Abstract
In contemporary psychology more within-group examinations of psychological phenomena are needed, especially in ethnic minority populations. This paper presents the findings of three separate studies of the relationship of GPA and gender to motivation, all of which are within ethnic group comparisons. One study is conducted with African-Americans, the second with Hispanic-Americans, and the third with Euro-Americans. The instruments used are the Assessment of Academic Self-Concept and Motivation and Assessment of Personal Agency Beliefs. Both measures provide a goal-focused, multidimensional, and comprehensive assessment of motivation. MANOVAs and subsequent ANOVAs are presented for each ethnic group. The findings reveal significant within-group differences that also vary from one ethnic group to another.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology 84(3): 261–271.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review 84: 191–215.
Barling, J. (1982). Self-determined performance standards and locus of control beliefs in children's academic performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology 52: 100–103.
Boggiano, A. K., Main, D. S., and Katz, P. (1991). Mastery motivation in boys and girls: The role of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. Sex Roles 25: 511–520.
Cannon, R. K., Jr., and Simpson, R. D. (1985). Relationships among attitude, motivation, and achievement of ability grouped, seventh-grade, life science students. Science Education 69(2): 121–138.
Cooper, H. M., Burger, J. M., and Good, T. L. (1981). Gender differences in the academic locus of control beliefs of young children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 40(3): 562–572.
Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American Psychologist 41: 1040–1048.
Dweck, C. S., and Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review 95(2): 256–273.
Dweck, C. S., and Reppucci, N. D. (1973). Learned helplessness and reinforcement responsibility in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 25: 109–116.
Eccles, J., Adler, T., and Meece, J. L. (1984). Sex differences in achievement: A test of alternate theories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46(1): 26–43.
Findley, M. J., and Cooper, H. M. (1983). Locus of control and academic achievement: A literature review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 44(2): 419–427.
Ford, M. E. (1992). Motivating Humans: Goals, Emotions, and Personal Agency Beliefs. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.
Ford, M. E. (1995). Motivation and competence development in special and remedial education. Intervention in School and Clinic 31(2): 70–82.
Ford, M. E. and Chase, C. (1991). The Assessment of Personal Agency Beliefs. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
Fyans, L. J., Jr., and Maehr, M. L. (1979). Attributional style, task selection, and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology 71(4): 499–507.
Gordon, K. A. (1995). The self-concept and motivational patterns of African American high school students. Journal of Black Psychology 21(3): 239–255.
Gordon Rouse, K., and Cashin, S. (2002). The assessment of academic self-concept and motivation: Results from three ethnic groups. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development 33: 91–102.
Graham, S. (1994). Motivation in African Americans. Review of Educational Research 64(1): 55–117.
Green, L., and Foster, D. (1986). Classroom intrinsic motivation: Effects of scholastic level, teacher orientation, and gender. Journal of Educational Research 80(1): 34–39.
Haynes, N. M., Comer, J. P., and Hamilton-Lee, (1988). Gender and achievement status differences on learning factors among black high school students. Journal of Educational Research 81(4): 233–237.
Jordan, T. J. (1981). Self-concepts, motivation, and academic achievement of black adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology 73(4): 509–517.
Klein, J. D., and Keller, J. M. (1990). Influence of student ability, locus of control, and type of instructional control on performance and confidence. Journal of Educational Research 83(3): 140–146.
Leung, J. J., Maehr, M. L., and Harnisch, D. L. (1996). Some gender differences in academic motivational orientations among secondary school students. Educational Research Quarterly 20(2): 17–31.
Nicholls, J. G. (1975). Causal attributions and other achievement-related cognitions: Effects of task outcome, attainment value, and sex. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31: 379–389.
Ogbu, J. U. (1986). The consequences of the American caste system. In Ulric Neisser (Ed.), The School Achievement of Minority School Children: New Perspectives (pp. 19–56). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ogbu, J. U. (1987). Variability in minority school performance: A problem in search of an explanation. Anthropology and Education Quarterly 18: 312–334.
Ogbu, J. U. (1988). Diversity and equality in public education: Community forces and minority school adjustment and performance. In R. Haskins and D. Macrae (Eds.), Policies for America's Public Schools: Teacher's Equity and Indicators (pp. 127–170). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Oliver, J. S., and Simpson, R. D. (1988). Influences of attitude toward science, achievement motivation, and science self-concept on achievement in science: A longitudinal study. Science Education 72(2): 143–155.
Phares, E. J. (1976). Locus of Control in Personality. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press.
Pintrich, P. R. (1995). Motivation: Ford's motivational systems theory. Contemporary Psychology 40(10): 999–1001.
Pintrich, P. R. (1998). A process-oriented view of student motivation and cognition. In J. Stark and L. Mets (Eds.), Improving Teaching and Learning Through Research: New Directions for Institutional Research (Vol. 57, pp. 65–79). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs 80(1, Whole No. 609).
Taylor, A. Z., Lysaght, K. P., and Graham, S. (1996). Working Hard or Hardly Working? An Exploration of the Achievement Values of African American Youth. (Eric Document Reproduction Services No. 398304).
Urdan, T. C., and Maehr, M. L. (1995). Beyond a two-goal theory of motivation and achievement: A case for social goals. Review of Educational Research 65(3): 213–243.
Weinstein, C. E., Zimmerman, S. A., and Palmer, D. R. (1985). Assessing Learning Strategies: The Design and Development of the LASSI. Austin: University of Texas.
Wentzel, K. R. (1989). Adolescent classroom goals, standards of performance, and academic achievement: An interactionist perspective. Journal of Educational Psychology 81(2): 131–142.
Wentzel, K. R. (1991). Social competence at school: Relation between social responsibility and academic achievement. Review of Educational Research 61(1): 1–24.
Whang, P. A., and Hancock, G. R. (1994). Motivation and mathematics achievement: Comparisons between Asian American and Non-Asian students. Contemporary Educational Psychology 19(3): 302–322.
Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review 6(1).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rouse, K.A.G., Austin, J.T. The Relationship of Gender and Academic Performance to Motivation: Within-Ethnic-Group Variations. The Urban Review 34, 293–316 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021392000533
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021392000533