Indigenous motivational profiles : do they reflect collectivism? : a cross-cultural analysis of similarities and differences between groups classified as individualist and collectivist cultures

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in the motivational goals held by students from different cultural groups. Using the cross-culturally validated Inventory of School Motivation multivariate analyses were conducted to examine statistical differences among seven cultural groupings on eight Inventory of School Motivation (ISM)scales (task, effort, competition, social power, affiliation, social concern, praise and token). Groups were classified as individualist or collectivist. Two Indigenous collectivist groups (Australian Aboriginal and Native American Navajo), two non-Indigenous collectivist groups (Black African and Hong Kong Chinese) and three non-Indigenous individualist groups (Anglo-Australian, White African, and Anglo American) comprised the sample of 7698 participants. Specifically, similarities and differences were explored with regard to individualist and collectivist groups with a particular focus on Indigenous groups (Aboriginal Australian and Native American). Previous research has suggested that individualist-oriented cultures will be significantly stronger than the collectivist-oriented cultures on task effort, competition, and power goals, while collectivist oriented cultures will be significantly stronger than the individualist oriented cultures on affiliation, social concern, praise, and token goals. It is also expected that the strongest differences will be between Indigenous collectivist groups and the other groups.