Preference for diversity in competitive and cooperative contexts: A study of American and Japanese children and adolescents

Abstract

This study examined preferences and explanations for wanting to be in a same-versus mixedachievement classroom, and in a group of peers with similar versus dissimilar interests and hobbies on a school trip among 5th, 8th, and 11th graders in Detroit and Matsuyama, Japan. Choice of the diverse environment varied by context, location, and grade level. Across contexts, preference for diversity tended to decrease among Detroit students, and increase among Matsuyama students with age. Additionally, students in Detroit were more likely than their peers in Matsuyama to give abilitybased and activity-related explanations; students in Matsuyama were more likely than students in Detroit to give mastery-based and cognitive-related explanations. Results are discussed in terms of social comparison theory.