Relationships among parenting styles, parental expectations and attitudes, and adolescents' school functioning: A cross-cultural study

Yun Dai, Purdue University

Abstract

This study examined the origins and consequences of parenting style with regard to adolescent functioning in the school context. Specifically, the relationships among three sets of variables were investigated: (1) autonomy, connection, and regulation as three dimensions of parenting style; (2) parental expectations, perceptions of adolescent academic ability, and intrinsic/extrinsic orientations as causal antecedents of parenting style; and (3) adolescents' self-esteem, academic self-concept, and self-expectations as critical self-referent constructs, and internalization of achievement values and cognitive engagement as central motivation and self-regulatory processes central to school functioning. A cross-cultural approach was adopted to shed light on cultural similarities and differences. A total of 419 ninth- and tenth-grade students, from four public high schools in the United States (N = 153) and China (N = 266) participated in this study. Participants filled out a questionnaire about themselves and their parents. Then a parent questionnaire was sent to parents of participants to elicit information about parental expectations and attitudes regarding their adolescents' school functioning and future education. In the meantime, data about participating adolescents' prior school achievement were also collected. Results of the study show that parent autonomy support, involvement and family cohesion are associated with adolescents' self-esteem and school motivation. This study found a strong relationship between parental expectations for adolescents' future education and adolescents' self-expectations and motivation. This study also found that parents' high parental expectations as well as intrinsic, child-centered, accepting attitude toward adolescent school achievement were meaningfully related to the three dimensions of parenting style. The overall results are more consistent with the hypotheses for the American sample than for the Chinese sample. The discrepancies can be attributed to real cultural differences and differential reliability and validity of the measures involved. However, results from both samples suggest that parents are in a better position to enhance adolescent's motivation and school functioning if they balance high expectations with emotional support. Future research is needed to determine the causality of the relationships between parenting and adolescent functioning. How to approach this issue from a cross-cultural perspective also warrants further exploration.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Feldhusen, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Educational psychology|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Secondary education

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