Prior research on Appalachian students has noted key differences in academic performance compared to the general population, but few researchers have examined the influence of cultural values on academic attitudes. The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between collectivism and academic attitudes (i.e., academic efficacy, school connectedness, and fear of academic success) would be stronger among Appalachian students than among non-Appalachian students. Participants were 605 university students from Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions of Kentucky and Georgia who completed survey assessments of the variables. A series of regression analyses confirmed the hypotheses. These results highlight the importance of applying cross-cultural theories to explain regional differences within countries.
Two studies tested a model of academic achievement in which the embodiment of the cultural values of a given region is associated with higher academic performance. Both studies investigated this model using a sample from the Appalachian region of Kentucky, which is regarded as a collectivistic region, and non-Appalacahian regions of Kentucky, which are regarded as individualistic. In Study 1, 187 college students (81 Appalachian, 106 non-Appalachian) completed an online survey of their cultural and academic values, and provided their current grade point average. Results confirmed that cultural values are also promoted at school, and that the Appalachian students who embodied collectivistic cultural and academic values performed better than non-Appalachian students who embodied collectivistic values. In Study 2, 250 middle school and high school students (123 Appalachian, 127 non-Appalachian) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire of the same variables as in Study 1. Results confirmed that Appalachian students performed better than non-Appalachian students when they embodied collectivistic academic values, but cultural collectivism was only associated with academic collectivism among Appalachian students. Implications for educational and cultural psychology are discussed.
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