examine studies related to the causal attributions of success and failure at school. We found numerous empirical studies related to Bernard Weiner's theory. However, little research exists about students in Early Childhood Education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the causes to which children attribute their successes and failures during this educational period. METHOD: A sample of 200 students aged between 3 and 6 years old was selected. To collect the data, an individually implemented Piagetian clinical interview was used. RESULTS: A large volume of qualitative information was collected for classification which exceeded Weiner's traditional causal attributions. Creating a category to group all new attributions implied losing too much information under a non-specific label. CONCLUSION: A new categorization of the causal attributions was designed, made up of 10 categories -adapted to the 3-6 years age range- which revises and expanding on the categorization created by Weiner

ANTECEDENTES: las atribuciones causales de la motivación influyen desde Educación Infantil en la explicación del rendimiento escolar. Se realizó una revisión sistemática de los conocimientos disponibles (1970-2019) de la Teoría Atribucional de la Motivación de Logro de Weiner (1986) para conocer los trabajos relacionados con las atribuciones causales del éxito y fracaso escolar. Se hallaron numerosos estudios empíricos relacionados con la teoría de Bernard Weiner. Sin embargo, son escasas las investigaciones con estudiantes de Educación Infantil. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio fue identificar las causas a las que atribuyen sus éxitos y fracasos escolares en Educación Infantil. MÉTODO: se seleccionó una muestra de 200 estudiantes con edades comprendidas entre los 3 y 6 años. Para recopilar los datos se utilizó una entrevista clínica piagetiana implementada individualmente. RESULTADOS: se recopiló un gran volumen de información cualitativa para clasificar que desbordaba las atribuciones causales tradicionales de Weiner. Crear una categoría para agrupar todas las nuevas atribuciones implicaba perder demasiada información bajo una etiqueta inespecífica. CONCLUSIÓN: se diseñó una nueva categorización de las atribuciones causales formada por 10 categorías -adaptada al rango de edad 3-6 años- que revisa y amplía la creada por Weiner

Aprendizaje de habilidades de autorregulación en niños de 5 a 7 años / Self-regulation skills learning in children aged 5 to 7

La autorregulación es un componente de la metacognición que se relaciona con el aprendizaje eficaz. Esto puede ser especialmente relevante en entornos de desventaja social. Por ello, los objetivos de este trabajo son: (a) comprobar si la enseñanza de estrategias de autorregulación a niños pequeños con desventaja social, mejora sus habilidades de resolución de tareas; (b) evaluar la eficacia de un programa de enseñanza de estrategias de autorregulación, desde la perspectiva del profesorado. Se trabajó con una muestra de 43 sujetos con edades comprendidas entre 5 y 7 años. Los resultados indican que existen mejoras significativas, antes-después de la aplicación del programa, en habilidades: atencionales, de planificación manifiesta guiada y autónoma, de planificación encubierta y de autoevaluación en la resolución de problemas cognitivos y sociales. Paralelamente, el profesorado considera que el programa ha mejorado, en sus alumn os: los niveles atencionales y la generalización de las estrategias a otras actividades curriculares. En consecuencia, se considera, al programa de enseñanza en estrategias de autorregulación, una herramienta efectiva y motivadora para la docencia en entor nos de compensación educativa (niños pequeños en desventaja social).

Self-regulation is a component of metacognition that is related to effective learning. This may be especially relevant in social disadvantaged environments. The objectives of this work are: (a) To check whether the teaching of self-regulation strategies to young children with social disadvantage, improves their problem solving skills; (b) To evaluate the effectiveness of a self-regulation strategies teaching program from the teachers' perspective. For this purpose, a sample of 43 subjects aged between 5 and 7 was used. The results indicate that there are significant differences in skills involving attention, guided and autonomous state planning, covert planning and self-evaluation in cognitive and social problem-solving. Similarly, teachers consider that the program improved attention levels and generalization of strategies towards other curricular activities in their pupils. Consequently, the self-regulation strategies teaching program is considered as an effective and motivating tool for teaching in compensatory education environments (socially disadvantaged children).

Effect of a metacognitive training program of mentalist skills / Efecto de un programa de entrenamiento metacognitivo en habilidades mentalistas

Background: Recent researches in Theory of Mind (ToM) relate its development to the development of the metacognitive skills 'planning' 'regulation' and acquisition of 'predictive and causal reasoning.' These studies reveal the importance of metacognitive training in the development of mentalist skills. Method: In the present work, the effects of training were compared in 20 children, aged between 4 and 5 years. Results: Significant within-group differences in the skills of belief attribution and memory attribution were found and a tendency towards significance in the skills of behavior prediction. Significant between-group differences were found in belief attribution, prediction, and memory. Conclusions: Mentalist skills training improve attribution, prediction and memory skills in ToM tasks (AU)

Antecedentes: recientes investigaciones en Teoría de la Mente (ToM) relacionan su desarrollo con el desarrollo de habilidades metacognitivas de 'planificación', de 'regulación', así como con la adquisición del 'razonamiento predictivo y causal'. Dichos estudios señalan la importancia que tiene el entrenamiento metacognitivo en el desarrollo de habilidades mentalistas. Método: en el presente trabajo participaron 20 niños de 4 y 5 años con objeto de comparar los efectos del entrenamiento. Resultados: se han encontrado diferencias significativas «intragrupo» en habilidades de atribución de creencia, de memoria y tendencia a la significación en habilidades de predicción del comportamiento. Asimismo se han hallado diferencias significativas «intergrupo» en atribución de creencia, predicción y memoria. Conclusiones: el entrenamiento en habilidades mentalistas parece incrementar las habilidades de atribución, predicción y memoria en tareas de Teoría de la Mente (AU)

Effect of a metacognitive training program of mentalist skills.

BACKGROUND: Recent researches in Theory of Mind (ToM) relate its development to the development of the metacognitive skills "planning," "regulation," and acquisition of "predictive and causal reasoning." These studies reveal the importance of metacognitive training in the development of mentalist skills. METHOD: In the present work, the effects of training were compared in 20 children, aged between 4 and 5 years. RESULTS: Significant within-group differences in the skills of belief attribution and memory attribution were found and a tendency towards significance in the skills of behavior prediction. Significant between-group differences were found in belief attribution, prediction, and memory. CONCLUSIONS: Mentalist skills training improve attribution, prediction and memory skills in ToM tasks.

Efecto modulador de variables socioemocionales en el entrenamiento en estrategias de elaboración en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO): paráfrasis y aplicaciones / Modulator effect of socio-emotional variables on training in elaboration strategies in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE): paraphrase and applications

Este trabajo tiene como finalidad comprobar la modulación de la motivación, el autoconcepto y las atribuciones causales en la eficacia de un programa de entrenamiento de estrategias de elaboración de la información en la etapa de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO). Se seleccionaron 328 alumnos de ESO, 179 de segundo curso y 149 de cuarto, y tres momentos de medida: pretest, postest y seguimiento. Los resultados indican un mayor uso de estrategias de aprendizaje por aquellos con mayor motivación intrínseca, al contrario que aquellos con mayor motivación extrínseca, con un menor uso de estrategias de aprendizaje. En cuanto al autoconcepto hay diferentes resultados en función del curso. En segundo nos encontramos una modulación de la variable Autoconcepto académico, mientras que en cuarto se produce por el Autoconcepto general y el Autoconcepto privado. En general, hay una tendencia a mejoras más significativas y con mayor durabilidad de aquellos con medio y alto autoconcepto, en especial en su percepción del uso de estrategias o tareas complejas que implican la relación de los contenidos a aprender con experiencias de su vida diaria. Sin embargo, aquellos con bajo autoconcepto mejoran significativamente en estrategias asociadas al aprendizaje de la ejecución de tareas concretas (AU)

The purpose of this work is to verify the modulation of motivation, self-concept, and causal attributions in the efficacy of a training program of strategies to elaborate information in the stage of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE). We selected 328 students from CSE, 179 from second grade and 149 from fourth grade, and three measurement moments: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. The results indicate greater use of learning strategies by students with higher intrinsic motivation, in contrast to students with higher extrinsic motivation, who use learning strategies less frequently. With regard to self-concept, the results differ as a function of the course. In second grade, we found modulation of the variable Academic self-concept, whereas in fourth grade, such modulation is produced by General self-concept and Private self-concept. In general, there is a tendency towards more enduring significant improvements in students with medium and high self-concept, especially in their perception of the use of strategies or in complex tasks that involve relating the contents to be learned with experiences from their daily life. However, students with low self-concept significantly improve strategies associated with learning how to perform specific tasks (AU)

[Modulator effect of socio-emotional variables on training in elaboration strategies in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE): paraphrase and applications]. / Efecto modulador de variables socioemocionales en el entrenamiento en estrategias de elaboración en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO): paráfrasis y aplicaciones.

The purpose of this work is to verify the modulation of motivation, self-concept, and causal attributions in the efficacy of a training program of strategies to elaborate information in the stage of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE). We selected 328 students from CSE, 179 from second grade and 149 from fourth grade, and three measurement moments: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. The results indicate greater use of learning strategies by students with higher intrinsic motivation, in contrast to students with higher extrinsic motivation, who use learning strategies less frequently. With regard to self-concept, the results differ as a function of the course. In second grade, we found modulation of the variable Academic self-concept, whereas in fourth grade, such modulation is produced by General self-concept and Private self-concept. In general, there is a tendency towards more enduring significant improvements in students with medium and high self-concept, especially in their perception of the use of strategies or in complex tasks that involve relating the contents to be learned with experiences from their daily life. However, students with low self-concept significantly improve strategies associated with learning how to perform specific tasks.