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Worry, General Self-Efficacy and School Achievement: An Exploratory Study With Chinese Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Natalia Yuen Yi Tang
Affiliation:
San Wui Commercial Society, Hong Kong.
Peter Westwood*
Affiliation:
Macau. sepsw@yahoo.co.uk
*
*Address for Correspondence: Peter Westwood, Beco da Perola, Edificio Caesar Fortune, Tower 2 Flat 9K, Taipa. Macau.
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Abstract

This study identified issues in school – and in life outside school – that caused significant worry for 120 Chinese adolescents (72 males, 48 females) attending a secondary school in Hong Kong. The study explored relationships existing among 3 variables comprising degree of worry, students' general self-efficacy, and their academic achievement. Findings indicated that the students' principal worries centred on school-related matters such as examinations, promotion to higher classes, and getting a job after graduation. Students also worried significantly about the health status of family members, and family finances. Differences in patterns of worry and in self-efficacy beliefs were found between lower- and higher-achieving students. No significant correlations were found among students' degree of worry, general self-efficacy, and achievement. Results are discussed from the perspective of Chinese culture, the Hong Kong education system, and support for students.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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