Factors Affecting Achievement Motivation and Academic Achievement of Native American Students [microform] / Pauline Rindone.
This study examined the backgrounds of Navajo college graduates in order to identify factors contributing to Native Americans' academic motivation. A questionnaire mailed to 200 randomly selected Navajo college graduates investigated family characteristics, educational experience, socioeconomic...
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| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
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1988.
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| Summary: | This study examined the backgrounds of Navajo college graduates in order to identify factors contributing to Native Americans' academic motivation. A questionnaire mailed to 200 randomly selected Navajo college graduates investigated family characteristics, educational experience, socioeconomic status, language use, and demographic data. Among the respondents were 80 women and 27 men with a mean age of 33; 87% had been born on the reservation. Most respondents came from families that spoke Navajo at home and practiced the Navajo Way. More than half the parents completed less than 6 years of schooling, and most annual family incomes were less than $10,000. About half of respondents spoke no English at school entry, and most attended schools that taught primarily in English. Respondents indicated that their own motivation and encouragement from family were the most important factors contributing to their high educational attainment. About half said that a teacher had encouraged them to succeed in school. The paper contends that Native Americans and other minority groups have aspired to high academic achievement but have not until recently had the opportunity to act on those aspirations. Whereas other studies have correlated achievement and socioeconomic status, the present study suggests that a stable family life with traditional values may be a more important influence in the achievement of Navajo students. This study contains 19 references. (SV) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New Orleans, LA, April 5-9, 1988). ERIC Document Number: ED302370. |
| Physical Description: | 21 pages. |