A STUDY OF THE VALUE ORIENTATION OF LANE COUNTY, OREGON, MEXICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON FAMILY/SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the cultural values of twenty Mexican American women who had children in Lane County, Oregon, public schools. The study focused on the value orientation of the study group, the mothers' perception of school values, the schools' role in inculcating values (as perceived by the mothers), and the nature and extent of parent-school interaction (as perceived by the mothers).;The responses to the questionnaire were analyzed and mean responses computed for all value statements. An indepth interview schedule was developed from the questionnaire responses. Ten of the twenty respondents were interviewed and asked to elaborate on their questionnaire responses, and on the issues the questionnaire data engendered. The data from the questionnaire and the interviews were combined and presented in a format developed around the four value clusters and the parent-school interactions.;The findings for Cluster I, Identification with Family, Community and Ethnic Group, indicated that the study group generally rated the home values as being traditional and the school values as being dualistic. They indicated a desire for school support in inculcating the traditional values of the home.;Cluster II, Status and Role Definition in Family and Community, had the most diverse response pattern. Group consensus on home value orientation was lacking, but in spite of the lack of group consensus, school support in inculcating home values was desired. School values were thought to be dualistic.;The study group responded to a questionnaire developed around the four major value clusters on which the complex traditional Mexican American value system seems to focus. These four value clusters include: identification with family, community, and ethnic group; status and role definition in family and community; personalization of interpersonal relationships; and Catholic religious ideology. The respondents rated twenty value statements (five per cluster) on a six-point scale. Numbers 1 and 2 on the scale were considered traditional Mexican-American responses; 3 and 4 dualistic (neither traditional nor atraditional in orientation); and 5 and 6 atraditional (not in keeping with traditional Mexican-American values). The women also provided information about the nature and extent of their interactions with the schools.;In Cluster III, Personalization of Interpersonal Relationships, respondents indicated that home values were traditional and that they desired school support in inculcating the values of the home. School values for this cluster were thought to be partly traditional and partly dualistic.;In Cluster IV, Mexican Catholic Religious Ideology, the study group selected traditional responses in three out of five statements, and dualistic responses in the remaining two. The schools were considered dualistic, and school support in inculcating religious values was not considered important.;The study group reported a moderate number of contacts with the schools, considered the classroom teacher their main school contact person, generally had good experiences with the schools, were told more frequently by the schools that their children were good versus bad, and thought that the schools were doing a slightly below average job in meeting the pre-stated school goals set by the State Board of Education.