Attribution-based motivation treatment efficacy in high-stress student athletes: A moderated-mediation analysis of cognitive, affective, and achievement processes

Abstract Objectives Student athletes encounter significant challenges during school-to-college transitions that can increase stress and undermine academic adjustment ( Heelis & Shields, 2015 ). An attribution-based motivation treatment ( Perry et al., 2014 ) was administered to student athletes who differed in perceived stress to improve short- and long-term academic performance. Methods In a two-semester, quasi-experimental, randomized treatment study, we examined the efficacy of an attribution-based motivation treatment (Attributional Retraining; AR) for competitive student athletes ( N  = 185) who differed in perceived stress (low, high). A theory-based path analysis assessed whether AR-performance effects were mediated by perceived academic control (PAC) and achievement emotions. Results High-stress student athletes who received AR outperformed their no-treatment counterparts by roughly one letter grade on a Semester 1 post-treatment class test. Consistent with Weiner's attribution theory (1985, 2012) of motivation and emotions, AR-performance effects were mediated by cognitive and affective process variables. For high-stress athletes, AR fostered course-related PAC, which in turn increased positive and reduced negative affect, which in combination promoted final course grades. Conclusions AR effects on performance for high-stress student athletes were indirect via cognitive and affective mediators consistent with Weiner's attribution theory (1985, 2012). Findings suggest attribution-based motivation treatments have practical implications for athletic programs, administrators, coaches, and directors in facilitating adjustment for high-stress student athletes.