ÖĞRETMEN ADAYLARININ BİLİŞSEL ÇARPITMA, GENEL ÖZYETERLİK İNANÇLARI VE BAŞARI/BAŞARISIZLIK YÜKLEMELERİNİN İNCELENMESİ

This study was conducted in order to detect correlations between cognitive distortion levels, self-efficacy beliefs, success and failure attributions of candidate teachers. The study employed Cognitive Distortion Scale (Briere, 2000), General Self-efficacy Scale (Magaletta and Oliver, 1999) and Success/Failure Attributions Scale (Sucuoğlu, 2003) for data collection. The study was conducted on 384 teacher candidates from various departments. Data was analyzed through independent group t-test and Pearson correlation methods. According to the study findings, cognitive distortion levels of candidate teachers did not differ significantly in terms of gender while a significant difference was detected under the “perseverance -insistence” sub-dimension of general self-efficacy scale in favor of female candidates though no significant difference was found in total scale scores. Result of this subscale demonstrates that female teacher candidates are decisive in overcoming an activity they embark on. When success and failure attributions of candidate teachers were assessed in terms of internality-externality, no significant difference was found between genders in terms of success while female candidate teachers were found to employ more internal attributions in case of failure. Those who attribute to internal causes are said to have an inner control focus. This finding was interpreted as female teacher candidates believing more strongly that their behavior and actions would be influential on many aspects of their lives. Another important conclusion was the negative correlation between attributing failure on external causes (family) and general self-efficacy beliefs. This was interpreted as candidate teachers with poor self-efficacy beliefs resorting more to external causes while evaluating their failure. Introduction and Study Goal: The goal of this study is to examine cognitive distortion levels, self-efficacy beliefs, success and failure attributions of candidate teachers through a relational model. Self-efficacy belief of an individual is closely related to cognitive distortions. Features such as positive or negative self-perception, self-accusation and despair play important roles in establishment of the individual’s self-efficacy belief. On the other hand, success or failure attributions will be influenced by both cognitive distortions and self-efficacy belief. Finding out what people attribute their success and failure to and detecting any mistakes in those attributions might be important in guiding people to favorable behaviors. Ideally, high cognitive distortions and poor self-efficacy belief are expected to determine attribution of success and failure to internal or external causes. One of the goals of this study is to test this hypothesis. Through these goals, writer sought answers to the main problem and sub-problems below: Problem phrase: Are cognitive distortions and general self-efficacy beliefs and success/failure attributions related?Based on this problem, writers sought answers to the problems below: 1. Do cognitive distortion levels of candidate teachers differ significantly in terms of gender? 2. Do general self-efficacy beliefs of candidate teachers differ significantly in terms of gender? 3. Do success/failure attributions of candidate teachers differ significantly in terms of gender? 4. Is there a significant relationship between cognitive distortion levels and general self-efficacy beliefs of candidate teachers? 5. Is there a significant relationship between cognitive distortion levels and success/failure attributions of candidate teachers? 6. Is there a significant relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and success/failure attributions of candidate teachers? Theoretical Framework: Cognitive distortion levels, self-efficacy beliefs, success/failure attributions of candidate teachers were examined in this study. Basic theory of cognitive therapy is that one must focus on cognitive content of a response to an upsetting event or idea in order to understand the causes of an emotional event or disturbance. Beck rejected the idea that depression stemmed from introverted anger, suggesting that real causes of depression were cognitive distortions of people in evaluating events and schemes that they developed in early stages of life. Schemes are inactive in the absence of stress and are activated only when triggered by a specific stressor or a particular environment. Activation of the schemes causes negative evaluation of self-knowledge and formation of cognitive mistakes. According to Beck (1979), depression is closely related to negative distortions in information processing stages of people and there is a strong negative association between depression and reality; cognitive distortions increase the probability of forming a depression-like “negative cognitive trio” (negative evaluation of one’s self, world (environment) and future). Therefore, cognitive therapy aims to reveal that those distorted ideas and interpretations are not realistic and change those cognitive processes that cause dysfunction. Another variable dealt with in this study are success and failure attributions. Attribution theories were led by theorists such as Kelley and Heider who believed that people were beings who resembled scientists in the way that they tried to understand causes of actions and events and control their environment and the most popular attribution theory today is the one developed by Weiner. According to attribution theorists, individuals systematically evaluate the causes of behaviors in order to make generalizations on how various outcomes are achieved. According to Weiner (1984), desire to understand and elicit meanings from experiences is a power that motivates people. Scientists interested in this topic reviewed explanations of people on the causes of good and bad results in cases of success and failure. In general terms, attribution is the inference that an observer makes about the internal condition of an actor or himself by looking at an explicit behavior. In his attribution model, Weiner suggests that people attribute their success and failure to internal or external causes and believe that they will achieve the same result when they face the same circumstances in the future. Internal attribution refers to explaining that one’s behaviors stem from his internal features while external attribution is explaining those behaviors with external features. According to Açıkgöz (2003), attributions are unobservable and man-made structures and what one sees important with regards to his behavior is important. Being another topic of this study, self-efficacy is one of the concepts emphasized first in Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Self-efficacy is defined as one's belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations. According to Schunk (1991), initial self-efficacy beliefs related to a task are under the influence of general capability and previous experiences. Feedback given while performing the task determines self-efficacy (Açıkgöz, 2003). According to Beck (2005), feedback from adults and environment at early stages of life shape the cognitive distortion schemes that are defined as “processes that people resort to while making negative judgments about themselves, their life and future”. In other words, schemes are determined as a result of previous experiences and learning. Thus, it is possible to suggest that feedback received as a result of an action is effective both in formation of cognitive distortions and self-efficacy belief. Bandura suggests in his Social Learning Theory that predicting outcomes of behaviors is important in motivating people to the goal. One tries to predict the potential outcomes by asking himself several questions such as “Will I succeed?”, “Will I be admired or ridiculed?”. Self-efficacy belief and cognitive distortions (negative schemes) will play important roles in answering these questions. Thus, one’s expectations of success and failure will be influenced by previously established negative schemes and perception of self-efficacy. Method: This study employed relational scanning model that aims to detect variance and degree of two or more variables. This model was used to examine the relationships and differences between cognitive distortion, general self-efficacy beliefs and success/failure attributions. Study sample comprised 348 candidate teachers. The study employed Cognitive Distortion Scale (Briere, 2000), General Self-efficacy Scale (Magaletta and Oliver, 1999) and Success/Failure Attributions Scale (Sucuoğlu, 2003) for data collection as they were considered to be suitable tools for measuring the variables. Findings and Discussion: According to the study findings, cognitive distortion levels of candidate teachers did not differ significantly in terms of gender while a significant difference was detected under the “perseverance -insistence” sub-dimension of general self-efficacy scale in favor of female candidates though no significant difference was found in total scale scores. Result of this subscale demonstrates that female teacher candidates are decisive in overcoming an activity they embark on. When success and failure attributions of candidate teachers were assessed in terms of internality-externality, no significant difference was found between genders in terms of success while female candidate teachers were found to employ more internal attributions in case of failure. Those who attribute to internal causes are said to have an inner control focus. This finding was interpreted as female teacher candidates believing more strongly that their behavior and actions would be influential on many aspects of their lives. Another important conclusion was the negative correlation between attributing failure on external causes (family) and general self-efficacy beliefs. This was interpreted as candidate teachers with poor self-efficacy beliefs resorting more to external causes while evaluating their failure. Conclusions and Suggestions: Study findings suggested that cognitive distortion levels of candidate teachers did not differ significantly in terms of gender while a significant difference was detected only under the sub-dimension of “perseveration-insistence” of general self-efficacy scale in favor of female candidates though no significant difference was found in total scale scores. Result obtained from Perseverance-Insistence sub-dimension of General Self-Efficacy Scale (GÖYÖ) demonstrated that female teacher candidates are more decisive in overcoming an activity they embark. When it came to success and failure attributions of teacher candidates, female teacher candidates were observed to do more attributions to the teacher/lesson and family in success while female candidates again attributed more to the teacher and themselves in failure. When success and failure attributions of candidate teachers were assessed in terms of internality-externality, no significant difference was found between genders in terms of success while female candidate teachers were found to employ more internal attributions (to themselves) in failure. Those who attribute to internal causes are said to have an inner control focus. Thus, female teacher candidates might be considered to find causes of their failure more internal and manageable. The study findings also suggest that cognitive distortion level is negatively and quite significantly correlates with general self-efficacy belief. No significant relationship was observed between cognitive distortion and success attributions while increase in cognitive distortion scores significantly correlated with failure attributions to the family in particular. Teacher candidates who attributed failure to themselves received similar scored from Self-accusation subcategory of Cognitive Distortion Scale (BÇÖ) (r=.143; p<.01). In other words, increase in self-accusation demonstrates that failure attributions have turned towards internal causes (to themselves). Another remarkable finding of the study is that failure attributions on the family are negatively associated with general self-efficacy belief. Correlation values between self-attribution of failure and BÇÖ total scores as well as scores of Self-accusation and Despair sub-scales are remarkable. This correlation value might be interpreted as the individual being likely to accuse himself which might also be regarded as cognitive distortion. Similar correlation values obtained from the Desperateness sub-category and total scores strengthen this interpretation. A significant negative association was found between cognitive distortion levels and general self-efficacy beliefs (r = -.534). In other words, the higher cognitive distortion level rises, the lesser self-efficacy belief is. From these findings, we can understand that self-efficacy belief will be positively influenced by minimization or elimination of cognitive distortions which are also known as illogical beliefs. According to study findings, it is possible to suggest that stronger self-efficacy belief reduces external attributions in case of failure. (r=-.135; p<.01). Causality focus of the attributions (internal or external) is associated with one’s self-efficacy beliefs. This means that people with strong self-efficacy beliefs will resort to internal attributions. Correlation values obtained from the study support this view. Still, particularly in cases of failure it is stated that outcomes attributed to strong and unmanageable causes such as skill (internal) weaken the motivation and causes learned helplessness in extreme situations. Therefore, future studies on success/failure attributions must also determine cognitive and affective responses of individuals.