Japanese children's self-concepts and beliefs about academic achievement.

Abstract

The present study was aimed at examining sociocultural factors that seemed to contribute to Japanese children's academic success. The sample was obtained in Sendai, Japan in 1984. The subjects were 165 fifth graders and their mothers, who had participated in the original cross-national study in 1980. The mothers were interviewed to examine their attitudes, expectations, beliefs and values concerning their children's academic performance. Achievement tests, cognitive test, and questionnaire tapping the children's values, attitudes and causal beliefs were administered to the children. Findings were as follows: (1) Importance of effort was emphasized more than innate ability as a determinant of academic achievement among mothers and children. (2) Whereas the children believed that achievement was improved by effort regardless of the subjects, the mothers' beliefs differed from subject to subject. (3) High achievers tended to evaluate themselves more highly and have more positive attitudes towards learning. Mothers of high achievers rated their child's innate intelligence higher and were more satisfied with their child's achievement than did the mothers of average and low achievers. Further, mothers of high achievers objected more strongly than did the mothers of average and low achievers that people are born with the same amount of innate ability. (4) The children whose scores decreased in four years tended to like math less and rated their ability lower. The children whose achievement either increased or decreased had a tendency to rate importance of luck higher than did the children whose achievement remained at the same level. Mothers of the children whose achievement increased considered family support more important than the mothers of other groups, whereas the mothers of low achievers rated importance of content and level of the curriculum higher. Although the mothers of the children whose achievement increased rated importance of effort higher, they denied equality of innate ability among people more strongly than did the mothers of other groups. The study suggested heavy emphasis of effort in Japanese society. However, it did not necessarily deny importance of innate ability in academic success. Both children and parents seemed to balance roles of innate ability and effort to maintain their self-esteem and morale. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)