Do Asian and Western Students Learn in Different Way? An Empirical Study on Motivation, Study Time, and Learning Strategies of German and Vietnamese University Students

The aim of the study reported in this article was to explore the extent of similarities and differences in learning (learning strategies and study time) and achievement‐oriented attitudes and motives between Western (Germany) and South‐East Asian (Vietnam) students. The results showed substantial group differences in the amount of study time as well as in the level of achievement‐related values, stress and anxiety. However, the stereotype of the ‘Chinese Learner as rote learner’ was not supported by the data. There was empirical evidence that repetition played a major role among Vietnamese learners, but this was not accompanied by deficits in deep learning strategies or in less critical thinking. Furthermore, very similar patterns of correlations were found between motivation on the one hand and deep versus surface‐level learning on the other hand, supporting the notion of fundamental and general — that is, not culture‐specific laws governing the dynamics of motivation and learning. Descriptors: learning strategies, motivation; university students; study time; Asian learner.