Do Parents’ Causal Attributions Predict the Accuracy and Bias in their Children’s Self‐Concept of Maths Ability? A longitudinal study

Abstract

The present study investigated the extent to which parents’ causal attributions predict the accuracy of, and bias in, their children’s self‐concept of maths ability. Participants were 207 children and their 182 mothers and 167 fathers, who were assessed during the children’s first and second primary school years. The results showed that the more parents thought that their children succeeded because of ability, the more accurate the children’s self‐concept of maths ability became. In contrast, the more the parents attributed their children’s success to effort, the less accurate and more optimistic the children’s self‐concept of ability became.

Acknowledgements

This study is a part of the ongoing Jyväskylä Entrance into Primary School (JEPS) study, and was funded by grants from the Finnish Academy (63099 and 778230).

We would like to express our gratitude to all the children and parents participating in this study, as well as their preschool and primary school teachers and local school authorities.