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 academic 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 academic autonomy support as a predictor for academic achievement was also discussed.