Arousal of Achievement Motivation Among Student Samples in Three Different Cultural Contexts: Self and Social Standards of Evaluation

Abstract

This article examines the influence of different situational contexts on the arousal of need for achievement in student samples from different cultural contexts. Implicit achievement motivation was assessed by a Thematic Apperception Test—type story test for which two different instructions were used: Although one group was informed that the best performance would be identified (me-oriented instruction), the other group was told that only the performance of the whole group (we-oriented instruction) would be evaluated. In Study 1, analyses revealed that Cameroonian participants who received the we-oriented instructions showed a significantly higher achievement motivation even if study groups did not differ in explicit life goals. In Study 2, the relationship between situational context and arousal of need for achievement was scrutinized in Chinese and German student samples. Within both cultural groups, students who were assigned to the me-oriented condition showed the highest levels of need for achievement. Findings are discussed with respect to differences in students’ self-construal.