DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VALUES OF AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND NONABORIGINALSTUDENTS

In this study, the Values Questionnaire developed by Schwartz and Bils ky was used to examine differences in the values held by a group of Ab original university students and a group of non-Aboriginal students st udying at an Australian university. Results indicated that the Aborigi nal group placed greater emphasis on values associated with Tradition, Conformity, and Security and significantly less emphasis on values as sociated with Achievement, Self-direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, and Berievolence. These data, in conjunction with a separate analysis of t he ten highest ranked values for each group, support the view that the main differences between the groups lie in values serving collective (Aboriginal) as opposed to individual (non-Aboriginal) interests. Thes e findings are consistent with previous research on the worldview of t raditional Aboriginal people, and they suggest that even among younger , more Westernised representatives of this culture collective values a re likely to be strong determinants of behaviour.