Student Responsibility: Its Assessment and Links to Students’ Self-Efficacy, Intrinsic Interest, and Achievement

• In Event: Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Role of Control and Responsibility in Students’ Motivation

Abstract

The present study utilized a cross-lagged experimental design in a sample of 140 college students in Introductory Psychology to examine the usefulness of two types of student responsibility assessments and the implications of personal responsibility for students’ motivation (intrinsic interest) and achievement. The findings indicate that, compared to negatively worded responsibility items, positively worded items are more strongly related to other positively valenced constructs, including actual achievement. Furthermore, positively valenced responsibility for student achievement, but not self-efficacy, positively predicted actual achievement, after controlling for expected course grade. The findings indicate that researchers and educators should consider not only whether students believe that they can produce desired outcomes, but also whether they feel personally responsible to actually produce these outcomes.

Authors

• Fani Lauermann, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Stuart A. Karabenick, University of Michigan