First-generation college students face unique obstacles that can erode their psychological well-being, academic motivation, and educational development during school-to-college transitions. Although research shows attribution-based interventions foster academic attainment among at-risk students (Hamm et al., 2020; Perry & Hamm, 2017), little is known about treatment efficacy for students with socioeconomic risk factors such as first-generation status (Gutiérrez, 2008). In a randomized treatment study, we administered attributional retraining (AR) to first- and continuing-generation college students who differed in academic control beliefs (low, high) in an online two-semester introductory psychology course. For low-control first-generation students, AR recipients outperformed their no-AR peers by a letter-grade (B vs. C+) and were 55% less likely to drop the course. AR-grade efficacy was mediated by causal attributions and control beliefs in a path sequence specified by Weiner’s (1979, 1985, 2018) attribution theory. AR decreased attributions to uncontrollable causes, which negatively predicted final course grade and increased academic control beliefs, and these positively predicted final course grade. These findings advance motivation intervention research by demonstrating that an AR treatment can have salutary benefits for first-generation students mediated by theory-derived cognitive processes.

第一代大学生面临着独特的障碍，这些障碍会在从学校到大学的过渡过程中侵蚀他们的心理健康，学术动机和教育发展。尽管研究表明基于归因的干预措施可以促进高危学生的学业成就（Hamm et al。，2020; Perry＆Hamm，2017），但对于具有社会经济风险因素（如第一代身分）的学生的治疗效果知之甚少（Gutiérrez ，2008）。在一项随机治疗研究中，我们对在线两学期入门心理学课程中学术控制观念（低，高）不同的第一代和连续一代大学生进行了归因再培训（AR）。对于控制力较低的第一代学生，AR接收者的成绩优于无AR的同伴（在B级对 C +），则放弃课程的可能性降低了55％。AR级功效是由Weiner（1979，1985，2018）归因理论规定的路径序列中的因果归因和控制信念所介导的。AR减少了归因于不可控制原因的归因，这些原因消极地预测了最终课程成绩并增加了学术控制信念，而这些都积极地预测了最终课程成绩。这些发现表明，AR疗法可以对理论衍生的认知过程介导的第一代学生产生有益的益处，从而促进了动机干预研究。负面地预测最终课程成绩并增加了学术控制信念，而这些正面地预测了最终课程成绩。这些发现表明，AR疗法可以对理论衍生的认知过程介导的第一代学生产生有益的益处，从而促进了动机干预研究。负面地预测最终课程成绩并增加了学术控制信念，而这些正面地预测了最终课程成绩。这些发现表明，AR疗法可以对理论衍生的认知过程介导的第一代学生产生有益的益处，从而促进了动机干预研究。