The Impact Of Achievement Motivation On Subjective Well-being

Based on the hierarchical model of achievement motivation and the hierarchical model of intrinsic and external motivation, the current research aimed at investigating the relationship of subjective well-being (SWB) to social-oriented achievement motivation (SOAM), individual-oriented achievement motivation (IOAM), achievement goals and self-regulation styles among a group of Chinese and Austrian university students. In particular, this research tended to compare the similarity and difference between those Chinese and Austrian undergraduates in the levels of achievement motivation and the effect of SOAM, IOAM, achievement goals and self-regulation styles on SWB, particularly the mediational role of achievement goals and self-regulation styles in the relationship between SOAM and IOAM and SWB.This research consists of pilot study and main study. In pilot study,327 undergraduates in Nanjing were recruited to investigate the psychometric properties of the questionnaires used in the research and to preliminarily test the relationship among motivation constructs and SWB. Main study further validated the instruments among 655 undergraduates in Nanjing, China and 299 undergraduates in Klagenfurt, Austria, and testes the measurement invariance between the two cultural groups. More importantly, main study examined whether there are similarities and differences in the levels of different constructs of achievement motivation and the relationship of SWB to these constructs of achievement motivation, including the mediating function of achievement goals and self-regulation styles in the relationship-between SOAM and IOAM and SWB.The results of pilot study found that the measures had acceptable psychometric properties, including the SOAM and IOAM Questionnaire, the revised Achievement Goal Measure (AGM-R), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (ASRQ). The findings of main study go as follows:(1) Regarding the levels of achievement motivations, comparing to undergraduates in Nanjing, China, undergraduates in Klagenfurt, Austria scored higher on adaptive motivation constructs, such as mastery-approach goals and intrinsic motivation, and lower on non-adaptive motivation constructs, such as mastery-and performance-avoidance goals and amotivation. What's more, undergraduates in Nanjing scored higher on SOAM and performance-approach goals and lower on IOAM.(2) The explanation of SWB by achievement motivation had both similarities and differences between Chinese and Austrian students. For the similarity, IOAM, mastery-approach goal and intrinsic motivation positively and amotivation negatively predicted SWB. SOAM positively predicted negative affection in the two cultural groups, and negatively predicted life satisfaction only among Austrian students. Mastery-avoidance goal, external motivation and performance-approach goal predicted SWB differently in the two cultural groups. Specifically, mastery-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and external motivation positively predicted life satisfaction and positive affection among Chinese students, while mastery-avoidance goals negatively predicted life satisfaction and positive affection, external motivation positively predicted negative affection, and performance-approach goals showed no significant prediction to SWB among Austrian students.(3) The mediating function of achievement goals and self-regulation in the relationship between SOAM and IOAM and SWB had similarities and differences between the two groups of students. Similarly, among both Chinese and Austrian students, the relationship between IOAM and positive affection was partly mediated by intrinsic motivation, and amotivation fully mediated the prediction of negative affect from IOAM. Differently, first, intrinsic motivation and amotivation partly mediated the prediction of life satisfaction from IOAM. Second, SOAM affected life satisfaction and positive affection indirectly through mastery-approach goals among Chinese students, while SOAM affected negative affect indirectly through performance-approach and mastery-avoidance goals among Austrian students. Third, intrinsic motivation fully mediated the prediction of life satisfaction and positive affect from SOAM among Chinese students, while self-regulation styles showed no mediating effect in the relationship between SOAM and SWB in Austrian group. Forth, mastery-approach goal partly mediated the prediction of positive affect from IOAM among Austrian students, while achievement goals showed no mediating effect in the relationship between IOAM and SWB in Chinese students. In sum, the mediating effects of achievement goals and self-regulation styles in the relationship between IOAM and SWB were found among Austrian undergraduates, whereas, the mediating effects of achievement goals and self-regulation styles in the relationship between SOAM and SWB were found among Chinese undergraduates. These findings support the hierarchical model of achievement motivation among Chinese and Austrian undergraduates.Finally, this research drew the conclusion and summarized the contributions and limitations. Implications for higher education on how to promote students' adaptable motivation are also discussed.