The relations among parenting beliefs, parenting practices, and student motivation

In this study, the relations among several parenting beliefs and practices, and specific student motivational beliefs were investigated. In particular, relations were examined in regards to a model that was developed based upon the literature surrounding parenting beliefs and practices. The model proposes a direct relation between parental educational attainment and parental efficacy. Parental efficacy was then believed to be predictive of parenting style and involvement, which in turn predict student motivation. The present study extended the literature examining parenting beliefs and practices by including the more academic aspects of the proposed model, as parenting literature does not reflect parenting beliefs and practices in their relation to student motivation in this way.;Fourth and fifth grade students and their primary caregiver ( N = 181 dyads) from a southeast Texas public elementary school completed self-report surveys. Parents completed a survey that included demographic information for themselves, as well as for the children, and several items regarding parenting beliefs and practices. In particular, items described parental level of educational attainment, parental efficacy, parenting style, and parental involvement. Parental efficacy, or the degree to which parents felt capable of positively impacting his or her child's schooling, was included in a task-specific manner. Parenting style described as the pattern of behaviors a parent exhibits that encourages a more adaptive attitude toward school, with an emphasis on authoritative, authoritarian, permissive indulgent and permissive indifferent parenting, were included. Finally, items regarding behavioral involvement, or how often a parent is involved with his or her child's school or with the child's homework, were also included.;The child completed a questionnaire that included items regarding his or her motivational beliefs and attitudes including three goal orientations and self-efficacy. The items regarding the three goal orientations, mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance, were intended to focus on the reasons behind why the child chose to engage in certain academic tasks were included. The academic self-efficacy items describe the child's belief as to his or her ability to successfully complete a task in school.;Two series of hierarchical regression analyses were done to determine the extent to which parenting practices were related to student motivation when considering parental efficacy, and also to determine the specific relations between parental efficacy and parenting practices. Specifically, in the first series, four regressions were done with parental efficacy, parenting styles, and parental involvement serving as the independent variables where each of the three goal orientations and self-efficacy served as the dependent variable. Results indicated that more authoritative parents had children who were more likely to adopt a mastery goal orientation and have higher academic self-efficacy. Also, more efficacious parents had children who reported having higher academic self-efficacy even after considering parenting style and involvement. In the second series, five regressions were done with parental educational attainment and parental efficacy as the independent variables where each of the four parenting styles and behavioral involvement served as the dependent variable. Results indicated that parental efficacy was predictive of each of the parenting styles and involvement. Therefore, a parenting belief such as parental efficacy was predictive of parenting behaviors, and these parenting behaviors, through a different series of regressions, were related to student motivational outcomes. The significant relations found lend support to the idea that parenting beliefs and practices may in fact be a key factor in determining student motivation. Considering parental influences may assist educators in pinpointing contextual factors that may influence student motivation and success.