Cultural navigation through social skills: examining pathways between perceptions of community study centers and achievement motivation among tribal students in India

Indigenous tribal populations globally experience persistent achievement motivation deficits attributed to cultural discontinuity between collectivist community values and individualistic educational systems. In Kerala, India, community study centers provide culturally responsive supplementary education, yet psychological mechanisms remain unexplored. This study tested whether social skills mediate the relationship between tribal students’ perception of centers and achievement motivation. We analyzed data from 462 tribal students (grades 7–12) using validated measures and Hayes’ PROCESS Model 4. Results showed social skills significantly mediated the relationship (indirect effect B = 0.037, 95% CI [0.015, 0.065]), accounting for 11.1% of the total effect. Findings support culturally responsive intervention models and highlight integrating social-emotional skill development into tribal education programming.