Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to develop a scale to measure ganas – defined as –“the deeply held desire to achieve fueled by parental struggle and sacrifice” (Easley et al., 2012). Two focus groups were conducted with six Latinx American identifying individuals who were asked open-ended questions that tapped into the major themes of ganas. Qualitative analysis of the focus group responses yielded a 78-item prototype ganas Scale. An exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring and a promax rotation was conducted on the prototype items. Participants included a diverse sample of 359 Latinx American individuals who were recruited through an online workforce. Results from the exploratory factor analysis suggest a 15-item, 4–factor solution of the Latinx American Ganas Scale (LAGS). The four subscales include: Family Sacrifice, Gender Role Expectations, Self-Motivation, and Diligent Orientation, with acceptable internal consistency. Furthermore, bivariate correlational analyses were conducted to assess the degree to which the newly identified LAGS subscales correlated with measures of Latinx cultural values, ethnic identity, acculturation, achievement, ambition, aspirations, resilience, grit, the American dream, and social desirability. Evidence of convergent and divergent validity was observed. Study limitations along with clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.