Asian students in Australia : sources of the academic self

Students’ motivation is known to be influenced by both internally referenced and externally referenced factors. Internally referenced factors include self-processes (sense of competence and affect), whereas externally referenced factors include significant others (parents, peers and teachers). Using the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire, the relations of the internal and external factors were examined. By comparing Anglo and Asian origin students in Australia, the study aims to reveal the most prominent external factors that contribute to shaping the self-processes of Asian students (88 male and 110 female) and Anglo students (384 male; 345 female). Confirmatory factor analysis identified seven factors (competence, affect, parent, peer positive, peer negative, teacher and motivation for high marks). The relations between internal and external factors were found to be similar between ethnic and gender subsamples. Parents and teachers were identified as having the strongest impact on self-processes and motivation for high marks. For this sample of students in an Australian education system, their sources of school-related self-processes are similar to those of their Anglo peers’, but their higher affect to learning may be an important cause for academic success.