Inner resources for school achievement: Motivational mediators of children's perceptions of their parents.

Abstract

This study examined a process model of relations among children's perceptions of their parents, their motivation, and their performance in school. Children's perceptions of their parents on dimensions of autonomy support and involvement were measured with the new children's perceptions of parents scale. Three motivation variablesmcontrol understanding, perceived competence, and perceived autonomymwere hypothesized to mediate between children's perceptions of their parents and their school performance. Analyses indicated that perceived maternal autonomy support and involvement were positively associated with perceived competence, control understanding, and perceptions of autonomy. Perceived paternal autonomy support and involvement were related to perceived competence and autonomy. In turn, the 3 motivation variables, referred to as inner resources, predicted children's performance. Structural equation modeling generally supported the mediational model. Amidst the current concern with attaining higher standards and greater "excellence" in schools, there has been an increasing research emphasis on variables, in both students and in the social context, that are predictive of academic performance. One line of this work has focused on a network of internal, motivationally relevant cognitive and affective constructs such as control understanding (i.e., children's understanding of who or what controls outcomes in their lives), sense of competence, and perceived autonomy (e.g., Deci, Schwartz, Sheinman, & Ryan, 198 l; Dweck & Elliott, 1983; Ryan & Grolnick, 1986). Because a number of studies have linked these variables to achievement outcomes (e.g., Grolnick & Ryan, 1987), we have come to view these variables as inner resources necessary for mastery of the academic enterprise (Grolnick, 1990; Ryan & Grolnick, 1989). A second important line of research has focused on the socializing influence of significant adults in the student's lives, most notably the students' parents. Several research programs have shown that variables such as parental belief systems, expectations, styles, and behavior patterns are related to academic or cognitive outcomes in children (e.g., Dornbusch,

Need supportive teaching in practice: a narrative analysis in schools with contrasting educational approaches

“…Autonomous motivation has been shown to provoke high quality learning (e.g. Gottfried 1985;Grolnick et al 1991).…”

Examining the Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Student Motivation

“…Four studies used scales of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation as measures for academic motivation (Ginsburg and Bronstein, 1993;Marchant et al, 2001;Ames et al, 1993Ames et al, , 1995. Four studies examined student autonomy by looking at locus of control, control understanding, perceived competence, perceived autonomy, self-regulation, or affective coping and engagement (Grolnick and Slowiaczek, 1994;Grolnick et al, 1991;Trusty and Lampe, 1997;Stiller and Ryan, 1992). One study examined motivation as mastery and performance goal orientations (Gonzalez et al, 2002), and two studies measured motivation to read (Adunyarittigun, 1997;Koskinen et al, 2000).…”

“…Grolnick et al (1991) examined relationships among elementary students' perceptions of their parents' involvement and parenting style on students' motivation along three dimensions: control understanding (degree that children indicate they understand who or what is responsible for their school outcomes); perceived competence (extent children feel sufficiently competent to execute specific actions); and perceived autonomy (degree that initiation and regulation of action emanates from one's core sense of self). Participants were 456 children in grades three though six from a largely white and socio-economically heterogeneous school.…”

“…There is consistent evidence suggesting a relationship between parent involvement and students' perceived control and competence (Adunyarittigun, 1997;Ames et al, 1993Ames et al, , 1995Grolnick et al, 1991;Koskinen et al, 2000;Marchant et al, 2001;Stiller and Ryan, 1992;Trusty and Lampe, 1997). Grolnick and Slowiaczek (1994) propose that parents may be communicating to children strategies for effectively dealing with the school.…”

Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children

“…Regarding the family, children from poor families are at greater risk for behavioral or emotional problems (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan 1997) and show difficulties with aspects of social competence such as self-regulation and impulsivity (Takeuchi, Williams, and Adair 1991). Poor parental supervision and monitoring are associated with the development of problem behaviors in children (Gorman-Smith et al 1996), and parental involvement has been linked to children's overall behavior in school, motivation to learn, grades and test scores, and long-term achievement (Griffith 1996;Grolnick, Ryan and Deci 1991;Shaver and Walls 1998;Zellman and Waterman 1998). At the community level, disorganization (Sampson 2000) and exposure to community violence (Schwartz and Proctor 2000) are associated with greater risk for behavior problems.…”