Parent-adolescent discrepancies in educational expectations, relationship quality, and study engagement: a
Youzhi Song1,2, Jianjun Wu1,2,3, Zongkui Zhou1,2
1Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|April 5, 2024
Summary
Adolescents’ high educational expectations foster positive relationships and learning engagement, regardless of parental expectations. Adolescent-perceived relationship quality mediates the link between expectation discrepancies and engagement, not parental perceptions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology of Education
Background:
- Parental educational expectations influence adolescent motivation and stress.
- Research on expectation discrepancies and learning engagement lacks multi-perspective analysis of relational quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine associations between parent-adolescent expectation discrepancies and adolescent study engagement.
- Investigate the mediating role of parent-child relational quality from both perspectives.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional, multi-informant study with 455 Chinese junior high school adolescents and parents.
- Polynomial regressions with response surface analysis to assess expectation discrepancies and relational quality.
Main Results:
- Adolescent high expectations correlated with satisfied relationships and high engagement, irrespective of parental expectations.
- Parental satisfaction linked to mutual high expectations or parents expecting more than adolescents.
- Adolescent-reported relationship quality mediated the expectation discrepancy-engagement link.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent self-perceptions of expectations and relationships are crucial for study engagement.
- Parenting strategies should consider adolescent perspectives on educational expectations.
- Multi-informant approaches enhance understanding of parent-adolescent dynamics in education.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
18.3K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
18.3K
01:16Response Surface Methodology
128
Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is a collection of statistical and mathematical techniques used to develop, improve, and optimize processes. It is particularly valuable when many input variables or factors potentially influence a response variable.
The process of RSM involves several key steps:
The process of RSM involves several key steps:
128
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
01:29Reliability and Validity
12.7K
Reliability and validity are two important considerations that must be made with any type of data collection. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. In the context of psychological research, this would mean that any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.
12.7K
01:50Cross-Sectional Research
11.3K
In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...
11.3K
01:18Cognitive Development During Adolescence
55
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
55