Date of Award

2002

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences

First Supervisor

Dr Elizabeth Kaczmarek

Abstract

Academic achievement can impact on psychological wellbeing and can have a profound impact on later educational and vocational opportunities. Failure to achieve well academically has been associated with a number of factors including depression, a pessimistic explanatory style and mobility. There is evidence too to suggest that the impact of these variables is greater on younger boys and older girls. One hundred and eight students (54 M, 54 F) from two Catholic metropolitan schools took part in this study into the impact of depressive symptomatology, attributional style and school mobility on academic achievement. It was hypothesised that lower levels of academic achievement would be associated with higher levels of depressive symptomatology, a pessimistic attributional style and increased school mobility. It was further hypothesised that there would be age and gender effects. Students completed the Children's Depression Inventory and Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire and three subtests on the Wide Range Achievement Test -3. No significant differences were found between mobile and nonmobile children's academic achievement. The hypothesised age and gender effects were not evident. A range of protective factors thought to mediate the effects depressive symptomatology, attributional style and school mobility are suggested to account for the current findings. Limitations of the study are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

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