An investigation of ethnic differences in the motivation and strategies for learning of students in desegregated South African schools

No significant ethnic group differences were found in the academic motivation or learning strategies of more than 200 White and 200 Black South African students from two recently integrated secondary schools. Both groups considered working hard and having interest in school tasks to be more important than competition or affiliation. The former items tended to be the best predictors in both groups of the use of deep learning strategies, which are known to be prerequisites for high-quality learning outcomes. The motivation scales tended to be better predictors of learning strategies for the Black students.