Loss of Control and Emotions in German and Chinese Students: Cross-Cultural Investigation of Experimental Paradigms

• In Event: Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Contextual and Cultural Influences on Motivation, Engagement, and Affect

Abstract

Perceived control is central for students’ emotions, learning behavior, and achievement. This field of research has rarely applied experiments despite offering valuable methodological advantages. The current study tests newly developed experimental paradigms for inducing loss of control experiences due to two different (internally / externally attributable) causes.
The paradigms’ adequacy was investigated by within-subjects experimental designs in eight subsamples (Ntotal = 213 university students; Germany, China) measuring effects on perceived control, attributions, and emotions. Across cultures both manipulations induced loss of control experiences, differing attributional patterns, and influenced emotions as hypothesized.
Future research is methodologically facilitated by this study’s results. Implications for teachers recognizing and fostering students’ perceptions of control are discussed.

Authors

• Birgit Mirjam Wimmer, University of Konstanz

• Thomas Goetz, University of Konstanz

• Ping Fang, Capital Normal University

• Keshun Zhang, University of Konstanz