The Psychology of Asian Learners

Ronnel B. King is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Hong Kong Institute of Education. Prior to this, he was a Research Scientist at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He finished his PhD in Educational Psychology at The University of Hong Kong under the supervision of David Watkins. His research interests are on student motivation and well-being. He presently serves as an editorial board member for Contemporary Educational Psychology and The Asia Pacific Education Researcher, and is currently serving as a guest editor for a special issue on culture and motivation in the British Journal of Educational Psychology.

Allan B. I. Bernardo is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Macau. His research interest relate to lay theories and intergroup relations, socioeconomic inequality and mobility, hope, gratitude and other positive psychological experiences, and the cultural dimensions of learning and academic achievement. He is Editor Emeritus of The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher.

Introduction.- 1 Advancing psychological studies on Asian learners: Continuing the legacy of David A. Watkins.- 2 A journey through David Watkins's research and contribution to cross-cultural psychology.- Part 1: Beliefs about learning and schooling.- 3 The indispensable role of culture in shaping children's learning beliefs.- 4 Understanding of students' beliefs about knowledge and learning in social and cultural context - A case of Korean Middle School Students.- 5 Youths' reasoning about higher education in Macao.- 6 Filipino students' reasons for not being motivated in school: Insights into their implicit beliefs about motivation and learning.- Part 2: Self-Related Processes.- 7 Testing the internal and external frames of reference for academic self-concept among Chinese vocational students.- 8 The Arab culture and the Arab self: Emphasis on Gender.- 9 Theoretical and Psychometric review of Arabic teachers' self-efficacy beliefs research.- 10 The role of self-efficacy and connectedness in the academic success of Chinese learners.- Part 3: Approaches to learning.- 11 Understanding and teaching the Chinese learner: Resolving the paradox of the Chinese learner.- 12 The predictive power of psychological types for learning approaches among Chinese university students.- 13 Pre-service teachers' approaches to learning and their learning outcomes: A Malaysian experience.- 14 The effects of culture and sex on students' approaches to learning: Inspiring insights from David Watkins's intellectual inquiries.- Part 4: Learning Motivation.- 15 The role of autonomous motivation for academic engagement of Indonesian secondary school students: A multilevel modelling approach.- 16 The Motivation-Achievement paradox in international educational achievement tests: Towards a better understanding.- 17 Curiosity and student learning in General Education.- 18 Exploring links between time perspective and academic motivation among Filipino undergraduates.- 19 Japanese students' motivation towards English as a foreign language.- Part 5: Learning Goals.- 20 Reciprocal relations between Chinese students' beliefs of competence, effort goal, and academic achievement.- 21 Goals matter and effort counts: The effects of achievement goals and effort on moral image, approval, and disapproval in a Chinese cultural context.- 22 Motivation of Chinese learners: An integration of Etic and Emic approaches.- 23 The conjoint influence of achievement goals in Filipino students' sense of Self, facilitating conditions and school outcomes: A personal investment theory analysis.- 24 Relation of social motivation and gender on academic achievement in Qatar.- 25 Examining the link between social goals and learning strategies.- Part 6: Adjustment and Well-being.- 26 Mainland Chinese students' responses to the cognitive conflicts in their adaptation to a Hong Kong university: A developmental perspective.- 27 Travelling a thousand miles: Determinants of cross-cultural adaption of Asian students in Australia.- 28 Basic psychological needs and flourishing in Filipino university students.- 29 Stress, positive psychological resources, and mental health of migrant Chinese postgraduate students in Macau.- 30 Positive emotions predict students' well-being and academic motivation: The Broaden-and-Build approach.- 31 The successful life of gritty students: Grit leads to optimal.- Part 7: Learning Environments.- 32 Academically At-risk adolescents in Singapore: The importance of teacher support in promoting academic engagement.- 33 From classroom environment to conception of Mathematics.- 34 Promoting students' creative self-efficacy: An field experimental study in Singapore secondary classrooms.- Part 8: Socio-cultural influences.- 35 Materialism and achievement motivation: How Chinese primary school children, secondary school teenagers, and university students are similar.- 36 Self-construal, incremental beliefs of ability, and learning preferences of Singapore students.- 37 Social axioms and academic achievement among Filipino college students.- 38 Understanding Chinese students' achievement patterns: Perspectives from social-oriented achievement motivation.- 39 Early learning experiences of young Chinese learners in Hong Kong: The role of traditional values and changing educational policy.- Epilogue.- 40 Asian learners: Retrospect and Prospect.