Comparison
of rural and urban high school students in Japan using EPPS
P.W. Dixon, R.E. Roper & E.H. Ahern |
A
study was conducted to assess socio-spatial effects on personality
on 581 Japanese National high school students. Population density
was defined by the number of persons per square kilometer. Since
Japan has the highest average population density ~n the world, a
comparison between urban, suburban, and rural Japan was conducted
using the Japanese translation of EPPS to detect changes in personality
need structures. A further comparison was made between sansei (third
generation Japanese} and Cosmopolitan (mixture of more than one ethnic
group} high school students in Hawaii (N=141) and the Japanese samples.
The results supported the hypothesis that an urban environment fosters
greater need for achievement and independence, including an increased
need for heterosexuality and change in private boys' schools in an
urban area. Rural environments, including Hawaii, were found to produce
less elevated need patterns, probably because of increased ease of
need satisfaction.
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