Parenting, goal orientations, classroom behavior, and school success in early adolescence

The present study was designed to investigate the chain of associations between parenting behavior and early adolescents' school success. Students' goal orientations and classroom behavior were hypothesized to mediate between parenting and school success. The sample consisted of 327 pre-university-tracked pupils in their first year of secondary school. Results indicate that boys and girls shared the same pathway from maternal disciplinary strategies to school success mediated by the child's goal orientations and cognitive classroom engagement. Path analyses revealed moderate associations between parenting and goal orientations. Goal orientations were found to be moderately linked to classroom behavior dimensions conducive to school success. Although models for boys and girls differed slightly, overall results highlight the continuing relationship in early adolescence between parenting and pupils' beneficent academic behavior. The present study highlights several processes by which parents might shape their early adolescents' school success.