h
~lliXICAN
A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in
Educational Psychology with a specialization in Counseling and Guidance by .
Bonita Ann Kathryne Ponder
~
June, 1976

rrhe thesis of Bonita Ann Kathryne Ponder is approved:
California State University, Northridge
May, 1976
11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my colleagues, students, family and friends for their moral support and help in completing this study. The extra special
11 com.munity effort
11 support
Gwen Walker and I shared will never be forgotten. Thanks are also in order to Dr. Marie Rivers for her critical analysis of the content of the research. I am extremely indebted to Dr. Richard Thiel who helped me from beginning to end with the study. He taught me all I know about research and critiqued, revised and proofread this thesis many times. My last, but not least, expression of gratitude goes to the typist, Debra Hubbard. She deserves an
Honorary Master
1 s Degree, at the very least, for the diligent and excellent job done in typing the finished product.
Hay,
iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEI'1ENTS
LIST OF TABLES
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LIS'r OF FIGURES
ABSTRACT
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Page iii vii ix
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Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION
BACI\:GROUND
PURPOSE
HYPOTHESES
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DEFINITION OF TERNS
DELII1ITATIONS
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REVIE\'I OF THE LI'l'ERATURE
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ACCUL'rURATION AND ASSHHLA'riON
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NEXICAN VALUES
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ANGLO VALUES
CONJ:<'LICTS
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IWEERPHETATIONS OF SCALE ITEMS
METHODOLOGY
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OVERALL PROCEDURES
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(continued)
Chapter Page
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Tft~LES
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LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Standard Background Variables of the
Total Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-... . . . . . . . . . . . . . • •
Page
38
2. A Breakdown of the Anglo and Mexican Values on the Graves Acculturation Scale........... 40
3. Group I Actual Responses to Each Item on the
Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale..............
4. Group II Actual Responses to Each Item on the
Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale ••••••.•••••••
5. Group III Actual Responses to Each Item on the Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale...........
50
51
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6. Group IV Actual Responses to Each Item on the
Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale..............
7. A Comparison of Mean Responses to Each Item by all Groups on the Tri-Ethnic Acculturation
Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
55
Acceptances of Anglo Values ••••••••.•••.•..•
9. Rejections of Ne:x.ican Values................ 59
10. Relevant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects in Group I .•.•••• 61
11. Relevant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects in Group II ••••.• 62
12. Relevant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects in Group III ••••• 63
1J. Relevant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects in Group IV......
Vii

LIST OF TABLES (continued)
Table
14. Range and Frequency of Total Scores:
Group I
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Group II
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16. Range and Frequency of Total Scores:
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Group IV
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18. Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's
11 t 11 ratio:
TIME VARIABLE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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19. Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's 11 t 11 ratio:
SEX VARIABLE ••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••• 76
20. Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's 11 t 11 ratio:
PARENTS' WORK SITUATION VARIABLE •.•••••••••
21. Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's 11 t 11 ratio:
BIRTHPLACE VARIABLE ••••••••••••••••••••••••
22. Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's 11 t 11 ratio:
PRESENT NEIGHBORHOOD VARIABLE ••••••••••••••
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Time Group . . . . • . • • . . . . • . . . • • • • • . • • • • • . • . . • • • . 57
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72 ix

ABSTRACT
A STUDY OF ACCULTURATION IN
MEXICAN AYiliRICAN JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS by
Bonita Ann Kathryne Ponder
Master of Arts in Educational Psychology:
Counseling and Guidance
June,
Pur~
The purpose of the study was to answer two questions
·regarding Junior High School l1exican American students.
1) Is there a gradual increase in the acceptance of Anglo values depending on the amount of time they have been in the United States? 2) What other factors might effect the degree of acceptance or rejection of Anglo values coupled wl th time in the Uni tt,d States? Some factors might be: a. The subjects' sex b. The subjects• family work situation.
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c. The subjects' birthplace -- rural or urban. d. The subjects' neighborhood of residence in
Santa Monica -- predominantly Mexican, Anglo,
Black or Mixed.
The writer undertook the research study in order to better understand the Mexican American students in her classes. The researcher also hoped that she would be able to relate better to the students through learning more about cultural value differences.
Procedure
The design of the research was a survey beginning with a review of the literature to determine any conflicts in Anglo and Mexican cultural values. Later, a preliminary questionnaire, the Theodore Graves Tri-Ethnic Acculturation
Scale (Scale V) and a follow-up questionnaire were administered to seventy students who were divided into four groups dependent on the time they had been in the United States.
After all data was collected appropriate statistical techniques were employed to analyze and interpret the datao
Findings
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'The major conflicts between Anglo and Nexican cultural values, as found in the literature were: 1) doing versus being, 2) non-idealization of work, 3) a fatalistic attitude about the individual's control over life,
the families central importance, 5) the relattve unimportance of education and
differing time orientations. xi

The major findings of the statistical analyses of the data were: 1) Most subjects were at the same level of acculturation based on an item-by-item analysis of mean responses to scale items. 2) In calculating
11 t
11 ratios on the time variable the time group born in the United
States was at an equal level of acculturation when compared to the other three. 3) There were few significant differences between all groups in regard to the other variables.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Since most subjects appeared to be at the same level of acculturation, in most cases, it is important when dealing with all Mexican American students to have a good understanding of Mexican cultural values. Also, much research should go into designing programs that capitalize on the unique cultural values of Mexican Americans rather than trying to mold them into the Anglo American value system. Bi-lingual/Bi-cultural programs that emphasize cultural pluralism rather than assimilation should be
wide·~spread wherever there are oul turally different students. xii

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Background
The reasons for this study were selfish on the part of the investigator. The purpose of the study was to enhance the researcher's understanding of Mexican American* students. The writer is a Spanish teacher in Santa Honica,
California and teaches a Native Speakers' Spanish class.
This class is comprised of a majority of I1exican American students. There were only two students from other Hispanic countries at the time the research was done. The investigator felt that she o1uy had a superficial understanding of Nexican cultural values versus Anglo or Black cultural values.
The v-rri ter is a Black American "\•Tho lvas brought up in the 1U1glo P~erican value system and never lived in a
Mexican American cultural environment. The investigator speaks Spanish vrell and had come into contact with some
*The researcher purposely did not hyphenate the term
Mexican American ln this study.
1

aspects of Mexican culture because of her knowledge of the language. Still there was a void in her ability to relate totally to her students because of what she considered different value (cultural) orientations. For example, the following are a few of the things that puzzled the researcher: The large number of absentees per day in the above mentioned class, the obvious and exclusive cliques formed in the class, the long Christmas and Easter vacations taken by the students, and a very nonchalant attitude about school, in general, by most students.
The researcher wanted to be able to solve these puzzles in order to deal with the situations more effectively. The writer felt that since she didn't understand the "why" of these differences that she probably wasn't relating to the students as well as possible. Also, she felt that she might be imposing Anglo/Black values on the students in her teaching that were incompatible with the students' cultural orientation.
In pondering over Mexican versus Anglo values the researcher thought about the melting pot theory of assimilation -hoi~ many different cultures and races come to accept and behave in accord with a certain set of values and lose many of their original cultural values. The writer wondered if an understanding of Mexican cultural values would be enough. Were there some students who were
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more Anglo or Mexican - value oriented than others? Did length of time in the United States have anything to do with becoming more Anglo - value oriented and less
Mexican - value oriented? These were the two underlying questions the study hoped to answer.
Also, the investigator wanted to see if there were certain traditional Mexican values that were not lost even though they were in conflict with accepted Anglo values, no matter how long the student had been in the United
States. If certain Mexican values were not acculturated by
Anglo values this would provide the writer with a starting point for creating some strategies to deal with the students as they were, not as Anglo society expected them to be.
The underlying assumption for the research was that there would be a gradual increase in the degree of acculturation to Anglo values, going from a relatiYely low acceptance of dominant cultural values to a higher acceptance, hence becoming more acculturated, as one moved from a recent arrival from Mexico to a student who had been in the United States a number of years, and finally to a student born in the United States of Mexican heritage.
Another assumption was that coupled with the acculturation to Anglo values, the Mexican American student would grow away from, if not totally reject, some traditional Mexican values. The researcher was trying, above all, to establish
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a relationship between the amount of time a Mexican American student had been in the United States and the degree to which he/she accepted or rejected Anglo values.
Purpos~
The purpose of the study was to answer these questions: 1) Is there a gradual increase in the acceptance of Anglo values by Mexican American students depending on the amount of time they have been in the United States? 2)
What other factors might effect the degree of acceptance or rejection of Anglo values coupled with time in the United
States? For example: a. Is the student male or female? b. Their family situation -- do both parents work? c. Where are they from in Mexico -- a rural or urban setting? d. t-lhere do they live in Santa Monica? -- a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, one dominated by another ethnic group or a well integrated one?
As one of the outcomes of this research the writer might find that recently arrived Mexican students were more closely tied to most traditional Mexican values while students Who had been here, say three years, were more accepting of Anglo values. It might also be found that students who had been in the United States seven out of thirteen years were more acculturated still, and students i'lho 11ere born in the United States of 11exlcan parents or
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grandparents were even closer to the complete acculturation and acceptance of Anglo values.
Hypoth!3S6_!3
The main research hypothesis is:
1. There is a gradual increase in the degree of acculturation to Anglo values by }1exican American students dependent on the length of time they have been in the United States.
The second hypothesis is more tentative and exploratory in nature:
2. There may also be a relationship between the degree of acculturation to Anglo values, time in the United States and some or all of the following independent variables: a. Sex of the student. b. Family employment situation. c. Place of birth. d. Present neighborhood of residence.
Definttion of·Terms
ACCULTURATION -- The process of cultural change, and/ or resultant cultural state, issuing from more or less continous contact between groups with different c.ul tures, in l'lhich one group gains or reformulates elements from the culture of the other group {Himes,
6:59).
ANGLO (cuvruRAL) VALUES -- A generalization applied to values considered common to ths dominant American middle class.
ASSIHILArrroN -- 1) The process by which cuJ. turally different groups subordinate diffe::c·ences, expand similarities~ and become fused in a new group. 2)
The process in which one set of cultural traits is relinquished and a new set acquired. 3) The process
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by which a minority becomes incorporated into the system of social relations which constitutes the greater society (Himes, 6:59).
CITLTURE -- Those attitudes, beliefs and experiences that an individual receives from the society-at-large, or the sub-group of which he is a member. It may include, artifacts, goods, technical processes, ideas, habits and values. Language is an integral part of culture (Romero, 8:53).
MEXICAN AMERICAN -- A person of I1exican descent whose cultural and language heritage is Mexican and Spanish, respectively. This term will be used in the study to refer to all subjects. t-1E:XICA.T\J (CULTURAL) VALUES -- A generalized set of traditions and values considered to be held in common by persons of Mexican origin. Many of the same values are consistent with other Spanish-speaking peoples also.
RECENT ARRIVAL -- A person who has come to the United
States from another country, in this case Mexico, and has been here a short while. For the purpose of this study a short while is one year or less.
VALUES -A conception, culturally held, concerning what is regarded as desirable vli th respect to human beings and their behavior in relating with each other and with the non-human universe. Also, the basic assumptions, or tenets, which are expressed in the total philosophy of one people as different from another. r1ost values lie below the conscious level and are, therefore, hard to study (Romero, 8:54).
Delimitations
results and generalizations made are based on a total research sample of se·.,renty filexican American students.
2. Generalizations made about Anglo values don't attempt to treat differences in cultural values characteristic of Amerlca1!. subcul tl.!re groups.
3.. Also, generalizatlons about Hexican A...'"Dericans may be less applicable to sub-groups, other Spanish-speaking people and atypical conditions.
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4. There were probably other variables that had some relationship to acculturation that this investigator made no attempt to deal with. The researcher collected data relative only to the variables stated in the hypotheses.
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Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Acculturation and Assimilation
Since the purpose of this study was an attempt to measure the degree of acculturation of Mexican Americans into the Anglo value system, it is appropriate to begin this chapter with a discussion of acculturation. Melville
J. Herskovitz in his 1938 book Acculturati~ {pages 10, 11) made the following statement which characterizes much of the philosophy behind the American belief in acculturation:
A key element in success, achievement and acceptance in American society is the acculturation factor. The more acculturated a person becomes the greater the probabilities of general acceptance and opportunity for achievement.. At any rate, the lack of acculturation and the overt differences in value structure and behavior tend to become barriers to fuller participation in total American life (Romero, 8).
What is acculturation? It is a term used most often by anthropologists to describe a change of cultural patterns (e.g. language, religion, family organization).
It 'has also been called behavioral or cultural asslmilation. It is usually the first stage of assimilation that
8

occurs when a minority group comes into contact with a dominant group (Gordon, 5).
Sometimes the terms assimilation and acculturation have been used synonymously. At other times they have been used to describe separate processes that were considered to be overlapping. There is a certain amount of confusion about the definition of assimilation according to Gordon
( 5) •
Gordon
prefers to define assimilation as the coming together of peoples or "the meeting of peoples.
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It is a gradual process that is referred to by sociologists as the acceptance and incorporation of a minority culture into the dominant one (Himes, 6}.
The assimilation process, as stated above, is
gradual one, a matter of degree. It consists of seven steps according to Gordon (5:71) which also may take place in varying degrees. The stages of the assimilation process are:
1. Acculturation, cultural or behavioral assimilation -- a change of cultural patterns to those of the host society.
2. Structural assimilation -- large-scale entrance into cliques, clubs and institutions of the host society, on a primary group level.
3. Amalgamation, marital assimilation -- large-scale intermarriage.
4. Identification assimilation -- the development of a sense of peoplehood based exclusively on the host society (e.g. Americanism).

5. · Attitude receptional assimilation -- the absence of prejudice.
6. Behavioral receptional assimilation -- the absence of discrimination.
7. Civic assimilation -- the absence of value and power conflict.
This study is an acculturation survey and will only concentrate on the first stage of assimilation. Gordon
(5:77) explains the connection between acculturation and assimilation in the quotation below:
The relationship of the cultural assimilation variable to all the others can be stated as follows:
1) Cultural assimilation, or acculturation, is likely to be the first of the types of assimilation to.occur when a minority group arrives on the scene; and
2) Cultural assimilation, or acculturation, of the minority group may take place even when none of the other types of assimilation occurs simultaneously or later, and this condition of acculturation may continue indefinitely.
In finishing the discussion of assimilation, the overall process of which acculturation is stage number one, the researcher would like to describe briefly the three main types of assimilation:
1. Conformity -- adaptation to the core society and culture. a. Survival assimilation. b. Bureaucratic (institutional) assimilation. c. Social assimilation.
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2.. The 11 melting pot 11
- the ideal type 11 where each culture has been melted down in the same societal container in order to form a new cultural product with standard consistency,
11 according to Gordon
(5). This refers to a cultural blend.
In both of the above kinds of assimilation the ethnic and racial minorities tend to disappear or change. Since neither of the above has completely worked a third possibility emerges:
3. Cultural pluralism -- groups can maintain some degree of ethnic diversity in a culture dominated by the Anglo American pattern. The cultural variation is considered beneficial for the whole of American culture (Gordon, 5). A slogan for this type of assimilation might be,
11 diversity within unity" (Himes, 6). Self-determinism is a term the Indian movement has used in this same respect.
This researcher is not an advocate of complete acculturation by any ethnic group, but she thinks it is important to note that this country, the United States, has upheld complete acculturation, and assimilation, as important goals for minority groups, like Mexican Americans to strive toward~ Many Mexican Americans may be working toward conformity or the melting pot end. Yet others may be striving for cultural pluralism in order to preserve the
Nexican American cultural heritage as it has been for generations. The researcher would hope to be able to generalize some conclusions at the completion of this project regarding what kind of assimilation is taking place within this study's sample.
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Cultural differences result from variations in the amount of contact with Anglo culture. This contact may be limited or enhanced by the class status of the individual and the family, sub-cultural variations between urban and rural people and between the different school experiences of the individuals (Saunders, 11).
Lyle Saunders also believes that the range of both cultural and biological variations within each group is greater than between groups. He delineates three groups:
1. Spanish-American or Spanish surname -- a largely stable, landm·ming people, until recently quite self-reliant and self-sufficient, who are now facing rapid social change and the possibility of social and personal disorganization.
2. Mexican-American -- first and second generation immigrants who are undergoing the unsettling transition from Mexican to American ways and values.
J. Mexican -- a largely poor, landless class with few possessions, little education and fet'l skills.
This group also has almost no understanding of the
United States and its ways (Saunders, 11).
Saunders seems to believe, as does this researcher, that the degree of assimilation can be ranked from high to
101-1 when comparing a long time Mexican resident to a recent arrival. But there are other factors involved in the degree of acculturation besides time here. Some of these factors are spelled out in this quotation from Saunders:
After a century of contact with Anglo culture many traits of the Mexican group persist. The rate of acculturation is slower than it might otherwise
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be because of both voluntary and imposed segregation (which limits the opportunity for meaningful contacts between Anglos and Mexicans) and because of the cultural reinforcement from Mexico, since it is so close to the United States
(Saunders, 11:27).
Nexican Values
In reviel'ling the literature a general agreement among many authors regarding the classification of Mexican values was found. Those agreed upon values are as follows:
1 o
Em:ehasis on th~_rcentral imJ?.ortance of the family-One~s first loyalty is owed to the family. Large families are considered an asset and childless couples ~·ri thin the extended family are sometimes 1 loaned 1 children. Children are subordinate to their parents and this often extends into maturity (Saunders, 11).
Very close family ties are maintained and extended into several generations. All blood relations are considered part of the immediate family. Individual security in time of crisis is provided by this family structure (Romero, 8).
2. Present-time orientation -- Time is a gift of life thatTS-to-be-·e1iJOye·d to the fullest now, not to be postponed~ The concept of wasting time is not understood. No guilt complexes can mar the enjoyment of the present~ The future doesn't figure in until i.t arriv-es.
1 Manana, 1 ls considered by some not to mean tomorrovr, but just to express a rE~moteness (Campa, i~).
'fhe higher dual, .. e the soo:ial class status of the :tndivib~oader his time orientation will be.
The ma,jori.ty of NexicPr.n Ar.ue:r.tce..ns are lower class therefore, they have a present-time orientation
(Ulibarris 12)~ The present is emphasized simply because
is a reality. The past is that which
Nas once a :reality and is interp:reted in terms of achievement, linecige and custom. The Mexican does not forget his traditions because they constitute
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his past reality, the basis of his romaticism.
One can't console a r1exican by illusions of tomorrow either (Campa, 4).
The clock and the calendar are not important gadgets. In English time flies or runs. In Spanish
1 el reloj anda
1
(the clock walks).
The impulse of the moment is a strong determinant of behavior. Spontaneity can be seen in gatherings of people and many activities. That which is pleasant or necessary is done, that which is neither is put off (Saunders, 11).
Practicality is connected with the present-time orientation in that practicality is for today. It has a low value as an end in itself (Saunders, 11).
3. Limited stress on material £a!D -- To lead the good life one must have non-material goals.
Success is part of the personal inter-relationships between the family or immediate community and does not involve material translations
(Saunders, 11 ) •
Business transactions are made on the basis of mutual need. Making a profit from a transaction is considered immoral.
Competition is discouraged in the folk society because it is not compatible with family life or the inter~personal relations prevalent in the folk culture. Therefore, achievement concepts betv;een individuals in competition is not understood (Campa, 2).
~Chere is no idealization of wor1{, it is a necessary e-vil, something that has to be done, but as quickly and pleasantly as possible. Idleness is not morally corrupting~ the job does not rank high in the scale of values. Obligations to friends and family may take precedence over obligat_ions to an employer (Romero, 8).
~Phe f~j;£1e~as ~e a:~~.i are superior to women and often referred to as •muy macho•. 'rhe husband is the head and provider of the family (Anderson and Johnson, 1).
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5. The inferior position of womep -- The mother is the center of the home, exclusively concerned with household duties and the bearing and rearing of children {Romero, 8).
Limited value placed on formal edu·cation --
1Educacion1, or proper social conduct an~.obser-. vance of approved tradition is most important.
Universal education was not a part of the Spanish .... tradition during the colonization period and stil~ in l1exico today, formal education is not a top priority although it is on the increase.
Schooling may not be important because it serves as.another center in the individual's life and the family is 1 the center'. School has not necessarily been established as a result of a real felt need (Romero, 8).
?. A fatalistic outlook on life -- The future is entirely in the hands of God, therefore, there are fatalistic attitudes about the self and control of social and environmental conditions (Anderson and
Johnson, 1).
Achievement and success are not highly valued because of this fatalistic outlook. Most
Mexicans are content with things as they are.
8. f;n accomodating att~
-- Patience, submission, timidity and conformity are prevalent charactertstics of
Mexican Americans. This accomodating attitude may be related to the minority group's attempt to behave in accordance 't·li th m.aj ori ty group norms.
One may behav-; in an inferior manner at first because the standard behavior is foreign to him.
If he is ridiculed for his attempts then he may become more timid and submissive and not attempt assimilation of the majority
1 s standards (Ulibarr~
12).
9. An ~hasis on bein££ rather than clo~
- d
Life is to be lived dramatically and the individual's personality is valued. Race, caste and class are important determinants of status and character since inner personal values are. stronger than those of action or doing. Aspiration levels are related to economic and educational circumstances and are very often low.
15

Because the Mexican·culture is a feeling one, rooted in passion and humanism, a strong sense of being is a natural by-product,. Hhatev-er the being may be is important, no matter who he may be -- it is important that he is himself (Campa,
2).
The old ways are better -- An emphasis on ritual, change is not a great motivator. For example, in an agrarian society, old farming methods may be used only because they have worked in the past. In matters of health, unless it is a grave illness the family may try to remedy the problem without contacting a physician. Support comes from the family, harm may come from the uru{nown outside l'Wrld (Saunders, 11) •
11. Reli~ion is the basis of society and the moral order -- The only outside institution is the churche Religious activities provide both religious training and recreation (Romero, 8).
No real need for 0£5anizations -- Because of the society's patriarchal and often agrarian nature family groups were able to meet their needs vTi thout the complexities of organized effort.
Also, since organizational goals involve the future, time orientation limits their use.
The lack of organizational experience promotes individuality and thereby reduces the individual's ability to function in organized situations. This has a tendency to limit horizons and stimulation for progress. Along with this, leadership roles have no great attraction
(Romero, 8).
The preceding twelve major categories and their sub-divisions should give an overview of many of the cultural values inherent in many Mexican American students. The following is a list of the most commonly accepted Anglo values presented in the same order as the
Mexican values in order that contrasts might be readily seen.
16

Anglo Values
1. Family structurJ. -- The roles of the husband and wife are based on the sexual division of labor.
Children are respected as individuals, individual values, not familial ones are sought after.
Youth, 1 the best years of life', is revered, almost to the point of glorification. There are no strong extended family ties. The individual is most important in the Anglo culture (Saunders,
9}.
2. Future-time orientation -- This is directly correlated with the American idea of progress.
Anglos feel that their present is better than their past and feel adequate to deal with a future that will be better still. The golden age for Anglos is in the future. Tomorrow will be better than today,
1 the best is yet to come•.
It•s a system of deferred gratification
(Saunders, 9).
The present is devalued and causes Anglos to miss much of the value of today in a preoccupation with a better tomorrow -- mortgaging the present for the futurea There is an advantage though,
Anglos tend to put up with discomfort and hardships in the belief that they are temporary and time will bring about a change (Saunders, 9).
There is also an extreme interest in efficiency and practicality. These two qualities do not lead one to be very spontaneous, rather one becomes more mechanical and rational. The routine and mechanistic nature of Anglo culture leads to an extreme emphasis on punctuality.
Being on time is ranked high right alongside cleanliness and godliness (Romero, 8).
J. Em~i_s on ~i.al ga~~ -- The Anglo culture is very achievement oriented because of its belief in progress. Thriftr ambition, hard work and lots of drive lead to security and financial success .. Acquisitiveness is very much an Anglo trait. l'lateri&l comforts are highly valued
(Saunders, 9).
Conformity exists as an .~glo characteristic in that there is a great emphasis on activity and work. People always ask, 11 What does he do?"
17

before they ask, 11 Who is he?" The man who makes the most money is the most successful. Selfreliance and initiative will lead to greatness.
Nany Anglos have an obsession l'li th work.
The emphasis on work causes Anglo culture to be very competitive. There is a lot of team competition as can be seen by the proliferation of team sports in the United States. Individual competition is also demanded by the culture -- one must always try to reach his full potential, of course, in comparison to others.
4. The father's role --Until recently the father in many middle class Anglo homes was
11 the
11 breadwinner and had a superior status. He was the backbone of.the family, the authority, often to be feared.
5. The mother's role-- Until the inception of
Women's Liberation attitudes Anglo women had, and in some cases still do have, an inferior status -she was the dominant parent in the home. Mother is associated with warmth, understanding and sometimes controlling the purse strings. Even though many Anglo women had careers, until recently, they were treated in an inferior manner.
6~ The imuortance of education Anglos have a profound faith in education, especially formal education, as the key to personal and social salvation and perfection. Education is a way of achieving upward mobility, both are related to competition and ultimate success.
7. 6£.emphE~is og_~echnical competence-- Anglos are very preoccupied with science, not fate. The culture revolves around machines, arrangements and. systems. This is a technological culture that is al\'mys preparing for the future. Things are not acc)epted as they are but manipulated in order to do something about them (Saunders, 9).
8. froblem~.~oJ.Yi~-~ttitu~~ -- This relates to the preoccupation with technology -- there is no accomodation and patience in Anglo culture.
Everything must be done right away and at any cost. Anglo society moves at an extremely fast and. ruthless pace.

Included in this ruthlessness is a distrust for authority and an ambivalence towards law and order. Progress and success are more important values than authority in most problem situations
(Saunders, 9).
9. Emphasis on doing -- As mentioned before, this is a practical, worlc oriented culture. One must never be idle or there is something wrong withhim.
Anglos are men of action who are full of continuity and perserverance (Campa, 2).
10. Attitude toward change -- The culture is based on a faith in progress. One cannot progress by following the same old rituals or methods tried by his forefathers. Anglos are always looking for a better way -- in health (e.g. cancer cures) or agriculture (e.g. new machinery).
11. An emphasis on the secula~ -- Because the United
States began as a country trying to escape the tyranny of religion, the Anglo culture tends to be more morally oriented than reltgiously. There is a strong belief in equality and liberty.
There is also a tendency to enact moral values into laws. The church, therefore, is not as important an institution in the United States in comparison to, say, the status of big business
(Saunders, 9).
12. ~m~hasis on organizations -- Since the Anglo family structure is not as close knit as the
Mexican family there is a great need for, and a great deal of, other types of organizations.
Because of this need for organizations the United
States is noted for its nationalism, provincialism and even racism. Group cohesiveness and co-operation stem from organizations in the Anglo culture (Saunders, 9).
Anglos are doers;so organizing is just another bit of doing in which one can involve himself.
Activity of any kind is better than aimlessness.
Conflicts
Doing versus being is one of the major conflicts this researcher sees in the assimilation of Anglo values by
19

Mexican Americans. The Anglo takes an extreme amount of pride in what he does, the Mexican in 1ihat he is. The
.l$.11glo would say, "Who does he think he is! 11 or 11 He thinks he is somebodyl 11 The l>'lexican, on the other hand, would say, 11 Soy quien soy yo, y ni al Diablo me parezco." -"! am who I am, and I don't look like the Devil either."
(Campa, 2).
Another part of the conflict between doing and being is expressed in these two statements according to Laski
(Saunders, 11): 11 Anglo -- 'Let•s do something about it.
1
Mexican-- 'Let's accept it and adjust to it.'"
Other conflicts between the two cultures that the researcher will discuss are: Activity and work, science versus fate and the different time perspectives of the two cultures.
Work and activity are a part of doing. Because the
Mexican American is more concerned with being he is not expected to structure his life around his occupation as many Anglos do.
Coupled with work are the concepts of efficiency and practicality. In the Anglo culture these often become ends in themselves. !vlexicans are only practical for today because the future is out of their reach (Saunders, 11) •
. Ivlexican Americans are victims of supernatural, magical and '\'Ihimsical forces which are out of their control or
20

power. Anglos rely on what is rational, systematic and efficient. Anglo culture seeks to do something about these forces.
The last concept to be discussed that is a source of conflict between the Anglo and Mexican culture is that of time orientation. American society operates on a broad time orientation which uses traditions as a convenient course for future action. Nexican culture is rooted in the present -- living day to day with minimum concern for the future. Even gramatically, in Spanish, the present tense can be used to connote the future. For example,
11
will c~ 11
•
The word 11 vengo 11 can also mean simply 11 I come 11 or "I do come 11 v-rhen used in a different context.
Because of the differing orientations in regard to time the Anglo often views the Mexican as irresponsible, lazy and undependable because he is not living daily with his sights on the morrow. Idleness is not taboo in the
Mexican culture if that is what one wants to do. In the
Anglo culture one must always find something to do.
Punctuality is a by-product of an industrialized society.
Again, the researcher reminds you that in Spanish the clock nwalks 11
, it does not
11 run 11 •
The researcher hopes to find as one of the results of
21

this study which of these conflicts seem to be the hardest to resolve. Also, she may find that some of these values always remain in conflict and cannot be assimilated into the value system of the other.
InterEretations of Scale Items
On the next six pages the reader will find the twentyfive items on the scale used in the study along with their interpretations. It was hoped that placing the scale items and their interpretations at the end of this chapter would enhance the reader's understanding of the first set of tables in Chapter 4. These interpretations of the items on the Graves 11 Acculturation Scale" were taken from Romero
(8:70- 96).
1.. A._..?.~en-~e ,J?i;h!'l obeys her_12arents without question.
INTERPRETATION: Girls in a traditional setting are trained by the mother to assume the responsibility of homemaking. ·rhey are not allow·ed much freedom. The mother has complete authority to make decisions regarding girls but final approval of major decisions rest with the father.
IN'rEHPRETA'l,ION: The father is the head of the immediate family. He has the role of chief provider and that role is never relinquished. except in cases of illness or extreme emergency. In the urban setting things change because of the lack of skills and sporadic employment -~ the family may have to get welfare. If this happens the wife tends to be pushed forward to shteld his male pride.
J. Even 1-dth clos:: frie'Q.~~. a man keeps his real f~e}ings to himself.
INTERPREr.rATION: Demonstrations of feelings arcn 1 t common, least of all in public. I"len rely on the inner self even though companionship is important.
22

4. A mother follows closely the teachings of her religion.
IN'rERPRETATION: The mother has to make sure that the children receive proper religious instruction as part of her duties. The mother sets the example in regard to church attendance, confession, communion, observing holy days and participation in church activities.
Some men neglect religion except on special occasions.
5. When a mother has many children and the family is poor, she giv·es a child aTt;ay to be raised by relatives.
INTERPRETATION: An accepted practice is "farming out" or sharing children. A family without children or with a few is considered unfortunate. Mexicans don't have our attitudes and anxieties about adqption.
6. A farmer uses the old farm~ng methods because they have usually worked in the East •.
IN·rERPRETATION: The attitude regarding the acceptance of something ne't'l is reflected in the statement, 11 What worked today will 1-1ork tomorrow, God willing."
Mexicans will use tools until they remain useful.
.!Ll?Elicemall._1.£l2.~S a drunk person unless some _a~.!?,qa_~ da~a~e h~§ bee~ done.
INTERPRErrATION: vlha tever the individual 1'11 shes to do with his life is his business because he is respected . for what he is and not for what he can do. The Anglo, on the other hand, is free to do what he wishes as long as it doesn't effect others in his group.
23
INTERPRETATION: The Mexican places little value, traditionally, on formal education.
9. A husband helns his wife with the household chores.
·--~--·""
-·-!,---
~ '"'..;..;,.~---~-~..;........;;...;..;;..
INTERPRETkl'ION: M.en rarely assist their wives in the foUc-oriented culture. This is i·wman' s duty and would lower his status -- sons neither do housework.

10. A mother teaches her daughter to work toward a career in addition to bej_ng a homemaker.
INTERPRETATION: According to McGarry's Texas study responses to this statement should vary by generations in the United States:
First generation:
Second generation:
Third generation:
Trained for household duties only.
Household training also, but some education.
Household training, but more education for more responsibility.
goYernment official treats peoE_le better if they are sent by one of his friends.
INTERPRETATION: How one feels about an individual is a necessary and sufficient credential. In the Anglo value system friends help you get where you are.
tee~-age boy drops out of school to help support hls :e_arents.
INTERPRETATION: Again little value is placed
formal education. These may be some of the reasons why:
1 Shifting back and forth bet~veen Nexico and the
2 -
United States.
Mobility of Mexican labor interrupts attendance.
J Illness and poor medical care depress school
attend.ance.
L~ Loi'r jobs
1-w.ges force the entire family into various to augment income.
5 Futile attitude toward education because even with it, as minorities, might still be denied the opportunity to utilize it.
INTERPRETATION: The church is the only institution outside the famlly called on in periods of crisis.
The priest spends time visiting the community giving moral assistance and guidance.
A father teaches his children to have a sp~i~;I;,
'respect forfhe oi'd'est chYld.

INTERPRETATION: The oldest child assumes a more equal status to the like sex parent. Females always have a l01ver status than males. Oldest boys are given a lot of freedom, assumed to help them assume the male role.
Anglos encourage independence at an early age and no great respect for the oldest child.
15. After high school, a girl gets married instead of going on to college.
INTERPRETATION: Education is not highly valued in the
Mexican culture. In the Anglo culture, women compete with men and therefore need a college education to be a real marriage partner.
16. A businessman tries to make as much profit as he
:EoSs'i biy"call:.
INTERPPillTATION: Americanism is equal to profit.
Making a profit is im1110ral in the J.l'lexican value system. Transactions between two people are made on the basis of one•s need for the other's product.
17. When a child is_really sick, parents take him to a doct£r right away.
INTERPRETATION: Illness is accepted unless it is very grave. The family is looked to and herbal remedies are used. Hospitalization is resisted because of estrangement from the family.
18. A school teacher ·vratches h01·1 he behaves in public more carefullY tharl_J}ther peopl~. do •.
INTERPRETATION: Teachers are superordinate in position and are expected to conduct themselves in an examplary manner. Attainment of high status is equal to having an education--teaching in the Mexican culture. The behavior of Anglo teachers can be explained in terms of the social background from which he came. Teachers are not regarded as of a higher social class in Anglo society.
19. A husband. leaves all child.care to the woman of the failiily._
INTERPRETATION: .The wife and older daughters care for the children.
25

20. A mother takes a part-time job to mak.e extra money for the family.
First generation and folk-oriented
Mexican women are not allowed to work outside the home.
21. Getting better grades in class t~~n your classmates will help you get a better job eventually.
22.
INTERPP~TATION: Grade achievement correlates with the social class of the parents, according to Havighurst.
Because of low class status and value differences it seems that there is little motivation on the part of
Nexican students to succeed in school. Also, work is not viewed in the same way -- there is no idealization of it and one•s whole life does not revolve around job preparation.
English should be spoken_all the time.
Bilingual children tend to perform lower in studies done than monolingual children especially in verbal subjects. Most Mexican children learned Spanish first and tend to use it more often except in the middle class where they may learn
English first and then Spanish later.
23. Obe;y:iJlr;; the la"llr i...§. n~cessary becau~se it is the r1ght thing to
An individual may feel perfectly justified in disobeying a law because it doesn't fit his personal sense of justice, If a grievance or crime i.s committed against an individual he feels he should take care of the situation personally. He gets personal sati~faction out of settling his own affairs through personal rather than instituttonal means (e.g. calling a policeman).
Earnj:.l!ei .mon~JL_"'!h..ile attending sc!!2.2:J:. .!E._J:._~_€?009;
;practice provid)nr-.: it does not tnterfere with school
!!£rk.
r.rime orientation is important here.
If the money is necessary for today, the present, then it is important to work. Schooling is preparation for the future which can't be seen yet.
26

25. .Belonging to school clubs and organizations will hel.E
12u make friends faster.
INTERPRETATION: Special interest groups are not common among Mexican Americans as a whole. There is no formal organizational life like one finds in Anglo culture. The Mexican family is the important center.

Chapter J
NETHODOLOGY
Overall Procedures
1. Library research. (September - October, 1975)
2. Development of an information questionnaire in both
Spanish and English. (October 14, 1975)
3. Administration of the information questionnaire to all
Spanish-surname students in the researcher's classes plus another teacher's E.
1975) s. L. class. (October 17,
4. Formation of four groups of students based on the length of time in the United States and listing of students by groups.
5. The Graves
11
Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale" was found. (October 19, 1975)
6. Translating the scale to Spanish was finished.
(November 10, 1975)
.Adminj_stration of the English version of the scale after i t was merely photocopied and ·then run off in mass. (November 26, 1975)
8. Administration of the Spanish version of the scale after it was typed and then run off. (December 2, 1975)
9. Tabulation of the data for Groups I, II, III.
(December 6, 1975)
10. Questioning of Group IV abo'.lt the birthplace of parents or grandparents. (December
1975)
28

11. Tabulation of data for Group IV after separating the non-Mexicans from the Mexican Americans. (December
12,
12. Preliminary analysis of the data by calculating the mean scale response for each item by group. (December
13,
13. Typing of the first draft of the paper. Development of the follow-up questionnaire. (January, 1976)
14. First draft of the paper was turned in to Dr. Richard
Thiel as the writer's research project for Educational
Psychology 502. (January 27, 1976)
Follow-up questionnaire administered. (February
1976)
16. Tabulating data from follow-up and preliminary questionnaire into Tables 10, 11, 12, and 13 (Chapter
(March, 1976)
4).
Reversing the student's answers to the Anglo items on the scale. Calculating a total score for each student and a mean total score for each time group.
Ollarch, 1976}
18. Tabulating students• total scores into the other variable categories - e. g. sex, parents work, etc.
(March, 1976)
19. Calculating a mean total score for each variable subdivision - e. g. sex: male or female. (April,
1976)
20. Comparing mean total scores on the time variable and other variable subdivisions in order to find the most extreme means. (April, 1976)
21. Computing 11 t 11 ratios on these extreme means. (April
11,
Step-by-step pr?cedure~
The first step was to go to the library in order to begin reviewing the literature in search of an already existing scale that dealt l'li th Mexican versus American values. The researcher found various scales that she
29

wasn•t completely satisfied with and began to think of changing her topic from Mexican values to possibly, achievement. This is the point where the information questionnaire was written. The information questionnaire, also called the Preliminary Questionnaire, is Appendix A and B (Chapter 6). Because the investigator was contemplating changing the direction of her research the questions about school and the students• future plans were included since they are related to achievement. At this point, the researcher thought of trying to find a relationship between school grades, attendance and achievement test scores.
After inquiring about the district achievement tests the writer was informed that no such test was given to the recent arrivals because of their lack of knowledge of
English. This threw out one of the variables for achievement but the researcher had hopes of thinking of some other variable to replace achievement test scores. The questionnaire was administered in hopes that a new variable would be generated from the information i t provided.
The information questionnaire was administered to all
Spanish-surname students in the investigator's own five classes and to Miss Carmen Lopez
1
English as a Second
Lan~~age (E.S.L.), Level one class. The students had available to them both a Spanish and English questionnaire.
After reading through the students• responses to the
30

questlonnaire and still not knowing exactly what to compare in regard to time in the United States the researcher divided the students into two groups: Those born in the
United States and those born in Mexico. The writer also recorded how long the students had been here and from what city. In finding out that some students had only been here three months the variable of student grades could not be used at this early date in the semester. It occurred to the investigator, though, that there might be a significant difference between a Mexican born student who had been here three months and one who had been here nearly all his life or someone \'rho had been here five years no matter what the variables were to be studied.
The researcher then proceeded to form four new groups:
Group I In the United States one year or less.
Group II -- In the United States one and onehalf years to five years.
Group III-- In the United States six years to nearly all of their lives.
Group IV -Born in the United States to
Mexican born parents or grandparents.
A few students were found to be from other Spanish-
Speaking backgrounds and were placed in a non-Mexican g~oup~ With the groups already created but nothing really to ·work
1>11 th except the questionnaire miraculously the
)1

researcher found the Graves Acculturation scale the next
Sunday in the library.
The next step was to translate the scale from English to Spanish since at least one-half of the participating students• first language was Spanish. The researcher enlisted the help of her Native Speakers• Spanish class for this task. After the students had translated the items on the scale the researcher proofread them for errors in spelling and possible mis-interpretation of the
English. It was suggested by Dr. Richard Thiel that someone else who spoke Spanish should proofread the researcher's corrections to try to account for any invalidity due to translation. The writer asked two
Spanish-speaking colleaguesp Mrs. Sandra Arnold and Mrs.
I•Iar1a Everett, to do this final proofreading.
The translating process too"k about two weeks due to everyone's busy schedules and the fact that the finished product had to be typed before it could be duplicated.
Luckily, the English version was able to be duplicated as it w·as since it lias found in typed form.
Since the English version of the scale was more easily duplicated it was administered first. All of the
English versions were distributed to Spanish-surname students in four out of five of the investigator's classes.
Since the first language of most of the writer•s Native
Speakers' class was Spanish she decided to wait and give
32

them the Spanish version of the scale to facilitate complete comprehension of the items.
When the Spanish version of the scale was copied and collated it lias administered to the investigator's Native
Speakers' class as well as to the English as a Second
Language Level one class.
After administering the values scale to all but a few absentees the researcher remembered she had forgotten the most important piece of public relations -- informing the principal, Dr. Bob Lambson, that the project was already ongoing. The investigator took copies of the questionnaire and scale, in both Spanish and English, to him and explained the purpose of the study. He was very receptive to the idea and gave his approval for the researcher to continue her work.
After the group administrations of the Spanish and
English versions of the Acculturation scale (Appendices C and D, Chapter 6) the researcher 1.'1as responsible for administering the scale to students absent on November 26, and December 2, 1975. The writer also had to re-administer the Spanish version of the scale to some students identified by Miss Lopez as non-readers. The scale was read aloud to these non-readers in total and their first scale responses were destroyed. There were also some five or six students who managed to omit one item or more.
JJ

The researcher used her consultation period to send for these students in order to have them mark a response to the omitted items.
After the researcher was sure she had a scale for all students participating in the study she realized that there was one piece of necessary information that she had forgotten to get from the students in Group IV. The students in
Group IV, those born in the United States to Mexican born parents or grandparents, were selected only on the basis of
Spanish-surname and the researcher had no idea if they were of Mexican descent or not. Since all of these students were in the researcher's classes she was able to verbally ask each one of them where their parents or grandparents were from. No other written questionnaire was necessary at this time. The students from other non-Nexican
Spanish-speaking backgrounds were placed in the non-
Mexican group with a few others from Groups I - III.
With all of the administrative duties out of the way the researcher was ready to tabulate the data for each scale item by groups. First, the scales had to be coded by time group. The investigator marked each scale with Roman numerals - I, II, III, and IV - indicating to which group each subject belonged. After all scales were sorted into
Groups I - IV the students• responses were ready to be tabulated. The data was recorded by tallying the
34

responses of each subject in each group, item-by-item.
Finally, the researcher was able, with the help of a calculator, to find the mean score for each item for each group (Table 3, 4, 5, and 6; Chapter 4). Then a comparison of mean item responses by groups (Table 7 or Figure 1,
Chapter
was done to see if any immediate differences could be seen that would support the major research hypothesis.
After completing the first statistical analysis (item mean comparisons) the writer wrote the first draft of the thesis to turn in as her research project for Educational
Psychology 502, Fall semester, 1975. While Dr. Thiel was reading the paper the investigator administered the follow-up questionnaire (Appendix F, Chapter 6) in order to get the necessary information to do any testing of her second hypothesis.
The information received from the follm.o;-up questionnaire, along with that obtained from the preliminary questionnaire, was tabulated and. can be found in Chapter 4
(Tables 10, 11, 12, and 13). One other important part of the data found in the above mentioned tables that was tabulated by the writer was a total scale score for all subjects. Each student was given an identification number alphabetically by group in order to remain anonymous.
35

In order to obtain a total scale score for each subject some of the students• answers had to be changed, for statistical purposes. The researcher went through all seventy scales and reversed the students• answers on eleven items that reflected Anglo value orientation.
After these items were reversed the investigator calculated a total score for each individual by time group.
When this was finished a mean total score was computed for each time group (Figure 2, Chapter 4).
Since length of time in the United States was the variable in the writer's first hypothesis all the data in regard to time was tabulated and recorded. The next step was to record the subjects• total scores in regard to the other variables stated in the second hypothesis sex, parents• work situation, birthplace and present neighbor-
.hood. The subjects were kept in the same time groups but divided up into the variable subdivisions in which they fit (e.g. female, mother works, urban birthplace and
Mexican neighborhood).
A mean total score was calculated for each variable subdivision again by Groups (length of time in United
States). After these mean total scores were tabulated
(Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6; Chapter 4) the investigator looked for the most extreme mean total scores. A students' 11
11 ratto was computed for each set of extreme
36

scores to determine any significant differences.
Type of research
The design of this study was that of a survey. The l'Tri ter \'le.s looking for a relationship between the degree of acculturation and the length of time the subject had been in the United States. The researcher also wrote into her hypotheses some other variables that she thought might account for the degree of acculturation along with time.
The dependent, outcome, variable of the research was acculturation. Acculturation may take place for a variety of reasons. The independent variables in this study were: length of time in the United States coupled with the sex · of the student, whether both parents work or not, urban or rural birthplace and/or present neighborhood of residence.
The first variable, time, may only be a factor in the
·degree of acculturation ·t~rhen one of the other variables is considered along I'Tith it. For example, if a student lived in a predominantly Hexican neighborhood in. Santa Monica, even if he had been in the United States seven years, he might still be closely tied to l!Iexican values because of his/her neighborhood. It was hoped that a consideration of time plus the other independent variables would yield more meanlngful results than tlme alone.
37

Subjects
There were seventy students in total participating in the study. They all attended John Adams Junior High
School in Santa Monica, California.
Table 1
Standard Background Variables of the Total Sample
Male
Female
-
1:2
12
_z -
_2
- - -
J8
All other information abou·t the subjects can be found in
Tables
and 1) (Chapter
Thirty-seven of the students were chosen as subjects because they, w·ere a homogeneous class of the most recentarrivals from I1exico. All subjects were also selected

because they were Mexican American and because they would be easily accessible to the investigator. By easily accessible the writer meant that for follow-up purposes there was a certain period each day that she could be sure to find the student provided he/she wasn•t absent from school.
Instrument
The instrument used in the research was the
11
Tr1-
Ethnic Acculturatton Scale (Scale V) 11 by Theodore Graves, the University of Colorado, August, 1961. All references in the paper to "scale" refer to this instrument.
Mr. Graves did extensive research on the Tri-Ethnic
Community of Colorado -- Anglos, Spanish-Americans and
Indians. His work is well regarded in the field of understanding cultural differences. He has done a lot of work in deviant cultural behavior especially in terms of time perspective and the deferred gratification pattern of the tri-ethnic community in Colorado.
The scale, as written by Graves, was two-directional.
Some of the items represented. Anglo values, and the others represented Mexican values. The items in each category l'Tere:

Table 2
A Breakdown of the Anglo and Mexican Valu0s on the Graves Acculturation Scale
1
2
J
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
ANGLO VALUES
X
X
X
X
IVIEXICAN Vft..LUES
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
'
I i l
I
X
17
18
19 .
X
X
' l
I
X l l
20
21
X
X
22 X
I
23 X
I l
24
25
X
X l
4o

For statistical purposes the students answers to the Anglo items were reversed in order to have a one-directional scale since acculturation is a one-directional process.
The scale consisted of t~>renty-fi mentsw The subjects had five choices for answers ranging from absolutely should to absolutely should not, as follow·s:
1
2
5
Absolutely
Should
May or may
Should not
Absolutely should not should not
The possible range of total score responses was from twenty-five to one hundred twenty-five. A score of twentyfive would represent a student totally committed to
Mexican cultural values. A score of one hundred twentyfive would represent a student who was totally entrenched in Anglo values.
The scale seemed to be a good reflection of acculturation or lack of such based on the I1exican and Anglo values revealed in the literature. It occurred. to the researcher though that some of the original interpretations of the items (Chapter 2) might be outdated. 1'he scale 't<Tas constructed in 1961 and in fifteen years Women's Liberation and the world-wide economic crunch may have caused some value changes in all cultures includ.ing those of Mexican
Americans. The writer was specifically thinking of changes in male and female roles and the value of education, since

there were many items on the scale dealing with these cultural values (six on education and 9 on male-female roles).
Below is a breakdown of the cultural value portrayed by each scale item:
1. Children's role --respect for parents.
2. Husband's role-- decision maker.
3. Male's role-- guarding feelings.
4. Mother's role-- religion.
5. Attitude toward children -- loaning out.
6. Tradition versus change -- farming method.
7. Attitude toward a drunk person.
8. Education -- to get ahead in life.
9. Husband's role -- household chores.
10. Woman's role -- teaching daughter.
11. Attitude toward influence.
12. Education -- drop outs.
13. Priest's role in community.
14. Child's role-- respect for oldest child.
15. Education -- a girl after high school.
16. Attitude toward profit.
17. Attitude toward illness.
18. Education-- teacher's conduct.
19. Woman's role child care.
20. Woman's role part-time job.
21. Education -- better grades.
22. Attitude toward speaking English.

23. Attitude toward the law.
24. Education
25. Education working and going to school. belonging to school clubs.
Data Collection
The process of data collection was explained under the heading Step-by-step procedures. All data collected and recorded can be found in Tables 10, 11, 12, and 13
(Chapter
Data Analysis
The first statistical computation was one of calculating a mean response for each of the twenty-five items for each of the four groups (Tables J, 4, 5, and 6;
Chapter 4). These calculations were made in order to make a mean comparison of each item for each group to see if any differences in acculturation could be immediately seen on any of the individual items.
The next statistical procedure was one of computing a total score for each student. The necessity of reversing the students' responses to the scale's Anglo values was an integral part of obtaining a one-directional total score for each student~ The students• total scores had to reflect a scale that was transitively going in a certain direction consistently from low to high acculturation or vice versa. This researcher chose to go from low (meaning less acculturated) to high (meaning more acculturated).

For example, a score of eighty-eight indicates a student at a higher degree of acculturation than a score of seventy-five.
After a total score was computed for each student, then a mean score was calculated for each time group. A mean score was also calculated for each subdivision of the other variables stated in the second hypothesis. The researcher looked for extreme total mean scores to compare on all variables. Some extreme mean scores could not be compared because the number of subjects in those cells were too few in N size. Even when the investigator compared groups with three or four subjects there still was no significant difference.
The student•s "t" ratio was used to determine any significant difference between means. The researcher found a multitude of means to compare in testing null hypothesis number two. For example:
1. The same group was compared to itself by way of variable subdivisions (e.g. Group II - females versus males).
2. Groups were compared to each other on the same variable subdivision (e.g. Father works - Group II versus Group I).
3. Subdivisions were compared to each ether by groups
(e.g. Both parents work - Group III versus Mother works- Group IV).
44

The formula used was: t =
The degrees of freedom were found. using this formula:
The degrees of freedom were needed in order to obtain a critical value of
11 t 11 • The
11 t
11 ratio calculated by the writer had to be greater than or equal to the critical value of 11 t 11 • A negative 11 t 11 ratio simply meant that M
2 was larger than M.
1
• When referring to critical values of
"t" the investigator ignored the sign of the calculated 11 t" ratio.
Because the formula used the sum of the deviations squared (zd
2
) this was also computed for each set of scores that had an extreme mean. The researcher also calculated the standard deviation (s) for each of the extreme means compared. All of the above information can be found in Tables 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 (Chapter 4).
The researcher set the confidence level at .05. A one-tailed. test was used because a quantity lltas shared by allgroups, namely acculturation. Some groups possessed more than others. Only one end of the normal distribution needed to be employed in order to demonstrate significance
1 or lack of same; in terms of the area of rejection on the normal curve.

All computations were done by the investigator with the aid of a calculator that thankfully had an x 2 and
...-
~X key.
Limitations
1. There is a great deal of difference between what an individual believes within himself and what he has been taught. The researcher cannot know, without doing an indepth interview with each subject, whether he responded to the items on the scale with his individual belief or with what his culture has taught him.
The researcher has assumed that the responses of the students represent Mexican cultural values.expressed by an individual.
2. Some of the recently arrived Mexican students 1'Tere identified, by their English as a Second Language teacher, as non-readers and because of this the researcher administered the scale a second time to them orally. The oral presentation to these few students may have had an effect on their comprehension of the items in some way which could effect, in turn, the outcome of the data.
3. Because the subjects of the research ranged from being in the United States three months to all their lives a
Spanish version of the "Acculturation Scale" was necessary. It is possible, even though the scale was ably translated, that some items were rendered confusing through the t:eanslation process and therefore undermining the reliability of the results.
4. The fact that all subjects were told that there was no right or wrong answer may have made ·them try to chose the opinion they thought the researcher was looking for, anyway. In other words, their answers may not reflect true Hexican cultural v-alues.
5. A five point scale such as the one on Graves•
11 Accul turation Scale" may not l"eflect the students' true values well because it allows them to chose inbetween answers. A simple yes, no, I don•t know scale may have yielded better results.
6. The students were seventh, eighth, and ninth graders, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen years. It is
46

possible that different age groups may have reacted differently to certain items. Also, because some of the subjects were male and others female the sexist questions may have dra"''m d.iffering answers from each group. This is all to say that age and sex may effect the results. There will be no separate analysis of items based on age.
7. Acculturation scales may not be very valid because they can end up testtng more than just cultural beliefs. They may not be sensitive enough to other factors that may effect one more than culture (i.e. socioeconomic status).
8. Some students did not fill out Follow-up Questionnaires because they left John Adams Junior High between
October, 1975 (Preliminary Questionnaire) and February,
1976 (Follow-up Questionnaire). This reduced the total number of subjects in the variables regarding parent's work situation and present neighborhood. This reduction in N caused the researcher to be unable to compare the means of many of the subdivisions of these two variables which could have accounted for any lack of significance in these two areas.
Hypotheses
1. The degree of acculturation of Anglo values is dependent on the length of time a Mexican American student has been in the United States.
2. The degree of acculturation of P~glo values may also be related to time and: a) the sex of the subject. b) i'l'hether both parents wor.k or not. c) urban or rural birthplace. d) present neighborhood of residence.
Null hl_Eotheses
1. There is no difference between the degree of assimilation of a l'lexican American student dependent on the amount of time he/she has been in the United States.
2. There is no relattonship between the variables below,
47

when coupled with time in the United States, and degree of acculturation: a) the sex of the subject. b) whether both parents work or not. c) urban or rural birthplace. d) present neighborhood of residence.

Chapter 4
RESULTS
The following pages of tables and figures represent all the objective and statistical findings tabulated by the investigator.
Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6 represent tabulated breakdowns by group of the frequency of responses under each of the five response categories for each of the twenty-five items on the Graves Acculturation Scale. The last column on each table shows the mean response for each item.
Table 3 depicts Group I responses.
Table 4 depicts Group II responses.
Table 5 depicts Group III resopnses.
Table 6 depicts Group IV responses.
Table 7 is a comparison of the mean responses to each item by groups. The last column gives the predicted
Mexican values response to each item based on the interpretations in Chapter 2.
49

1
2
5
6
3
1
6
6
0
3
7
4
9
3
2
2
4
15
7
7
8
2
2
1
2
5
6
7
8
15
16
1 '?
18
20
21
22
9
10
11
12
13
14
23
24
25
2
6
12
5
11
3
8
8
10
1
5
1
7
4
3
10
3
4
12
5
3
4
15
10
6
13
1
7
2
9
10
5
12
13
8
7
3
13
13
11
6
8
12
0
10
0
0
0
2
2
2
7
1
4
0
0
6
0
1
3
2
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
1
0
3
0
.... c.
3
0
3
2
0
2
0
4
3
2
1
10
0
4
4
1
5
3
8
1.83
2.74
3.0 '
1.96.
3.26.
2.91
3.30
1.83
2.17 /
1.74
2.83
2.78
2.74
1.74
3.78
2.35
1.52
2.17
3.96
2.30
1.96
2.65
1.78
2.39
2.57
N = 23
50

4
1
2 3 4 5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
= 15
0
1
6
3
2
8
7
2
5
1
1
4
6
0
)
"'
11
1
1
1
11
1
8
5
~
.i.
1
4
0
5
1
11
1
0
4
1
8
4
3
1
8
2
1
4
5
1
6
5
4
3
3
7
8
4
4
0
6
7
4
5
3
0
1
0
4
5
3
6
7
0
4
2
7
3
1
1
3
0
2
4
1
1
6
1
1
3
2
0
0
0
1
3
5
3
1
3
1
0
2
0
2
6
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
12
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
1
5
4
3.33
3.67
2.13
1.8
3.53
2.27
1.47
3.0
3.8
2.67
1.67
3.07
1.87
1.87
2.8
1.8
2.53
2.47
1.73
4.73
2.87
2.4.
3.2
2. 33/
2.2
51

5
1
2 3
4 5
15
16
1'7
18
19
20
21
22
23
21~
7
8
9
10
11
12
.13
14
1
2
3
4
5
6
25
:=
16
9
5
8
3
1
3
8
0
5
12
1
1
1
6
2
9
5
2
5
4
2
7
1
2
2
6
2
5
2
4
2
7
5
5
8
3
8
3
4
10
6
1
9
10
0
7
1
4
5
3
1
5
8
0
4
7
8
5
6
2
2
1
8
2
0
3
1
2
2
0
5
5
3
4
0
2
1
0
0
2
0
4
1
4
5
4
0
2
2
0
1
2
8
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
3
0
4
3
5
0
1
2
0
4
2
3
2
2
1
1
4
0
2
6
2
0
1
2.06.
2.63
2.88.
1.88
3.5
2.94
3.56
1.56
2.06~./
2.25
3.31
3.44
2.25
2.13
2.88
2.31
1.63
3.0
4.06
2.56
1. 88
3.25
1. 75
1.94
2.31
52

6
Group IV* Actual Responses to Each
Item on the Tri-Ethnic
Acculturation Scale
1
2
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
3
4
5
6
8
16
3
0
7
5
3
7
0
2
4
2
1
6
1
0
0
6
0
7
3
0
4
15
1
0
2
ITEM
1
2 3 4
4
8
1
0
6
2
7
7
5
3
0
7
7
4
1
2
9
6
4
2
1
7
1
8
3
3
8
6
5
8
2
2
0
8
3
7
1
2
3
10
3
1
8
7
3
4
7
2
?
2
0
2
0
1
3
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
7
0
2
8
0
0
2
0
7
1
3
2
0
0
2
1
1
3
3
1
0
1
1
0
5
1
2
2
4
7
1
1
0
1.94
2.68
2.94
2.25
3.81
3.19
4.31
1.88
2. 75/
2.13
4.13
3.12
1.69
2.38
3.38
2.06
1.13
2.56
LJ-.19
2.75
2.25
3.56
1.75
2.13
2.38
*Born in the United States of Mexican descent
53

Non-Mexican Group
The data collected from this group was not used in the study at all since these students belonged to other
Spanish-speaking cultures. This study dealt soley with
Mexican American values. For the sake of information only, the countries represented by this group were: Central
America/Spain (one student), Chile (2), Colombia (1), El
Salvador (2), Guatemala (1), *Mexico (1), Puerto Rico (1), and the United States (1).
N = 10
Females
=
4
Males = 6
54
*This student was absent constantly and by the time he was administered the scale all the data was tabulated.
Instead of excluding his answers totally from the study the researcher decided to place him in this group.

Table 7
A Comparison of Mean Responses to
Each Item by all Groups on the
Tri-Ethnic Acculturation Scale
ITEI'<l
I
GROUPS
II III IV
TRADITIONAL MEXICAN
RESPONSES SHOULD HAVE
BEEN: (according to the interpretations)
1 1.83
2 2.74
3 3.0
4 1.96
5 3.26
6 2.91
7 3.30
8 1.83
9 2.17
10 1.74
11 2.83
12 2.78
13 2.74
14 1.74
1.5 3.78
16 2.)5
17 1.52
18 2.1?
19 3.96
20 2.30
21 1.96
22 2.65
23 1.78
21-J. 2.39
25 2.57
1.8 2.06
2.53 2.63
2.47 2.88
1.73 1.88
4.73 3.5
2.87 2.94
2.4 3.56
3.2 1. 56
2.33 2.06
2.2 2.25
3.33 3.31
3.67 3.44
2.13 2.25
1.8 2.13
3.53 2.88
2.27 2.3:1.
1.47 1.63
).0 3.0
3.8 I}. o6
2.67 2~56
1.67 1.88
3.07 3.25
1. 87 1.75
1.87 1. 9l}
2.8 2.31
1.94
2.68
2.94
2.25
3.81
3.19
4.31
1.88
2.75
2.13
4.13
.3.12
1.69
2.38
3.38
2.06
1.13
2.56
1+.19
2.75
2.25
3.56
1.75
2.13
2.38
1··2
4-5
4-5
4-5
4-5
4-5
4-5
4-5
1-2
4-5
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
4-5
4-5
1-2
1-2*
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
4-5**
Total N
= 70 (excluding the non-Mexican group)
*1-2 = Should (Mexican values)
*·~t-4-5
=
Should not (Anglo values)
55

Figure 1 is a graphical presentation of the mean scores in Table 7 rounded off to the nearest tenth. The traditional Mexican value responses were all marked as
Should (2) or Should not
to indicate predicted acceptances or rejections of the scale items.
56

----,tj, &' tj,f:
'1.'1
1/·Zttl . . m '-f.C4• r:tl
~
0
P, ,-,. I
((!
9/6
:?.
1.::'
•.
(1)
~ 3,LJ
& 31:Z
.p
H
~~0 c .., () o1 <--•IJ
~ "' /
J!..lt;' f)j p,
.
2!1
~
0 f-1
~
-z.t.
,2.0 d) s J.<t
8 J.fa
~
...
.... i.'f
J.z.
,, 0 ~sn+--411-ll~
I f.·.J~
I z
3 Lf 5
+
1/
'•~ t1
_..._ --
•.
Mean
to
for
Group
KEY
Group I =
Group II = o-o
I t
...... Group III = ..-..
Group IV = +;• (
1
~:·
= ......
+
'l'j, ....
\./\
-..;J

Table 8 shows the items on the Graves' Acculturation
Scale that represent Anglo values. The X represents the acceptance of a particular item's cultural value by one of the time groups. An acceptance is a group mean response of one or two.
Table 8
Acceptances of Anglo Values
( 11
X 11 refers to a group's acceptance of an Anglo value)
I II
GROUPS
III IV ITEM
NO.
8
11
16
17
20
21
22
23
24
25
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
58

9
1
A
a
( 11
X 11
a
ITEI'4
I
II III IV
1
2
3
4
5
7
10
12
1.3
14
15
18
19
X
X
X
X
X
59

•rables 10, 11, 12, and 13 display all of the data gathered about the seventy subjects from the Preliminary questionnaire, their scale response:;;:; and the Follow-up questionnaire.
60

'rable 10
Relevant Background Cond1t1ons Related to
Aeculturat1on for Subjects in Group I
N = 2]
.....---·-·-·---~-.--,.-
I. D.
SEX AGE
NUMBER
M !"I~ 13. l~ iS
--,r-·
FIRST LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE NO\ti USED LANGUAGE
-Sl:(IH"?IIT
7 8 9' S E
-~T--
S E B rs~n
F
P~A[i..:.NTS
Mn.c::'T'.
M wo~g?
F M
PRESENT btv !Rura Me
TIME TOTAL
IN SCALE u.s.
SCORE: en
1131 M
1.
2.
3.
4. t:'
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6.
7. ;<..
8.
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s
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!IV . IRt:n.
5
INC fLl:"Th
,<
Y-
)\
)<.
Jill 0 f'l.l Tt
/A
(.t: f1,<Jl :Ft
/A,
'-/ rnD·
Srnc.
1~ ·.:.c/<li'L Tt 3~~.
?~
7z.Jt
{c_ l_f'l
PE .,.~
IYit; ·
.f!J
7t
KEY: S =Span •• E =Eng., B =Both; Me= Mexican, An= Anglo, Bl=-BlacK, M1=M1xed
0\
!-"

Table 11
12.
1.3'..
10.
11.
1.
2.
:3.
4. ;..:
.5.
6. • '/... 1
7. 'I.
8 • )(
-:x
X f..
-1,
1\:.c.culturation for Subjects in Group I I
..s~...CJ(7M
LANGUr..GE
-~•n!=:.T
LANGUAG~
WHO
USED
MO~
WORKS?
IB: ~E
IRTHPLAC
PRESENT iEIGHBOR-
[OLD
N
"'
15
...IME
IN
TOTAL
SCALE
~l
SEX . Att.E . p•nf./3 Jlfi,'!r, 7 9 S E. S E B F M F M r.ity
~ura
1e
Ar~31
Mi U.S.
Lf yr.r
7 D
I f_jr> 7
2._ -1-.
~~
-1- . x x
S 5 X i ';( S AJc!Jf +
1\XIv'€ X X
><
'f.
Re.J:..evsnt Background Conditions Related to
/.. . X
!
><'
5 5 + -
X
-5 S lNtu, ff.k'rE x
'J..
.8 5 + x
X 2 jr.S 72..
1 ..,: _
"'- •
'/..
'/,
?<.
·
:'I.~ i..
J l"
'A
~ i )(, r:
X
~-
>(
'1-
;<-
X f.
13
S
+ -
X
5 ~ + -
X
111 x
X u i1f rr: Lfyrs 7 3
:< 'I yrs. 7 7 x 4 yrs 78
4-/" 5
79
3 f'
5
7 0
NCNE
5
MttJE s
5 -
-l-
+
X
9. 'A
~
)( . X )(
~
X ,
I'
')( .)(
5
'/'5
Yl
3yrs
~L?
§'-ty,-s f't' 'I -1.. x.
X x
><
><!
S S + -
5 S + x
>< x.
><
I l
S + 'f.
'11-
;J.
)(,
X X
'1.
X.
;<.
S
:5 S +-
X
+-
X
.><
><
4jr5 ?'J--
2jrS. f'3
4
:;;' yrs
Yh yrs ?~
14. -1.
15. 'I. -t.,
'/,
'i
:>< f.
, ')(.
~
>< S S
S 5
-+ +
;><
+ -
>t
><
'
KEY: S =Span.~ E =Eng., B =Both; Me= Mexican, An= Anglo, Bl =Black; Mi =·Mixed
0'f\.:1

'fable 12
NUMBER
1.
2.
).
4.
5.
6.
7.
B.
9.
10.
11.
12. '
1.
:3.
14.
15.
16.
Bel.evant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects 1n Group I I I
~
1..
'f.,
SEX
M F'
I
FIRST LA.."lGUAGE PAR2:NTS
AGE
IZ. J3 Iii/ lfi"
·
GRADE LANGUAGE NOW USED LANGUAGy-- WHO
...s.PnrRlll'
~ 1"\S'T' Ins P.n M0S'1' _l.\lflliKS?
7 8 9 s
E s E B F M F M
"1.
'I.
)!'..
'/.. .'/..
-I,
'/..
-1.
;(,
-;...
-;(
~ f...
-A
I t f..
'1.
~
J( f.
'/.. f, f.. i. f..
)(.
'f. t
;< x
'>(
'1..
.;(
X
)(
;(
')(.
'/.
X i.. x
.)(
)(
X
><;
I
(
~~
')(.
)1.
X bt7 ~
)1.
1.. ix
..;.
)( )(
I;
.,...
!
I
)(i x! s ls-
+ s i$ + -
..,..
. x! sis + + l
)<. : sis
+ -
I)( lx
X
)( sis
+
..sjs
+ -
s s
-r
s s s
.C: + fvCNE s tvtYJE
-
){ i-
'i,.
X:
)(
G
,s
..Js s
+ ·-
+
5 s
/!vet tf'Lfn
£. ~
..,..
+ s: s
I!VCO II'U: Tr; x
5 s
+ +
BIRTHPLAC
PRESENT
NEIGHBOR-
HOOD
City lfural Me
A-n
Bl Ml
X x
';(.
')(
X
X
X
'1..
)(
)(
>(
X
X
N
16
TIME
IN u.s.
';1..
X. 12yrs x
IDjJS q yrs
I'( 5-6'fr5
)<. f. 9jrs
I
J y,-s
'lyrs
X ){
I.
X.
X
7y/S
2'jrS x
X
12yrr x z~
II Lt -tfl kn;
)(
I" ('()) l'l TE
J.5;.rs
~ yr~ llyrs
. ~[' fr~
>( J3yrs.
TOTAL
SCALE
SCORE
KEY: S
I
Span., E
B
.
-·
.. .
t
.
El = Blabk.
0\
\...,)

KEY:
Table 1)
Relevant Background Conditions Related to
Acculturation for Subjects in Group I~
N = 16
FIRST ILANGUAGE
I
PAR~NTS
LANGUAGE NOW USED LANGUAG~ WHO
I.D.
NUMBER
TOTAL
SCALE
SCORE
1.
2.
J.
4.
5.
6.
?.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13'.
14.
15.
16.
.(
J(
..J..
'( "·
... , w
~ i
1\
"
I"' I )(
~I
)('l t
!
'f
"
,(
"'
I;<,
\ !
I ,>(!
! )('
..: i
X
I
>(
I
I x
I(
·.:
X t
)( x f.
)( x
J(
>(
'i x
'I( r.
.,
/:,( Tll-i
)(
)(
X
~
X
>(
)( l:
)(
X
)(
X
X xl
~~
I
X tVtM, s b
IVN~C
5 s i
,.
.:,
,-
_)
)
">
E t3 s
.s l'v:M
<-
~
E
£ s s-
£
S" s
5
.f'
()
~­
.$' s
/'vtl'vF.
+
)...
!v':-tv~c
+
+ jNJvt
!fJc
M1 t'ucTl:"
-f+
+
+
+
-f
+
+
-f
+
+
+
)-
T-
+
-1
-l
-1-
-f
><
X:
X
)'(
X
>< x x
X:
)(
'/ I
X
X
X
;><
I 'ii' a l-11'1'1<-' n;
X
X
X
><
>( x
>< x
>(
>( x
X l( x
X: I I f I X
!'-
~
~'
!'-.
~ r-,
I l i
I
I
'6Z
~2
70
?.;
;?3
7i
73
5):(' s/ {-
'71
75"
?c llf
Y£'
S/3
v
S =Span., E =Eng.,
I
I
B =Both; l\1e =Mexican, An= Anglo, Bl =Black, Mi =Mixed
~
~

Tables 14, 15, 16, and 17 show the range of total scores for each group. The total scores were computed after reversing the subjects' answers to the eleven Anglo values on the scale in order to make the scale unidirectional. Multiple scores are indicated with a hyphen followed by the number of subjects with that same score.
The lowest possible score was twenty-five which would have meant the subject was totally committed to traditional
Mexican values. The highest score possible was one hundred twenty-five indicating a subject totally accepting of Anglo values.
Table 14
Range and Frequency of Total Scores (N=23)
Group I
87
85-2
84-3
83-2
82-J
80-2
79
78
77
76
75-3
74
72
71

83
78
73
16
(N=16)
88-2
87
85
83-3
80-2
78-2
73
- - - - - - - - - - - - - · · - - - - - - -

(N=16)
90
88
87
86
85
75-2
74-2
73

Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are bar graphs d.epicting the mean total scores for each group on each of the independent variables.
Figure 2 represents the time variable.
Figure 3 represents the sex variable.
Figure 4 represents the variable regarding parents• work situation.
Figure 5 represents the birthplace variable.
Figure
represents the variable dealing with present neighborhood of residence.
68
10
5
Figure 2
Mean Total Score for Each Group
Time Variable

Figure
r1ean Total Scores for Each Group
Sex Variable

90
Se
7o
3.-a
2.tJ lo s
C:,o
50 ifD li2H'/If
7t.5" ·~ 79-s· f'-1:5
}/t'rC'
"' .~~' I
-?J: 'N'/
..
8'~'1 fft.tJ
'if2.o
~
9L'·C n-·-·
;'
·.,.-'
~<:~ ·/~··;
77.~
79
·t>
{ }i i'· ' i i~·tL .~
' i;•
;
J ' ' '
~-
:i
!:.
'11!
~f~2:; r.:
:~
I
-r .,
:I~J
H
1:
i ; t
J.:
't it,'
:~
I':
I< ·: f. li
·~
1
"I•·
f·~-
_. i / jf r l
-~-
~j
·
J
~-t-
~--
.
h
•I:'_
I. ;'1:
~ l~
.1:· i
~--·
-~
~ -·~
--~--
•.
,
.-._~- ·~ -'i~
.J_LJ_ .
!
/
.)·
.
·:~
; '
·f :' i
·~ '
;
.·
'',
;._.
1 if:
-~·
J:
1:
:,_r~ ·~ ·.·-~:
!! t_ ., ~- ._~--- "_~ t
~--~
;., :
'
,* i ·_i'
~t t ··~·
;~. lj
-, i_
t i, i ,
·~ ~- ···~
!_ .• ·
'_·l·__ l '
' t .~. '";: "' ~·
_r __ · ·1_,
Mo1Jer '1-c..tlc.r IJo
title :
& l},
Jlthl~er fa/Mr /'Ia t;1e.
Clrouf II/ i r.irouf FV
_;;:.:
Figure 4
Mean Total Scores for Each Group
Parents• Work Situation Variable
-..J
0
.
,

Figure 5
Mean Total Scores for Each Group
Birthplace Variable
71
.~ '

1
(, 0
57>
. l g,) a; ·}('__.; ll I
<' •_-4:l
\J
·r- -
?D
I l
-!--·
I
I
+
1
T
I
17, 7(;1
.~ u~~J.
'1L' ' 1/75
7~·'
'i/7:;
7f),f) rJrJ,').5 79. 0
'l<j; i)
{/t:,,8'53
7~()
:?0·7'5
7'1-.0 zb. 'f'l'/ u
~~ :~~
'"
1 • •
,1
··~
I .
~.
'lb... i~J t
J
.•
·i •. "'.
•
-~~- ···~
"'·
I ..
-~
·•!l
...
~
. l>
':1 ;: : li:
I
.,,
I ' .
'
~~
I
H ii;.t
.lJ
~~,.
.t:·..
I) f
-~ i
·J
··.·.'l
-~
I
I
l~
~..
'.
:f.
:·
:
,,
J '1:
....
~ i.. r:
.
~
!, l~l(
'::!
~
'
/1/;xed
\
I
:
'•
'
:
·'£=-'"
I i,[
'
1
A·
~-
·,
.~'
A . 1.
~·
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'
;t
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~
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:'!,
*L
If; )!
'
'
~ ~
'
~,
!,lS l
. o
.,_ .• ·.· •. ;;._ .. ·
·~···.
,,:._•
:i'
'I i
~- -~
I
-~··-~--,~-'-~~--
~~-
.
":~
...
I
~
·~ f
1 o nj:-'"Z!;acl
0/oty; 7T! l
!-
~ -~
' t~·
-~ ~
~
•.
:~ .~i jJ..JIX l
'
U' 1~
~ ,~,
'• · t· :.
-·· .. .....
~ l
I
:
'
:f;
~·
'f
'
.
~ I
'
. f ":
.
A
I
~-1
•
;I
*
~
'1 ji )!!
' ·;r,
• l
,
-~i
.j,lj•
-~.·.>;II
1
,ti:' :·
, f
; '
,
,: ~
I •
:'
·-~._.'
'
• r
:·:)i
.•
')) : ~ . ~·
._;,_..
~ t }
1
;: ..
::
F!
I
:
;:
.~
~~~ ..,__,,,."'--,..~ f"leXI{lf,dtJyl" r2rctlf
'
·'if.~ t
~.~
... ·_ ..
'
.
. r
~
,, 1 ..
. .''
~-
1 htt~ck.
1•/Jx:Z liZ
Figure
Mean Total Scores for Each Group
Present Neighborhood Variable
.......,
£\)

Tables 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 show the mean total score responses and number of subjects in each independent variable cell by groups. If the mean total scores were extreme and the N of the cell was larger than two the sum of the deviations squared and the standard deviation was then calculated. All of the numbers on these tables were used to find the
11 t
11 ratios calculated on the pages immediately follm.;ing each table.
Table 18
Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's
11 t
11 ratio:
Group I
TIME VARIABLE
II III IV
M
N
4d2
~ s
=
=
=
=
79.696
23
?8.533
15
82.750
16
460.814 343.732 659.0035
4.476 4.787 6.418
79.875
16
651.756
6.382
73

"t" ratios
Variable: Time
Group II compared to Group III t =-1.995 df = 29
pL. • 05
Reject Ho
Group II.
1 in that Group III is more acculturated than
GrouE_ I com12ared to Grou:e III t = 1.7054 df = 37 (used 40) p (. .05
Reject Ho
1
Group I. in that Group I I I is more acculturated than
GrouP I cgmpared to Group IV t = .1002 df = 37 (used 40) p >.05
Accept Ho
1 in that Group I and Group level of acculturation.
IV are at the same
74

11 t" ratios
Variable: Time (continued)
Group_lll~ompared to Group IV t = .6375 df = 29 p
>.05
Accept Ho
1 in that Group II and Group IV are at the same level of acculturation.
Group I compared to Group II t
=
.7412 df = 36 (used 40) p
.05
Accept Ho
1 in that Group I and Group II are at the same level of acculturation. group III compared to Group IV t = 1.230 df = 30 p > .05
Accept Ho
1 in that Group III and Group IV are at the same level of acculturation.
75

M =
N =
~ d2
= s
=
'I'able 19
Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Student's 11 t 11 ratio:
I I I I I I IV
80.8
10
80.5
8
193.25
4.915
81.667
3
81.875
8
164.878
4.540
M =
N =
-f. d2
= s
=
78.846
13
FEI1ALES
76.286
7
149.43
4.6203
83.00
13
634
6.983
77.875
8
422.878
7.27
?6

11 t
11 ratios
Variable: Sex
Group_II_males compared to Groupuii females
=
df =
p
> .05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group I I same level of acculturation. males and females are at the
~~£U2 JV ma~s compared to Group IV females t =
df = 14 p
>
.05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group IV same level of acculturation. males and females are at the t
,Group I I females compared to Group I I I females
df =
p .(_ .05
Reject Ho
2 in that Group than Group II females.
I I I females are more acculturated
77

" t 11 ratios
Variable: Sex (continued)
~roup II males compared to Group III females t = .887 df --
p )..05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group II males and Group III females are at the same level of acculturation.
Group II females compared to Group IV males t = -2.360 df = 13 p L.05
Reject Ho
2 in that Group IV males are more acculturated than Group II females.
78

I~ =
= f
= s =
1.
M =
=
= s
=
11
11
75
5
11.
=
't_ -
=
= s
::
9
).207
!1
=
N
= z
= s =
2
5
2

11 t 11 ratios
Variable: Parents• Work Situation t
Group) father works compared to Group I mother works
=
df =
p >.05
Accept Ho2 in that there is no difference in the level of acculturation of Group I when comparing the mother working to the father working.
Q!oup I father works com2ared to GrouE II father works t = 2.303 df = 16 p!...
.05
Reject Ho
2 in that Group I is at a higher level of acculturation than Group II 't'l'hen the father works.
Group ry mother "mrl>~s compared to Grsmp I father ~torks t = 1.208 df = 10 p >.05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group IV mother works and Group I father works are at the same level of acculturation.
80

11 t 11 ratios
Variable: Parents' Work Situation (continued)
Group III both work compared to Group I father works t =
df = 12 p >.05
Accept Ho
2 in that there is no difference in the level of acculturation between Group III when both parents work and
Group I when the father works.
Q!oup III both work compared to Group I no one works t =
df = 12 p
>
Accept Ho
2 in that Group III both \'lorks and Group I no one works are at the same level of acculturation.
Group III both work comp~red to Group IV mother works t = 1.023 df =
Accept Ho
2 in that there is no difference in the level of acculturation between Group III both work and Group IV mother works.

M
=
N
= f_d2
= s =
Table 21
Statistical Information Necessary in
Calculating the Students• 11 t 11 ratio:
BIR'rHPLACE VARIABLE
I Iv
78.5
4
113
5.315
I I
I I I
80
1
76.5
2
85
2
M =
= zd2
=
3
=
79.947 78.423
19 14
83.643
14
526.826 274.07
6.134 4.424
79.143
14
82

u
t = 2.488 df = 26 p '-. .05
= 1.845 df
=
16 p <..05
83

M =
N = f.d2 = s =
1·1
N zd2
=
=
= s =
22
VARIABLE
I
81.286
7
99.865
3.777
II
78.875
8
158.878
4.456
79
5
54
).286
75
1
77.667 75
3 2
270.219
9.4906
79
J
62
4.546
80.75
4
174.752
6.610
I'll
=
= i,.d2 = s =
74
1
I"l =
N =
~d2
= s =
80.875
8
96.878
3.410 l1IXED
80.25
4
48.751
3 .l}91
86.833
6
302.832
7.104
80.444
9
408.221
6.735
5 1 2 1
1976.
1975
84

11 t 11 ratios
Variable: Present Neighborhood
Group I Anglo compared to Group I Mixed t = .8202 df
=
11 p
>
.05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group I Anglo neighborhood is at the same level of acculturation as Group I Mixed neighborhood.
Group I Mexican compared to Group I Anglo t = .7711 df = 8 p
> .05
Accept Ho
in that Group
Mexican neighborhood is at the same level of acculturation as Group I Anglo.
Group III Mexica~ compared to Group III Mixed t = -2.056 df
=
p L
.05
Reject Ho
2 in that Group III Mixed neighborhood is at a higher level of acculturation than Group III Mexican.
85

"t 11 ratios
Variable: Present Neighborhood (continued)
GrouE III Anglo compared to Group III Mixed t = 1.534 df =
p )
.05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group III Anglo neighborhood and Group
III Mixed are at an equal level of acculturation.
Group II Mixed compared to Group III Mixed t
=-1.538 df = 8 p
>.05
Accept Ho
2 in that Group II l\1ixed neighborhood and Group
III Mixed neighborhood are at the same level of acculturation. grouE.I Anglo comEar~d to Group III Mixed t
=-1.43.3 df = 7 p
> .05
Accept Ho
2 in that there is no difference between the level of acculturation of Group I Anglo neighborhood and Group
III Mixed neighborhood.
86

11
t =
=
p
>.05
2
t
=
1.220
=
p >.05

Summary of Tables and Figures
In this section the results were presented in twentytwo tables and six figure~ in order to present visually a large amount of quantitative data. Briefly, this is what they showed.
Tables J through
recorded the subjects• actual answers to the scale items by groups and a mean response was calculated for each item. Table 7 then compared those mean responses.
On a majority of the items the group mean responses were very close to the same number. At most the mean responses were three-tenths of a point away from each other. On some items the Group I and Group IV responses were not at extreme ends of the scale but were identical or closer than the mean responses of the other groups. Group
II tended to have the lowest mean response when Group I and
IV were more alike.
The researcher was looking for a gradual increase in the acceptance of JL~glo values dependent on time in the
United States but in many cases the gradual increase amounted to one or two-tenths of a point. For example, the mean responses by groups were:
I
I I
I I I
1.74
88

on item 14: "A father teaches his children to respect the oldest child." This is the only item that showed a gradual move away from the traditional Mexican value response from group-to-group. Most iteds mean responses looked like thi&.
Item 1: 11 A teen-age daughter obeys her parents without question.
11
I
II
1.83
1.8
III 2.06
IV 1.94 or item 13: "The local priest or minister spends time with people even if they are not members of his church."
I
II
2.74
2.13
III 2.25
IV 1.69
In all of the above examples a response of 1 or 2 would have indicated an acceptance of these traditional Mexican values. In the last two examples it can be seen that the gradual change in the mean responses did not follow the time groups in order from I to IV.
These are the few salient differences based on the mean responses in Table 7. In deciding whether a value was rejected or accepted the researcher reminds the reader that:
1 means Absolutely should
2 means Should
3 means f-1ay or May not
4 means Should not
5 means Absolutely Should not

Item 5: "When a mother has many children and is poor, she gives a child away to be raised by relatives." Group
II, with a response of 4.73, and Group IV, with a response of 3.81, rejected the value. Group I didn't care, ).26, and Group III was closed to rejecting the value also, ).5.
According to research hypothesis number one Group II should have accepted this value more so than Group IV.
Item 7:
11
A policeman ignores a drunk person unless some actual damage has been done." Group II accepted the value, 2.4 and Group IV rejected it, 4.31. The other two groups rode the fence, I, 3.30; III, 3.56. Theoretically,
Group IV should have rejected this Mexican cultural value.
Item 11:
11
A government official treats people better if they are sent by one of his friends." Group I, II, and
III were close to the maybe yes, maybe no answer. Group IV rejected the value. Theoretically, Groap IV should have accepted this Anglo cultural value.
Item 18: 11 A teacher watches how he behaves in public more carefully than other people." Group I agreed with this .t-1exican cultural value as theoretically it should have. Groups II and III didn't care, 3.0. Group IV almost agreed with the value, 2.56.
Tables 8 and 9 demonstrate that there were more Anglo values accepted than Mexican values rejected. In the case of Anglo values acceptance it was usually by all groups.
90

Of the five Mexican values that were rejected three were rejected by Group IV.
Tables 14 through 17 show the range of total scores for each time group. Group I and II had the same spread in total scores -- 16. Group III had the largest spread -- 28.
The spread in Group IV was 20. The lowest score -- 70 -was shared by Groups II and IV. Group III had the most extreme score -- 101. Basically, a majority of the scores were in the seventy's and. eighty• s out of a total possible score of one hundred twenty-five.
Figures 2 through 6 show the mean total scores for each of the independent variables. Any extreme means were compared in the 11 t 11 ratios that were calculated in the pages following tables 18 through 22.
Below, is a descriptive analysis of the significant results obtained from the
11 t 11 ratios calculated on the extreme mean total scores in tables 18 through 22.
Group II and III had extreme means -78.53J and
82.?50, respectively. Using the students'
11 t
11 ratio Group
III showed a higher level of acculturation than Group II.
Group I and IV had almost the same mean, 79.696 and 79.875.
All possible
11 t
11 ratios were calculated between the four groups and only one other pair demonstrated a significant difference between the means. Group III was at a higher level of acculturation than Group I.
91

P~~NTS'
92

Chapter .5
SilliMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMHENDATIONS
Conclusions
In looking for a gradual increase in the acceptance of
Anglo values dependent on time in the United States, the researcher found it hard to generalize a lot from Table 7, a comparison of the mean responses to each item by group.
First of all, the differences in mean responses were so close to the same number that it was hard to say that a response of 1.7 demonstrated less acculturation than a
·response of 1.6.
The responses to item fourteen demonstrate a second problem in generalizing from Table 7:
I 1.74
II 1.8
III 2.13
IV 2.38
Since, one means absolutely should and two, should; the investigator could deduce that all groups agree \'lith the value, but as one moves from a recent arrival to a United
93

94
States born subject the belief might be changing. On the other hand, if the writer had rounded off the numbers to the nearest whole number they would all be the same, two
(2),which means should. The researcher feels that item fourteen's responses are a good example of how close a majority of the mean responses of the different groups were to each other. As mentioned before, very often
Group I and IV had the closest mean responses to eachother.
The investigator concluded from the item-by-item analysis that length of time in the United States shows that most subjects were at the same level of acculturation.
In calculating the 11 t 11 ratios for the time variable the researcher concluded that Group III was the most acculturated, followed by Group I and then Group II. Group IV was not significantly different from any of the other groups, meaning that Group IV is at an equal level of acculturation when compared to the other three.
In calculating as many as eight
11 t
11 ratios on the other independent variables sex: parents' work situation, birthplace and present neighborhood -- there \'lere only one, or at most two, groups that were significantly different. The writer concluded that all other groups not described at the end of Chapter 4 were at the same level of acculturation.
.,-

Discussion
There were a variety of reasons that could have accounted for most groups being at the same level of acculturation on the various independent variables. The investigator would like to enumerate some of the factors that occurred to her below:
1. The manner in which the scale was constructed. Five choices might be too many. A simple 11 yes 11 or 11 no 11 scale might have shown more differences.
2. Changing cultural values in Mexico and the United
States since the construction of the scale (1961) might account for responses that were not in accord with the interpretations in Chapter 2.
3. The fact that six students were identified as nonreaders and the researcher had to orally administer the scale to them. The oral version of the scale may have been as incomprehensible to them as the written version. Also, there might have been other students whose reading comprehension of either Spanish or
English was low and also rendered many responses meaningless.
4. Length of time in the United States might not be the best gauge for acculturation. The teen-age subjects in this study might have been at an optimum age for acculturation developmentally and time in the United
States made no differenca.
5. Some of the items on the scale could have been clearer.
The way that some were stated was subject to a variety of interpretations. For example, item seventeen: 11 \o.fhen a child is really sick, his parents take him to the doctor right a~1ay. 11
The word
11 really
11 may have effected the responses of some subjects.
By the ti.me the independent variables parents• work si tua.tion and prese11t neighborhood 1;a-ere broken down into their subdivision categories the N size of some cells were too small for the purposes of statistical analysis. Because these cells were not compared the researcher had to assume that there was no significant difference between groups, which might not have been true for a larger N.
95

?. The fact that the students in Groups I, II, and III were voluntary immigrants might make them atypical to their native community. They might have already acquired some Anglo values in being motivated to move to the United States.
8. The words cultural pluralism might also account for the results that most groups were at the same level of acculturation. By cultural pluralism the writer means the ability to maintain cultural differences along with learning to function in the Anglo value system. The investigator saw a strong possibility that Mexican
Americans are no longer striving toward complete assimilation, only acculturation on a primary, survival level. The students might be as acculturated as they will ever be. There is something uniquely Mexican that is not lost from recent arrival to United States born according to this study's results.
Recommendations
The researcher thinks that number eight above is the most important factor in understanding the results of the study. Since all subjects in the four time groups appeared, in most cases, to be at the same level of acculturation it is most important that when one is dealing with
Mexican American students that one has a good understanding of Mexican cultural values.
Much research should go into designing programs that capitalize on the unique cultural values of Mexican
Americans rather than trying to mold them into the Anglo value system. Teachers should have special training in order to learn about cultural differences, knowing the language of the culture isn't enough. Bi-lingual/Bicultural education programs should be in abundance wherever there are members of the culturally different Mexican
American group.
96

The melting pot and conformity have not worked. The subjects in this study have demonstrated to the researcher the need for taking a Mexican American student where he is in his cultural value orientation rather than imposing a total set of Anglo values upon him.
If further studies of this nature were going to be done this investigator has a few suggestions:
1. The year divisions for the groups should be revised.
2. The items subject to various interpretations on the
Graves Acculturation Scale should be re-written.
3. In the neighborhood variable four divisions were too many. Two categories might have yielded more results homogeneous or heterogeneous.
4. Other instruments, along with the Graves Scale, in a logitudinal study would probably yield crucial information about the rate of acculturation and shed light on the optimum age of assimilatability.
Personal Gains
One important personal result that the study had on the researcher was a better understanding of Mexican
American students based on the library research alone. She found that many of her approaches to teaching her Native
Speakers' Spanish class were wrong because of her Anglo value orientation. For example, punctuality is a very important school and Anglo-American expectation. Many of the researcher's students seemed to be oblivious to it•s importance. The researcher assumed that they were late just to be obstinate. By doing the research for this paper

she got another perspective on tardiness. It was highly possible that they were late because punctuality is not an important value concept to them, not because they were purposely being rebellious. The researcher learned to deal with tardiness in the Native Speakers• class in a very different way than in her other classes.
Another instance of difference was that the researcher never could understand why her other classes would make preparations for their Christmas parties a week in advance and the Native Speakers' class would plan theirs in just one day. The Mexican American value of spontaneity explained this phenomenon. vlhen students aren• t busy in a classroom most teachers, including this researcher, feel they are wasting time, especially if they are talking. Idleness is not equal to wasting time in the Mexican American culture. It may be that 11 no tiene ganas de trabajar 11 , he doesn•t feel like
(have the desire) to work. This is something the researcher is still trying to cope with trying to provide many different types of lessons in hopes that the desire to work will be er1.l-1anoed.
Another cultural difference that the researcher was glad to have come to understand was the importance of the family. The researcher received a Christmas card from one of the subjects of the study that not only wished the

researcher a happy holiday season, but her family also. A typical Anglo Christmas card would have been to the recipient of the card alone. The recipient's family wouldn't have been mentioned unless the sender knew the family.
There were many other instances in the course of a day in which the researcher was questioned about her family in greater depth by her Mexican American students than by her
Anglo students.
Along this same line of family, many Mexican students go to Mexico for Christmas with their families to see members of the extended family. These trips usually begin before the schools' Christmas vacation and end anywhere from the middle of January to some time in February.
Visiting with the family in Mexico is more important than being back at school when it resumes in January.
The amount of personal knowledge that the researcher gained through the readings in the bibliography alone, was another result of the study. Also, the opportunity to carry out a research project, although small in scope, has been a tremendous experience in self-discipline and hard work for the writer.

SOURCES CONSULTED
1. Anderson, James C. and William H. Johnson.
Sociocultural Determinants of Achievement Among l'lexican - American Students. New Nexico: New Mexico
~tate University. March, 1968.
2. Campa, Arthur L.
11
Culture Patterns of the Spanish -
Speaking Community." Readings for Understanding
Southwest Culture. Colorado: ·Adams State College,
Center for Cultural Studies. 1963. 38 - 43.
3. "Language Barriers in Inter-Cultural
Relations." Readins;s for Understanding Southwest
Culture. Colorado: Adams State College, Center for
Cultural Studies. 1963. 50 - 52.
11
IYiar1ana is Today.
11
Readings for
Under2!~ipg S9uthwest Culture. Colorado: Adams
State College, Center for Cultural Studies. 1963.
44 - 49.
5. Gordon, Milton M. Assimilation in American Life - The
Role of Race, Religion and National Origins. New York: o~rclUniversity-Press.19b4.
6. Himes, Joseph s.
Relations. Dubuque, Iowa: Hilliam
Publishers. c.
Racial Relations and Ethnic
1974. c. brown Company,
?. Me Clellan, D., et. al. The Achievement Motive. New
York: Appleton-Century-Crofts Publishers. 1953.
Romero, !<'red E. A Stud.v of Anglo and Snanish -
'
-·~~·~~~~~~~~~~
American Culture Value Conce-pts and 'rheir Significance
In
SeconctacyEducation. 1-lichigan: ~University
Hicrofilms:· Iric.- Feb-ruary, 1966.
100

SOURCES CONSULTED
(continued)
Saunders, Lyle. 11 American Culture." ~adings for
Unders~anding Southwest Culture. Colorado: Adams
State College, Center for Cultural Studies. 1963.
3 5.
10. 11 The Social History of Spanish - Speaking
People in the Southwestern United States Since 1846."
~eadings for Understanding Southwest Culture.
Colorado: Adams State College, Center for Cultural
Studies. 1963. 14 - 21.
11. • 11 The Spanish - Speaking People of the
'SO"tithwest.
11
Readinf:S for U,Ederstanding ~outhwest
Culture. Colorado: Adams State College, Center for
Cultural Studies. 1963. 22 - 32.
12. Ulibarri, Horacio. Educational Needs of the Mexican -
American. New I1exico: New Nexico State University.
Ivlarch, 1968.
101

Chapter
APPENDICES
The following are all the printed materials that were used to gather the necessary data for the study.
102

APPENDIX A
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONNAIRE
ENGLISH
Information
10-17-75
Name
Age
Grade
Your classes this year:
Birthday
~------~~----~­
(day, month, year)
1.. Where were you born? city, country
2. If you were born in another country besides the United
States. how long have you been here?
3. 1-lhat language did. you speak first?
English or Spanish?
4·. What language do you speak most nm-1?
5. What language does your mother usually speak?
And your father?
6~
Your brothers and sisters? or the person you live with?
Is it important to come to school? Why?
Why do you need to come here?
103
7. What class do you like best? Why?
8. Hhat do you w-ant to be in the future? What profession do you plan to work in?

APPENDIX B
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONNAIRE
- English on back -
......
ESPANOL
I
Informacion
10-17-75
Nombre
Ed ad
-"'
Cumpleanos
(dia, mes, ail'o)
Grado
Tus clases este a~o
1.
2.
J.
I
I c
Donde naciste?
( ciudad y pa{s)
Si naciste en otro pais que los Estados Unidos
~ Cuanto tiempo has estado aqul?
I } / ...,......
JCual lengua hablaste primero? cingles o espanol?
4.
6.
2cu~l lengua usas ahora m~s? jCuAl lengua habla su
1.. I
~ . y
/ mam~
. su p a p a ? - - - - - - - -
2 sus hermanos? do otra persona con quien vives? rlEs importante i r a
escuela?
~ necesi tas venir aquf?
/
( Por que?
,
C Para que
104
7. )Cual clase le gusta
'"' m~s? I d por que?
8~
~ / d Que quieres ser en el futuro? seguir?
) / d Que ca.rrera vas a

APPENDIX C
*TRI-ETHNIC FORM
Community Survey 1061
TRIPLE-A CONCEPT
Acculturation Scale
ENGLISH VERSION
People react differently to certain situations.
People feel differently about other ways of doing things.
I'd like to know how Lou feel about a person doing these things listed below: whether he
1
2
=
=
Absolutely Should
Should
3 = l1ay or May Not
= Should Not
5 = Absolutely Should Not
Circle the number which most appropriately indicates your opinion regarding each item.
1. A teen-age daughter obeys her parents without question.
1 2 3 4 5
.2. The husband, by himself, makes all important money decisions for the family. Hould you say he -
1 2 3 4 5
3. Even with close friends, a man keeps his real feelings to himself. Would you say he -
1 2 3 4 5
105
*Created by The Institute of Behavioral Science,
University of Colorado and revised by Fred E. Romero.

APPENDIX C (contd.)
4. A mother follows closely the teachings of her religion.
1 2 .3 4 5
5. When a mother has many children and the family is poor, she gives a child away to be raised by relatives.
1 2 .3 4 5
6. A farmer uses the old farming methods because they have usually worked in the past.
12Jl~5
7.
A policeman ignores a drunk person unless some actual damage has been done.
1 2 .3 4 5
8. An unmarried. young man spends most of his time studying and learning things that will help him get ahead in life.
1 2 .3 4 5
9. A husband helps his wife with the household chores.
Would you say he -
1 2 .3 4 5
10. A mother teaches her daughter to work toward a career in addition to being a homemaker.
1 2 .3 4 5
11. A government official treats people better if they are sent by one of his friends.
1 2 .3 4 5
12. A teen-age boy drops out of school to help support his parents.
1 2 J 4 5
13. The local priest or minister spends time with people even if they are not members of his church.
1 2 3 4 5
14. A father teaches his children to have a special respect for the oldest child.
1 2 3 4 5
15. ~fter high school, a girl gets married instead of going on to college.
1 2 3 4 5
106

APPENDIX C {contd.)
16. A businessman tries to make as much profit as he possibly can.
1 2 3 4 5
17. When a child is really sick, parents take him to a doctor right away.
1 2 3 4 5
18. A school teacher watches how he behaves in public more carefully than other people do.
1 2 3 4 5
19. A husband leaves all child care to the woman in the family.
1 2 3 4 5
20. A mother takes a part-time job to make extra money for the family.
1 2 3 4 5
21. Getting better grades in class than your classmates will help you get a better job eventually.
22.
1 2 3 4 5
English should be spoken all the time.
1 2 3 4 5
23. Obeying the law is necessary because it is the right thing to_do.
1 2 3 4 5
24. Earning money while attending school is a good practice providing it doesn't interfere with school work.
1 2 3 4 5
25. Belonging to school clubs and organizations will help you make friends faster.
1 2 3 4 5
107

Community Survey 1061
.....,
Acculturation Scale en espanol**
Gada persona reacciona a diferentes situaciones de una manera diferente. Las personas se sienten diferente cuando tienen que hacer las cosas de otra manera. Deseo saber su opinion acerca de estas veinticinco oraciones.
~ / /
Ponga un c1rculo sobre el numero que expresa su opinion
I acerca de hacer estas cosas. Los numeros uno hasta cinco quieren decir:
1.
1
2
·4
5
= debe hacerlo ABSOLUTAMENTE
= debe hacerlo
= tal vez si o tal vez no debe hacerlo (no sabe por seguro)
= no debe hacerlo
= no debe hacerlo ABSOLUTAMENTE
Una hija joven obedece a sus padres sin preguntar el
/ por que.
1 2 3 4 5
2. El esposo, solamente, hace todas las decisione.s
1 importantes acerca de dinero para la familia.c Dira
Ud. que el • • • ?
1 2 3 4 5
3. Hasta con sus amigos cercanos, un hombre reserva sus verdaderos sentimientos. d /
/
Dira Ud. que el • • •
1 2 3 4 5
*Created by the Institute of Behavioral Science,
University of Colorado, and revised by Fred E. Romero.
**Translated by Sandra Arnold, Marie Everett and
Bonita Ponder, John Adams Junior High, Santa Monica,
(October - November, 1975)
108

APPENDIX D (contd.)
4.
/\/ I
Una madre sigue las ensenanzas de su religion.
1 2 .3 4 5
5. Cuando una madre tiene muchos hijos y la familia es pobre, ella entrega un nino a sus parientes para que ellos lo crien.
6.
7.
1 2 .3 4 5
Un granjero {agricultor) usa el m~todo antiguo de la agricultura porque usualmente estos metodos han resultado en el pasado.
1 2 .3 4 5
Un polic{a ignora a una persona borracha al no ser que haya hecho algo malo o haya danado algo o a alguien.
1 2 .3 4 5
Un joven soltero gasta casi todo su tiempo estudiando y aprendiendo cosas que le ayudan a ir adelante en la vida.
"1 2 .3 4 5
9. Un m~rido ayud~ a su esposa con el oficio de la casa. c! Dira Ud. que el • • • ?
10.
1 2
...,
J 4 5
Una madre le ensena a su hija que debe estudiar una carrera (profesion) ademas de querer ser esposa y madre.
1 2 J 4 5
11. Un oficial del gobierno trata mejor a las personas si son enviadas por uno de sus amigos.
1 2 J 4 5
12. Un nino sale de la escuela para ayudar a mantener a sus padres.
1 2 J 4 5
13. El ministro o sacerdote pasa horas con muchas personas diferentes aunque algunos no son miembros de su iglesia.
1 2
.......
.3 4 5
Un padre les ensena a sus hijos a respetar al mayor de todos los hijos.
1 2 3 4 5
109

APPENDIX D (contd.)
I
15. Despues de terminar la escuela secundaria (high school), una chica se casa en vez de i r a la universidad (college).
1 2
5
16. Un hombre de negocios trata de tener la mayor ganancia posible.
17.
1 2
5
. I
Cuando un hiJO esta enfermo, los padres lo llevan al medico inmediatamente.
18.
19.
20.
1 2
I
Un maestro trata de portarse mejor en publico que otras personas.
1 2 3 4 5
Un esposo deja toda la responsabilidad del cuidado de sus hijos a la mujer de la familia.
1 2 3 4 5
Una madre trabaja parte del tiempo para ganar dinero
"
1 2 3 4 5
21.
22.
Recibir calificaciones companeros de clase le mejor finalmente.
(notas), mejores que sus
/ ayudaran a obtener un trabajo
1 2
5
I
El ingles debe hablarse todo el tiempo.
1 2 3 4 5
23. Es necesario obedecer las leyes porque es lo que se debe de hacer.
1- 2 3 4 5
Un estudiante puede trabajar y ganar dinero mientras
" sus estudios.
1 2 3 4 5
25. El pertenecer a los clubs y organ~zaciones de la escuela le ayuda a tener amigos mas pronto.
1 2
110

APPENDIX E
The numbers mean:
1 = ABSOLUTELY should
2 = Should
3 = May or May not
4 = Should not
5 = ABSOLUTELY should not
Los
I numeros quieren decir:
1 = debe hacerlo ABSOLUTAMENTE
2 = debe hacerlo
3 = tal vez sf o tal vez no debe hacerlo
(Ud. no sa be por seguro)
4 = no debe hacerlo
5 = no debe hacerlo ABSOLUTA1-1ENTE
.NOTE: 'rhe above was given to each subject along with the
Graves Acculturation Scale in order to help the subject remember what the possible responses meant when he got to pages tl>to and three of the scale.
This alleviated having to turn back to the first page each time a response was marked. It also provided a reference in case the subjects had forgotten if a response of 1 was a Should or Should not.
111

APPENDIX F
Follow-up Questionnaire
1.
2.
Does your mother work?
Does your father work? yes yes
3. Where were you born? city a. Is it a large or small city? b. Is it in the country? yes
4. What is your address in Santa Monica? no no country
5. What kind of people ·live in your neighborhood? a. Most are: Anglo b. It is:
Mexican
-----
-----
Oriental
Black
a mixture of all races. no
I
Ivra:s informacion
1.
/ 2 Trabaja su mama?
./
2 Trabaja su papa? _ _ _ _
.
/ J. a. b.
2. Es grande o pequena la ciudad?
-'
~
Esta en el campo?
I
4.
5.
Santa Monica
' ./
Que clase d.e gente vive en su barrio? a. Casi todos son: americanos (gringos)
mexicanos
___________ negros
{ b. Es una: orientales (japoneses,
-----------chinos)
mezcla de todo.
112