Motivation and engagement in the 'Asian Century': A comparison of Chinese students in Australia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China

Motivation and engagement in the 'Asian Century': A comparison of Chinese students in Australia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China

• Martin, A. J. Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney, Australia
• Yu, Kai College of Educational Administration, Beijing Normal University, China
• Hau, Kit Tai Faculty of Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Educational Psychology, 34(4), 417-439, 2014

Routledge

2014

• P Social Context of Education
  • PB Comparative Education
• C Psychology & Learning
  • CC Motivation of Learning

Motivation Engagement Cross-cultural asian/Chinese

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• Mainland China

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

The present study investigated multidimensional motivation and engagement among Chinese middle school students in Australia (N = 273), Hong Kong (N = 528), and Mainland China (N = 2106; randomly selected N = 528). Findings showed that a multidimensional model of motivation and engagement fit very well for all three groups. Multi-group invariance tests showed that the number of factors, factor loadings, factor correlations and item uniquenesses were invariant across the three groups - as were inter-correlations with a set of cognate correlates (class participation, school enjoyment, positive intentions, academic buoyancy) - hence no differences of 'kind'. However, differences of 'degree' were indicated through significant mean-level effects between groups, with self-reports favouring Australian Chinese students over Hong Kong and (to a lesser extent) Mainland Chinese students. We propose these findings shed important light on Chinese students' academic motivation and engagement and also on socio-cultural perspectives on motivation and engagement because they assist understanding about effects attributable to context and effects attributable to ethnicity. Given this, the study is a timely contribution to current understanding of the Chinese learner in this, the 'Asian Century'.
[Copyright of Educational Psychology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2013.814199]

• English

Journal Articles

• 01443410

• 10.1080/01443410.2013.814199

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/bf47d278

2014-10-22