Fatalism, Attributions of Failure and Academic Performance in Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Chilean Students

Authors

  • Tamara Otzen Universidad de La Frontera, Universidad Autónoma de Chile y Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6014-1241
  • Hector Betancourt Universidad de La Frontera y Loma Linda University
  • María-Elena González-Plitt Universidad de Los Lagos
  • Diana Martella Universidad Autónoma de Chile
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.32.2.213751
Keywords: Fatalism, attributions, academic performance, culture, ethnic, mapuche, Chile

Supporting Agencies

  • FONDECYT number 1080150

Abstract

This study investigated the role of fatalism as a cultural value orientation and causal attributions for past failure in the academic performance of high school students in the Araucania Region of Chile. Three thousand three hundred and fourty eight Mapuche and Non-Mapuche students participated in the study. Consistent with the Culture and Behavior model that guided the research, the test of causal models based on the analysis of structural equations show that academic performance is in part a function of variations in the level of fatalism, directly as well as indirectly through its influence in the attribution processes and failure-related emotions. In general, the model representing the proposed structure of relations among fatalism, attributions, and emotions as determinants of academic performance fit the data for both Mapuche and non-Mapuche students. However, results show that some of the relations in the model are different for students from these two ethnic groups. Finally, according to the results from the analysis of causal models, family SES appear to be the most important determinant of fatalism.

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Author Biographies

Tamara Otzen, Universidad de La Frontera, Universidad Autónoma de Chile y Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima.

Doctorado en Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de La Frontera

Hector Betancourt, Universidad de La Frontera y Loma Linda University

Profesor titular, Universidad de La Frontera
Professor, Principal Investigator, Culture and Behavior Laboratory, Loma Linda University

María-Elena González-Plitt, Universidad de Los Lagos

Vicerrectora de Planificación y Desarrollo, Universidad de Los Lagos.

Diana Martella, Universidad Autónoma de Chile

Profesor Asociado, Universidad Autónoma de Chile

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Published
03-04-2016
How to Cite
Otzen, T., Betancourt, H., González-Plitt, M.-E., & Martella, D. (2016). Fatalism, Attributions of Failure and Academic Performance in Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Chilean Students. Anales de Psicología / Annals of Psychology, 32(2), 341–348. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.32.2.213751
Issue
Section
Multidisciplinary