Parental Behavior and Adolescents' Achievement Emotions: The Role of Goal Orientations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of students' achievement goal orientations on their achievement emotions, as well as to examine the mediational role of students' achievement goal orientations between perceived parenting behavior and parent goals on these learning outcomes. The self-report questionnaires were administered in a sample of 208 high school students. Separate path analyses examining the hypothesized role of students' achievement goal orientations as mediators of the effects of parenting behavior and parent goals on each outcome variable were conducted. The results showed that students' mastery goal orientation mediated the beneficial effects of parental support and parent mastery goal on enjoyment and boredom as activity emotions. Students' performance goal orientation mediated the effects of psychological and behavioral control on anxiety, as well as the effects of parent performance goal on anxiety and pride as outcome emotions. Finally, students' work avoidance goal endorsement mediated the effects of psychological and behavioral control on all the examined achievement emotions except pride and proved to be a maladaptive achievement goal orientation. These findings suggest that there is a need for further research on the role of family environment in adolescents' achievement goal adoption and learning.