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A COMPARISON OF VIETNAMESE‐AUSTRALIAN AND ANGLO‐AUSTRALIAN MOTHERs' BELIEFS ABOUT INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT *
Author(s) -
Rosenthal Doreen A.,
Gold Ron
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207594.1989.10600041
Subject(s) - vietnamese , psychology , developmental psychology , middle class , working class , social class , social psychology , philosophy , linguistics , politics , political science , law
Vietnamese‐ and Anglo‐Australian mothers' beliefs about intelligence and its development were obtained through a structured interview. Twenty‐five working‐class Vietnamese, 32 working‐class and 39 upper‐middle‐class Anglo mothers of five‐year‐old children were asked about the heritability and stability of intelligence, its importance in different life domains and the roles of parents and teachers in developing intelligence. Developmental timetables for the acquisition of certain intellectual abilities were also elicited. Culture emerged as a significant influence on mothers' beliefs considerably more than did social class or sex of their child. Vietnamese mothers perceived intelligence as more important than did Anglo mothers, had a more narrowly focused view of education and intellectual development, and expected later acquisition of intellectual abilities. These differences are consistent with traditional Vietnamese values.