Relación entre atribuciones causales y rendimiento académico: revisión sistemática siguiendo criterios PRISMA

Angélica Vera-Sagredo; Juan Pablo Contreras González; Andrés Chiappe

doi:10.22235/pe.v19i1.4814

Authors

Angélica Vera-Sagredo Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1657-2241
Juan Pablo Contreras González Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0845-5025
Andrés Chiappe Universidad de La Sabana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9664-4833

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22235/pe.v19i1.4814

Keywords:

causal attributions, academic performance, students, academic motivation

Abstract

Academic performance is influenced by psychosocial and motivational factors, among which causal attributions are central to understanding how students explain successes and failures. This systematic review examined the relationship between causal attributions and academic performance, taking into account mediating and moderating variables, as well as different educational levels. The study was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with searches in Web of Science (n = 183), Scopus (n = 208), and SciELO (n = 40), yielding 431 records. After removing duplicates and applying selection criteria using Rayyan, 27 studies including 17,752 participants, across primary to higher education levels, were retained. Results indicate that an internal locus of control and attributions focused on effort and ability are associated with higher performance, motivation, self-efficacy, and resilience, whereas external attributions—such as luck, task difficulty, or others’ responsibility—are linked to lower performance and an increased risk of school dropout. Gender differences were observed: women exhibited greater internal control and resilience, while men attributed their achievements primarily to effort and teaching quality. Additionally, mediating variables such as self-efficacy, academic self-concept, resilience, and self-regulation strategies, and moderating variables such as gender, age, mode of study, and contexts of vulnerability, significantly influence this relationship. In conclusion, the findings highlight the need to promote psychoeducational interventions that foster internal and adaptive attributional styles, particularly for students in vulnerable situations or with special educational needs.

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