ERIC Number: EJ1372725
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: EISSN-1939-2176
Assisting Students in Debt to Overcome Academic Setbacks with a Cognitive-Reframing Motivation Intervention
Dryden, Robert P.; Campbell, Aidan V.; Perry, Raymond P.; Hamm, Jeremy M.; Chipperfield, Judith G.; Parker, Patti C.; Leboe-McGowan, Launa
Journal of Educational Psychology, v115 n1 p55-72 Jan 2023
Novel and unpredictable learning environments are a feature of school-to-college transitions that erode students' academic control, emotional resilience, and achievement (Perry, Hall, & Ruthig, 2005). Although motivation interventions can benefit college students (Koenka, 2020), few studies have examined treatment efficacy for students of varying socioeconomic backgrounds. This randomized treatment-control study assessed whether a cognitive-reframing intervention (attributional retraining [AR]) improved cognitive, affective, and performance outcomes of students with debt in a two-semester, online course. For in-debt students, AR (vs. no-AR) fostered cognitive reframing of achievement setbacks to increase academic control, adaptive emotions, post-treatment performance, and final course grades. Changes in maladaptive causal attributions mediated AR-grades efficacy in a path sequence specified by Weiner's (1985, 2014, 2018) attribution theory. Findings advance motivation intervention research by showing AR boosts achievement for students with debt, mediated by theory-derived cognitive and affective processes.
Descriptors: College Students, Debt (Financial), Academic Achievement, Student Motivation, Intervention, Cognitive Restructuring, Behavior Modification, Affective Behavior, Student Behavior, Cognitive Processes, Achievement Gap
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A