Ahmed Draia of Adrar Faculty of Art and Languages Department of English Language and Literature

1.1.5.3. 
Attribution Theory
The attribution theory of motivation was largely influential in the 1980s (Dörnyei, 2003). 
The uniqueness of the theory stems from its ability to link individuals‟ achievements to past 
experiences through the establishment of causal attributions as the mediating link (ibid). It 
hypothesized that the reasons individuals attribute their past success or failure shape their 
motivational disposition (Dörnyei, 2001).In a school environment, students tend to assign their 
failure or success (locus of causality) can be attributed to a variety of factors, including: ability 
and effort, luck, task difficulty, mood, family history, and assistance or others' impediment. The 

---

11 
preceding can be placed on a scale of Depending on whether the individuals view internal vs. 
external factors 
They blame themselves or others for their behavior. On the other hand,Locus of control 
refers to people's perceptions of how much control they have over their activities. The 
importance of the type of attribution is especially important in the classroom. If learners, for 
example, attribute their loss on a lack of talent (an intrinsic trigger over which they have no 
control), their desire to learn the language is likely to disappear entirely.If, on the other hand, 
they believe that their loss is the product of their laziness or lack of effort (internal cause over 
which they have control), they would be more motivated if they double their efforts. 
Research in attribution theory is limited despite its importance because it does not easily 
render itself to quantitative research as Dörnyei (2003) points out. He summarized the results of 
many qualitative studies undertaken by Ushioda (1996a, 1996b, 1998), and Williams and 
Burden (1999). The first discovered that retaining a positive self-concept and confidence in 
personal potential, in the light of unfavorable encounters, are dependent on two attributional 
reasons: success attributed to personal ability or other internal
factors
causes (e.g., sufficient 
effort) and loss attributed to temporary failures that can be resolved. The latter found 
differences between ages: 10-12 years old attributed success mainly to listening and 
concentration, older learners mentioned a variety of reasons including ability, level of work.