Living in the interface of different cultures: Adolescents' experiences of cultural dissonance between home and school.

Abstract

Cultural dissonance refers to individuals' negative reactions to a discrepancy in beliefs, values, and behavioral expectations across the various contexts in which they reside. This dissertation includes two studies examining the antecedents of students' experiences of dissonance and features within the school environment that help ameliorate dissonance between home and school. The first, a quantitative study, included survey data collected from an ethnically and economically diverse sample of students (N = 599) in the fifth grade of elementary school and the following two years of middle school. Growth curve analysis indicated that on average there was little change in cultural dissonance for these students. However, there was significant variation among students in change in cultural dissonance across the three years. Ethnicity and socioeconomic status were not significant predictors of students' initial level of dissonance, nor did these variables explain the change in dissonance across the transition from elementary to middle school. Students' perception of the degree to which their classrooms emphasized relative ability and competition (ability goal structure) and students' sense of school belonging were significant predictors of dissonance in the fifth grade. If students perceived their middle school classrooms as more ability-focused than their elementary school classrooms and felt a lower sense of belonging to their middle school than to their elementary school, they experienced an increase in dissonance. This increase was attenuated if students attended a middle school in which teachers reported that there was an emphasis on understanding, effort, and improvement (task goal structure). The second, a qualitative study, included interview data from 49 students who were identified as high in dissonance on the survey. Using an interview protocol, students were asked a series of questions about their experiences at home and school and why they felt different from others at school. Analysis of data using both inductive and deductive methods revealed reasons for dissonance that transcended ethnic group membership. These included religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, the relevancy of curriculum to students' lives, and the motivational culture and interpersonal relationships in the classroom and school. Both studies point to the importance of teacher and peer support within a learning environment in which understanding and mastery are encouraged and competition is minimized.