The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between students' cultural values with rationales and goals regarding the college experience. Using open-ended responses from introductory psychology students (n=211) about why they were attending college and their future goals, the responses were coded based on whether they contained self-oriented or other-oriented motivations.
For example, a response indicating a desire for a high-paying career after college would be coded for its self-oriented features whereas a response indicating a desire to better assist one's community would fall under an other-oriented theme. These coding mechanisms allowed for quantitative analysis of qualitative data. After responses regarding rationales for attending college and future goals were coded, the presence or absence of each theme was compared to measures of individualism and collectivism (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, & Gelfand, 1995). Several interesting relationships were found, including an association between athletic motivation and vertical individualism, along with other-oriented responses and vertical collectivism. These relationships offer unique insight into understanding the association between reasons for attending college and future goals as influenced by cultural values.
