Effects of Type a Personality and Leisure Ethic on Chinese College Students' Leisure Activities and Academic Performance

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of Type A personality and leisure ethic on students' leisure activities and academic performance. Chinese college students in the Republic of China were classified as either Type A or Type B, and as either high leisure ethic or low leisure ethic, based on the median-split in their scores on Type A and leisure ethic measures. The results of 2 × 2 analyses of variance suggested that high leisure ethic subjects had significantly higher reported frequencies of going to movies and live concerts than had low leisure ethic subjects. Type As had a significantly higher rate of going to live concerts than had Type Bs. Type As with a high leisure ethic endorsement attended more live concerts than the average of the other three groups. Type As with a low leisure ethic had a significantly better total academic performance than the average of the other three groups. For Type Bs, however, the results failed to reach significance. Individuals' Type A personality scores were negatively correlated with the number of times students went to the movies. These results replicate the results of Tang and Baumeister's (1984) laboratory study using college students in the United States.