Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, in that order, are top five high-performing economies in OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 mathematical literacy study. These five East Asian economies have the highest share of academically resilient students in their 15-year-old populations. Based on Skinner and Pitzer’s (2012) model of motivational dynamics (MMD) and Zimmerman’s (2002) model of a self-regulated learner, the two student engagement variables mathematics work ethics and attributions to failure in mathematics assessed in PISA 2012 are empirically tested to see whether they can predict a home-disadvantaged student respectively in their own economy is academically resilient or not. As MMD is grounded in Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory, the statistical significant effects of the learning characteristics of resilient students found in this study provide a fresh perspective to understand the Confucian “work hard for success” culture behind the high mathematics achievement of East Asian students.