A Comparative Study of Values and Achievement: Mexican-American and Anglo Youth

Abstract

A study of values and achievement of Mexican-American and Anglo secondary school pupils reveals important commonalities as well as important differences. Foremost among the commonalities are high expectations from school attendance. Both a generalized faith in mankind and an optimistic orientation toward the future are held by a greater proportion of Anglos than MexicanAmericans; these orientations are related to achievement. Within the MexicanAmerican subpopulation, these value orientations are distributed differentially; pupils at higher grade-levels and of higher socioeconomic status are more similar to Anglos. The findings suggest that the Mexican-American group is not as homogeneous as much of the earlier research would suggest.