Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review

The aim of this study to create a comprehensive overview of factors that may influence motivation of ethnic minority students from their own perspective. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, ERIC, and PsycINFO to find studies in which the motivation of ethnic minority students was studied. The articles reviewed were qualitatively synthesized by means of meta-ethnography, and were subjected to a quantitative meta-analysis where appropriate. Forty-five articles were included. Several factors were found to have either a positive or a negative influence on academic motivation, which can be classified into individual, family-related, school-related, and social factors. These factors should be taken into account when developing interventions aimed at enhancing motivation, which is expected to improve. However, evidence for the influence of most identified factors is weak, given that almost every factor was investigated in a single study only. Based on the outcomes of the current overview an integrative model, that provides a structure of the identified factors in relation to motivation which can be used for interventions, cannot be generated; thus, further research is needed.

[1]  K. Wentzel,et al.  What Is It That I'm Trying to Achieve? Classroom Goals from a Content Perspective. , 2000, Contemporary educational psychology.

[2]  Dana A. Weiser,et al.  Self-efficacy, parent–child relationships, and academic performance: a comparison of European American and Asian American college students , 2016 .

[3]  J. Kleifgen,et al.  From English Language Learners to Emergent Bilinguals. Equity Matters. Research Review No. 1 , 2008 .

[4]  Lucila Ramos,et al.  Mexican‐American High School Students: Educational Aspirations , 1995 .

[5]  R. Kusurkar,et al.  Motivation as an independent and a dependent variable in medical education: A review of the literature , 2011, Medical teacher.

[6]  D. Farrington,et al.  Initiation, escalation and desistance in juvenile offending and their correlates , 1991 .

[7]  Michael T. Warren,et al.  Perceptions of Intragroup Rejection and Coping Strategies: Malleable Factors Affecting Hispanic Adolescents’ Emotional and Academic Outcomes , 2014, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[8]  R. Mccall,et al.  The Genetic and Environmental Origins of Learning Abilities and Disabilities in the Early School , 2007, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

[9]  M. Ford.  Motivating Humans: Goals, Emotions, and Personal Agency Beliefs , 1992 .

[10]  O. ten Cate,et al.  Motivational profiles of medical students: Association with study effort, academic performance and exhaustion , 2013, BMC medical education.

[11]  A. Bandura.  Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control , 1997, Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.

[12]  Kathryn R. Wentzel,et al.  Social motivation: Frontmatter , 1996 .

[13]  E. Steyerberg,et al.  Ethnic disparities in undergraduate pre‐clinical and clinical performance , 2012, Medical education.

[14]  The role of attitudinal familism in academic outcomes: a study of urban, Latino high school seniors. , 2008, Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology.

[15]  Héctor Betancourt,et al.  The Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race in American Psychology , 1993 .

[16]  Stacey J. Lee.  Behind the Model‐Minority Stereotype: Voices of High‐ and Low‐Achieving Asian American Students , 1994 .

[17]  Ulrich Schiefele,et al.  Interest as a predictor of academic achievement: A meta-analysis of research. , 1992 .

[18]  W. S. Swail,et al.  Retaining Minority Students in Higher Education: A Framework for Success. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report. Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series. , 2003 .

[19]  K. Marjoribanks.  School attitudes and adolescents' aspirations: ethnic group differences. , 1985, International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie.

[20]  Laura M. Gonzalez,et al.  The Influence of Cultural Identity and Perceived Barriers on College-Going Beliefs and Aspirations of Latino Youth in Emerging Immigrant Communities , 2013 .

[21]  V. Tseng.  Family interdependence and academic adjustment in college: youth from immigrant and U.S.-born families. , 2004, Child development.

[22]  P. Pintrich,et al.  Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Applications , 1995 .

[23]  P. Stevens,et al.  Researching race/ethnicity and educational inequality in the Netherlands: A critical review of the research literature between 1980 and 2008 , 2011 .

[24]  Eric A. Stewart,et al.  The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the College Aspirations of African American Adolescents , 2007 .

[25]  I. Sigel,et al.  HANDBOOK OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY , 2006 .

[26]  C. Popovic,et al.  The educational effects of portfolios on undergraduate student learning: A Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) systematic review. BEME Guide No. 11 , 2009, Medical teacher.

[27]  Richard Q. Shin.  The Influence of Africentric Values and Neighborhood Satisfaction on the Academic Self-Efficacy of African American Elementary School Children. , 2011 .

[28]  C. Hudley.  Supporting Achievement Beliefs Among Ethnic Minority Adolescents: Two Case Examples , 1997 .

[29]  Caro C Williams-Pierce,et al.  Five Key Ingredients for Improving Student Motivation , 2011 .

[30]  Hefer Bembenutty,et al.  Self-Regulation of Learning and Academic Delay of Gratification: Gender and Ethnic Differences Among College Students , 2007 .

[31]  Donna Christian,et al.  English Language Learners in U.S. Schools: An Overview of Research Findings , 2005 .

[32]  A. Fuligni,et al.  Fitting In: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Academic Motivations of Latino Youth in the U.S. Southeast , 2008 .

[33]  Jacquelynne S. Eccles,et al.  Motivation to succeed. , 1998 .

[34]  T. Sentell.  Adolescent-Rated Health and Intention to Attend College: Variation by Race/Ethnicity and Levels of Health Status , 2012 .

[35]  Maykel Verkuyten,et al.  Peer Victimization and Academic Achievement in a Multiethnic Sample: The Role of Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy , 2008 .

[36]  Jessica Dennis,et al.  The Role of Motivation, Parental Support, and Peer Support in the Academic Success of Ethnic Minority First-Generation College Students , 2005 .

[37]  Milton J. Bennett.  A developmental approach to training for intercultural sensitivity , 1986 .

[38]  H. Ginsburg,et al.  Educational socialization in Korean American children: A longitudinal study , 1994 .

[39]  Ming-Te Wang,et al.  From middle school to college: developing aspirations, promoting engagement, and indirect pathways from parenting to post high school enrollment. , 2015, Developmental psychology.

[40]  R. W. Rogers,et al.  The Self-Efficacy Scale: Construction and Validation , 1982 .

[41]  A. Fuligni.  The academic achievement of adolescents from immigrant families: the roles of family background, attitudes, and behavior. , 1997, Child development.

[42]  V. Fogliati,et al.  Stereotype Threat Reduces Motivation to Improve , 2013 .

[43]  Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes,et al.  School and peer influences on the academic outcomes of African American adolescents. , 2015, Journal of adolescence.

[44]  Evelyne F. Vallières,et al.  The Academic Motivation Scale: A Measure of Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Amotivation in Education , 1992 .

[45]  C. Steele,et al.  Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. , 1995, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[46]  Fantasy T. Lozada,et al.  An Unwelcomed Digital Visitor in the Classroom: The Longitudinal Impact of Online Racial Discrimination on Academic Motivation , 2015 .

[47]  D. Blustein,et al.  Urban Adolescents' Constructions of Supports and Barriers to Educational and Career Attainment. , 2007 .

[48]  H. Marsh.  Relations Among Dimensions of Self-Attribution, Dimensions of Self-Concept, and Academic Achievements. , 1984 .

[49]  J. Eccles.  Expectancies, values and academic behaviors , 1983 .

[50]  C. Goodenow,et al.  The Relationship of School Belonging and Friends' Values to Academic Motivation Among Urban Adolescent Students , 1993 .

[51]  Paul R. Pintrich,et al.  Multiple goals, multiple contexts: The dynamic interplay between personal goals and contextual goal stresses. , 2001 .

[52]  D. Kfir.  Achievements and Aspirations Among Boys and Girls in High School: A Comparison of Two Israeli Ethnic Groups , 1988 .

[53]  K. Malterud.  Qualitative research: standards, challenges, and guidelines , 2001, The Lancet.

[54]  R. Bhopal,et al.  Ethnicity as a variable in epidemiological research , 1994, BMJ.

[55]  P. Pintrich,et al.  Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Mslq) , 1993 .

[56]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[57]  G. Downey,et al.  Distinguishing institutional identification from academic goal pursuit: interactive effects of ethnic identification and race-based rejection sensitivity. , 2008, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[58]  J. Eccles,et al.  Age and gender differences in children's self- and task perceptions during elementary school. , 1993, Child development.

[59]  Mary J. Fischer.  A longitudinal examination of the role of stereotype threat and racial climate on college outcomes for minorities at elite institutions , 2010 .

[60]  Lisa Y. Flores,et al.  Mexican American High School Students' Postsecondary Educational Goals , 2008 .

[61]  D. McInerney.  The Determinants of Motivation for Urban Aboriginal Students , 1990 .

[62]  A. St-Hilaire.  The Social Adaptation of Children of Mexican Immigrants: Educational Aspirations Beyond Junior High School , 2002 .

[63]  Chih-Yuan Weng,et al.  Perceived Racial Discrimination as a Barrier to College Enrollment for African Americans , 2012, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[64]  Elia R. Martin,et al.  Using Self-Determination Theory to Examine the Difference in Motivation of African American College Students and Students with other Ethnic Backgrounds , 2013 .

[65]  Melissa R. Witkow,et al.  Normative changes in ethnic and American identities and links with adjustment among Asian American adolescents. , 2013, Developmental psychology.

[66]  D. Ruble,et al.  Ethnic stigma, academic anxiety, and intrinsic motivation in middle childhood. , 2011, Child development.

[67]  Jason W. Osborne,et al.  Testing Stereotype Threat: Does Anxiety Explain Race and Sex Differences in Achievement? , 2001, Contemporary educational psychology.

[68]  J. Ioannidis,et al.  The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration. , 2009, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[69]  Myron H. Dembo,et al.  Differences in the Motivational Beliefs of Asian American and Non-Asian Students. , 1997 .

[70]  John W. Atkinson,et al.  Introduction: Motivation , 1964 .

[71]  R. Mickelson.  THE ATTITUDE-ACHIEVEMENT PARADOX AMONG BLACK ADOLESCENTS , 1990 .

[72]  D. McInerney.  Personal investment, culture and learning: insights into school achievement across Anglo, Aboriginal, Asian and Lebanese students in Australia. , 2008, International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie.

[73]  B. Ritzler,et al.  Achievement orientation and fear of success in Asian American college students. , 1998, Journal of clinical psychology.

[74]  Beth Kurtz-Costes,et al.  Gender differences in motivational pathways to college for middle class African American youths. , 2011, Developmental psychology.

[75]  M. Diversi,et al.  Educational and Occupational Aspirations of Latino Youth and Their Parents , 2004 .

[76]  Wolfgang Viechtbauer,et al.  Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package , 2010 .

[77]  James Lani,et al.  Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS) , 2010 .

[78]  M. Bearman,et al.  Qualitative synthesis and systematic review in health professions education , 2013, Medical education.

[79]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[80]  R. Flett,et al.  Influential Factors Moderating Academic Enjoyment/motivation and Psychological Well-Being for Maori University Students at Massey University , 2005 .

[81]  S. Plunkett,et al.  The Relationship between Parenting, Acculturation, and Adolescent Academics in Mexican-Origin Immigrant Families in Los Angeles , 2003 .

[82]  P. Stevens,et al.  School ethnic composition and aspirations of immigrant students in Belgium , 2010 .

[83]  I. McManus,et al.  Ethnicity and academic performance in UK trained doctors and medical students: systematic review and meta-analysis , 2011, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[84]  Allan Wigfield,et al.  Introduction to Motivation at School: Interventions That Work , 2007 .

[85]  Th. J. Ten Cate,et al.  How motivation affects academic performance: a structural equation modelling analysis , 2012, Advances in Health Sciences Education.

[86]  P. Pintrich,et al.  Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. , 1990 .

[87]  Theodore A. Walls,et al.  Relations among personal agency, motivation, and school adjustment in early adolescence , 2005 .

[88]  Michele R. Guzmán,et al.  Understanding academic attitudes and achievement in mexican-origin youths: ethnic identity, other-group orientation, and fatalism. , 2005, Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology.

[89]  C. Steele.  A threat in the air. How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. , 1997, The American psychologist.

[90]  Toni Schmader,et al.  Retraining attitudes and stereotypes to affect motivation and cognitive capacity under stereotype threat. , 2010, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[91]  C. Pope,et al.  Using meta ethnography to synthesise qualitative research: a worked example , 2002, Journal of health services research & policy.

[92]  Dale H. Schunk,et al.  Students' Motivational Beliefs and Their Cognitive Engagement in Classroom Academic Tasks , 2012 .

[93]  Robyn K. Mallett,et al.  Do I belong?: it depends on when you ask. , 2011, Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology.

[94]  A. Bandura.  Social cognitive theory of self-regulation☆ , 1991 .

[95]  J. Connell,et al.  Individual differences and the development of perceived control. , 1998, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

[96]  The Role of Ethnicity and Grade Level on the Motivational Orientation in Urban African American Middle School Students , 2008 .

[97]  S. Blair,et al.  Racial/Ethnic Differences in High School Students’ Academic Performance: Understanding the Interweave of Social Class and Ethnicity in the Family Context , 1999 .

[98]  H. Marsh,et al.  The Relationship between Dimensions of Self-Attribution and Dimensions of Self-Concept. , 1984 .

[99]  Deborah Rivas‐Drake.  Perceived Opportunity, Ethnic Identity, and Achievement Motivation Among Latinos at a Selective Public University , 2008 .

[100]  Aryn M. Dotterer,et al.  Parental Monitoring, Parental Warmth, and Minority Youths’ Academic Outcomes: Exploring the Integrative Model of Parenting , 2013, Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

[101]  P. Pintrich,et al.  Students' motivational beliefs and their cognitive engagement in classroom academic tasks. , 1992 .

[102]  G. S. Pettit,et al.  Parent academic involvement as related to school behavior, achievement, and aspirations: demographic variations across adolescence. , 2004, Child development.

[103]  Melissa J. Hawthorne,et al.  Cultural Predictors of Academic Motivation and Achievement: A Self-Deterministic Approach. , 2011 .

[104]  Amy Strage.  Social and academic integration and college success: Similarities and differences as a function of ethnicity and family educational background , 1999 .