Premium
The cultural gap hypothesis as an explanation for the achievement patterns of Mexican‐American students
Author(s) -
Buenning Meredith,
Tollefson a
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(198707)24:3<264::aid-pits2310240311>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - mexican americans , psychology , academic achievement , perception , developmental psychology , cultural diversity , social psychology , culture of the united states , mathematics education , ethnic group , sociology , neuroscience , anthropology , political science , law
This study investigated the hypothesis that the academic achievement of Mexican‐American students could be explained in part by a conflict in the values of Mexican‐American and Anglo‐American cultures. Mexican‐American and Anglo‐American students, their parents, and teachers reported their adherence to traditional school values and their view of the importance of field independent behaviors to success in school. Differences in perceptions and values were observed between cultures and between high‐achieving and low‐achieving students. The greatest attitudinal differences were observed when high‐achieving students were compared with parents and teachers. High‐achieving students were less traditional in their attitudes toward school and more field independent than were parents, teachers, and low‐achieving students.