Student Motivation: The Culture and Context of Learning
Abstract
Ever since the advent of the intelligence test we have thought of exceptional achievement in terms of cognitive attributes. We have words and phrases like "genius," "above average intelligence," "average" and "mentally deficient" to describe different levels of cognitive ability. In the United States widespread use of intelligence tests followed the success of the in World War I, and for the next half-century Army Alpha and Beta Tests intelligence tests were the major measures used to predict school and vocational achievement. Learning was primarily studied in laboratories, and the behaviorist theories that were dominant largely dealt with changes in overt behavior. As a result there was relatively little influence of learning research on concepts involving cognition and intelligence. The transition from behaviorism to cognitive psychology that began in the 1940's and 50's came into full flower in the 1970's and 80's, and great progress was made in understanding learning, memory, and thinking. In the decades following World War I there had been many debates about the possible influence of environmental conditions on intelligence, but the cognitive abilities measured by intelligence tests were generally believed to be determined by heredity. The intelligence tests of cognitive abilities correlated substantially with academic performance; so their use in determining which students needed special help in school or which students were capable of university work was widely accepted. As cognitive psychology became dominant, it became apparent that although heredity was important, intelligence consisted of learnable abilities.
Chapters (11)
In the past two decades, the focus of motivation and learning research has shifted from individual differences in personality
to the cognitive, situational and contextual determinants of achievement. Situated learning research (Resnick, 1987; Rogoff, 1990) and cross-cultural studies (see for example, Salili, 1994, Salili, 1995; Stevenson et al., 1990) have revealed the dynamic interaction of individuals and their context in the development of motivation, cognition and learning
(Volet, in press).
In this chapter, I describe a program of research undertaken to shed new light on achievement patterns of ethnic minority
youth from a motivational perspective. The focus of the research is motivational processes in African American youth, although
we have broadened our perspective to include multiethnic samples who share some of the same motivational beliefs and school
achievement patterns as their African American counterparts. Studies of ethnic minority youth in contemporary America are
compatible with the theme of this series on exceptionality, if this construct is broadly defined as being different from the
dominant group. Race and ethnicity are among the main dimensions in this society on which people are perceived to differ,
and minority groups are often studied to examine the degree to which their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are similar to
or different from those of Euro-Americans. It will be argued that some of our society’s normative beliefs about effort and
achievement strivings are not endorsed by minority youth, and that understanding motivation in exceptional as well as typical
individuals will require new approaches that better accommodate the diversity of experiences and beliefs shared by youth of
different ethnic origins.
The academic under-achievement of African Americans is one of the most striking examples of inequality in the United States.
The severity of the problem is illustrated by the illiteracy rate which runs as high as 40% among minority youth, compared
with 13% among all 17-year-olds in the United States (see National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983). Most alarming is that the differences in achievement between African American students and White students increase with
age. For example, while the math performance of African American students is 14% below the national average at age 9, by age
17, this gap has grown to 20% (data derived from Holmes, 1982).1 Similar differences between African American and White students are observed in higher education. For example, African American
students graduate from college with a grade point average that is two-thirds of a letter grade below that of White students
(Nettles, 1988). More disturbing evidence comes from findings that the majority of African American students who start college never obtain
a bachelor degree (Billson & Terry, 1982; Bynum & Thompson, 1983; Fleming, 1984; McCauley, 1988; Suen, 1983). The national dropout rate for African Americans in college is 70%, compared to only 42% for all college students (Nettles, 1988).
Most Chinese children know this story and, like Li, they know that effort and hard work are important if one to achieve anything.
Goal orientation theory predicts that adopting a mastery goal will facilitate self-regulated learning and that endorsement
of relative ability goals or extrinsic goals will be negatively related to self-regulated learning. Most empirical research
has supported this general principle (see Ames, 1992 for review). However, some recent research suggests that, contrary to normative goal theory predictions, adoption of a relative
ability goal can facilitate self-regulated learning in middle school students (Wolters, Yu, & Pintrich, 1996). This study found that, in line with normative goal theory predictions, adopting a mastery goal where the student focuses
on learning was positively related to self-efficacy, use of deeper processing strategies, and metacognitive strategies. At
the same time, adopting an extrinsic goal, where the student focuses on grades or rewards, was negatively related to efficacy
and strategy use, again in line with goal theory predictions. However, contrary to goal theory, students who adopted a relative
ability goal, where the student is focused on besting others, also had higher levels of self-efficacy, strategy use and metacognition.
These results were interpreted in terms of a general social cognitive model of self-regulated learning where focusing on social
comparison can provide important feedback for self-regulatory purposes as well as help maintain motivation in the face of
often over-learned and boring classroom tasks.
The study of the attributions has given researchers of achievement motivation a powerful key to understanding thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors in achievement situations (Brown & Weiner, 1984; Diener & Dweck, 1978, 1980; Dweck & Elliott, 1983; Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Weiner, 1985; Weiner, Graham, & Chandler, 1982; CitationRef Weiner & Kukla, 1971). Decades of research has demonstrated that different attributions lead to unique patterns of coping. Indeed, Weiner has
mapped the attribution-affect-behavior linkages for the major classes of attributions (see Weiner, 1985, for a review).
Aimed at exploring the role of culture and context in students' motivational orientation and academic performance, as well as the relationship between these variables within each culture. Ss were 571 grade 12 or 13 students. There were 3 groups of Ss: Chinese students in Hong Kong, Canadian students of European origin, and Chinese Canadian students. The present research addressed 2 questions: (1) what role do culture and context of learning play in students' goal orientations, self-efficacy, test anxiety, effort and actual achievement? and (2) does the Western model of achievement apply in Chinese culture and in the context of learning in Hong Kong? Results showed that compared to Canadian Ss, Hong Kong Ss spend much more time on studying, but receive lower examination marks than their Canadian counterparts. On most measures, Chinese Canadian Ss' scores were between those of Hong Kong Chinese and European Canadian Ss. Chinese Canadian and European Canadian Ss share the same learning context in schools, but they are from different cultural backgrounds. The context of leaning appeared to have a moderating effect on cultural influences. Results clearly showed that culture and context of learning have an influence on students' motivational orientation and achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Social cognitive theories on learning have considered the role of beliefs, thoughts and perceptions in motivating students
to adopt adaptive learning strategies. The concept of goals has emerged to be useful in explicating the origins and correlates
of adaptive learning. There are two general goal orientations that students can adopt in learning: task-focused and performance-focused.
Goal orientations are related to a number of motivational and cognitive processes, which may contribute to performance outcomes.
Students adopting a task-focused goal are primarily concerned with learning to improve their understanding. Students who adopt
a performance-focused goal are concerned with grades and concentrate on outperforming others. The goal orientation theory
(Ames & Ames, 1989; Anderman & Maehr, 1994 ,Maehr & Pintrich, 1991 ; Urdan & Maehr, 1995) has been used extensively as a framework for research in academic settings and recently has proven useful in guiding school
change (Maehr, Midgley, 1996) in US. Although the conceptual framework underlining the goal orientation theory of the motivation and achievement is derived
from research on US students, the basic model has been successfully applied to the analysis of students in other individualistic
cultures.
Teaching across cultures, whether as an expatriate teaching in a different culture, or as a local teaching international students,
is an experience that many university teachers see as problematic. The following comment from the United Kingdom on teaching
international students is typical:
many overseas students now originate in Pacific Rim countries, whose educational cultures characteristically value a highly
deferential approach to teachers and place considerable emphasis on rote learning. This approach, of course, promotes surface
or reproductive learning, which is at variance . . . with officially encouraged teaching innovations . . . to ensure deep
transformational learning (Harris, 1997: 78).
While the issues of group formation and group dynamics are well documented in the school context (Johnson et al., 1981; Slavin, 1983), what motivates, or alternately inhibits university students from different cultural backgrounds to engage in group work
is largely unknown. In the university context, different types of group work can be identified, for example, informal study
groups where students spontaneously study together of their own volition, or formal group work where students are required
by their teacher to complete an assignment with a group of peers. The research reported in this paper concentrates on the
latter category, the mandatory group assignments.
Unfortunately, research on classroom instruction and its outcomes is undoubtedly in a state of severe stagnation. The majority of teachers judge the usefulness of research very negatively; protagonists of basic psychological research despise this kind of research (cf. Shulman, 1981). Even among educational psychologists, field research on regular instruction within natural classrooms is “out” since the rise of the cognitive paradigm with its focus on microprocesses rather than on products. Furthermore, it is becoming more and more difficult to get permission for empirical investigations in schools.
The goal of this article is not to add an additional point to the many theoretical considerations of the well-known “research into practice” problem in educational psychology (cf. Shulman, 1981; Weinert, 1994). Rather, the present article focuses on a specific domain, namely research on classroom instruction and its effects, and the goal is to show how future empirical research on classroom instruction could overcome some of the shortcomings that may be responsible for the present state of the art. It is argued that it is neither necessary nor fruitful to totally abandon the field but that it is worthwhile to improve the underlying research strategy substantially. This shall be demonstrated by a comprehensive longitudinal school study, conducted by the Max-Planck-Institute for Psychological Research, and directed by Franz E. Weinert and the author.
... Effort appears as an important value for Chinese immigrants as well (Hess et al., 1987;Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001;Sue & Okazaki, 2009). There is a large research body investigating the factors behind the educational success of East Asian immigrants (Hsin & Xie, 2014;Lee & Zhou, 2015). ...
... Based on this research body, East-Asian immigrants show great similarity to their home country nationals, nevertheless there are differences as well. Chinese immigrants scored between the host country and the home country regarding many factors, for example, belief that effort is the road to success (Chen & Stevenson, 1995), failure is the sign of lack of effort (Hess et al., 1987), and the amount of time they spend with studying (Salili et al., 2001). ...
... The abovementioned migration studies on effort revealed that the value of effort persists in spite of the different cultural contexts but its' intensity might change under the influence of the host country. Chinese immigrants, however, were mostly investigated in the multicultural America and Canada (Chen & Stevenson, 1995;Hess et al., 1987;Salili et al., 2001) and there is no study focusing on the concept of effort of Chinese 10 SEBESTYÉN, IVASKEVICS, FÜLÖP immigrants in a Central European country such as Hungary. ...
The present study aimed to reveal the effect of migration processes on the conceptualisation of effort involving two cultures with different approaches towards effort: China with an effort-promoting mindset and Hungary with an effort-repressing mindset. In the study, narrative approach was used in cross-sectional design involving Chinese, Hungarian and Chinese immigrant students living in Hungary. Altogether 139 students-49 Hungarian, 47 Chinese, 43 Chinese immigrants-aged 13-15 years provided narratives on past personal effort. Content analyses were done on 222 narratives. The results showed that the Chinese narratives of effort were characterised by learning and achievement orientation with elaborated effort process. In contrast, the Hungarian narratives were characterised by relationship orientation and emotional coping with a non-elaborated effort process. The narratives of the Chinese immigrants showed great similarity to those of the Chinese students reflecting academic effort, achievement goals and elaborated process. The findings suggest that the traditional Chinese approach towards effort persists in cultural transition, and academic effort tends to be a primary resource for educational success for the Chinese immigrant students in Hungary.
... Researchers have also suggested that cultural values influence student motivation through the different structure of schools in Western and East Asian countries (Karasawa et al. 1997;Salili et al. 2001). As East Asian and Western nations have different cultural values regarding academic ability and motivation, schools could be a primary medium through which these cultural differences are transmitted and further cultivated. ...
... In contrast, Western nations tend to have schools that are structured around personal mastery, effort, and ability; hence, these students may view ability as more of an individualistic effort. Taken together, constructions of ability self-concepts can also depend upon how cultures construct ability (e.g., performance-based versus mastery-based learning; groupbased versus individual-based learning; Salili et al. 2001). ...
Motivation is an essential determinant of academic learning, educational choices, and career decisions during adolescence and early adulthood. While achievement motivation has been widely studied across Western populations, recent work has emphasized the importance of examining the universality versus cultural specificity of motivation constructs across countries or diverse cultures. This article is a systematic review of the current discourse surrounding developmental and gender differences in student motivation in the disciplines of mathematics and English, offering comparisons of how these patterns are deployed within Western and East Asian countries. Guided by expectancy–value theory, this review focuses on ability self-concept and task values as two prominent motivational constructs. The authors first examine age and gender differences in the development of ability self-concept and task values among those from Western and East Asian countries from primary school to secondary school. Next, the sociocultural and contextual factors driving developmental and gender differences in motivation are discussed. The article concludes by summarizing the limitations of existing literature and suggesting new lines of inquiry to advance knowledge in cross-cultural studies on student achievement motivation.
... This collaborative effort encompasses the participation of both audience and buskers, as well as collective identities such as community, culture and training backgrounds. It operates within a dynamic framework influenced by various factors, but consistently emphasizes the importance of group and community over individual ego (Salili et al. 2001). During busking, December frequently sings her own compositions. ...
While busking can provide entertainment and contribute to community development , it can also stimulate discussions and debates within the community, prompting individuals to reflect on political and social crises. This is the case of post-pandemic Hong Kong, where citizens' lives are tightly controlled; following a series of social movements, public gatherings have been prohibited due to questionable social distancing measures and the closure of pedestrian zones. This article presents a case study that examines the role of buskers as agents of change through community music engagement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three buskers, participant observation and field notes taken during busking events. The findings from the conversation analysis revealed that busk-ers and citizens' participation in busking activities helped cultivate their creative expression of ideas, empowering them to transcend the rigid societal structure and unequal power relations between authorities and citizens, enabling social advocacy efforts such as reclaiming lost public space, expanding the community into the online realm, and fostering a cultivated mindset of 'becoming' that sustains the possibilities of autonomy within the community.
... The concept of differential performance is also often related to students' motivation to study in the existing literature. In a learning context, motivation is defined as the cognitive, situational, and contextual determinants of achievement in an individual (Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2012). Assiter & Gibbs (2007) research on student retention and attainment was based on the understanding that motivation is an integral dimension of student retention. ...
Man, Nature and Ibo Society: An Ecocritical Interpretation of "Things Fall
Apart"
Bandana Sinha Kumar
bandana.kumar@unza.zm
The University of Zambia, Zambia
“Save the earth” was the motto of environmental conference in Rio in 1992. Instead “serve
the earth” would have been more appropriate. One can perceive “serve the earth” attitude in
Chinua Achebe’s sublime work “Things Fall Apart”. This study traces the depiction of nature
in the aforesaid novel whether it is anthropocentric (system of beliefs and practices that
favors humans over other organism) or it supports nature. Deterioration of environment is
a primary concern in today’s world. “Things Fall Apart” articulated a new vision of the
African world and gave expression to a new sense of the African experience that was more
penetrating than what had been available before its appearance.
In “Things Fall Apart”, Achebe presents a historical picture of the traditional Ibo society with
all its strengths `and weaknesses. However, it is the protagonist, Okonkwo, who holds
together the different strands of the plot and sustains the latter to the very end. Achebe
presents Okonkwo as an embodiment of Ibo values, a man who symbolizes his race. It is quite
evident that Achebe wishes to portray Okonkwo as the archetypal African – the man best
suited to bring to his readers the harrowing experience of colonialism. Achebe’s readers
witness the decay of traditional Ibo society through Okonkwo’s eyes and sympathies with
him.
Natural world cohabit the landscape of “Things Fall Apart” along with humans. Nature is at
the core of this novel. Ecocriticism explores the ways in which we imagine and portray the
relationship between humans and environment. Ecocriticism gives human beings a better
understanding of nature. “The Ecocriticism Reader” takes ecocriticism as “the study of of the
relation between literature and the physical environment” (XVIII). This study explores how
Chinua Achebe has portrayed this relationship in his magnum opus.
... For our framework, we consider context as the container in which the phenomenon of interest (the learner and his/her learning processes) resides (Dervin, 2003). The learner's goals, actions, and even motives are influenced by the context (Salili et al., 2001;Volet, 2001). We can illustrate the influence of the context by looking at Louise (see Section "A Vignette: Louise, the Learner"). ...
Using a Web search engine is one of today’s most frequent activities. Exploratory search activities which are carried out in order to gain knowledge are conceptualized and denoted as Search as Learning (SAL). In this paper, we introduce a novel framework model which incorporates the perspective of both psychology and computer science to describe the search as learning process by reviewing recent literature. The main entities of the model are the learner who is surrounded by a specific learning context , the interface that mediates between the learner and the information environment, the information retrieval (IR) backend which manages the processes between the interface and the set of Web resources, that is, the collective Web knowledge represented in resources of different modalities. At first, we provide an overview of the current state of the art with regard to the five main entities of our model, before we outline areas of future research to improve our understanding of search as learning processes.
... Their conceptualisation of what constitutes an ideal student still resembles the typical Chinese belief that students should be academic high achievers who are hardworking, motivated, humble, obedient, respectful, and self-disciplined (Lam, 1996). Secondary school teachers in particular are expected simply to teach well, keep their students under control, and maintain a social distance from their students (Salili et al., 2001). This creates a situation in which it is extremely difficult for the average teacher to provide close personal counselling and individualised support (Bray & Koo, 2005;Ryan & Louie, 2013;Wong et al., 2020). ...
Teachers play a critical role in facilitating the career and life planning of secondary school students. This paper describes the development of the Career-Related Teacher Support Scale (Hong Kong Secondary Students Form). Based on data obtained from 493 students in Hong Kong, five types of career-related teacher support were identified with the most important form of support being teachers’ knowledge about the world of work and study path requirements. A correlation model yielded the best fit to the data. No variance in response pattern appeared across genders, and the new scale was found to have good validity and reliability.
... Los estudiantes universitarios pueden asignar valor diferente a sus estudios y al grado que obtendrán de acuerdo con su percepción de las complejidades que presenta el mercado laboral y la posibilidad de una exitosa incorporación a un empleo profesional bien remunerado, por lo que pueden apreciar su formación universitaria como una inversión (Silas, 2012) o como una forma de consumo (Salgado, 2005). Estas percepciones influyen en su integración institucional, su trayectoria académica e incluso en su autoestima (Salili, Chiu y Hong, 2001). Dentro de las influencias más palpables en la decisión de iniciar y continuar la formación superior y el imaginario acerca de la utilidad de estos estudios están los amigos, la familia, el grupo social de pertenencia, su percepción de la institución de educación superior y los medios de comunicación. ...
El presente texto da cuenta de cómo los estudiantes universitarios de primer ingreso han vivido el inicio de su formación profesional frente a la pantalla de la computadora a causa del confinamiento ocasionado por la pandemia Covid-19. Las evidencias empíricas surgen de un estudio exploratorio y se toma una parte de los datos obtenidos mediante el uso de una encuesta en línea que se aplicó entre noviembre y diciembre de 2020 y obtuvo 1 738 respuestas válidas. Los resultados muestran una relación distante entre los estudiantes y la institución de educación superior, así como frustración, estrés y tristeza ocasionada por la imposibilidad de asistir al campus o plantel. Por otro lado, refieren que esta modalidad de enseñanza les prepara para un mundo pospandemia, caracterizado por el uso intensivo de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación.
... The concept of differential performance is also often related to students' motivation to study in the existing literature. In a learning context, motivation is defined as the cognitive, situational, and contextual determinants of achievement in an individual (Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2012). Assiter & Gibbs (2007) research on student retention and attainment was based on the understanding that motivation is an integral dimension of student retention. ...
The theories on student retention and academic attainment have been in use since the early 1970s, gradually developing over time to accommodate the shifts in high education dynamics and landscapes. Although the theories grow to accommodate the alterations in the higher education systems being used, they have not been altered to understand the change in higher education demographics which occurred due to the introduction of the Widening Participation Agenda. As British-Pakistanis are the second largest minority in the UK, making up approximately 2% of the entire population (1.17 million people), it is imperative to understand why students from this community have a higher drop-out rate that their White counterparts when they enter higher education with the same qualifications and grades. This paper theorizes this issue by using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions to explain the cultural confusion experienced by British-Pakistani students in UK’s higher education, and provides insight onto the research being undertaken to further understand what role ethnicity and culture plays in their decision to drop out of higher education.
... Numerous studies have been conducted in various contexts using the L2MSS as a theoretical model to help explain L2 motivation. Nonetheless, it has been shown that cross-culture differences may affect motivation with learners from various ethnic groups displaying different values and social norms (Salili et al., 2001;Graham & Hudley, 2007). Moreover, recent studies have shown that L2 motivation can be affected by gender differences (Henry & Cliffordson, 2013;You & Dörnyei, 2014) which suggests an interesting avenue to explore in a specific social context. ...
Studies have shown that second language (L2) motivation can have an impact on L2 learning processes. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in L2 motivation among Croatian university students from the perspective of the L2MSS. The results indicated that females were more motivated than males to learn English, had higher levels of interest in English, while differences in L2 anxiety were somewhat ambiguous. Females also demonstrated that their L2 motivation was linked to motives related to the avoidance of negative outcomes suggesting that females are perhaps more conscientious learners compared to males. These findings point to a complex motivational state among females, which may indicate important gender-based differences in language learning.
... An attribution refers to "constructions imposed by perceivers to account for the relation between an action and an outcome" (Weiner, 1986, p. 22). Weiner's (1979Weiner's ( , 1986 attribution theory of motivation is one of the most cited theories for explaining an individual's affect and behavior in academic-related events (Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2002;Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001;Tollefson, 2000). ...
Despite the importance of developing students’ learning autonomy in Chinese schools similar to Western cultured schools, many concerns are raised regarding the influence and effectiveness that learner autonomy has on students’ academic achievements. The aim of this study was to identify the attribution patterns of Chinese university students for success and failure toward students who learnt through autonomy learning (student-centered approaches) compared with students who learnt through teacher-centered approaches. Within this study, mixed research methods were adopted, and students used a reflective method to distinguish whether they were taught English through a traditional or student-centered method. The findings of the study reveal that there are no significant differences in attributional patterns between students who had learnt in high school through autonomous learning and those who learnt through teacher-centered approaches. The findings have implications for policy and practice in the Chinese Ministry of Education system and recommendations for future research.
... Although such a finding might be seen as unprecedented in most contexts, in the context of this study's sample such a finding is possible since Hong Kong parents have been known to have beliefs and expectations that influenced their children's own thinking towards their achievement (Postiglione & Lee, 1997;Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001;Watkins & Biggs, 2001). The influence Hong Kong parents in this study had on their children included the children's cognitive ability towards their achievement. ...
... Many studies deal with students' motivation regarding their learning aspirations and their psychological processes of learning (e.g. Murton et al. 2008, Paulsen & Feldman, 2005 Valle et al. 2003, Salili et al. 2001, Bures et al. 2000 ). Nevertheless, learning motivation is not to be confused with academic motivation for the latter focuses exclusively on reasons why individuals decide for and continue with university studies. ...
The concept of motivation is used in many different disciplines to analyze the ‘what and why’ (Deci & Ryan, 2000) of human action. A vast body of literature exists on the relationship of moti-vation and performance in professional work and organization settings (e.g. Osterloh, Frey & Homberger, 2011; Gagné & Deci, 2005). Motivation is widely acknowledged to enhance perform-ance and efficiency of staff (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Beyond work settings motivation may influence performance in academic settings and among university students. Our main research question asks for factors that influence academic motivation: Can student characteristics and study con-ditions impact academic motivation?
In the following, at first a theoretical view on academic motivation will narrow down the subject of interest and distinguish it from already existing research. Secondly, factors that we assume of having an influence on academic motivation will be presented. We focus on students with non-traditional characteristics, the individual field of studies, different stages of studies, social background, and the organizational perspective of studying. Moreover, we look at the relation-ship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Finally, our hypotheses will be tested empiri-cally with data from a survey on academic motivation and on the students’ expectations. The survey was conducted at three German universities in 2009.
... Many studies deal with students' motivation regarding their learning aspirations and their psychological processes of learning (e.g. Murton et al. 2008, Paulsen & Feldman, 2005 Valle et al. 2003, Salili et al. 2001, Bures et al. 2000 ). Nevertheless, learning motivation is not to be confused with academic motivation for the latter focuses exclusively on reasons why individuals decide for and continue with university studies. ...
... It is increasingly acknowledged that students' learning takes place within a societal context and reflects the values held in the respective culture (e.g., Boekaerts, 2003;Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001). Comparative studies contrasting Western with East Asian societies, demonstrated pronounced differences in school-related learning motivation (Helmke & Tuyet, 1999) and the degree to which students feel obliged to go to school, to study at home and to develop their identities (Hoppe-Graff & Kim, 2004;Larson & Verma, 1999). ...
... There is now a significant range of research that has focused on the characteristics of Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) learners (Chan & Rao, 2009;Watkins & Biggs, 1996Salili, Chiu & Hong, 2001). At the same time there has been a body of work undertaken by psychologists that has focused on the unique cultural characteristics of different societies and, in particular, Chinese societies (Bond, 1986(Bond, , 1996. ...
Developing creative, critical, problem solving citizens for the future is now a strategic priority for all countries. Yet how can this be done given the state of learning and teaching theory and the walls that appear to divide researchers from different traditions and the diverse contexts in
6
which learning takes place across the Asia-Pacific region? This question cannot be answered in a single paper but it will be the focus of what is to follow. Four broad areas will be addressed:
1. Learning in Asian contexts: The case of “the Chinese learner”;
2. New ways of understanding learning – Cultural neuroscience and the case of dyslexia in students learning alphabetic languages;
3. Dichotomies in Asian learning: East Asia and South East Asia; and
4. Moving forward – A research agenda for the future to meet the needs of the region.
... However, it is necessary to have other cross-cultural studies in this line of research in order to further ascertain the conclusion. Anyhow, educational researchers should acknowledge the 824 M.C.W. Yip diverse influences made by the different cultures (such as educational system; learning environment, etc. see Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001) and current situations in order to obtain a more complete picture of the dynamic relationship between academic performance and learning and study strategies in particular (Alexander, 2006) and 'Learning' in general. Aside from the cultural factor, the context of assessment and learning as well as the linkage between assessment tasks to each different subjects (i.e. ...
The present study examines the dynamic relationship between academic performance of high school students and their respective learning and study strategies. Two hundred thirty-six high school students were recruited to participate in this study by completing a Chinese version of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory - LASSI, to probe into the relationship. Results found that (1) there were clear differences to the learning and study strategies used by high school students with high academic performance, and those with low academic performance; (2) all the three components (Will; Self-regulation and Skill) were equally important to differentiate high academic achieving high school students from low academic achieving high school students within the strategic model of learning; and (3) a numbers of learning and study strategies were effectively predicting the academic performance of the high school students. All of these result patterns confirm that learning and study strategies used by high academic achievers and low academic achievers as well as the components used to predict students’ academic performance in the high school setting are quite different from the patterns revealed in the tertiary education sector.
... social class, and the interactive effect of RS-class and entity beliefs on self-reported expected and current academic performance. We were interested in expected performance, given research showing a relationship between expectations of success and academic motivation ( Destin & Oyserman, 2009;Salili, Chiu, & Hong, 2001). For Study 1b, we examined the interactive effect of class-based rejection sensitivity and entity beliefs on academic performance using official university records. ...
Undergraduates, especially those from lower income backgrounds, may perceive their social class background as different or disadvantaged relative to that of peers and worry about negative social treatment. We hypothesized that concerns about discrimination based on one's social class (i.e., class-based rejection sensitivity or RS-class) would be damaging to undergraduates' achievement outcomes particularly among entity theorists, who perceive their personal characteristics as fixed. We reasoned that a perceived capacity for personal growth and change, characteristic of incremental theorists, would make the pursuit of a college degree and upward mobility seem more worthwhile and attainable. We found evidence across 3 studies that dispositionally held and experimentally primed entity (vs. incremental) beliefs predicted college academic performance as a function of RS-class. Studies 1a and 1b documented that high levels of both entity beliefs and RS-class predicted lower self-reported and official grades, respectively, among undergraduates from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. In Study 2, high entity beliefs and RS-class at matriculation predicted decreased year-end official grades among lower class Latino students. Study 3 established the causal relationship of entity (vs. incremental) beliefs on academic test performance as a function of RS-class. We observed worse test performance with higher RS-class levels following an entity (vs. incremental) prime, an effect driven by lower income students. Findings from a 4th study suggest that entity theorists with RS-class concerns tend to believe less in upward mobility and, following academic setbacks, are prone to personal attributions of failure, as well as hopelessness. Implications for education and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
Kültürün devamı için kuşaklar arası aktarımın gerçekleşmesi gerekir. Bunun için ise yeni nesli teşkil eden çocuk ve gençlerle bağ kurulması şarttır. Bu bağ, somut olmayan kültürel miras unsurlarının farklı aktarım yolları sonucunda yeni nesillerce bilinmesiyle kurulur. Geleceğe adım atabilmek için geçmişi bilmek gerekir. Küreselleşme, köyden kente göç, geleneksel kültür ortamlarının değişime uğraması gibi nedenler sonucunda kültürün kuşaktan kuşağa aktarımı, köklü bağlam değişiklikleri yaşamış ve olumsuz yönde etkilenmiştir. Geleneksel bağlamda devam eden sözlü kültür ögelerinin yazıya geçirilmesi ve ardından yazılı ürünlerin günümüzde dijitalleşmesi gibi dönüşümler kültürün yeni yaşam alanları oluşturmasını zorunlu kılmıştır. Kültür aktarımında geçmişte kullanılan doğal ortamlar, yerini yazılı/dijital sanat ve edebiyat ürünlerine bırakmaya başlamıştır. Bu ürünlerden biri de çocuk edebiyatıdır. Ağaç yaşken eğilir, anlayışında olduğu gibi kültür aktarımında da belirli bir kritik dönem vardır ve bu erken çocukluk döneminden itibaren çocuğun karakterinin olgunlaşmasına kadar geçen süreyi oluşturur. Kültürün, bu kritik dönemde, erken yaşlarda aktarımının yapılması için başat materyallerden biri de çocuk edebiyatı ürünleridir. Bu çalışmada somut olmayan kültürel miras aktarımında çocuk edebiyatının rolü tartışılmış ve çocukların bu aktarımdan en iyi şekilde faydalanabilmesi için çocuk edebiyatı ürünlerinin içeriklerinde hangi unsurların muhteva edilmesi gerektiği sebepleriyle birlikte açıklanmıştır. Bu açıklamalar çocuk gelişim kuramları altında psikolojik, kültürel ve sosyal etkenlerle ilişkilendirilmiştir. Resmi müfredatın dışında kalan ve yetişkinler, ebeveynlerce yeni nesle sunulan çocuk kitapları; Somut Olmayan Kültürel Mirasın Korunması Sözleşmesi’nin bahsettiği “okul dışı eğitim” araçları kapsamında incelenmiştir. Çocuğun hayatında gelişim materyali olarak mutlaka yer etmesi gereken somut olmayan kültürel miras ögelerinin; çocuğun karşılaşmasının zaruri görüldüğü çocuk kitaplarıyla birlikte sunulması, çocuğun benlik algısının oluşmasında hayati öneme sahiptir. Benlik algısı, aitlik duygusunu beraberinde getirir. Bireylerin, sosyal hayatta mutlu ve başarılı olabilmeleri için aitlik duygusuna sahip olmaları gerekir. Bu bağlamda, çocukların Sözleşme’de yer alan okul dışı eğitim araçları kapsamında somut olmayan kültürel miras ögeleriyle sarmalanmış ve “çocuğa görelik” ilkesiyle kaleme alınmış eserlerle büyümesi; bir toplumun sürekliliği için oldukça büyük önem arz etmektedir. Çocuk oyunlarının isimlerinin hatırlanmakta zorlandığı günlerde; bir çocuk kitabından çocuk oyunu, tekerleme öğrenen çocuğun akranları arasındaki sosyal konumu artacak; unutulmaya yüz tutmuş ögeleri içselleştirerek köklerine sıkıca tutunacaktır. Bu sebeple somut olmayan kültürel miras ögelerinin çocuk edebiyatı yazarlarınca çok iyi bilinmesi bir tercih değil, bir zaruriyet olarak görülmelidir. Bu çalışmada, çocuk kitaplarının özellikleri ve muhteva etmesi gereken kültürel unsurlar ortaya konarak yeni nesillerin kimlik ve aidiyet duygusunun sağlanmasının altı çizilmiştir. Eğitimin evde başladığı gerçeğinden hareketle güçlü ve kolay ulaşılabilir bir materyal olan çocuk kitaplarının, somut olmayan kültürel unsurlarla desteklendiğinde kültür aktarımında bir aracı rolü üstlenebileceği söylenebilir.
The aim of this study was discovering the relationship between the use of social Networking, learning motivation and Positive Thinking among high school students in Koya city, in addition, discovering the level of using Social Networks, learning motivation and Positive Thinking in general, and also according to gender variable, finally which kind of Social Networks platforms are most used by students. The researcher used a descriptive (correlation) method as a method of the research. The population consisted of all high school students in koya city which their number were (2969).The sample consisted of(300)male and female students. The researcher used Social Networks and Positive Thinking Measurement; which prepared by the researcher,and Learning Motivation Measurement which is designed by Yusuf al Qatami, after finding validity and reliability the measurement was applied. The researcher used these techniques in IBM SPSS (Mean,Std-deviation, T-Test and Pearson).The results indicated that there is a low degree inverse relationship between using social networks, learning motivation and Positive Thinking, and using social networks was low among students, there were significant differences between genders in favor of males, and also the results showed the level of learning motivation was high and there were significant differences between genders in favor of females. the results showed the level of Positive Thinking was high, The first platform the most used among students was Snap Chat, and secondly, was Facebook, in the light of results the researcher make some recommendations and suggestions.
Teams are commonly celebrated as efficient and humane ways of organizing work and learning. By means of a series of in-depth case studies of teams in the United States and Finland over a time span of more than 10 years, this book shows that teams are not a universal and ahistorical form of collaboration. Teams are best understood in their specific activity contexts and embedded in historical development of work. Today, static teams are increasingly replaced by forms of fluid knotworking around runaway objects that require and generate new forms of expansive learning and distributed agency. This book develops a set of conceptual tools for analysis and design of transformations in collaborative work and learning.
The procrastination assessment scale for students (PASS) has been used widely in evaluating the patterns of university students’ procrastination on academic tasks and their procrastination behavior. The present study validated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the PASS (PASS-C) by recruiting two representative independent sample of Hong Kong Chinese university students (S1 used in the EFA study: 506; S2 used in the CFA study: 506). The results confirmed that this modified Chinese version is a valid and appropriate tool to assess university students’ procrastination tendencies in Chinese educational settings.
This chapter builds on the work from the ‘new’ sociology of childhood to show that the experiences of girl/childhood should not be assumed as homogenous. In mapping the contours of childhood, consumption and femininity in Singapore, Chapter 2 outlines the socio-cultural domains of what it means to grow up as a girl in Singapore. It illuminates how girls in Singapore encompass a unique set of experiences and circumstances and why tween girls’ dressing is a topic of interest that demands a more culturally-specific approach.
Culture, globalization, and evolution in information and communication technologies are three of the many factors that sway open and distance education phenomenon throughout the world. Within this field, motivation issues are regarded as the prime movers behind cultural differences. This chapter examines culture and motivation in globalized online learning spaces and their effects on learners' motivation. After exploring and explaining culture, globalization, and motivation issues, implications for designing motivational strategies for culturally diverse online learners based on Keller's ARCS-V motivation design model are presented. Further, recommendations and future research directions are proposed. Lastly, this chapter focuses on the multicultural nature of open and distance learning spaces.
This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to determine levels of motivation and engagement, and the school-related conditions that might influence such levels among Sri Lankan secondary school students. This study surveyed 100 Sinhala-medium and 100 Tamil-medium eighth-grade students (50 students from each gender). The mean age of the students was 12.8 years. Schools were represented by type 2 “government” schools located in the Monaragala and Nuwara Eliya districts in Sri Lanka. Twenty-four low-motivated students (12 from each gender) were selected based on the MQ scores of the MES-JS. Students who attained the lowest MQ scores for booster thoughts and booster behaviours, and highest MQ scores for mufflers and guzzlers were selected for conducting semi-structured interviews. The mean age of interviewed students was 12.9 years. Twelve teachers and 12 principals were also interviewed. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to measure the construct validity of the scale. Since this did not provide a robust solution, exploratory factor analysis was also conducted. Four factors were identified; Failure Avoidance and Anxiety (FAA), Positive Motivation (PM), Uncertain Control (UC), and Positive Engagement (PE). Based on those four factors, parametric tests – t-tests, two-way MANOVA, two-way ANOVA, one-way ANOVA –and non-parametric tests – Kruskal-Wallis H tests – were employed to analyse quantitative data and thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The findings of the quantitative phase of the study indicated that early adolescents’ motivation and engagement was not a major problem across the study population but there was a group of students who exhibiting low motivation and engagement. Interviews were conducted with this group. This qualitative phase of the study indicated that the quality of classroom relationships and the curriculum and resources impacted on the least motivated and engaged students’ learning. Especially, negative teacher-student relationships, lack of intrinsic motivation, the influence of peers, harsh punishments, inadequate encouragement, un-engaging teaching, unfriendly teaching-learning environment, inadequate quality learning activities, difficult subject matter, difficult and excessive homework, regular tests, inadequate classroom resources, and inadequate quality teaching-learning resources were revealed as contributing to low motivation and iii engagement. Some teachers and principals stated that they had employed: raising parental awareness, providing individual support, and short-term initiatives. It was revealed that, there was a link between the least motivated and engaged early adolescents’ learning and the impact of school-related conditions in low socio-economic districts in Sri Lanka, particularly in Tamil-medium schools. This study proposes a model to increase the motivation and engagement in learning of early adolescents in low socio-economic districts in Sri Lanka through a self-determination theory approach.
Previous research investigating the dynamics among the three inter-connecting variables of students’ learning (i.e. learning strategies, academic performances and self-efficacy) was focused largely on Western countries. The present study attempted use a mixed approach to extend this line of research to an East Asian country. First, we randomly recruited 390 Japanese university students as participants by completing two learning inventories (LASSI and MSLQ), to investigate the interrelationships among the three variables of students’ learning processes. Second, we followed up by interviewing 37 students from the same pool of participants, to complement the quantitative data. Convergent evidence generally supported that (a) there were important differences between the learning strategies used by the Japanese students with different levels of academic performance and (b) self-efficacy had equal status with the learning strategies in predicting the students’ academic performances.
The study examined the relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement of Junior High School
students in the Aowin and Suaman District’s in the Western Region of Ghana. To achieve this, a descriptive
design was adopted. A sample size of 400 Junior High School students were selected for the study using
proportional allocation. Questionnaires were used to elicit responses from selected students coupled with their
test scores. The data were analysed using inferential statistics (multiple regression and Pearson product moment
correlation) and descriptive statistics (means and standard deviation).The findings from the study revealed that
parenting styles correlate high with academic achievement and as such parenting styles have relationship with
the academic achievement of students. Several recommendations were offered which include the fact that
community and all the structures within it including schools, community heads, churches and media must help in
ensuring that parents are more responsible towards their children.
This study reports on the goal structures of one rural and one urban Grade 11 class in China, based on classroom observations and teacher and student interviews. Classroom observations, conducted over a 6‐month period, focused on physical settings and classroom activities. In each class, seven students and the homeroom teacher were interviewed to discern their views about classroom goal structures. Results indicated that although high scores and rankings on tests were admired, students were also encouraged to master knowledge, exert effort, develop good habits, and learn from their errors, reflecting the coexistence of both mastery and performance goals. Comparisons revealed that the rural class had a predominantly examination‐oriented focus whereas the urban class did not place as great importance on examination outcomes. Implications of the findings for research and practices are discussed.
We present our recent research on children's learning goals and personal agency in the domain of learning in order to show the complexity of selves in Chinese culture. Our research poses challenges to the widely claimed collectivist self‐concept in Chinese children and calls for reexamination of selves in specific domains across cultures.
To determine intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for work among college students, an online survey was conducted to collect participants' self-reported motivation and personality traits, as well as academic performance in samples of 310 American and 686 Taiwanese college student respondents. Data suggest that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations function differently in varying cultures such as Taiwan and the U.S., where Taiwanese college students’ extrinsic motivation was stronger than American college students,’ while intrinsic motivation may function differently regarding predicting academic performance between Taiwanese and American samples. In addition, the study demonstrated that diverse moderators of the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations exist in different cultures. Specifically, the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations was associated with the American students’ sense of self, but was moderated by the Taiwanese students’ recognition of student responsibilities. Viewing the results collectively, the study provides a nuanced understanding of different paths that students from different cultural backgrounds can follow to achieve academic success.
Using data from the first two cycles of the Programme for International
Student Assessment, PISA 2000 and PISA 2003, this paper argues that there is
no significant relationship between the use of assessments and learning outcomes
in Hong Kong. On the contrary, using assessment for tracking students
showed negative effect on achievement. Moreover, students use a significant
amount of time on homework and tutoring after normal school hours. Since
students are very anxious about their academic performances, they tend to be
highly competitive and avoid collaboration in their learning, and consequently
Hong Kong students suffer from low self esteem and very high anxiety level
even though they perform well in many international studies
Despite shifting demographic trends, research on motivation generally remains focused on European American, middle-class, educated samples, calling into question its utility and overall generalizability. Thus, the overarching purpose of this article is to increase the practical and cultural relevance of motivational research. Specifically, we review four key principles of motivation—meaningfulness, competence, autonomy, and relatedness—and unpack how they align with the research on culturally responsive and relevant education. Ultimately our goal is to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary research and to demonstrate how the principles of culturally responsive education are instantiated in motivationally supportive classrooms where teachers are more culturally sensitive and create an environment where cultural differences are appreciated and valued.
This study applied self-determination theory to youth purpose development among Korean college students. It examined the effects of students’ intrinsic motivation for volunteering and informative feedback from significant others on three dimensions of life purpose: confidence in purpose, commitment to purpose and social contribution. The study also tested whether informative feedback influenced the relationship of intrinsic motivation and life purpose development. Participants were 110 Korean college students taking a one-semester service-learning class. The results showed that informative feedback positively affected commitment to purpose and social contribution, especially for students who had low intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation and feedback both positively predicted students’ confidence in purpose. To positively influence students’ life purpose development, these results suggest the importance of providing college students with intrinsically motivated experiences plus informative feedback that supports their competence during service work.
Culture, globalization, and evolution in information and communication technologies are three of the many factors that sway open and distance education phenomenon throughout the world. Within this field, motivation issues are regarded as the prime movers behind cultural differences. This chapter examines culture and motivation in globalized online learning spaces and their effects on learners' motivation. After exploring and explaining culture, globalization, and motivation issues, implications for designing motivational strategies for culturally diverse online learners based on Keller's ARCS-V motivation design model are presented. Further, recommendations and future research directions are proposed. Lastly, this chapter focuses on the multicultural nature of open and distance learning spaces.
This study aims to investigate the differences of attributional responses to students with and without learning disabilities (LD) between pre- and in-service teachers in mainland China. A total of 204 teachers (101 pre-service and 103 in-service teachers) were surveyed using vignettes and Likert scale questions to ascertain their responses to students with and without LD. Drawing from Weiner’s attributional theory, teachers’ feedback, frustration, sympathy and expectation were measured. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was executed to compare pre-service and in-service teacher responses regarding students with and without LD. The findings showed that pre-service teachers experienced significantly lower frustration than in-service teachers to students with and without LD. Moreover, the teachers gave more positive feedback but felt less sympathy to students with LD who exerted high effort. These findings implied that pre-service tended to foster a more positive attribution style. Implications and recommendations for research and practice are also presented.
p>Motivating students has been a key challenge facing instructors in non-face-to-face instructional contexts. Existing researches into motivation in online learning environment have revealed that there are learning motivation differences among students from different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to identify whether American and Chinese online learners’ motivation differ in online learning environment and what characteristics of learners could exert influence on their motivation. This study, based on a survey of 162 students from West Virginia University and 210 students from Fudan University, China, revealed that there was a significant learning motivation difference between American and Chinese online learners. And it was also found that online learners’ learning motivation were affected by such learners’ characteristics as gender, employment status and marital status.</p
This theoretical paper begins with a reflection on the dominant
conceptions of ‘high ability’, based on psychometrics, and examines
claims that the ethos of a particular cultural heritage is essential to
what ‘high ability’ signifies. The article semantically distinguishes
‘giftedness’ from ‘ability’, using research on Confucian heritage
culture with its thick and thin dimensions. ‘Giftedness’ here means
an inherited quality or endowment. ‘Ability’, on the other hand,
signifies an active process open to nurture through education and
– what could account for the main contribution of this paper – the
role played by an ‘epistemology of heart-mind’ in Confucian heritage.
The article argues that this epistemology of heart-mind constitutes a
generational collective programming of mind. Such a definition could
lead to a sociocultural conception of intelligence and giftedness open
to development, adding a new perspective to the conceptualisation
of giftedness and high ability.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the key demographic variables of gender, school level and goal orientation on students’ self-assessment practices, including self-directed feedback seeking (SDFS) and self-reflection (SR). A total of 8843 Hong Kong students were surveyed, ranging from Primary 4 to Secondary 6. The results showed that female students demonstrated higher levels of self-assessment practices than male students, including both SDFS and SR. School level was also significantly associated with secondary students’ engagement in SR. Mastery goal orientation (MGO) was a significant and positive predictor of self-assessment practice including both SDFS and SR, while performance goal orientation (PGO) was a significantly negative predictor. Students with a higher level of MGO, or a lower level of PGO, were more likely to conduct self-assessment. The educational implications of the findings are discussed.
This article starts with a survey of various topics relevant to the identification of exceptional talent in early childhood. To start, findings in the identification of cognitive abilities based on psychometric testing and their stability will be presented. This will be followed by an overview of research on information processing (attention and habituation, memory, capacity and durability, memory efficiency, strategies and metacognition) in early childhood and the significance of this work for the identification of giftedness. Following an overview of the identification of motivational and personality characteristics and their stability, findings on exceptional achievements (early reading, writing, calculating) and how well they can predict giftedness will be reported. Subsequently an overview will depict research findings on various characteristics associated with parents and the learning environment which are significant for the identification of giftedness in early childhood. Building on this research overview, a specific procedure with which giftedness can be identified in early childhood will be illustrated. The ENTER model (Ziegler & Stoeger, 2003, 2004a), which allows for identification on the basis of a wide array of giftedness models in practice, was chosen as a basis model for this identification. In this article, the identification model ENTER will be applied in conjunction with the Actiotope Model of Giftedness.
The history of research on achievement motivation conducted by psychologists in Taiwan was reviewed to show the transformation from the implantation of Western instruments of measurement at an early stage, the development of indigenous instruments at a later stage, to the bottom-up model building approach advocated by some indigenous psychologists at recent. The weakness of empirical research with naïve positivism was criticized in light of postpositivism; moreover, a theoretical model for studying life goals and achievement motivations in Confucian society was proposed in contrast with the implicit theory of intelligence (Dweck and Leggett, Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273; 1988). A series of empirical research have been conducted to demonstrate several main propositions derived from the current theoretical model addressing vertical distinctiveness and personal goal; intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation; three types of life goals and their significances in Confucian society; social pressure and personal effort in academic vs. talented performance; and the moral significance of efforts in Chinese society.
Students' pursuit of academic and social goals has implications for school functioning. However, studies on academic and social achievement goals have been relatively independent and mainly conducted with students in culturally Western settings.
Guided by multiple-goal perspectives, this study examined the role of academic and social achievement goals in outcome variables relevant to academic (achievement, effort/persistence), social (peer relationship satisfaction, loneliness), and socio-academic (cooperative learning, competitive learning, socially regulated, and self-regulated learning) functioning.
A total of 356 Indonesian high-school students (mean age = 16 years; 36% girls) participated in the study.
A self-report survey comprising items drawn from pre-existing instruments was administered to measure distinct dimensions of achievement goals and outcomes under focus. Regression analysis was performed to examine additive, interactive, and specialized effects of achievement goals on outcomes.
Aligned with the hierarchical model of goal relationships (Wentzel, 2000, Contemp. Educ. Psychol., 25, 105), academic and social achievement goals bore additive effects on most outcomes. Findings also revealed a specialized effect on academic achievement and notable interactive effects on cooperative learning. In general, mastery-approach and performance-approach goals were more adaptive than their avoidance counterparts. The effects of social development goals were positive, whereas those of social demonstration-approach goals were mixed. Contrary to prior findings, social demonstration-avoidance goals did not appear to be inimical for school functioning.
Findings underscore the importance of both academic and social achievement goals in day-to-day school functioning and the need to consider the meaning of goals and the coordination of multiple goals from cultural lenses.
© 2015 The British Psychological Society.
This study examined the relationships among filial piety, goal orientations, and academic achievement among Chinese students. A survey of 336 university students in Hong Kong was carried out to collect information on their filial piety beliefs, goal orientations and grade point averages. Structural equation modelling indicated that reciprocal filial piety was associated with mastery orientation, which is associated with academic achievement in Chinese students. Authoritarian filial piety was associated with performance orientation, including performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, which contribute positively and negatively, respectively, to academic achievement in Chinese students. Findings were interpreted based on Chinese cultural factors and considerations.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between theories of intelligence and goal orientations, and their joint connections to students’ academic achievement in the Chinese cultural context. A total of 418 university students in Hong Kong participated in the present study. The survey was administered to collect information on students’ beliefs about their goal orientations, theories of intelligence and their college grade point averages. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that beliefs in the incremental theory of intelligence contribute to students’ academic achievements by facilitating their endorsement of mastery goals and performance-approach goals. Students’ performance-avoidance goals have a negative association with academic success. Cultural factors and considerations are addressed to clarify further the culture-specific findings.
Despite ample research on commitment in industrial settings, there has been no systematic attempt to investigate outcomes associated with teacher commitment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher commitment and psychological well-being in the work place using questionnaires. Hong Kong teachers (N = 857) participated. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to investigate how the three aspects of commitment pertaining to the organisation and occupation predicted relevant outcomes. Results showed that affective and normative commitment positively predicted psychological well-being in the work place: interpersonal fit at work, thriving at work, feeling of competency, perceived recognition at work, desire for involvement at work and job satisfaction. Continuance commitment was a negative predictor of some outcomes. Results of the current study provide support to Meyer’s 3 × 2 factor model of commitment. Findings are discussed in relation to the situation of teachers in the Hong Kong context.
This study examined the metacognitive developmental patterns of Hong Kong school students. Students rated their own metacognitive competencies by responding to an inventory of six motivational- and cognitive-metacognitive subscales. Results showed that students' metacognitive competencies decreased with age - from primary 4 (age 9) to secondary 5 (age 17) - with a sharp decline noticeable at the primary/secondary school transition. Age had a more powerful effect than gender on students' perception of their metacognitive competencies. This decreasing pattern of Hong Kong students' metacognitive competencies is contrary to the developmental trends found in Western countries. However, the comparatively high academic performance of Hong Kong students also suggests some different recommendations about student learning.
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