Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

1-1-1998

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Dr. Manuel Reyes Mazon

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships that exist between ethnicity and the perception of school culture and achievement among Mexican American and Puerto Rican students. The procedure included surveying 211 high school students in two urban public schools using the Student Background Questionnaire and the Instructional Climate Inventory. The self-reported ethnic affiliation of students in the Student Background Questionnaire was used to determine their ethnicity. The socio-economic status of the subjects was determined by their participation in the free or reduced lunch program. The Instructional Climate Inventory was used as the scale to determine the perception of school climate among the subjects. The research design used for this investigation was the t-test in order to determine the level of significant difference between the means of the two ethnic groups of students with regards to their perception of school climate and their academic achievement as determined by their grade point average. The author found that there is no statistically significant difference in the perception of school culture by Mexican-American and Puerto Rican students from the same socio-economic status. This result implies that these two ethnic groups have similar perceptions of the school climate. The researcher also found that there is no statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of Mexican American and Puerto Rican students from the same socio-economic status. Therefore, no statistically significant evidence was found to support the contention that Mexican American and Puerto Rican students from the same socio-economic status had different academic achievement.

Download

Share

COinS