Student attributions of success in high school band programs
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Abstract
In this study, I investigated how high school band students explained their musical successes and challenges through the lens of attribution theory. Attribution theory (Weiner, 1986) suggests that individuals interpret outcomes by assigning causes such as ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck, each carrying different implications for future motivation and behavior. In music education, understanding how students attribute success or failure offers valuable insight into persistence, engagement, and emotional well-being.The purpose of this embedded QUAN+qual mixed-methods study was to examine the attributional beliefs of high school band students and to determine whether statistically significant relationships existed between their attributions and demographic or contextual variables. A total of 365 students from nine public high schools in a northeastern U.S. state completed a questionnaire measuring five attribution subscales: effort, background, classroom environment, musical ability, and affect for music. I compared subscale scores across variables such as gender, grade level, participation in private lessons, and participation in honor band auditions using non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U). Open-ended responses were also collected and coded thematically to enrich the interpretation of quantitative findings.
Results indicated that students most frequently attributed their musical success to effort, an internal, controllable factor closely associated with sustained motivation. I identified statistically significant differences across several variables. For example, students who took private lessons or participated in auditions scored higher on the effort subscale, suggesting that such experiences reinforced effort-based attribution patterns. Qualitative responses supported these trends. Students emphasized the importance of hard work, persistence, and personal responsibility as keys to success. They also described a range of emotions, including fulfillment, stress, and pressure, revealing the complex and often challenging nature of ensemble participation. Their emotional responses invite empathy and understanding.
The results of this study contribute to the growing body of music education literature that applies attribution theory to student motivation. The findings suggested that music educators could influence students’ attributional beliefs by encouraging effort-focused strategies, providing process-oriented feedback, and fostering a culture of growth. This study also opens up exciting possibilities for future research, which could extend this work by exploring attribution patterns among more demographically diverse populations, and examining how instructional strategies shape students’ explanations of success and failure over time.
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2026