Self- and Group-Orientations and Adjustment in Urban and Rural Chinese Children

Abstract

This study examined self- and group-orientations and their associations with social and psychological adjustment among children in urban and rural China. We expected that self-orientation would be more strongly associated with adjustment in urban children than in rural children whereas group-orientation would be more strongly associated with adjustment in rural children than in urban children. Data on self- and group-orientations and indexes of adjustment were collected for students in urban and rural elementary schools ( N = 990, Mage = 11 years) from multiple sources including teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that self-orientation was positively associated with academic achievement (β = .27, t = 5.20, p < .001) and negatively associated with emotional problems (βs = −.12 to −.20, ts = −2.34 to −3.93, ps = .007 to < .001) in urban children; the associations were weaker or nonsignificant in rural children (βs = −.04 to .12, ts = −.83 to 2.54, ps = .405 to .011). Group-orientation was associated with social standing, academic achievement, and psychological well-being more strongly in rural children (βs = −.35 to .36, ts = −7.32 to 7.63, ps = .048 to < .001) than in urban children (βs = −.19 to .20, ts = −.3.75 to 3.77, ps = .432 to < .001). These results indicate different implications of self- and group-orientations for adjustment in urban and rural children in contemporary China.