Examination Result Attribution, Expectancy and Achievement Goals among Chinese Students in Hong Kong∗

Summary The structure of Chinese primary school students’ causal attributions for actual examination results was examined. A factor analysis of the attributions revealed dimensions which supported Weiner's classification. Age‐related differences as well as interrelationships among perceived attainment, expectancy of success, causal attributions and achievement goals were also explored. Results showed that older students had lower but more accurate perceived attainment than younger students. They also attributed more to internal causes and study at home, and they had stronger learning goals. Results also showed that leaming‐oriented students attributed more to internal causes and study at home but less to home conditions, while performance‐oriented students attributed more to uncontrollable causes. Results were explained and discussed with reference to the socialisation patterns in the Chinese culture. ∗ This article is based on a paper presented at the Fifth Annual Conference of the Hong Kong Educational Research Association, Hong Kong, November 1988. Correspondence should be addressed to the second author.