ERIC Number: ED154638
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1978-Apr
Pages: 29
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Bicultural Approach to the Issue of Achievement Motivation.
Gray, Tracy C.
The literature emphasizes that achievement motivation depends on a generalized desire to accomplish a given task; it does not deal with the issue of whether or not a culture values the appropriate behavior. This study investigated possible cultural and sex differences in achievement motivation from a bicultural perspective. This research: (1) examined and compared the incentive for achievement motivation of 480 fourth and sixth grade Mexican-American and Anglo-American students in three diverse school districts in California; and, (2) examined the relationship between language dominance as a possible indicator of acculturation and mode of achievement motivation. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans and between males and females in mode of achievement motivation. Unexpectedly, in the academic setting, Anglo-American females showed a relatively lower need to achieve for self than Mexican-American females. The results from the language usage assessment indicated that sex was a more reliable predictor of achievement motivation than language dominance. The educational implications of this study are discussed. (Author/AMH)
Descriptors: Acculturation, Achievement Need, Anglo Americans, Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Cross Cultural Studies, Cultural Background, Cultural Differences, Cultural Influences, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students, Ethnic Groups, Ethnicity, Language Dominance, Language Research, Language Role, Language Usage, Mexican Americans, Motivation, Psychological Needs, Psychological Patterns, Sex Differences, Sex Role, Social Influences, Sociocultural Patterns, Sociolinguistics, Student Motivation
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Toronto, Ontario, April, 1978)