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Cross-National Differences in Academic Achievement: Beyond Etic Conceptions of Children's Understandings

Harvard University

This article reviews theory and research on cross-national (Asian vs. American) differences in academic achievement, and shows that current research: (a) has made claims about achievement motivation with little regard for contemporary theory, and (b) has formed broad assumptions about the influence of culture, while paying cursory attention to the cultural contexts of learning. These difficulties cast doubt on the validity of the accumulated findings, and their practical application in the classroom. We argue that researchers need to integrate the social cognitive approach to achievement motivation–with its focus on beliefs about learning–with principles of cultural psychology–with their focus on culture and context. Further, we stress that qualitative methodologies, emphasizing meaning-making in context, can illuminate the deeper meanings that children and parents attach to school experiences. This will enable us to build grounded theory, and help us seek deeper understandings of similarities and differences within and across cultures.

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