Value Pattern of High and Low Achiever College Students as related to Socio-Demographic Factors

Abstract

The present study attempts at investigating the value pattern of high and low achiever college students as related to socio-demographic factors i.e. gender differences like male and female, political and apolitical within the framework of socio-politico-cultural background of Bangladesh. The study has been developed under the theoretical interpretation of (1) Achievement Motivation Approach, (2) Rokeach's Human Value Model: Terminal and Instrumental (3) Attitudes, Values and Behaviour (4) Cognitive Approach: Expectancy-Value Theory (5) Political Values as related to Political Behavior (6) Political Culture, Political Participation, Political Attitudes and Political Values (7) Demographic Approach. All these approaches have been utilized and integrated in order to show the differences of value pattern of college students having high and low achievement background. Thus, the present study uses univariate method using t-test approach with a criterion group design. The study conducted in two phases. In the first phase, criterion group of high achiever and low achiever college students were selected on the basis of a achievement criteria questionnaire. The criterion groups of high achiever and low achiever students were divided into male and female equally. These male and female students were further sub-divided into political and apolitical on the basis of their responses to the demographic information sheet. In the second phase for measuring value preferences Rokeach's value Inventory was used. Demographic variables include level of achievement like high and low achiever, gender differences like male and female, and political and apolitical participation. The study utilized two samples drawn from two achievement background i.e. high achievement and low achievement of college students of different educational institutions of Natore District. Each sample of high achiever as well as low achiever was composed of 120 respondents. These high achiever and low achiever students equally divided into male (N=60) and female (N=60). Again male and female students were sub-divided into political (N=30) and apolitical (N=30). Thus, the total sample was composed of 240 college students. All the respondents were Muslims and Hindus. The broad objectives of the present study were to investigate the differences of value pattern of high achiever and low achiever college students as related to Socio-demographic factors such as male-female and political-apolitical differences of Natore district. Thus, the specific objectives of the present study may be stated as follows: 1. A comparative study of value pattern of differences between high achiever political male and low achiever political male, high achiever political female and low achiever political female, high achiever apolitical male and low achiever apolitical male, high achiever apolitical female and low achiever apolitical female college students as related to terminal and instrumental values. 2. A comparative study of value pattern of differences between male political high achiever and female political high achiever, male apolitical high achiever and female apolitical high achiever, male political low achiever and female political low achiever, male apolitical low achiever and female apolitical low achiever college students as related to terminal and instrumental values. 3. A comparative study of value pattern of differences between political male high achiever and apolitical male high achiever, political female high achiever and apolitical female high achiever, political male low achiever and apolitical male low achiever, political female low achiever and apolitical female low achiever college students as related to terminal and instrumental values. Three specific hypothesized were formulated for this study is given below: H1: It is hypothesized that high achiever both political and apolitical of male and female students would have differential value preferences on terminal as well as on instrumental values as compared to low achiever both political and apolitical of male and female students respectively. H2: It is hypothesized that male students both political and apolitical of high achiever and low achiever would have differential value preferences on terminal as well as on instrumental values as compared to female students both political and apolitical of high achiever and low achiever respectively. H3: It is hypothesized that political students both male and female of high achiever and low achiever would have differential value preferences on terminal as well as on instrumental values as compared to apolitical students both male and female of high achiever and low achiever respectively. Analysis of data has been divided into two parts. In the first part, intergroup and intergroup differences on terminal and instrumental values have been computed by univariate method using t test for each group separately. In the second part, ranking was also used to identify the similarities of the priority of value preferences by each group separately. Result obtained strongly supported the hypotheses. The findings of the present study are explainable by achievement motivation approach, Rokeach's human value model, cognitive approach: expectancy-value theory, Political Culture, Political Participation, Political Attitudes and Political Values, and role behaviour and gender differences approach. In this study an attempted has also been made to integrate all these approaches into a new theoretical perspective in which value preferences have been moderated by academic achievement and socio­demographic factors. The study has emphasized social, political, cultural, economical and educational factors instead of genetic factors as the determinants of value preferences, which has enormous effect on academic achievement, political status and gender differences in the present socio-cultural context of Bangladesh.