Abstract
Asian-background students are performing better than other groups within the Australian educational setting. In order to investigate the reasons for this achievement advantage, this study examines the motivational profiles of Asian-background and Anglo-background students in New South Wales Australia. The research utilises personal investment theory and self-concept theory to provide a research framework. 283 Asian-background and 887 Anglo-background students were administered the Inventory of School Motivation, the General Achievement Goal Orientation Survey, the Facilitating Conditions Survey, and the Academic Self Description Questionnaire. While the motivational and self-concept profiles of the two groups were surprisingly similar, there are core significant differences that help explain the Asian students’ achievement advantage. Asian-background students are highly task oriented and significantly more effort oriented, more competitive, praise and token oriented than the Anglo-background students. They have a significantly stronger sense of purpose for schooling and are more performance oriented. Asian-background students also have a stronger intention to go on to university and further study, value school and like school more than their Anglo peers. These results are consistent with those reported in earlier studies with Asian American students.
Highlights
At an aggregate level, young people from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) have higher post-compulsory education participation rates than Australian born and English-speaking background (ESB) migrant groups (Marginson, 2004; Marks, Fleming, Long & McMillan, 2000; Williams, Long, Carpenter & Hayden, 1993)
Asian-background students have a stronger intention to go on to university and further study, value school and like school more than their Anglo peers. These results are consistent with those reported in earlier studies with Asian American students
Mathematics, English and School Attendance Three objective outcome measures were utilised in this study, namely, mathematics ranks, English ranks and number of days absent from school
Summary
Young people from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) have higher post-compulsory education participation rates than Australian born and English-speaking background (ESB) migrant groups (Marginson, 2004; Marks, Fleming, Long & McMillan, 2000; Williams, Long, Carpenter & Hayden, 1993). The study found that resilient Asian American students were more confident of attending graduate school; they had higher school attendance, and spent more time on homework than their non-resilient peers Both groups valued education highly and had high Achievement Motivation (the extent to which students felt the intrinsic desire to succeed and earn ‘good’ marks in mathematics) and Affiliation Motivation (the extent to which students know, help, and are friendly toward each other in their mathematics class). Utilising Personal Investment Theory and Self-concept theory, this research compares motivational profiles of a sample of Asian background students studying in mainstream high schools in New South Wales Australia with the motivational profiles of Anglo-Australian students at the same schools It relates these profiles to a range of important educational outcomes, and compares and contrasts the profiles and important predictors for the two groups. The research compares these motivational profiles with extant research on the motivation and learning of Asian students
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