Motivation and academic performance of medical students from ethnic minorities and majority: a comparative study

Underperformance among ethnic minority students has been reported in several studies. Autonomous motivation (acting out of true interest or personal endorsement) is associated with better learning and academic performance. This study examined whether study strategy (surface, achieving, and deep) was a mediator between the type of motivation (autonomous and controlled motivation) and academic performance (GPA and clerkship performance), and whether these relations are different for students from different ethnic groups to gain a better understanding about the needed intervention/support in the curriculum. Data was gathered from 947 students at VUmc School of Medical Sciences, Amsterdam. Structural Equation Modelling was performed to test the hypothesized model: a higher autonomous motivation has a positive association with academic performance through deep and achieving strategy, and has a negative association with performance through surface strategy. The model with the outcome variables GPA and clerkship performance had a good fit (n = 618; df = 1, RMSEA = 0.000, p = 0.43). The model for the ethnic majority and minority groups was significantly different (p < 0.025). In this study, autonomous motivation had a positive association with GPA through achieving strategy for the ethnic majority students only. It might be that the size of the minority groups was too small to detect differences or that other factors mediate these relations in ethnic minority students. Qualitative research is needed to identify other factors influencing the academic performance of ethnic minority students and what they experience during their education, in order to support their learning in the right manner.

The present study examines how and why ethnic minorities are poorer than ethnic majorities in Vietnam using the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey data for 2002 and 2004. First, the analysis confirms that households belonging to the ethnic minority groups are not only poorer but also more vulnerable to various shocks than those in the ethnic majority groups, namely the Kinh and the Chinese. Second, household composition (e.g., dependency burden), education, land holding and location are important determinants of expenditure and poverty, whilst there is some diversity among different ethnic groups. Finally, the decomposition analyses reveal that the ethnic minorities are poorer not necessarily because they have more disadvantaged household characteristics (e.g., educational attainment or location), but, more importantly, because the returns to the characteristics are much lower for ethnic minorities than for the majorities. Government policies to reduce structural differences between ethnic majorities and minorities are imperative to address the disparities in returns to endowments between them.

Poverty, Inequality and Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam

The study of ethnicity in bullying research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the involvement and prevalence rates among ethnic majority and minority groups. On one hand, individual studies using ethnic group membership as a demographic variable indicate that ethnic minority groups are at times more or less likely to experience or perpetrate bullying compared to White students. On the other hand, contextual factors such as ethnic diversity have yielded more consistent findings showing that increased ethnic diversity is associated with lower bullying victimization among ethnic minority students. The role of ethnicity in bullying and peer victimization was examined in this dissertation by investigating both individual and contextual variables. Studies 1 and 2 consisted of two meta-analyses that systematically addressed comparisons between ethnic majority (i.e., White) and minority students (i.e., Black, Asian, Hispanic) on bullying perpetration and peer victimization. Results indicated small and non-significant overall effect sizes; however, methodological moderators suggested that ethnic groups differ on bullying and peer victimization across countries, measurements, and age groups. Study 3 examined school ethnic composition and bullying involvement in a population-based, ethnically diverse Canadian sample. Results indicated that ethnic minority students experienced less bullying victimization in schools with a higher proportion of ethnic minority peers. School ethnic composition was not associated with bullying victimization for White students or bullying perpetration across both ethnic groups. Taken together, these studies suggest that ethnicity as a demographic variable is not sufficient to account for differences in bullying involvement and that contextual variables

The negative consequences of perceived ethnic discrimination on adolescent adjustment are well documented. Less is known, however, about the consequences of discriminatory climates in school, beyond the individual experiences of discrimination. This study investigated whether a perceived discriminatory climate in school is associated with lower academic performance across adolescents from ethnic minority and majority groups, and which psychological mechanisms may account for this link. Using the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data, the participants were 445,534 adolescents (aged 15–16, 50% girls) in 16,002 schools across 60 countries. In almost all countries, a discriminatory climate—i.e., student perceptions of teachers’ discriminatory beliefs and behaviors in school—was associated with lower math and reading scores across all pupils, although minorities perceived a more discriminatory climate. Lower school belonging and lower values attributed to learning partially mediated these associations. The findings demonstrate that schools’ ethnic and racial climates predict standardized academic performance across schools and countries among pupils from both ethnic majority and minority groups.

Improving access and quality for ethnic minority women— panel discussion

The present research examines whether the perception of neighborhood disorder differs between ethnic majority and minority group members and whether perceived disorder has the same impact on fear of crime among ethnic minorities as among the majority group. To answer the research questions, data are used from a survey among persons of Moroccan, Turkish, and Flemish descent (n=960), gathered in three Flemish Belgian cities (Antwerp, Genk, and Ghent). Multiple regression analyses show differences between majority and minority group members with regard to the perception of loitering youths, dog mess, and littering. Also, results provide support for the broken windows hypothesis in all ethnic groups, but the impact of perceived disorder on fear of crime is highest among the Flemish majority. Possible explanations are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The chapter is devoted to studying the role of social disidentification in acculturation preferences of ethnic minority and majority group members. Social disidentification refers to the active rejection and distancing oneself from a particular group. The study involved ethnic Russians living in Kabardino-Balkar Republic (KBR), North Caucasus, Russian Federation (N = 249), and the Kabardians and Balkars, who constitute the ethnic majority of Kabardino-Balkar Republic (N = 285). We measured ethnic, religious, republican, regional (North Caucasian), and national (belonging to Russian Federation) identities in both ethnic majority and minority group members as well as levels of national, regional, and republican disidentification. We used measures of acculturation strategies and expectations from the Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies project (http://www.victoria.ac.nz/cacr/research/mirips). Data processing was carried out using hierarchical regression analysis. The results showed that not only social identities affect the acculturation preferences but also social disidentification. We found that the republican disidentification of ethnic Russians in KBR was positively related to their separation and marginalization acculturation strategies and negatively related to their integration strategy. The regional disidentification of ethnic Russians in KBR was negatively related to their assimilation strategy and positively related to their marginalization strategy. The national (belonging to Russian Federation) disidentification of ethnic majority group members (Kabardians and Balkars) was positively related to their expectations of the segregation, assimilation, and exclusion of ethnic Russians and negatively related to their integration in the republic. In general, the study shows specific patterns of relationships between different types of social disidentification and acculturation preferences of majority and minority group members.

BackgroundWorking memory (WM) is the ability to store and process information over short time periods. WM is a strong predictor of educational attainment; which is important for health and wellbeing...

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to examine observed differences in China's ethnic majority and minority patterns of labor force participation and to decompose these differences into treatment and endowment effects.Design/methodology/approachData from the three most recent population censuses of China are employed to explore differences in the labor force participation rates of a number of China's important ethnic groups. Gender‐separated urban labor force participation rates are estimated using logit regressions, controlling for educational attainment, marital status, pre‐school and school‐age children, household size, age, and measures of local economic conditions. The focus is on the experience of six minority groups (Hui, Koreans, Manchu, Mongolians, Uygurs, and Zhuang) in comparison to the majority Han. The technique developed by Borooah and Iyer is adopted to decompose the differences in labor force participation rates between pairs of ethnic groups into treatment and endowment effects.FindingsSizeable differences are found between the labor force participation rates of prime‐age urban women of particular ethnic groups and the majority Han. Men's participation rates are very high (above 95 percent) and exhibit little difference between Han and ethnic minorities. For almost all pairwise comparisons between Han and ethnic women, it is found that differences in coefficients account for more than 100 percent of the Han‐ethnic difference in labor force participation. Differences in endowments often have substantial effects in reducing this positive Han margin in labor force participation. Roughly speaking, treatment of women's characteristics, whether in the market or socially, tend to increase the Han advantage in labor force participation. The levels of these characteristics on average tend to reduce this Han advantage.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper analyses only one aspect of the economic status of China's ethnic minorities – labor force participation. It would be useful also to examine income, educational attainment, occupational attainment, and unemployment.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to and expands the scant literature on ethnicity in China's economic transition.

In-group and out-group attitudes of ethnic majority and minority children

The present study aims to explore the differences between the same-ethnicity and the cross-ethnicity friendship quality of adolescents in Viet Nam. Participants were 200 ethnic majority students and 200 ethnic minority students from two public high schools in DakLak, Viet Nam. The participants answered the McGill Friendship Questionnaire-Respondent’s Affection (MFQ-RA). The findings showed that there was no significant difference in the same-ethnicity friendship quality between adolescents from ethnic majority and minority groups. However, in terms of the cross-ethnicity friendship quality, adolescents from the ethnic minority groups got significantly higher positive feelings for friends than those from the ethnic majority group. The results revealed that the differences between genders in the same-ethnicity friendship quality were significant. Meanwhile, there were significant differences between genders in cross-ethnicity friendship quality. In fact, girls got significantly higher positive feelings for a friend and the overall same-ethnicity friendship quality than boys. These findings are discussed vis-à-vis previous research on intra- and inter-ethnic friendships and gender comparisons in friendships.

We ask (1) how the position of an ethnic (majority or minority) group in the local ethnic hierarchy affects the amount of recruitment discrimination faced by applicants from that group, and (2) whether gender discrimination is dependent on occupational gender stereotypes in the same way among ethnic majority and minority applicants. We use the situation testing method for the first time in Finland: In an experimental study (Study 1), 103 dentistry students made recruitment decisions based on the CVs of three bogus applicants from different ethnic groups (Finnish, Austrian and Polish) and in a field experiment (Study 2), four test applicants (male and female Finns and Russians) with equivalent CVs applied for 1,258 vacant jobs, addressing gender discrimination in relation to occupational gender stereotypes as well as ethnic discrimination. Together these studies cover both skilled (Study 1) and semi-skilled jobs (Study 2) and applicants from ethnic minority groups originating from within as well as outside the EU. Results show that majority group members are more likely to be hired compared to minority members (both Studies) and that minority members from a higher status group are more likely to be hired than those from a lower status group (Study 1). Results also show that male applicants from the majority group were discriminated compared to women in occupations characterised as feminine, while Russian men faced recruitment discrimination compared to Russian women independently of the job’s gender stereotype (Study 2). Implications of recruitment discrimination based on ethnicity and gender are discussed.

ABSTRACT: English had been thought as one of the determining factor of academic excellence in medical school as students with better command of English are thought to have better understanding of the subjects compared to students who have poor command of English. English literacy has also been thought to be correlated with academic performance in medical school. While a lot of researches had been conducted on the relationship of English language proficiency and academic performance among non-native English speakers in other countries. The study on Malaysian medical students regarding this issue is still limited. The study was conducted to look at the correlation of English literacy and academic performance of medical students in USIM (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia or Islamic Science University of Malaysia). This is a retrospective observational study. The results for “English for Medical Sciences” in Semester 4 was compared to the performance in Pathology course in the Second Professional Examination in Semester 6. A correlation study showed no correlation between the English literacy and the academic performance of the medical students with r = -0.027. Therefore, there is no significant correlation between the English literacy and the academic performance of the medical students in USIM. KEY WORDS : English literacy, academic performance, medical student of USIM, and English language proficiency. About the Authors: Dr. Suhaila Sanip is a Lecturer (Medical Education) at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences USIM (Islamic Science University of Malaysia) and now as Deputy Dean (Student Development & Performance Management) at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences USIM, 13 th Floor, Menara B, Persiaran MPAJ, Jalan Pandan Utama, Pandan Indah, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Dr. Noor Fadzilah Zulkifli is Senior Lecturer (Pathology), Multidisciplinary Laboratory Coordinator, and Pathology Course Coordinator at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences USIM. They can be reached at: suhaila.s@usim.edu.my and nfadzilahz@usim.edu.my How to cite this article? Sanip, Suhaila & Noor Fadzilah Zulkifli. (2011). “Significance of English Literacy and Academic Performance of Medical Students in USIM” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies , Vol.4(1) August, pp.93-98. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI in Bandung, West Java; and FKIP UMP in Purwokerto, Central Java, ISSN 1979-7877. Chronicle of the article: Accepted (June 17, 2011); Revised (July 19, 2011); and Published (August 17, 2011).

The academic achievement gap between racial and ethnic majority and minority students in South Korea has received attention over the past decade, with one government-funded report and 10 peer-reviewed articles examining the performance of diverse student groups in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Achievement. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of these 11 studies to understand how the evident achievement gap is explained by researchers and what assumptions are embedded in these explanations. Using multicultural education paradigms as theoretical lenses, we classified the explanations and advanced understanding; findings indicated that the cultural deprivation paradigm dominated the discussion of the academic performance of ethnic minority students. While other explanations were also found, some of these reinforced stereotypes about ethnic minority groups without corroborating evidence. Emergent efforts to address the strengths of ethnic minority students were insufficient to reflect the authentic view of the cultural difference paradigm. Implications were drawn for researchers and educators who study academic achievement gaps between ethnic minority and majority students in multicultural societies.