Promoting positive learning in Australian students aged 10- to 12-years-old using attribution retraining and cognitive behavioral therapy: A pilot study

This is the author manuscript version entitled 'Using attribution retraining and CBT techniques to foster positive learning', susequently published in final form by Sage as 'Promoting positive\udlearning in Australian\udstudents aged 10- to\ud12-years-old using\udattribution retraining and\udcognitive behavioral\udtherapy: A pilot study'. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This study piloted an intervention using attribution retraining and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to promote positive learning experiences and outcomes for students. This research is an important step to revitalise the dwindling field of attribution retraining research by assessing whether these techniques effectively improve student learning in modern classrooms. Participants were 50 students from grades five and six (age 10- to 12-years-old). Findings revealed that students in the intervention group showed significantly greater average reading levels compared to their control group peers at two months following the intervention. Whilst no other areas measured (mathematics, spelling, and self-concept) reached the level of significance, a number of interesting patterns were observed regarding student selection, intervention focus, and the trajectory of treatment effects. These findings encourage future researchers to expand the range of students targeted by school-based interventions, supports the use of attribution techniques, and highlights that without follow-up data, lagged treatment effects may go undetected. This is one of only a handful of studies to combine attribution retraining with cognitive behavioral therapy, and the results of this pilot study support the need for further research in this area