Achievement Motivation in "Dreamers" and Documented Latinx College Students
Abstract
Past research has examined the factors that can influence achievement motivation in ethnic minority, immigrant, first-generation, and low-income college students. Academic self-efficacy, acculturation, family obligation, and perceived social support have been identified as being relevant to college students' achievement motivation. However, limited research is available regarding the potential impact of these factors on the achievement motivation of undocumented college students (i.e., DREAMers), which is a population with poor college enrollment and retention rates. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which these factors influenced achievement motivation in documented and undocumented Latinx college students. Participants who identified as documented Latinx college students (N = 160) or DREAMers (N = 84) completed an online survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, Academic Motivation Scale - College Version, Academic Self-Efficacy Subscale, Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics, Family Obligation Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that social support was a significant predictor of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and family obligation was a significant predictor of intrinsic motivation in documented students. Acculturation and academic self-efficacy were significant predictors of DREAMers' intrinsic motivation and amotivation, respectively. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Latin American Studies|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Gore, Tara Nasir, "Achievement Motivation in "Dreamers" and Documented Latinx College Students" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13884728.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13884728
