Page 43 - 50th

Academic Achievement and Motivation of Chinese Students
Academic Achievement and Motivation of Chinese Students
Hau Kit Taiai
Hau Kit T
by Professor

Choh-Ming Li Professor of Educational Psychology
Department of Educational Psychology

and self-determination are important to sustain of major concern. In other words, even if the task originated in Western contexts apply in other cultures,
involvement. It is against this background of values appears uninteresting, the student will more readily therefore contributing to the development of more
and beliefs, which are largely self-referent, that accept the need to accomplish it, as it is their duty to precise theories.
Western schools operate. do so.
Professor Hau will continue his research on student
The implication is that teachers need to spend a lot of In fact, Chinese teachers tend not to spend as self-concept, motivation orientation, self-regulation,
effort negotiating individual student needs and group much energy catering for individual differences in and positive attitude towards learning and life. It is
requirements. Even when schools are successful aspiration and interest. Rather, they focus on making hoped that the project will enhance student academic
in promoting student identification with the value the best use of the tuned-in initiatives and efforts achievement as well as desirable social development.
of academic achievement, there is still the issue of that students bring with them to school to promote
how to maintain motivation, especially in the face higher achievement. Confucian-collectivistic values
of obstacles and setbacks. Promoting expectancy for and beliefs seem to make a significant difference. Further Information, please read
success thus becomes important. In individualistic Two features of this culture are of particular salience
cultures, success is generally attributed to personal in making Chinese students adaptive learners Hau, K. T., & Ho, I. T. (2010). Chinese students’ motivation
and achievement. In M. H. Bond, The Oxford handbook
factors, and self-directed initiatives characterise the against all odds. Firstly, the high value accorded to of Chinese psychology (pp.187-204). New York: Oxford
process. Therefore, a sense of efficacy and a sense educational achievement serves as a strong driving University Press.
of control over the process are important for positive force: where there is a will, there is a way. Then there
expectancies about the outcome. is the phenomenal belief in effort: you will get there if
37 The study of student achievement and related you put in enough effort. 38
motivational characteristics in different cultural
groups has been of great interest to researchers in Chinese Schools
the past two decades. Among the various cultural Conclusion
groups being studied, Chinese and other Asian In the Confucian-collectivistic culture, analyses of
students from the Confucian cultural heritage have motivational dynamics involve the interdependent The proliferation of research on student achievement
self to a much greater extent than in the Western
drawn special attention because of their outstanding context. Achieving academic excellence is more motivation since the 1990s is a consequence of two
performance in international comparisons of than a personal matter and the motives to achieve major forces. On the one hand, educators in many
achievement (e.g., PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS; all large scale parts of the modern world actively seek solutions to
international survey of student achievement). An involve fulfilling obligations to oneself as well as to educational problems, among which poor school
important focus of research has been on students’ the family and society. This strong moral undertone engagement and declining achievement have caused
makes educational achievement a virtuous pursuit,
motivational characteristics engendered from their thus undermining the importance of personal interest great concern. Observations of Chinese and other
specific cultural and educational environments. Asian students’ outstanding achievement despite
or self-efficacy as necessary conditions for students apparently less favorable learning conditions has
to work hard. Moreover, with hierarchical social spurred interest in examining the so-called ‘paradox
Western Schools relationships being an ingrained feature of society, of the Chinese learner,’ and related findings do
teacher-directed learning has always been accepted
provide important insights. On the other hand,
In the Western Socratic-individualistic context, in the Confucian tradition, and the lack of self- psychological studies have increasingly emphasized
the independent self is the focus of motivational determination on the student’s part is much less an person–environment interactions as determinants of
analysis. The value of academic pursuit is a highly issue in the Chinese classroom. human behavior.
individualized matter, and achievement is largely
conceptualised in terms of the gain to the individual, Thus, Chinese schools operate in a context with Cultural factors, being an important aspect of
such as self-actualisation. Motives for achievement more uniform values and aspirations for academic environmental influences, have therefore received
are largely linked to self-worth or self-enhancement. achievement, and there is less need to convince greater attention in research, resulting in an
Tasks that are worth learning should be of personal students of the value of learning. With the importance increased interest in cross-cultural studies. Studies
interest or relevance, and a sense of self-efficacy and utility of achievement being firmly established of this kind generate insights into how theories
by the cultural code, interest and cost are no longer