Socially Oriented Motivational Goals and Academic Achievement: Similarities Between Native and Anglo Americans

ABSTRACT

The authors examined the relations between two socially oriented dimensions of student motivation and academic achievement of Native (Navajo) American and Anglo American students. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a multidimensional and hierarchical model was found to explain the relations between performance and social goals. Four first-order goal constructs (competition, social power, affiliation, and social concern) represented by 2 higher order factors (performance and social dimensions) were found to be invariant for two cultural groups of high school students in the United States: Navajo (n = 1,482) and Anglo (n = 803). The findings suggest that the effects of performance goals are relatively stronger, and are similarly strong cross-culturally. However, Navajo students were relatively lower in achievement scores and competition goals but higher in social concern.

Keywords:

• achievement
• motivation
• multidimensionality
• socially oriented
• structural equation modeling (SEM)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This research was supported by an Australian Research Council Grant A00000808.