Writing motivation and performance in Chinese children

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between writing motivation and written composition performance in Chinese among 388 Chinese children in Grades 3 to 5 in accordance with the framework of self-determination theory. Multiple regression analysis results showed that writing motivation measures (external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation and intrinsic motivation) contributed a unique variance to written composition performance before and after controlling for the contribution of cognitive-linguistic skills important to written composition (i.e., word dictation, working memory and syntactic knowledge). Identified regulation was the only significant predictor of written composition performance. These results are discussed with reference to the impact of Chinese culture on motivation to write among Chinese children.

Appendices

Appendix 1

An English translation of the questionnaire items for the four subtypes of writing motivation

1.	I do in-class written composition activities so that the teacher won’t yell at me. (EXT)
2.	I do in-class written composition activities because I want the teacher to think I’m a good student. (ITJ)
3.	I do in-class written composition activities because I want to learn to write better. (IDT)
4.	I do in-class written composition activities because I’ll feel bad about myself if they don’t get done. (ITJ)
5.	I do in-class written composition activities because they are fun. (INT)
6.	I do in-class written composition activities because that’s the rule. (EXT)
7.	I enjoy doing my in-class written composition activities. (INT)
8.	I try to write on difficult topics because I want the other kids to think I’m smart. (ITJ)
9.	I try to write on difficult topics because I’ll feel bad about myself if I don’t try. (ITJ)
10.	I try to write on difficult topics because it’s fun. (INT)
11.	I try to write on difficult topics because that’s what I am supposed to do. (EXT)
12.	I try to write on difficult topics to find out how good I am at writing. (IDT)
13.	I try to produce good compositions because that’s what I am supposed to do. (EXT)
14.	I try to produce good compositions so my teachers will think I’m a good student. (ITJ)
15.	I try to produce good compositions because I like doing a good job on my school work. (IDT)
16.	I try to produce good compositions because I will get in trouble if I don’t. (EXT)
17.	I try to produce good compositions because I’ll fell really bad about myself if I don’t do well. (ITJ)

1. EXT—item for external regulation; ITJ—item for introjected regulation; IDT—item for identified regulation; INT—item for intrinsic motivation

Appendix 2

Rubrics for marking written composition task

I. Content
0 score	Very poor—the responses include mostly irrelevant information
1 score	The responses include information that is not relevant, slight off topic, and the expression is vague
2 scores	The responses are relevant to the topic but the content is simple (such as repeating the same themes)
3 scores	The responses are relevant to the topic. There is a description of the incidents/activities involved
4 scores	The responses are relevant and have a clear focus. There is a detailed description of the incidents/activities involved
5 scores	Very good—the responses are relevant, with a clear focus, detailed, creative and thoughtful
II. Vocabulary
0 score	Very poor—the responses are made up of inappropriate choice of vocabulary
1 score	The responses are made up of limited vocabulary and some misuse of words in written Chinese
2 scores	The choice of vocabulary in written Chinese are generally appropriate, with some minor errors
3 scores	The responses demonstrate rich choice of vocabulary. There is an appropriate usage of simple vocabulary and the responses demonstrate some appropriate uses of sophisticated vocabulary in written Chinese
4 scores	The responses demonstrate appropriate use of rich and sophisticated choices of vocabulary. Able to write in written Chinese throughout the responses
5 scores	Very good—the responses demonstrate rich, completely appropriate and sophisticated choice of vocabulary in written Chinese
III. Sentence structure
0 score	Very poor—the responses are made up of incorrect sentence structures
1 score	The responses are made up of incomplete sentence structures with many syntactic errors
2 scores	The responses demonstrate some appropriate uses of simple sentence structures but some incomplete sentence structures are evident
3 scores	The responses are good and demonstrate some appropriate uses of complex sentence structures (e.g., the use of connectives). Sentence flow is generally smooth
4 scores	The responses are good and demonstrate appropriate use of complete sentences. Complex sentence structures (e.g., the use of connectives, metaphor) can also be found in the responses. Sentence flow is generally good
5 scores	Very good—the responses demonstrate a wide range of sentence structure and appropriate use of subordinate clauses and complex sentences. Sentence flow is excellent
IV. Organization
0 score	Very poor—the discourse is not organized and lacks logic
1 score	The structure of the discourse is not clear. Incorrect paragraphing
2 scores	The structure of the discourse is simple. The organization is somewhat loose and not coherent
3 scores	The structure of the discourse is slightly loose. There is some inconsistency but the overall organization is coherent
4 scores	The discourse is well organized and coherent, with a clear progression of ideas
5 scores	Very good—discourse is well organized, coherent, and thoughtful with a logical and analytical progression of ideas