Parenting Style Effects Academic Self-efficacy:The Mediating Role Of Regulatory Focus

Academic adaptation is one of the important development tasks in middle school.Academic self-efficacy is an important index to measure the academic adjustment of middle school students.According to the basic hypothesis of ecosystem theory,family,especially parents,is an important factor that affects the development of individual psychological function.This study examines the relationship between parenting style and academic self-efficacy from qualitative and quantitative perspectives.To explore the mediating mechanism of parenting style on the academic self-efficacy of adolescence is helpful to understand the influence of family micro-environment on the psychological quality and academic ability of adolescents,and to provide more evidence for future targeted intervention.In study 1,1524 middle school students from junior one to senior three were investigated with parenting style questionnaire,academic self-efficacy scale and adjustment orientation questionnaire.The following results are obtained through statistical analysis:(1)parenting style of middle school students is mainly positive rearing;academic ability self-efficacy is significantly higher than academic behavior self-efficacy;mediation orientation is significantly higher than prevention orientation.(2)There are differences on demographic variables.(3)Positive parenting positively predicts academic self-efficacy,whereas negative parenting negatively predicts academic self-efficacy.(4)Moreover,positive parenting affects academic self-efficacy by regulating part of the mediating role of orientation,and negative parenting affects academic self-efficacy by regulating the full mediating role of orientation.Study 2 interviewed 12 middle school students through grounded theory and structured interviews.Through open coding,spindle coding,selective coding and theoretical analysis,it is further supported that different parental rearing patterns will affect the formation of adolescent internal motivation,namely,the formation of adjustment orientation and the development of academic self-efficacy.To sum up,the results of this study support the hypothesis that parenting style can affect adolescents’ internal motivation and academic self-efficacy.Parents’ positive,warm and caring family atmosphere is conducive to adolescents’ development of more adaptive internal motivation,and is conducive to enhancing academic self-efficacy.Young people can better fulfill their developmental tasks of academic adjustment.