Educational research among indigenous peoples has often been
flawed. Many studies on achievement motivation failed to establish
that the behaviors and responses being measured were functionally,
conceptually, or metrically equivalent to those from which norms
for comparison were drawn and that the constructs and tools used
were culturally appropriate. In this article, I report on continuing
research with Australian Aboriginal and Navajo communities in
which I demonstrate the relevance and applicability of psychomet
ric research to indigenous communities. Using an etic-emic model
for research drawn from personal investment theory, I describe the
design and validation of a psychometric instrument and its useful ness for eliciting information regarding salient aspects of Aboriginal and Navajo achievement motivation in educational settings.
Findings from this study are compared with commonly held views
regarding indigenous motivation and achievement in schools.
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