Influence of parental academic involvement on the achievement goal orientations of high school students in China: A latent growth model study

Background: Many studies on parental involvement in their children’s education have limitations in cross-sectional designs in spite of examining the relationships between this involvement and achievement goal orientations. Thus, little is known about whether and how parental involvement affects achievement goal orientations over time. Aims: This study examines the influence of parental involvement on achievement goal orientations among Chinese high school students. Sample: The participants included 741 high school students (367 girls; M_age = 15.51 years, SD =.46) in China. Methods: The data were collected in five waves with a 6-month interval, starting in the autumn of tenth grade and ending in the autumn of twelfth grade. In each wave, participants reported their perceived degree of parental involvement, mastery goal orientation, performance-approach goal orientation and performance-avoidance goal orientation. Results: Over time, a decline was seen in these high school students’ perceived level of parental involvement and mastery goal orientation, while an increase in their performance-approach goal orientation and stability in terms of their performance-avoidance goal orientation were found. In addition, the results indicated that the level of and changes in parental involvement had significant effects on the changes in mastery goal orientation, and were unrelated to those of two performance goal orientations. Conclusions: These findings evidence the dynamic nature of parental involvement and students’ achievement goal orientations, as well as the positive influence of such involvement on the endorsement and development of mastery goal orientation, while this was not the case for the other two performance goal orientations.