Majority Members’ Tri-Dimensional Acculturation Model

Objective: Past research demonstrated the applicability of a bidimensional model of majority members’ proximal-acculturation, entailing the preference for maintaining the own/national culture and/or the preference to adopt elements of minority/other cultures. However, the present study will extend our current understanding by proposing a tri-dimensional acculturation model which considers the extent to which majority members prefer to share their dominant/power status and considering the domain specificity of acculturation (cultural identity, values and behaviours) and power (demographic strength, status, and institutional support). Thus, the present work considers the power imbalance between acculturating groups as well as the potential variations across more/less demanding acculturation domains.
Methods: Data was collected from 330 white UK home students. To test the tri-dimensional model, we conducted CFA with robust maximum likelihood estimation. To identify acculturation strategy groups, we applied two-step cluster analyses followed by ANOVAs.
Results: A second-order 9-factor-solution fitted the data and our theoretical assumptions best, with national culture maintenance, other culture adoption and power representing the three higher order factors. Interestingly, integration was more often reported when measured as values, followed by identity and then behaviours. Looking at all three acculturation dimensions simultaneously resulted in three strategies: diffuse with scores for all three dimensions around the scale midpoint, marginalized ‘receptive’ with low endorsement of majority culture and neutral orientation towards minority cultures, and medium separated with low endorsement of minority cultures, neutral orientation towards majority culture yet with the strongest preference to share power with international students across groups. These clusters significantly varied across all acculturation and power domains.
Conclusion: At least within a British University context, ‘power’ represents a meaningful dimension when investigating majority members’ acculturation. Thus, adopting minority members’ cultures does not simultaneously imply willingness to share the own group’s dominant position within a society, which could encourage cultural appropriation.