Chapter 5 - Ethnicity, Gender, and the Development of Achievement Values

Abstract

This chapter aims to make the case for a different motivational approach to the study of the academic challenges of some African-American youth, one that focuses on the values component of expectancy-value theory. It elaborates this approach to studying achievement values in the context of ethnicity and development. It begins with a brief historical overview of early motivation research on the achievement syndrome that tried to tackle some of the complex issues related to race and achievement values. Then the chapter describes the various perspectives from the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, and social psychology that offer explanations for the presumed devaluing of achievement among African Americans, and presents some of the empirical research that addresses these issues. Despite the focus on African-American youth, the chapter includes multiethnic samples who share some of the same motivational beliefs and school achievement patterns as their African-American counterparts. The chapter concludes with some recommendations for future motivation theory and research.