You're right, it's not correct.

But for me there's something odd about "this attempt is often made to, etc." - although one can certainly make an attempt. It seems to be no more than the "this" that disturbs. Maybe with the context my puzzlement would vanish. I can't say.

this approach is often used to explain.....
sounds better to me

I'd use "used" anyway:
This [attempt/example/explanation/reference/object/...] is often used to explain...

Don't expect a grammatical explanation from me now, but I am using [something] to explain something. Whether that thing I'm using is just a made attempt or a well documented reference doesn't make much of a difference I'd say.

Maybe you should make it clear by writing "This attempt is often made and, if successful, used to explain..." I think the main problem is that you're using an attempt as an explanation. These two create kind of a conflict.

"this attempt" -- "dieser Versuch" ? -- "this experiment" ???