Relationship between the Quality of Family Functioning and Academic Achievement in Adolescents

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the quality of family functioning and academic achievement in adolescents, as well as to evaluate their extent as related to gender and age. The sample consisted of secondary school students aged 14 to 19 (N = 584) from six secondary schools in Vojvodina, Serbia. Data was collected using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (Olson et al., 1985) and the Questionnaire on Socio-Demographic Characteristics (Erdes-Kavecan et al., 2010). Descriptive statistical methods, t-test for Independent Samples, two-way ANOVA and Linear Regression Analysis were used for data processing. The results obtained in this research paper indicate that the level of cohesion and the level of adaptability within the family are significant predictors of school success in adolescents. Concerning the respondents' gender, there were statistically significant differences in the evaluation of both dimensions of family functioning observed (i.e. cohesion, adaptability), as well as in the academic achievement in adolescents.