The Role of Perceived Parental Autonomy Support in Academic Achievement of Asian and Latino American Adolescents

Introduction: Driven by an overarching conceptual framework adapted from Self-Determination Theory, this study tested the direct and indirect effects of perceived parental academia autonomy support vs. academic planning control on the interrelated variables of adolescents' self-esteem, academic motivation, and academic achievement, using multi-sample structural equation modeling. Method: A sample of 271 Asian American and 218 Latino American high school students were recruited in Southern California to respond to a questionnaire composed of a battery of adapted and self-constructed scales. Results: In the Asian American sample, perceived parental academic autonomy support had significant direct positive effects on academic achievement, self-esteem, academic motivation, and indirect effects on academic motivation mediated by self-esteem, while perceived parental academic planning control had direct negative effects on self-esteem and academic achievement. However, in the Latino American sample, perceived parental academic autonomy support had positive indirect effects on academic achievement mediated by academic motivation and self-esteem, and perceived academic planning control had negative direct effects on both self-esteem and academic motivation. Discussion and Conclusion: Plausible explanations for the different pathways in the two cultural groups were presented from the cultural perspectives. The potentiality of using parental autonomy support as a predictor for academic achievement was also discussed. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)