Effort Counts and Goals Matter: The Effects of Effort and Achievement Goals on Moral Image, Approval, and Disapproval in a Chinese Cultural Context

Abstract

Students in East Asia, including those in Taiwan, stand out on international math assessments and tend to attribute their academic achievement to effort. Moreover, previous studies indicated that, in the Confucian cultural context, there are two types of goals for achievement pursuits: vertical goals, such as academic achievement, constructed mainly upon the social expectations of significant others, and non-vertical goals constructed on sources other than social expectations. This study aims to examine the effects of effort and achievement goals on students’ moral image and perceived parental/teacher approval and disapproval in success/failure situations. Self-made scenario questionnaires were completed by 489 junior high school students in the greater Taipei metropolitan area. A 2 (high/low effort) × 2 (vertical/non-vertical goal) between-subject design was adopted. The results showed that there are interaction effects of effort and achievement goal. In success situations, hardworking students tend to be viewed as more morally sound and are perceived to be given greater approval from parents and teachers for pursuing vertical goals than for pursuing non-vertical ones. In failure situations, students working hard to achieve vertical goals tend to be regarded as having the best moral image, while those who do not work hard tend to have the worst moral image and are perceived as receiving the most disapproval from parents and teachers. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed.