I agree that the US's academic and intellectual culture is good for the intrinsically motivated, but, speaking as a graduate student who teaches classes at a top public US university, most undergraduates arrive thoroughly institutionalized and are primarily motivated by their grades. I believe in project-based learning that gives students an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to problems they are personally interested in, but it is difficult to do this effectively when students have been trained to be motivated by their grades. I am not trying to focus here on criticizing the grade-based system (with which I have many qualms), but the broader culture that we see in early education. I think your point about teachers offering concrete feedback to students in terms of study skills and dedication is important. Much of the US middle class seems to expect success without feeling that they have to earn it, even as they expect others with less privilege to work harder. The US is experiencing the downside of an individualistic culture: those in secure socio-economic positions do not feel the need to work hard in order to help provide to the collective good.