ABSTRACT
The first part of this paper reviews two current approaches to the study of competence development among inner-city black Americans: a universal model and a difference model. In the second part, I propose another approach—a cultural-ecological approach—particularly for cross-cultural research on competence. This cultural-ecological model is used in the third part to reinterpret existing data on development of competence among inner-city blacks. The conclusion reexamines the relationship between black instrumental competencies and schooling.
