This study examined (1) the incentive for achievement motivation of female and male Mexican American and Anglo American children and (2) the relationship between language behavior, as a possible indicator of acculturation, and modes of achievement motivation. A questionnaire type scale was developed to provide a viable assessment measure that is…

The norms and behaviors appropriate to the world of work which are learned in school are expressed in teacher behavior and the classroom setting. Teacher behavior and classroom organization were examined to determine how they expressed work norms and in what ways they conflicted with the Spanish American culture. Behavioral measures were developed…

Short biographies of 26 Mexican American men and women are presented in this textbook for 8th grade students. The biographies reveal how each individual has made an impact upon the life of the Mexican American and on our society. Numerous occupations, professions, life styles, economic conditions, and different political points of view are…

A study of 410 Mexican American and European American high school students, with follow-up of graduating seniors the following year, found that acculturation among Mexican American youth was not related to aspirations or planning for college but did predict future college attendance. Among both ethnic groups, fathers' education influenced…

Attachment dimensions and styles, parental caregiving styles, and acculturation were investigated among 155 Mexican American and White college women. Results showed no differences between groups on attachment dimensions or styles. For both groups, only paternal variables were associated with attachment security. Implications of measurement and…

In this qualitative study, the ways in which four ethnically diverse mothers' perceptions of early childhood education combined with the school experiences of their children were examined. Interviews with the four women, Mexican American, Korean American, African American, and Anglo, were recorded; school experiences were videotaped; and the…

Values tend to become distorted at the intercultural level. What is considered "good" in one society may be criticized as "bad" or "incomprehensible" in another. For example, American culture tends to value time to the point of obsession, whereas Hispanic cultures subordinate temporal considerations to interpersonal relationships. The resulting…

Responses to Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale (SM) by 138 Mexican, 154 Mexican American, and 145 Anglo American undergraduates were analyzed to determine the scale's factorial structure. Clear differences existed in the structure of SM responses for the three ethnic/national groups showing that the meaning of subjects' responses was culturally…

School environments conducive to equal status relations appear counter-productive to assimilation, according to a study of the relationship between school status characteristics and assimilation levels achieved by Hispanic sixth graders. A prior study provided data for this research from 10 desegregated elementary schools in California regarding…

The Humboldt County Grand Jury (1973-74) examined the attitudes of high school youths toward law enforcement in the California county. Since these are sensitive indicators of their attitudes toward authority in general, results should not be interpreted as being exclusively relevant to law enforcement. The study covered a 4 month period, sampling…

A modified version of the Societal, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale (SAFE) was administered to 71 Latino and Euramerican children aged 8-10 from southern California. Despite being U.S.-born, Latino children experienced significantly more acculturative stress than their Euramerican peers, thereby helping to…

A presentation on socio-cultural-attitudinal characteristics of migrants and the impact of education is one of a series of lectures given during the pre-service phase of a 2-year Teacher Corps training program. An outline of the cultural differences which exist between the Mexican American and the Anglo American reveals differences in personality…

Investigates the adaptation strategies of Mexican American adolescents in order to determine the effect of environment on acculturation. Describes the characteristics and similarities of Mexican-, Chicano-, and Anglo-oriented life-styles. Describes the manifestation of each life-style in an urban and suburban high school setting. (SB)

Among 1,607 American Indian and Anglo dropouts and currently enrolled middle- and high-school students, language difficulties and problems with teachers were predictive of academic troubles and dropping out. Success of Indian students was related to stronger Anglo cultural identity and better English proficiency (in mainstream schools) but was not…

The differential effects of language proficiency on standardized test performance of elementary school students (grades 4 through 6 are examined for the San Diego (California) Unified School District. Ethnicity is examined as a mediating variable circumscribing the relationship between language proficiency and test performance. Test performance is…