Pupils' Attributing Tendency And Responsibility Attribution For Negative Behavior

When a pupil displayed a negative behavior, the teachers and her/his parents will try to attribute for this behavior, and then they can decide how to response to the child. Indeed, not only the teachers and parents do attributions, but also the child herself/himself and her/his classmates/peers. How the pupils attribute their own negative behaviors and others. Are there any differences between these two attributions? This is a topic about attribution.This study started with interviews of pupils about their negative behaviors and attributions to them. Then the formal study includes two main parts, one is to investigate the pupils' attribution style, and the other is to investigate the process of the pupils' responsibility attribution about others' negative behaviors. There are three factors which may influence the process are investigated in this study: the actor's intentions, the aftereffects of the negative behavior and the actor's reactions to the victim. Results show that: (1) Children attribute others' negative behaviors to internal, dispositional factors, but attribute their own negative behaviors to external factors. (2)Relative to the positive behaviors, the children tend to attribute other' negative behaviors to internal factors. (3)There's no attribution difference between self and others' behaviors, if the behaviors are positive. (4) Relative to negative behaviors, the children tend to attribute their own positive behaviors to internal factors. (5) Pupils' responsibility judgment is influenced by the aftereffect of the negative behavior. But the four and six grade pupils' judgment is also influenced by actor's intentions and reactions. (6) Pupils' furiousness with the actor is influenced by the aftereffect and the actor's reactions. But the four and six grade pupils' furiousness is also influenced by the actor's intentions. (7) Pupils' sympathy for the actor is influenced by the aftereffect and the actor's intentions and reactions. The aftereffect is worse, the behavior is unintended and the actor's reactions are positive, the pupils' sympathy is more. (8). Pupils' criticism about the negative behavior is influenced by the aftereffect and the actor's intentions and reactions. (9) The grade two pupils' responsibility judgment, furiousness and sympathy are predictive of criticism. But the grade four and six pupils' sympathy isn't predictive of criticism, only the responsibility judgment and furiousness.