research by sushila niles (1998) with australian (western) students and sri lankan (eastern) students confirm these differences, revealing that australian students often pursued more individual goals, whereas sri lankan students usually desired more collaborative and social goals. multiple studies by kuo-shu yang and an-bang yu (1987, 1988, 1990) have indicated that individual achievement among most chinese and japanese students are measured by a fulfillment of their obligation and responsibility to their family network, not to an individual accomplishment. yang and yu (1987) have also shown that collectivism and confucianism are very strong motivators for achievement in many non-western cultures because of their emphasis on cooperation in the family unit and community. guided by these cultural values, it is believed that the individual intuitively senses the degree of pressure that differentiates his or her factor of achievement orientation.