A cross-cultural analysis of achievement and social goals among Chinese and Filipino students

Abstract

We examined how achievement (mastery and performance) and social goals (affiliation, approval, concern, and status) influenced various learning outcomes in two collectivist cultures. Filipino (n (Formula presented) 355) and Hong Kong Chinese (n (Formula presented) 697) secondary students answered the relevant questionnaires. Regression analyses using mastery, performance, and social goals as predictors and learning outcomes as criterion variables were done separately for the HK and Filipino samples. Results indicated that the all the social goals were positively associated with adaptive learning. Mastery goal emerged as a positive predictor of deep learning and self-regulation across both contexts. To understand the relative importance of different goals, causal dominance analysis was used. Different types of goals were causally dominant for the HK and Filipino students. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.