Personal best (PB) goal structure, individual PB goals, engagement, and achievement: A study of Chinese‐ and English‐speaking background students in Australian schools

Background Prior cross‐cultural research with students in different national contexts ( A ustralia and C hina) has shown consistency in the extent to which individual personal best ( PB ) goals are associated with engagement at school. Aims This study extends this work to a multicultural context, assessing perceived PB goal structure in school and individual PB goals among C hinese‐ and E nglish‐speaking background A ustralian high school students attending the same schools. Sample A sample of 450 students ( N = 225 C hinese‐speaking background A ustralian students; N = 225 matched E nglish‐speaking background A ustralian students) from 20 schools. Method We conducted multigroup path modelling to examine the following process model: Perceived PB goal structure in school → individual PB goals → school engagement → academic achievement. Results Findings showed that for both groups, perceived PB goal structure in school is associated with an individual's PB goals (and engagement), individual PB goals are associated with engagement, and engagement is associated with achievement. The indirect effects of perceived PB goal structure in school to achievement (via individual PB goals and engagement) and individual PB goals to achievement (via engagement) were also significant. Notably, there was no significant difference in parameters between C hinese‐ and E nglish‐speaking background students, suggesting generality of the effects of perceived PB goal structure in school and individual PB goals in the engagement and achievement process. Conclusion Findings hold implications for educators teaching to culturally diverse classrooms and seeking to optimize students' academic growth within these contexts.