Diego L. Colón

Puerto Ricans: Value Orientations and Achievement Potential Diego L. Colón

The basic assumption of this study is that mainland and island schools reinforce a modality to achieve which stresses contrasting achievement values. For example, the value placed on competitive achievement in United States schools seems to contradict the value placed on cooperative achievement in Puerto Rican schools. In order to bridge the gap between the school policies and practices of these two different educational systems, in the sense that the school refl ects an understanding and acceptance of differences in the values underlying achievement potential, it was imperative to undertake empirical exploration of the relational value orientations and achievement modes of islander and mainlander Puerto Rican college students. Knowledge about these two areas facilitates an understanding of the relational value orientations and achievement potential learners bring into the school and any changes undergone as a result of the school's socializing function. The work of educators in pluralistic settings of the United States as well as in Puerto Rico, especially in the areas of curriculum and instruction, may be enhanced by a comprehension of the relational value orientations and modes of achievement potential prevalent among multicultural learners.