The Relationship between Cultural Adjustment and Motivation for Educational Participation

213 Pages·2015·4.1 MB·English

by  Mihaela N. Metianu

Florida State University Libraries
Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2007
The Relationship Between Cultural
Adjustment and Motivation for Educational
Participation: An Exploratory Study of
Immigrant Community College Students
Enrolled in an Advanced ESL Program
Mihaela N. Metianu
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THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CU LTURAL ADJUSTMENT AND

MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PARTICIPATION:

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AN ADVANCED ESL PROGRAM

B y

Mihaela N. Metianu

A Dissertation submitted to the
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education

Degree Awarded:
Summer Semester, 2007
The members of the Committee approve the Dissertation of Mihaela N. Metianu
defended on June 7, 2007.

---------------------------------------------------
Beverly Bower
Professor Directing Dissertation

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Deborah Hasson
Outside Committee Member

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Jon Dalton
Committee Member

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Robert Schwartz
Committee Member

Approved:

__________________________________________________________________
Gary Crow, Chair, Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee
members.

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To my parents, my husband, and my son

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the following individuals who helped me reach the
destination of this journey:
Dr. Beverly Bower, my major professor, for her continuous mentorship, support,
and guidance. She believed that I could bring this project to completion and helped me
improve in all aspects of my work.
Dr. Deborah Hasson, Dr. Jon Dalton, and Dr. Robert Schwartz, committee
members, for their thoughtful insights and encouraging remarks
Ms. Roberta Christie, Ms. Kristen Hagen, Dr. Brian Haynes, and Dr. Patricia
Telles-Irvin for being inspiring professional role models
Ms. Nancy Hernandez, Ms. Maria Leviste, Ms. Anoush McNamee, and Ms.
Georgia Zavalis for encouraging me to keep going
The faculty and administrators at Broward Community College (Ms. Borgers, Mr.
Duffis, Ms. Martel, Ms. Albo, Ms. Daniel, Mr. Lightburn, Dean Tonge, Mr. Boroday, Dr.
Chao, Ms. Michaels, Dr. Khalil, Dean Kull, Ms. Santos, and Dr. Bryan) for assisting me
with this project
The student participants, for wholeheartedly and enthusiastically taking part in
this study
Dr. Dan Morris and Mr. Pierre Chabot, for their assistance with the statistical
analysis
My husband, Ion and my son, Andrei for their kind spirit and selfless support
My parents, for instilling in me the belief that a good education is the gift of a
lifetime
My extended family and close friends, for supporting me and cheering me on

Equally important, I acknowledge the efforts, dreams and successes of past,
present, and future generations of immigrants who reach for the American dream and
continue to enrich the fabric of our nation.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ................................................................................................ ix
List of Figures ................................................................................................ x
Abstract ...................................................................................................... xi

1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1

Purpose of the Study .................................................................................. 2
Research Questions .................................................................................... 3
Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 3
Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 3
Definition of Terms .................................................................................... 7
Limitations of the Study ............................................................................ 8
Organization of the Study .......................................................................... 9

2. LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................... 10

Impact of Current Immigration Trends on Community Colleges............... 10
The Current Immigration Context ....................................................... 10
Immigrants in the Community College Setting ................................... 12
Characteristics of Immigrant Students in the Community College
Setting ......................................................................................... 14
Goals and Motivation among Immigrant Students .............................. 18
Theories of Cultural Adjustment ............................................................... 19
Definitions and Historical Development of Acculturation .................. 20
Models and Outcomes of Acculturation .............................................. 22
Concepts Related to Acculturation ...................................................... 25
Acculturation in the Community College Setting ................................ 30

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Adult Learning Theory and Motivational Orientation ............................... 33
Andragogy and Self-directed Learning ................................................ 33
Goal Theory and the Adult Learner ..................................................... 37
Goals and Motivation in the Community College Setting ................... 43

3. METHODOLOGY......................................................................................... 46

Research Questions .................................................................................... 46
Variables ……………................................................................................ 46
The Research Setting ................................................................................. 48
Population and Sample .............................................................................. 51
Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................... 53
Access to Site and Subjects ................................................................. 53
Data Collection Instruments ................................................................ 54
Validity and Reliability .............................................................................. 57
Pilot Study ….............................................................................................. 59

4. ANALYSIS AND RESULTS.......................................................................... 68

Descriptive Statistics .................................................................................. 69
Demographic Description ……………................................................ 69
Descriptive Statistics for Educational Participation Scale (EPS) ........ 76
Factors of Cultural Adjustment .................................................................. 79
Factor Analysis .................................................................................... 79
Reliability of the SDCA ....................................................................... 85
Relationships between Factors of Cultural Adjustment and Factors of
Motivation ............................................................................................ 85
Mean Differences for SDCA Factors ................................................... 86
Correlations between SDCA Factors and EPS Factors …......................... 88

5. CONCLUSIONS.............................................................................................. 92

The Descriptive Data ................................................................................. 92

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Immigration Starting Point …………….............................................. 93
Time Spent in the U.S. ......................................................................... 93
Educational Background and Aspirations ............................................ 94
Cultural and Linguistic Background .................................................... 95
Motivation for Educational Participation ............................................ 96
Research Question 1: What are the Factors of Cultural Adjustment? ....... 97
Factors of Cultural Adjustment ............................................................ 98
Conclusions about the Factors of Cultural Adjustment …................... 100
Research Question 2: What is the Relationship between Cultural
Adjustment and Motivation for Educational Participation? ................ 101
Implications for Theory and Research........................................................ 102
Implications for Practice …........................................................................ 104
Summary ………....................................................................................... 107

APPENDICES ................................................................................................ 109

A English for Academic Purposes Chart.................................................. 109
B Fall Class Visits.................................................................................... 112
C Sample Site Access Letter.................................................................... 114
D Subject Consent Form........................................................................... 116
E Cover Letter for North Campus............................................................ 119
F IRB Approval Letter............................................................................. 121
G SDCA – Pilot Study Version ............................................................... 123
H SDCA – Final Study Version................................................................ 127
I SDCA Scoring Grid.............................................................................. 132
J SDCA Factors Coding Grid.................................................................. 134
K EPS Survey and Answer Key............................................................... 137
L Frequencies and Cross-Tabulations for Demographic Data................. 142
M Mean Tables for EPS............................................................................ 152
N Exploratory Factor Analysis................................................................. 172
O Reliability Analysis for SDCA............................................................. 177
P ANOVA Results for SDCA Factors..................................................... 180
Q Correlations........................................................................................... 191

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REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 197

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................. 201

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Independent Variables with Corresponding Items ............................ 47
Table 4.1 Frequencies for General Demographic Profile ................................. 70
Table 4.2 Frequencies for Personal Data ......................................................... 71
Table 4.3 Percentage Frequencies for Language Background ......................... 72
Table 4.4 Percentage Frequencies for Native Country .................................... 73
Table 4.5 Means, Medians, and Modes for EPS Factors .................................. 76
Table 4.6 ANOVA Results of Mean Comparisons for EPS Factors
(Time of Course) .................................................................................. 78
Table 4.7 ANOVA Results of Mean Comparisons for EPS Factors
(Native Language)................................................................................ 79
Table 4.8 Communality Coefficients for Cultural Adjustment Items ................. 81
Table 4.9 Total Variance Explained by Initial Eigenvalues ............................. 82
Table 4.10 Component Matrix and Factor Loadings ......................................... 83
Table 4.11 Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficients for SDCA Factors............................ 85
Table 4.12 ANOVA Results of Mean Comparisons for Factors of Cultural
Adjustment ........................................................................................... 87
Table 4.13 ANOVA Results for Factors of Cultural Adjustment (Native
(Language) ........................................................................................... 88
Table 4.14 Correlations Table for Interaction Facility ...................................... 90

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