Murdoch University Research Repository

Welcome to the Murdoch University Research Repository

The Murdoch University Research Repository is an open access digital collection of research
created by Murdoch University staff, researchers and postgraduate students.

Learn more

How effort towards challenge is depicted in stories for young children: An Indonesian study

Suprawati, M.N., Volet, S.ORCID: 0000-0001-8450-6663 and Pino-Pasternak, D.ORCID: 0000-0002-1030-7458 (2020) How effort towards challenge is depicted in stories for young children: An Indonesian study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 21 . pp. 325-338.

Link to Published Version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09627-z
*Subscription may be required

Abstract

This study examined the nature of effort towards challenge in stories recommended for young children in Indonesian schools. One hundred and nine stories with challenge information, recommended by the Indonesian government for Years 1 and 2 were analyzed, using a combination of content and structural analyses. When exploring the characters’ efforts towards challenge, the findings revealed that the most prominent type of effort depicted in the stories was exerted by characters other than the protagonist (other-initiated effort). Furthermore, while all stories with this type of effort had a successful outcome, self-initiated individual effort (exerted by the main character) was the most prevalent type of effort in stories with an unsuccessful outcome. These findings can be interpreted in more than one way. From the perspective of the achievement motivation literature, the responses to challenges depicted in the stories do not seem to promote a proactive approach towards difficulties. From the perspective of prevalent local values, however, the examples of effort presented in the stories may represent societal expectations concerning the acceptance of life events (in Indonesian: nrimo) and the promotion of caring values towards individuals in need. By integrating findings of the extant literature on achievement motivation with a contextually sensitive approach to the interpretation of the stories’ content, this study raises important questions for future research in this area.

Item Type: Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s): Education
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Copyright: © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
URI: http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/55922
Item Control Page Item Control Page