Peers’ Perceptions of Intellectually Bright, Hardworking, and Sporty Students: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore whether Hong Kong Chinese students’ perceptions of academic brilliance, studiousness, and athleticism mirrored traditional Chinese values of intellectual achievements and diligence. Although the main instrumentation was adapted from Tannenbaum (1962), an indigenous trait list was developed for the study. A total 1328 students aged 8 – 16 years participated in the study. Analysis of responses to eight stimulus characters differing in academic brilliance, effort, and athleticism revealed that the model of a perfect peer embraced all three qualities. Athleticism had the strongest impact on perceptions of a character, whereas studiousness the weakest. The attractiveness of athleticism increased with age. The interactive effect of academic brilliance, diligence, and athleticism on perceptions of a peer differed within the comparison groups. Culture proved to be a good predictor of students’ perceptions of a peer.