Measurement of Definitions of Success among Chinese and Australian Girls

Abstract

This predominately methodological article reports the development of an approach to measure definitions of success. The method is designed to determine definitions of success as a cross-cultural phenomenon. The present approach overcomes the problems of imposing cultural constructs on other groups and response sets as encountered in cross-cultural research. Participants were 65 Australian and 113 Chinese immigrant girls living in Australia. Participants listed their definitions of success and those of significant others in response to open-ended questions. Their responses were grouped into five categories and based on these categories, a questionnaire (using closed-format 5-point scales) was developed. Four judges rated the original responses of the participants on the questionnaire. Interrater reliability was above .7. Validity was examined in terms of content validity and criterion validity, using the method of contrasted groups, comparing the scores of Chinese and Australian girls.

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