Culture-based perceptions of academic achievement among low-income elementary students

A. Wade Boykin, Aretha Albury, Kenneth M. Tyler, Eric A. Hurley, Caryn T. Bailey, Oronde A. Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

This study examined the influence of culture on students' perceptions of academic success. Students read scenarios depicting hypothetical classmates achieving success through the cultural themes of individualism, competition, communalism, or verve. Students reported their social endorsement for the hypothetical classmates. A 2 x 4 repeated measures analysis, examining the effects of cultural group and cultural theme on students' endorsement, revealed an interaction between the two variables. African American students were significantly more accepting of communal and vervistic high-achieving peers than European American students. European American students endorsed individualistic and competitive high achievers significantly more than African American students. These and other findings suggest that the value students attach to academic success should not be understood in the absence of cultural considerations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)339-350
Number of pages12
JournalCultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
Volume11
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2005

Keywords

  • African American academic achievement
  • Communalism
  • Cultural orientation
  • Culture
  • Individualism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Sociology and Political Science

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