Attribution and Motivation: A Cultural Study among Indonesian University Students

Relationships between cultural factors (ethnicity and religiosity) and dimensions of students’ attributions for their success and failure (locus of control, stability, personal control and external control), along with motivational goals (learning, performance approach, performance avoidance, and work avoidance), self-efficacy, intelligence beliefs, and academic performance were examined among1,006 Indonesian university students. Students’ stability attributionspredicted their learning goals, whereas neither locus of control, personal, or external control attributions predicted any motivational goals. Self-efficacy predicted learning and performance approach goals, as well as performance avoidance goals. Students’ intelligence beliefs did not show significant predictions. Ethnic importance predicted performance approach goals; whilst intrinsic religiosity predicted learning goals.