1550 - TALENT OR EFFORT? EFFECTS OF PARENTAL ACHIEVEMENT ATTRIBUTIONS ON EDUCATION PRACTICES AND LATER ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT IN A 12-YEAR STUDY

Session: D05S016 - Parenting & Family 1
AUTHORS:
He Ying (Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University ~ Beijing ~ China) , Pu Qian (Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University ~ Beijing ~ China) , Zhang Yifan (State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University ~ Beijing ~ China) , Chen Fumei (Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University ~ Beijing ~ China)
Abstract text:
In Chinese educational context, academic performance is viewed as a key form of adolescent achievement and a pathway to future social success. Parents' attributions of achievement during this stage may thus shape their educational practices and lay the foundation for children's long-term social development.
Using panel data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) collected in 2010 (T1) and 2022 (T7), this study examined 1,069 adolescents（Mage at T1 = 12.70，SD) and their parents (. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) at T1 identified parental attribution patterns, and the manual three-step approach tested their effects on parental educational practices (educational involvement, investment), adolescents' academic outcomes (engagement, pressure, effort), and later social development (income, occupational prestige, educational attainment, growth mindset) at T7.
Results showed that: (1) Three latent profiles of parental achievement attributions were identified: high talent-effort attribution (54.54%), moderate talent attribution (6.36%), and low talent attribution (39.10%). Across all three profiles, parents consistently showed high levels of effort attribution. (2) After adjusting for demographics (child gender, age, household income, etc.), parents in high talent-effort attribution group reported significantly more educational investment than those in the low talent attribution group, but there was no difference in educational involvement. (3) Adolescents with parents in high talent-effort attribution group demonstrated higher academic engagement and learning effort, along with greater academic pressure. (4) In terms of long-term social development outcomes, only growth mindset was significantly higher among children of high talent-effort attribution parents compared to those of low talent attribution parents.
This study identified distinct types of parental achievement attributions and revealed that parents with high talent-effort attributions of personal achievement may promotes both external educational investment and internal motivation, fostering adolescents' growth-oriented cognition. Findings underscore the central role of parental achievement attributions in shaping adolescents' academic adjustment and long-term development.