Goal setting by Asian Indian children and their parents
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Abstract
Achievement is highly valued in Asian Indian culture and children are expected to obey parents and to adopt the cultural values of their parents. The extent to which Asian Indian values are maintained when Indian children are exposed to the American culture is uncertain.
This study was designed to investigate the effects of awareness of parental goals on two educational tasks by 60 Massachusetts children (Chronological Age: 9 to 16 years) and their Asian Indian parents whose origins were from seven different Indian states.
Math and Letter Circling tasks were followed by goal statements made by the children and each parent. Comparisons were made of performance and goals.
One group of children (N = 30) were informed of the parental goal statements (Aware group) and the others (N • 30) were not informed (Unaware group). Analysis data indicated statistically significant differences favoring the Aware group on Math performance, child goals and father goals. For the Letter Circling task significant differences favored the Aware group in child performance, child goals, and mother goals. Parent goals appeared Jess variable for the Aware group than for the Unaware group.
Girls surpassed boys on the Letter Circ1ing tasks, but there were no significant dUferences in goals set by and for males versus females. Positive, high correlations were found on both tasks between performance and child goals. Correlations between child performance and parent goals were positive and significant, but low to moderate.
Analysis indicated no relationship between years in the United States and goals set.
Discussion explored the effects and relationship between goal setting and performance, Asian Indian culture and goals, and the possible effects of American culture on the Asian Indian students.
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Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Boston University
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