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Differences between Immigrant and National Students in Motivational Variables and Classroom-Motivational-Climate Perception

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Jesús Alonso-Tapia  and
Cecilia Simón
Jesús Alonso-Tapia*
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma of Madrid (Spain)
Cecilia Simón
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma of Madrid (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesús Alonso Tapia. Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Campus de Canto Blanco. 28049 Madrid (Spain). Phone: +34-914974598. Fax: +34-914975215. E-mail: jesus.alonso@.uam.es
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Abstract

The objective of this study is to see whether Immigrant (IM) and Spanish (National) students (SP) need different kinds of help from teachers due to differences in motivation, family expectancies and interests and classroom-motivational-climate perception. A sample of Secondary Students −242 Spanish and 243 Immigrants- completed questionnaires assessing goal orientations and expectancies, family attitudes towards academic work, perception of classroom motivational climate and of its effects, satisfaction, disruptive behavior and achievement. ANOVAs showed differences in many of the motivational variables assessed as well as in family attitudes. In most cases, Immigrant students scored lower than Spanish students in the relevant variables. Regression analyses showed that personal and family differences were related to student's satisfaction, achievement and disruptive behavior. Finally, multi-group analysis of classroom-motivational-climate (CMC) showed similarities and differences in the motivational value attributed by IM and SP to each specific teaching pattern that configure the CMC. IM lower self-esteem could explain these results, whose implications for teaching and research are discussed.

El objetivo de este estudio es examinar si los estudiantes inmigrantes (IM) y los (nacionales) españoles (SP) necesitan diferentes tipos de ayudas de sus profesores debido a las diferencias que pueda haber entre ellos en motivación, expectativas familiares, intereses y percepción del clima motivacional de clase. Una muestra de alumnos de Secundaria −242 españoles y 243 inmigrantes- completaron cuestionarios que evaluaban su orientación a metas, sus expectativas, las actitudes familiares hacia el trabajo escolar, la percepción del clima motivacional de clase y sus efectos, su nivel de satisfacción escolar, la conducta disruptiva y los logros académicos. Varios ANOVAs pusieron de manifiesto las diferencias en muchas de las variables motivacionales evaluadas así como en las actitudes familiares. En la mayoría de los casos los inmigrantes puntuaron más bajo que los españoles en las variables relevantes. Asimismo, los análisis de regresión mostraron que las diferencias personales y familiares se relacionaban con la satisfacción de los alumnos, su rendimiento y sus conductas disruptivas. Finalmente, el análisis multigrupo del Clima Motivacional de Clase (CMC) puso de manifiesto las semejanzas y diferencias entre el valor motivacional atribuido por los IM y los SP a cada una de las pautas docentes que configuran el CMC. La menor autoestima de los IM podría explicar estos resultados cuyas implicaciones para la enseñanza se comentan.

Keywords

individual differences in motivationgoal orientationsclassroom-motivational-climateeducational expectationsmulti-cultural psychologydiferencias individuales en motivaciónorientación a metasclima motivacional de claseexpectativas educativaspsicología multicultural
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 61 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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