"Advances in achievement motivation theory, combined with an increased interest in cross-national comparisons of academic achievement, have resulted in a burgeoning research literature on ethnic and cultural influences on student motivation and achievement. In their attempts to place achievement differences in cultural context, many investigators have focused on the ways in which culture exerts its unique influence on the socialization of academic achievement. Yet in continuing to rely on traditional, quantitative methods of inquiry, our understanding of the nature of these differences has become stagnant. This volume of New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development considers the greater insights that come from research that is contextualized, emphasizes individual meaning making, and embraces methods of inquiry that allow for a deep conceptual understanding of the rich and varied ways in which achievement and motivation develop both between and within cultures and contexts of learning."--BOOK JACKET.