Seligman, Nolen-Hoeksema, and Girgus (1986) did a yearlong longitudinal study to investigate factors to find a connection between learned helplessness and depression, achievement and explanatory style. Researchers chose 168 children, 87 boys and 81 females between the ages of 8 to 11 years old participated in this study. The explanatory style was hypothesized that a maladaptive explanatory style could serve to predict future depression. To test this hypothesis, participants were asked to fill out a CDI,CASQ, LEQ five times in a year. Teachers were also invited to complete a student behavior checklist for each participant to measure perceived learned helplessness at the end of the study. Also, the standardized state test was used to measure school achievement for each participant. It was concluded that maladaptive explanatory style for life events can predict future depression. Results also suggest that even though the relationship between explanatory style
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Teachers were asked to rate when a child is portraying learned helplessness or mastery oriented behaviors in the classroom. This checklist is a reliable measurement for teachers who are devoted to helping their students reach their potential. However even if this checklist is a strength, this article did not do well at showing that it could be used to intervene with the cycle of maladaptive explanatory style, depression, and school success. Since teachers are with their students for extended periods of time they know their students well and therefore they could be taught to recognized learned helplessness in children. If the maladaptive explanatory style could be changed by guidance and encouragement, then children may be at a lower risk for depression and lower school success. If they paid more attention to this checklist that they used, then they would have made this article that much
Teachers were asked to rate when a child is portraying learned helplessness or mastery oriented behaviors in the classroom. This checklist is a reliable measurement for teachers who are devoted to helping their students reach their potential. However even if this checklist is a strength, this article did not do well at showing that it could be used to intervene with the cycle of maladaptive explanatory style, depression, and school success. Since teachers are with their students for extended periods of time they know their students well and therefore they could be taught to recognized learned helplessness in children. If the maladaptive explanatory style could be changed by guidance and encouragement, then children may be at a lower risk for depression and lower school success. If they paid more attention to this checklist that they used, then they would have made this article that much