Psychosocial maturity and school achievement in Chinese children of school-age

The relationship between Eriksonian psychosocial maturity, measured by three sets of content analysis scales, and school achievement was examined in school-age children in the People's Republic of China. Primary and high school students (N = 360) with equal numbers of boys and girls participated. A standard open-ended interview was used to collect verbalizations which then were transcribed and analysed by the Content Analysis Scale of Psychosocial Maturity, the Sociality Scales, and the Pawn and Origin Scales. School achievement, as measured by ordinary school examinations, was not linked with any of these psychological measures. The differences in measurement and the characteristics of Chinese culture might account for the findings, but blind scoring is advised. The implications of the independent developmental domains of psychosocial maturity and school achievement were discussed.