Racial and ethnic differences in motivation for educational achievement inthe United States

Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study [National Educational Longitudinal Study, (1994). National Educational Longitudinal Study: secon d follow-up (Report No.94-374). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Educatio n] show that on standardised scores in mathematics, reading and science, th e highest mean scores are obtained by Asians and whites and lower scores ar e obtained by Hispanics and blacks. The same differences are present for th e number of hours per week devoted to homework. It is suggested that motiva tional differences expressed in the amount of homework undertaken contribut e to the group differences in educational achievement. Statistically signif icant correlations between the amount of homework and educational achieveme nt support this hypothesis. There are also group differences in intelligenc e parallel to those in educational achievement, suggesting both intelligenc e and motivation are involved in racial and ethnic differences in education al achievement. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.