Perceptions of academic ups and downs in relation to effort and ability : a cross-cultural comparison of Chinese and Canadian children

Abstract

This study examines individuals' lay theories of academic performance as a dynamic process, rather than a one-time outcome. Chinese and Canadian children (Study 1, N = 225, ages 6–14) and adults (Study 2, N = 332) were probed on their views of changes in academic performance in relation to changes in effort and intellectual ability. Results showed that all samples primarily associated fluctuations in performance with changes in effort, followed by intellectual ability, but not attributes like prettiness. Canadian children believed that both ability and effort change in parallel with performance, yet Chinese children, especially older ones, viewed the two as relatively independent attributes. These results reveal the diverse belief mechanisms that individuals of different cultures use to understand school performance.