The Role of Personal Agency Beliefs in Academic Self-Regulation: An Asian Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the role of self beliefs in the self-regulatory engagement of 1,304 middle school students in Singapore. Developing academic self-regulatory skills is particularly critical for these students when the syllabi are more cognitively demanding and regulation of one’s behaviour towards effective learning is increasingly called upon at the middle school level. However, such skills alone will not contribute much if students do not apply them persistently in the face of difficulties. Self-regulatory processes should be considered within the context of personal agency processes, such as self-efficacy and self-concept, which are conceptualized and grounded in Western individualistic frameworks. However, some research suggests that East Asian students in collectivistic yet achievement-oriented societies may be motivated more by the fear of failure. The relationships between the self beliefs of self-efficacy, self-concept and fear of failure and their respective role in academic self-regulation are evaluated in a country which is extensively exposed to Western individualistic ideologies but is at the same time rooted in Asian values.